Five Books of Letters

^A for the sake of our instruction and learning, they laid down [Greek: ἀποταγήν], calling it the withdrawal from material things, and [Greek: ὑποταγήν], the inclination to obey. And they had nature alone as their teacher; but we, having the practice of those men also written down, take little thought for the work. Therefore, it is fitting that [Greek: ἀποταγή] should be a forgetting of the mind that was captivated before, and a renunciation of habit; and that [Greek: ὑπακοή] should be the mortification and destruction of the members that are upon the earth, as it is written (1).

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(1) *As it is written.* It seems that a portion of the epistle is missing, for the place of Holy Scripture cited by Isidore has perished. Ritt.

— The title of this epistle in the Altaems manuscript bears only the name, *Nilus*, without the addition of *monk*. In the same codex, the first three verses are set forth with a certain addition, more gracefully, in this manner: *O holy men, as of the monastic philosophy the leaders and guides, from of the toils and the struggles, etc.*; where you see the three particles *as, the, of*, in various places,

[Following this, the Latin text provides a long prefatory or editorial note regarding the history of the Isidorian manuscripts, the intervention of Cardinal Barberini, the work of Franciscus Arcudius, and the scholar's own labor in preparing these collations at Tivoli, dated October 1670.]

and subjection, as being the mortification and death of the members which are upon the earth: as it is recorded in the Holy Scriptures.

^B II. — TO DOROTHEUS THE MONK. *Carbons succensi sunt ab eo.* Coals were kindled from Him 1, that is, holy men from God. For since our God is a consuming fire, those who contemplate God through purity of soul are not unreasonably called coals, being inflamed by union with Him, and appearing as luminaries in the world.

III. — TO NILAMBON THE SCHOLASTIC. *On the practical life.* Since you have learned quite clearly from the ancients that for a thing to be is not the same as to opine that it is, do it rather, and do not merely speak of it.

IV. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR. ^B From those contests which are undertaken by you, excellent man, be persuaded of this: that the present life is set before us as a sort of stadium, which does not fall under the senses, in which we struggle not against sensible beasts, but against the perturbations which are understood by mind and reason. Which, indeed, if they prevail over that strength with which we are endowed, bring danger not only to the body, but also bring death to the soul itself; but if they are overcome and turn to flight, we shall obtain great crowns and proclamations: and here indeed frequently, but after this, certainly. Since the world to come is entrusted with the rewards, just as this one is with the stadiums and arenas.

^C V. — TO NILUS. *On the food of the Forerunner, and on asceticism.* If the divine oracles 2 signify the sincere and perfect way of living.

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

1 Psal. xvii, 9. 2 Hebr. xii, 29.

^A is a curiosity, and for those who read these matters prudently, a superfluous inquiry. If, therefore, we have learned in John the Baptist the food and clothing of the monastic life, which is perfect according to God and absolute in all respects, we shall, if it is possible, be content with skins for covering the body; and with the tops of herbs and leaves for meager and non-superfluous nourishment and strength. But if these things exceed our weakness, then let the examination and command of the superior be for us a model and rule of all necessity, of diet, and of the attainment of perfection.

VI. — TO URSENUPHIUS.

On the text, "A cup is in the hand of the Lord."

"A cup is in the hand of the Lord, full of unmixed wine, spiced." By this divine oracle is signified a just recompense, which is tempered with humanity and mercy to stir up to repentance those who take delight in sins; for it inclines from this to that—from, clearly, kindness to the punishment and just judgment due to transgressions. But that we, being sluggish, might not altogether imagine (forget) the judgment, it is added: "Nevertheless, its dregs have not been fully emptied out; they are persistent." For if they utterly scorn salvation, they shall not in the end escape the judicial vengeance. ^B "For," he says, "all the sinners of the earth shall drink," namely, the cup of judgment; and this deservedly.

VII. — TO TIMOTHEUS.

On the Theotokos.

The most holy book of the Gospels, in bringing the genealogy of Christ down to Joseph, who derived his lineage from David, was satisfied with having demonstrated through him that the Virgin also was descended from the same tribe as David; for the reason that the law ordained that marriages should take place between those of the same tribe. But the great apostle Paul, the interpreter of heavenly doctrines, explains the truth clearly, testifying that the Lord sprang from Judah. Since you know these things more keenly and certainly, do not propose this question to me dissemblingly and craftily. For it is not hidden from me that you are here seeking after my insignificance.

VIII. — TO THE SAME.

That the labor of exercise ought to be moderate.

Just as the flesh, when it is in the best of health, has need of chastisement, ^D

^A and of suppressing the swellings of the passions, so too the soul, when it labors under weakness and falls into calamity and affliction, requires help, that it may be enlightened by the divine commandments. Therefore, care must be taken for both. For if one or the other be lacking, it is difficult to attain perfection.

IX. — TO THE SAME.

Concerning nocturnal imaginations.

Nocturnal imaginations, [(9)] as you have written, O most studious man, are not merely the echoes of daily meetings and conversations, but also the offspring of a slothful and idle habit. For when the mind is seized by the drunkenness of numbness, it becomes a staging ground for the passions. But when it is sober and keeps watch, and in girded fashion waits for the Lord, it is neither overcome by the belly nor by the passions that flow from it. ^B For to be girded is nothing other than to hold the power of the loins restrained as if by certain bonds.

X. — TO EUSEBIUS THE PRESBYTER [(10)].

That there is nothing greater than charity: in which are also found proofs drawn from brotherly conjunction.

There is nothing in such esteem with God as charity: for the sake of which He even became man, and was obedient unto death [(11)]. For this reason, also, the first calling of His disciples was that they were two brothers, the all-wise Savior having shown forth immediately through the preludes that He wishes all His disciples to be joined together in brotherly fashion. Therefore let us deem nothing more preferable than charity, ^C which binds all things together, and keeps them in a profitable concord.

XI. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN.

That there is much philosophy in being wronged or treated insolently.

If Socrates, the lawgiver of Attic dogmas, when struck and even beaten, refrained from retaliation, why are you distressed when you have merely received an insult, as you have written? For if you prove yourself a philosopher, you will indeed bring back the glory of Socrates, even if you have been insulted less than Socrates; but the one who behaves so ^D from the opposite side, as—

^A he will be wounded by the greatness of your soul as if by a dart; or even at some time he will be changed from a mind and tongue eager to sin into something better, and will hold you in gratitude as the author of this transformation.

XII. — TO AMMONIUS. ^B Even if you hide your fault, it is apparent that you are puffed up in mind, and that you are acting proudly beyond what your birth, strength, and dignity warrant. Therefore, either discipline your mind to be appropriate for you, or know that you are laughed at by everyone.

XIII. — TO LAMPETIUS THE MONK. ^C At the time when you were ascending the mountain of the sublime and exalted life, and having washed both your garment and your senses, you were preparing your heart for the hearing of divine dogmas, you resolved to cast away entirely the memory of earthly things, so that having arrived at the citadel of virtues, you might both hear God speaking oracles, and—he writing the ancient law upon carnal tablets—you might yourself exist as a tablet divinely fashioned. But now, that which is sung by every mouth concerning you is that you did indeed take up the plow of salvation with a ready and eager mind, but through sloth and torpor you have turned back again. ^D Therefore, if you are not frightened by the example of Simon, who although he was baptized and had shown himself a companion to the ministers of Christ, returned again to those things which consist of matter (and because of this, the wretch fell headlong from on high to a death most celebrated in the speech of many, so that from his single ruin it might be manifest to all what punishments they deserve who counterfeit the heavenly race), cling to the footsteps and the resolve of Simon. But if anyone who is possessed of mind and reason shudders at this punishment even when it happens to his enemies, and prays to be spared from it, then fulfill the covenants entered into with God, and cultivate His vineyard diligently and assiduously. For the reward is with Him, which each one shall receive according to his own labor.

XIV. — TO PATRIMUS THE MONK. On the practical life. You possess, as I have heard, a natural aptitude for learning—

^A and an ability to speak nobly. But the path of the spiritual life is advanced more by action than by speech. If, therefore, you care for the incorruptible rewards, consider speaking well to be of little account, and strive to act uprightly.

^B XV. — TO PETRO. On pride and arrogance, and on humility. Who would not accuse you of inconsistency, because, when you have scorned wealth, and lineage, and this shadowy honor, and have become to many a path toward humility, you are now caught being haughty, as if you had forgotten the divine law 16 which commands that he who wishes to be exalted must be humbled? If, therefore, you have not been entirely submerged by the waves of arrogance, stir up your spirit toward your promise. For this does not escape you: that moderation, increasing along with the virtues, makes those who live in such a way imitators of God; but arrogance knows how not only to cast down present deeds, but also to banish from the very heavens him who is stiff-necked, which is what befell Lucifer, who was rising in the morning.

^C XVI. — TO EVANGELIUS. What is signified by that which states that Elisha changed the sterile waters with salt. Elisha cured the waters of Jericho which were laboring under sterility with salt, moved in an evangelical manner toward this remedy, as one who sees what lies ahead. For he bore a pattern: the waters represented the whole of human nature, rendered sterile toward the barrenness of virtues and the lack of fruit in piety. But the salt, of the quality and power that moistens all things, represented the teaching of the Lord, just as He Himself says to His own disciples: "You are the salt of the earth." Elisha, finally, represented the Creator and Lord Himself. For those who keep the image clean for the One who fashioned them, have obtained from Him the grace to perform miracles together with Him.

^D 16. Luc. xiv, 11. 15 II Reg. ii, 21. 16 Matth. v, 13.

^A

XVII. — TO PAUL. On the verse, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests."

"Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests," the Lord answered to the man who asked to follow Him, being a knower of hearts, as He is the One who fashioned the hearts of men individually. It is called "individually" because He made them without needing any other helper. Because He saw the man captured by crafty thoughts and inhabited by wicked spirits, and having no turning back from his malice, for this reason He sent him away from His own intimate company, so that the persistent nature of that man’s wickedness might not become a cause of scandal to those who had embraced the faith, by their looking at him and judging the Lord's power to be weak, as if it were unable to change the disciple toward virtue. ^B

XVIII. — TO HERMINAS THE COUNT. On the passage said concerning the Theotokos, "And he did not know her," and what follows.

Since you said that you think it a scandal to the Jews, that which is mentioned in the divine oracles, "He did not know her until she brought forth her son," as if, he says, after this a union took place between the betrothed and the Virgin; let the blasphemous and ungrateful people know that the word "until" is frequently found in the divine Scripture stated in the sense of "continually." "Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"; and this indicates perpetuity. And the dove did not return. ^C

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES.

(17) And in the manuscripts. The alternative, and Vatican 649, is wanting; instead of "sent him away" [in the following verse], it has "sent." Possin. (19) And the dove did not return. Note: A lapse of memory. Isidore should have written "the raven," not the dove. Id.

— Verse 1, the name "Jews" in the fourth case in codices Alt. and Vat. 649, they place, writing "Jews," which perhaps is more fitting, as it agrees with "to think." Verse 5 is better, I think, and those same codices write "when it happened" instead of "when born"; and in the second and third verses instead of "that which is in the editions," both those books have [it differently]. That reading is without doubt the more true one of the two codices mentioned, in which, for that which is read in verse 20, they substitute "inexpressible," which is to be taken here as derived not from "a bed" (the notion of which Eustathius mentions in many places; from which are the most vulgar vocabulary, etc.), and this interpretation of Billius is far more fitting to this corrected passage, [interpreting it as] a birth consistent with divinity and free from lust and intercourse, and comparing these Greek words (nay, as we have shown it must be corrected) [it will be seen that] there will then be no need for that digression which that interpreter accumulates to render the power of the substituted word: which exceeds the grasp of human reason. On the same page of the edition, verse 2, after the letter E which is in the edition, in the two mentioned codices it is written... Verse 4, where the published [editions] after [this] add, etc., those two codices have it thus...

to Noah, until the waters dried up, and it did not return at all. And, "Until you grow old, I am," says the Lord. And it is perpetual. And many other such things are found scattered throughout the Divine Scripture. But the divine mind, O Jews, correcting your perverse opinion (for you have thought and proclaimed that the Lord was born of fornication), has studiously demonstrated by these words that the adored birth was untouched, devoid of all desire and cohabitation, but divine and incomprehensible. For the fact that those who were falsely accused of fornication did not come together after these events—this both the vision of the angel prohibited, who had said that He Who was being incarnate in the Virgin existed from the Holy Spirit; and the majesty ^B of the miracles of the birth forbade it, as did the virginity which followed the birth, the hymnody of the angels, the gift-bearing of the Magi, the guidance of the star, the flight into Egypt, the captivity of the idols, and the righteousness of those very men confirmed by the testimony of Holy Scripture. And the final disposition of the Lord also makes this clear, when He commended the Theotokos to John the virgin, and joined the virginity of both, at the time when, being on the cross, He was undergoing life-giving death. If these things do not persuade the murmuring and perverse people, for whom it has now become second nature to wage war against God, you are sowing upon rocks and writing on water; cease, therefore, your labor in vain.

XIX. — TO HERACLITUS THE BISHOP

You ask, why it was that the great Daniel was not condemned by the Babylonian king to the punishment of the fire along with the three holy children, being of one mind with them, and of the same tribe, and sharing the same table, and indeed, to speak more correctly, being their teacher in piety? I reply: This was brought about by divine counsel and providence, so that the impious might not attribute the suppression of the flame to the name of the Babylonian god; for they used to call him Baltasar, in honor of his interpretation of the mysteries. And such an opinion prevailed among them, that their god performed wonders even if his name were merely pronounced. ^D God, therefore, in order to suppress and abolish this opinion, separated Daniel from the others in this judgment; and there was found only the continence of the young men and the help of God, by which that thundering furnace was calmed and extinguished.

[XX. — TO HIERAX, MOST ILLUSTRIOUS.] Against the Macedonians, or the Spirit-fighters.

If the heretic with whom you had this contention, as you write, admits the Son of God as a reliable author of dogmas, he himself teaches the essence of the adorable Unity of the Spirit; inasmuch as He has declared the one name of the divine Trinity, signifying the union and conjunction of the one essence. But if he does not believe him when he signifies the certainty of the kindred Spirit and teaches things surpassing the human mind, the construction of our own words is superfluous; since this earthly tabernacle can scarcely find even those things which lie at our feet. But the heavenly mysteries, which exceed our perception, He Himself both reveals and knows precisely, He who has heaven for His dwelling.

[XXI. — TO AMMONIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.] On reading against the Gentiles. On the grace of the divinely inspired Scriptures, and their utility.

The deifications of the Gentiles, and what they call theogonies—that is, the births of the gods—Orpheus and Homer and Hesiod, and all who taught after them, have handed down, collecting and compiling many books and opinions. But our religion, two books which we have sent to you will teach: of which one is called the Old, the other the New Testament. Whether these books are more inclined toward the truth, both in names and in realities, than those others, you yourself, as I am persuaded, will discover, and you will embrace that which is better.

[XXII. — TO ZOSIMUS.]

Some people say that you are gripped by a desire for the priesthood—a thing which it is a sin for many, and especially for you, to touch. Therefore, either amend your life, or desist from desiring the sacred precincts which it is in no way lawful for you to touch.

[XXIII. — TO THEOPHILUS.] On the saying, “Every male opening the womb,” and against those who say that God has suffered, and that there is one nature in Christ.

That which is said in the holy Scripture, “Every firstborn opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,” is not said of every firstborn—let not the ignorant think so—but of that one and only One who opened the womb in the act of birth. For while sexual intercourse and carnal union open every womb, that [womb] which conceived our Lord Jesus Christ, He himself

having been conceived without seed, opened in coming forth; and again, He left it sealed. Truly, indeed, having become man, and truly existence being also God, He is worshiped as one and the same in two natures.

XXIV. — TO CRISPUS.

You ought to unroll divine Scripture scientifically ^A and to trace out its powers with a sound mind, and not venture simply upon mysteries which are untouchable and inaccessible, committing them to unworthy hands. For in this way the most audacious Uzziah, having taken the daring to lay hold of things not to be approached, brought leprosy upon himself through his rashness, and was cast out of the sanctuary against his will, inasmuch as the law also closed the entrance within to those stained by leprosy. These things were written for our admonition, that we might both avoid such boldness and not suffer the punishments.

XXV. — TO CYRIL.

What is the use to you of the retreat of John into the desert, which you once zealously emulated, if now you do not imitate him, but return to private cares, and in the wilderness are tumultuous, and in solitude are troubled? For to be quiet in appearance, yet to be stirred up by the agitations and confusions of the mind, both fills the senses with darkness, and obscures acts already performed, and makes victory easy for the passions, and renders the soldier a shield-thrower. Now no one who is serving as a soldier entangles himself in the affairs of life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him, but becomes entirely an armed man, preparing himself for the conflict that will please the military tribune.

XXVI. — TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS.

Many ridicule you as one who pays regard to money, and not to the Spirit,

and who entrusts the laying on of hands for initiation into the mysteries [to money]. And if they are slandering you, they have drawn down justice upon themselves, since "the Lord will destroy all who speak lies." But if they speak the truth, realize where the evil ends; that you have exchanged the reviling of God for a small profit. And who will pray for you, since not even for Hophni and Phinehas, who had sinned against God and His priesthood, was anyone found to take the role of intercessor? They were rather delivered to the final destruction, as those who treated the privilege of the priesthood with contempt. ^B

XXVII. — TO PHARISMANIUS, EUNUCH OF THE PALACE. I hear that you occupy yourself with the divine books and use their testimonies fittingly before everyone, but that you are greedy and madly driven after the possessions of others. And it occurs to me to be utterly amazed that divine love has not wounded you through your constant reading, nor wrought a change of intent in you—a love that not only forbids coveting what belongs to others, but even counsels the scattering of one’s own. Therefore, either acknowledge as you read, or do not read if you will not acknowledge. ^C

XXVIII. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP.

That the priesthood is to be revered and is hard to attain.

XXIX. — TO LUCIUS, ARCHDEACON OF PELUSIUM.

To those who are suffering from avarice.

^A

XXX. — TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS. On the priesthood.

"I have made you a watchman," says the divine Scripture, "and you shall see the sword coming, and you shall proclaim it." And if, having been awakened from sleep, they provide a sober mind and keep vigil in obedience to the truth, both for you and for them this matter will result in profit and salvation. But if they close their ears like [the] asps, you, at any rate, will have fulfilled what was your part. Consider, therefore, ^B that you should not appear to be testifying only with your voice, and being defeated by your deeds, surrendering the reins of authority to those around you, and impiously selling the grace. For it is not permitted to entrust the laying on of hands to gold, nor to be ignorant of the life of those who are presented, nor to bring forward others as causes of your sin, before that incorruptible and terrible tribunal. For not even that answer and excuse concerning his wife delivered Adam from blame and from judgment, when he pled that he had partaken of the forbidden things by her suggestion.

XXXI. — TO DIOPHANTUS THE PRAETOR. To the magistrates.

Not only is your authority short-lived, but your very life is as well. Why, then, do you sin without end, in a few hours preparing for yourself eternal punishment? Having recognized, therefore, the entire fickle and ever-shifting unreliability of worldly matters, strive rather to be known for virtuous deeds, ^C the praises of which are celebrated even in this life, and whose future rewards never perish.

XXXII. — TO DOSITHEUS. That a priest ought to be a lamp.

God lights a lamp, that is, a priest, and places it upon the lampstand of his own light-bearing cathedra, so that it may radiate enlightenment to the Church, free from all darkness both in dogmas and in deeds; so that, seeing the rays of that life-giving brilliance, the populace may direct themselves toward them and glorify the Father of lights. You have a brief solution to the things you asked.

XXXIII. — TO PRUNICHIO. Why among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John; and what is more in him.

Why, you asked, is John called greater among those born of women?

^A For the Lord says this. Hear, then, much in little: John is greater than those born of women because he prophesied from his very mother's womb, and while hidden in darkness, he was not ignorant of the Light that had come. But he is greater than the prophets because he also saw in the flesh Him who was prophesied, whom all the patriarchs and prophets—though they had some inkling of Him through dreams or visions—did not succeed in seeing with their very own eyes.

XXXIV. TO THE SAME.

"Are you He who is to come, or should we look for another?" ^B John was making [this inquiry] known to the Lord; being about to be beheaded for the sake of the truth, he was eager to bring his own disciples—who, because of John's precise manner of life, were doubting whether the Lord was greater than John—to Him. The Lord demonstrated this through the things He immediately did, confirming John's testimony with many miracles, and sending away those who had doubted John's words, so that they might have confirmation by their own eyes and sight of that which they had previously only heard with their ears.

XXXV. TO THE EMPEROR THEODOSIUS.

XXXVI. TO ANTIOCHUS THE EUNUCH.

^A toward one who has fallen into weakness, or rather, I should say, one who is already giving up his final breath, so that you may find a just tribunal favorable and gentle, even if the thought of it does not frequently enter your mind now, as you are struck by the overwhelming distraction of human pomp.

XXXVII. — TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS

XXXVIII. — TO MARO

Everyone says that you are some strange and monstrous beast, neither to be softened at the table, nor bound by the ties of love and benevolence, nor subdued ^C by the habit and familiarity of a prince, and that you bring such insult upon the altar. Therefore, either renounce this untamed ferocity and show yourself to be a man instead of a beast, or cease the insult that is branded upon the Church, withdrawing yourself from the awesome sacrifice.

XXXIX. — TO THEODOSIO THE MONK

^A city is scourged? You know that this happened also in the time of David. For when the leader becomes arrogant on account of the prosperity of affairs, the subjects are diminished to his sorrow and condemnation, not being punished unjustly, but because each receives the wages of his own deeds and misses out on divine forbearance on account of the leader's judgments. Do not, therefore, advocate for the failings of Eusebius the bishop, as he thinks is the case, if because of him the altar lacks ministers and the city lacks inhabitants. For those who indiscriminately promote an unworthy man are themselves worthy of eating the fruits of their labors, having despised virtue and thus promoted such clear wickedness.

XL. — TO TUBA THE SOLDIER ^B It is not fitting to bear arms in peacetime, nor to carry the attire of war in the middle of the market, nor to spend one's time in the city with a sword; rather, it is fitting to exercise such fear and trial in war against enemies. If, therefore, you delight in warlike attire and desire to obtain proclamations and statues, go down to the army that is fighting against the barbarians, and do not, by purchasing your escape from that place with money, sit at home and play at the war that is owed there as if it were a game.

XLI. — TO PHILIPPUS THE MONK On a monk living unstably. ^C They say that the hare, a timid animal and fearful by nature, endures this, to migrate from lair to lair, being disturbed by every stir and sound. But not so a monk, who ought to have his trust placed in the Lord and to have ascended like Mount Zion. Why, then, having abandoned the firm foundation of relying on the Lord and having the cross as a companion of a religious life, do you shift from place to place, seeking, as it appears, a richer table rather than a sounder training? And it will happen to you, I suppose, that after traversing all the cities of Israel and all the recesses of the earth with such a belly and such a disposition, you will be a kind of Euripus, carried about by every wind of the steam of food, and laboring under perpetual instability.

XLII. — TO ARCHONTIUS THE MONK ^D Interpretation of the divine coal. Isaiah, a man endowed with the greatest perspicacity, took the coal from the altar with tongs, perceiving most clearly the incarnation of our Lord. By the coal

For the divine essence, which he beheld, was signifying the sinless flesh, which, taken from us, He joined to Himself. ^A And the tongs touched the lips of Isaiah, and cleansed his sins—that is to say, of the whole human nature. For the ineffable union of the Word with the human nature removed, in a manner befitting God, the sins of the whole world.

XLIII. — TO HERMINIUS THE COUNT

"Put," He says, ^B "your hand under my thigh, and I will adjure you by the God of heaven and of earth." Thus did Abraham, when near to death, command his servant, clearly perceiving—like a prophet who sees the things that lie ahead—that He who was about to be incarnate from his own thigh was the God of heaven and of earth, our Lord and Master Christ, who was to take hold of the seed of Abraham, for the sake of his purity of mind.

XLIV. — TO MOSES THE BISHOP

One must not distribute the food of the poor rashly and without judgment, but he who is appointed to manage these things must be persuaded of this: that if anything is spent beyond what is necessary, he renders himself liable for the guilt of sacrilege.

XLV. — TO MARTYRIUS THE BISHOP

You treat the reading of the divine laws as something secondary, or perhaps you are ignorant of the reading itself. For when Aaron and his successors were entering into the temple for the sake of sacrifice, they would lay aside all woolen garments and put on vestments woven of linen, ^C containing some mystery and signifying that external tumults must be banished from the memory. For he who approaches God for the sake of sacred duties can bring with him nothing alien nor any burden consisting of material things. If, therefore, after such evidence, you are emboldened by audacity and rashness to do violence to the truth, bringing confusion and drivelling nonsense into the holy places—where all silence is strictly owed—and [engaging in] absurd conversation or illicit ordinations, ^D

be assured that you are driving yourself toward the extreme danger of condemnation and destruction.

XLVI. — TO MENAS THE SCHOLASTIC.

Actions have no need of words; for they are visible in themselves. Words, however, rather need to become deeds, and they themselves [need to be] if they are to possess dignity. If, therefore, you wish to be held in high honor for both, set your effort to joining speech to action, and action to speech.

XLVII. — TO NEMESIUS THE PRETOR.

The authority and power of a governorship, unless it is tempered by gentleness, and unless that kindness which serves God shines forth from it, is rather arrogance and cruelty. But if it possesses sweetness mingled with it, and through this governs and moderates justice, then at last it is integrity, kindness, a path of equity, and tranquility in affairs.

XLVIII. — TO EPAGATHUS THE PRESBYTER.

The Lord was enrolled while being carried in the womb, and He paid the census tax to Caesar, legislating that we should be subject to the power that holds authority, provided that it offers no detriment to piety. What therefore God Himself, our Lord, taught through His poverty, assumed by dispensation and design, let us imitate with a sincere mind, and let us not refuse to pay taxes under the pretext of being poor.

XLIX. — TO PAUL THE COENOBIARCH.

You have gathered, as I have been told, a vast multitude of brethren who live well and excellently indeed, but who have idle and slothful hands. You have found this practice established neither by Christ nor observed by Paul, the wise teacher. For the former promises a vineyard, and work, and labor, and wages for it; the latter taught one to work with one's hands and to have need of no one. If, therefore, you obey Christ who is God, and Paul, the all-wise...

^A imitator of Christ, either teach them to work, or offer some cause and pretext on account of which they may be fed, and obtain rest, and be free from wicked thoughts—they who neither show themselves obedient to Christ, nor follow in the footsteps of Paul.

L. — TO STRATEGIUS THE LECTOR. What the nut-bearing rod signifies.

Jeremiah, that man who was exposed to more dangers than other prophets, saw a nut-bearing rod, as a type and argument for the priesthood: its manifest and superficial parts, and, as one might perhaps say, its beginnings, are astringent and rough, and endowed with acrimony; but its hidden and inner parts are stable and firm, and possess the power of support. Therefore, one must bear the labors of the priesthood valiantly, and await its rewards with a ready and eager mind. ^B

LI. — TO THEOPOMPUS THE TRIBUNE. Concerning the cursed fig tree.

The Lord did not curse the fig tree without reason—do not think that, you who are insatiable for divine things—but in order to show the ungrateful Jews that He has power sufficient even for punishment. For since they had seen Him in all His miracles inflict no sorrow upon anyone, they merely assumed that He was able to do good, and that he did not have the authority to harm the wicked. Therefore, by means of an inanimate substance, ^C He convinces the ungrateful populace that He is able to avenge himself, but as He is good, He has not willed it. Thus, the tree withered, that it might strike terror into men. But a secret doctrine is also interwoven with this, which has traveled down to us from wise elders: that this is the tree of the transgression, whose leaves the transgressors also used for the covering of their bodies. And it was cursed by Christ in a merciful way, so that it might no longer bring forth fruit, the cause of sin. For the second coming of God is not ^D for the assuming of humanity again, but for the vengeance of the sins which each one has committed.

LII. — TO LAMPETIUS THE MONK. Against the Manichaeans.

There are many causes for which one might abstain from foods: habit, and nature, and institutions which are embraced for the sake of continence. For often, by law...

it passes into custom. But abstinence arising from hatred or a vicious affection arises from a different source. There is, again, another kind which contributes to the pursuit and exercise of greater and more sublime virtues. If you follow this latter kind, your fasting is beyond reproach. But if you belong to the abominable sect of Manichaeus and Marcion, no one of our flock will eat with you, inasmuch as you corrupt the law of Christ and regard good things as if they were evil, despising and rejecting them. ^A

LIII. — TO THEODULUS.

“Naked he shall flee in that day,” says the prophet. ^B In these words, if you consider the sense that presents itself at first glance, he looks toward the events that happened in the Passion of the Lord, and signifies him who fled naked: that is, he who, covered by a linen cloth, escaped the cruelty of the Lord’s executioners by leaving the linen cloth to them in his nakedness. But if you consider the hidden and abstruse meaning, he designates one who is thin and a stranger to the pursuit and desire of superfluous things, and devoid of the burdens of the body, having nothing that serves as an impediment for him to ascend from here; but rather, light and unencumbered, he departs from the dregs of mortal things and flies toward that life which is removed from destruction, as if wings had been added to him. ^C

LIV. — TO THEOLOGIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

You ask of me what more, or what thing alien to our religion, those who labor under various errors and the Gentile worshippers of many gods think, since they propose in their writings a mother of gods, just as we also believe in a mother of God. Hear, therefore, briefly, that which I wish you to learn sincerely. The Gentiles recognized the mother of their gods—and indeed of their highest ones—as having conceived and given birth through lust and unspeakable passions; and as a mother of such gods, she neither was ignorant of nor omitted any kind of lechery. But that one whom we confess to have been the mother of our incarnate God, having received a unique and singular conception, all the nations of men have recognized with truth, neither having experienced seed, nor having allowed corruption to intervene. If you do not believe those who speak... ^D

you will know the truth from the power of the One who was born. For He bestowed sight upon the blind, He cleansed the lepers of their plague and suffering, and to the toothless, the stammerers, and the deaf, He imparted the harmony of hearing and speech. He walked upon the back of the sea; He calmed the swelling of the waves and the disorderly onsets of the winds; with a word alone He drove away the ranks and battalions of demons; He called many dead back to life by a command. These divine signs the eyewitnesses themselves handed down to us, having kept their testimony so free from adulation and grace that they even wrote down the shameful things that happened to Him: persecutions, insults, stonings, spittings, slaps, blows, the cross, nails, and death—which the resurrection followed swiftly—thereby signifying both that the One who suffered was God incarnate, and proclaiming the one who gave birth to Him as the Mother of the God who was incarnate. If the facts are similar, then it is necessary that the names also be accepted as similar. ^B

LV. — TO HIERAX THE ILLUSTRIOUS.

On the miracle-working of the martyrs' relics.

If you are scandalized by the dust of the martyrs' bodies being honored by us ^C because of their love for God and their steadfastness, ask those who receive healings from them, and learn how many ailments are granted cures. And not only will you not mock what is happening, but you will surely emulate what is being accomplished. But if you yourself decline to touch the bones of the dead, as you have written, you have loathed the remains of wicked men who were assisted in their malice—remains which the Greeks, while making the most shameful things seem holy, buried in the temple of the Ephesian Artemis, and deified the tombs and plague-bearing dust of vile men. ^D

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES.

(53) "If the facts are similar," etc. For names should correspond to the facts, as Justinian says in *Est et aliud*, Inst., *De donationibus*, l. 20, C. *de donat., ante nupt.*, and Constantine in l. 7. *Si idem codicilli*, cod., *de codicilli*. Why would a different word be commanded for these things, if any power had combined them? Ritt. Verse 2: For "doxazousin" a codex reads "doxousin". Verse 3: The asterisk, an index of a missing word, can be removed by supplying "et", if the Vat. is believed to be the best exemplar. Verse 7: Cod. Alt. and Vat. after "mentera" have "ex akolaston...". Another codex which retains the word "akolasias" continues it without a conjunction to the following verb. Verse 10 and following: For those words of the edition, "etc." up to "monogen," cod. Vat. has "ten de tou Theou hemon metera" simply. Verse 17, which is the first of page 17, for "cod. Barb." reads "ekatharen" instead of "ekathere", and omitting the article "ten" before "phonetiken", although cod. Alt. retains it. Then, on the eleventh line of this page, which is the first of letter B, the codices Vat. and Alt. write "kraxai". Verse, after the third, the conjunction is missing in cod. Barberino. Following verse, for cod. Vat. has "suntomos" instead of "suntomows". Penultimate verse, for "etc." the same codex reads "etc.", Possin. (54) "By the dust of the martyrs... honored by us." A notable passage concerning the relics of the saints honored in that age, and indeed not only by the common people, but also by emperors who held the empire of land and sea, whom he mentions in epist. 5 of book 11, that they went to the fisherman's sepulcher for the sake of kissing his bones. Similar things are found here and there in Chrysostom and Basil the Great. Here, however, a twofold caution is necessary: 1st, that we know the preeminent honor of the martyrs consists not so much in the contact with and veneration of their relics, as in the imitation of their faith and holiness, as Isidore himself testifies in the epistle of this book. 2nd, that we do not take for relics of the saints what are not truly such, but carefully avoid fraud and imposture here. See the memorable example in the history of the blessed Martin by Sulpicius Severus. Ritt.

^A

LVI. — TO NILUS.

On Judas the traitor.

LVII. — TO CYRUS.

On the saying: "Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins."

LVIII. — TO PATRIMUS THE MONK.

To those who sent gifts.

LIX. — TO GORGONIUS.

How the text is to be understood: "Whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him."

whereas that alone which attacks the Holy Spirit is? Hear then: "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him," says the Lord; for because the eyes of the mind are bleary in those who cannot easily grasp or behold God, who is ineffably united to the lowliness of the visible flesh, the hidden divinity is unknown. But to those pure in mind, to whom the incarnate divinity has appeared, there is neither any unbelief nor is the retribution of judgment threatened. But the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, for this reason, unpardonable, because the very works that are manifest convict those who blaspheme of wickedness and ingratitude. For while infirmities were being cut away and demons were being driven out by the power of the divinity, the murmuring Jews slandered these divine signs as being performed in Beelzebub. Therefore, the Lord declared that this blasphemy, which was clearly against the divine essence, was unpardonable.

LX. — TO THE SAME.

That there is a certain blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, you say, is evident from the very voice of the Lord saying: "Whoever speaks a blasphemous word against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him." And that the blasphemy directed against the Holy Spirit is avenged, is clear. But that the Holy Spirit is of the divine essence, you requested to be made clear via Scripture. This, if you apply the sharpness of your mind and proceed a little further from the text you now hold in your hands, you may find the solution to this question. "If I," he says, "cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? But if I cast out these by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." In the other evangelist it is said more clearly: "But if I by the finger of God cast out demons." By the "finger of God," he means the Holy Spirit. And the finger, to take an example from ourselves, is of the essence of the body. Therefore, he manifested the inseparable and kindred person of the Holy Spirit to the divine essence by the name of "finger."

LXI. — TO ZOSIMUS.

I would gladly ask you, who are an Ethiopian in spirit, regarding the Scripture...

"Do you understand what you are reading?" For as some say, you remember certain words of our God-inspired Father Basil, yet you remember nothing of his deeds. But if you are a true lover of the man, demonstrate his words by your deeds, through which he regulated character by the rule of philosophy. For if you were to take up that tract of his against the drunken, you would find yourself there, enduring the myriad swarms of shameful things.

^B LXII. — TO THEOPOMPUS THE MONK. A discourse that is meant for the benefit of the hearers is a powerful discourse, one rightly called a discourse, and it has its imitation directed toward God. But that which ends in pleasure alone and applause is a sounding brass, striking the ear with a great noise. Therefore, either moderate your discourse with gravity, and prefer mediocrity to the vanity and pomp of speech; or know that you are a cymbal, fit only for the stage of the theatres.

LXIII. — TO THALELAEUS THE MONK.

Who would not mock you? Who would not take pity on you, who sit in the tranquility of the philosophy of the disciples of the Lord, yet drag with you the tumult and the boiling heat of pagan writers and poets? For tell me, what is there among them that is to be preferred to our religion? What is there of those things which they pursue with such great zeal that does not abound in lies and laughter? Are not their divinities born of shameful passions? Are not their brave deeds done for the sake of base passions? Are not their contests fought for the sake of base passions? ^C Flee, therefore, even the reading of such filth. For it has a wondrous power to open wounds that have already scarred over, lest the evil spirit return with a more violent attack, and inflict upon you a defeat that is worse and more destructive than your former ignorance or lack of care.

^D LXIV. — TO EULAMPIUS. *On that which was said by John to the crowds: "The axe is already..."*

John, perceiving the barren disposition and state of mind of the Jews, likened them to fruitless trees, pointing out that the axe...

is placed at their root—that is, the sharp and concise division of the Gospel, by which every tree not producing good fruit is cut down, not dug around. For the growth from the roots, that is to say the Law, is left behind, upon which the new people is grafted. ^A

LXV. TO THE SAME.

You signified by letter that you wish to know what the power and function of that winnowing fan is, which the Lord takes for the cleansing of His own threshing floor. This, then, is the meaning, as I believe: by the threshing floor He signifies the Church universal of the whole world, in which He gathers the entire harvest of human nature. By the winnowing fan, He signifies the just judgment, which, defining and determining the rank appropriate to each, hands over to the flames those who are like chaff—hollow, I might say, and blown about by every wind of sin. ^B But the just Judge says that those who have flourished in the purity of their works and the fruits of repentance are gathered into the barn—that is, into the dwelling place befitting the faithful and His worthy laborers and farmers. And this He also calls a saving mansion. For there, truly, is the mansion. For the present life is a cheap tent: at the same time as it is put together and fixed, at that very moment of time it is dissolved.

LXVI. TO CESAR, COUNT.

That just Judge, allotting what is appropriate to each time, said "Suffer it now" to John when he was refusing to administer the baptism. For since he, in offering veneration to the Lord, did not dare at all to touch the divine head, he ^C heard "Suffer it now." "Now," He says, "is the time of poverty, the law of condescension, for the sake of which I have taken on human nature, that I might receive baptism, that I might cleanse him from the transgression. There is no need now of the Lordly power, but of the servant’s lowliness and insignificance. Suffer it now, that compassion might be fulfilled, lest the salvation of men be hindered. For thus it is becoming for us to fulfill all righteousness." For it is righteousness that He who has taken upon Himself the passions of men should, impassibly, receive also a baptism ^D on their behalf, a release from their sin, and a symbol of their incorruption in Me.

LXVII. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR. On the baptism of the Lord.

You seem to me, ^A to truly desire to obey the Lord and to search the Scriptures. Therefore, it is necessary to respond to your inquiries. "This is My beloved Son," God and Father proclaimed from heaven to the Son as He was being baptized, in order both to demonstrate that He is the genuine and natural Son — concerning whom there was doubt as to whether He should be numbered among those who are called sons by adoption and dignity — and to manifest the divine and adorable Trinity of the Godhead, recognizable in its own persons; and, finally, to shut out the perverse impiety of Montanus and Sabellius. ^B For when the Son was being baptized, the Father bore witness, and the Holy Spirit, descending, brought to light that He who was being baptized is of the same substance as Himself and the Father.

LXVIII. — TO THE SAME. On that saying concerning John, "The lesser one in the kingdom of heaven," etc.

You have posed to us, O best of those who love study and labor, a question that is not simple or devoid of care, but one requiring great examination: "He who is lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John"—that is, he who is perfect in the law (as John was) is altogether lesser than he who has been baptized into the death of Christ. For this is the kingdom of heaven: ^C to be buried with Christ, who descended for the sake of despoiling death, and to rise again with Him, holding victory over it. Since, therefore, John was greater than all those born of women, but was cut off before the kingdom of heaven was given, he had indeed lived blameless according to the righteousness of the law, yet he remained inferior to those who were perfected by the Spirit of the life in Christ, because, as we have already written, he had departed from this life earlier. Whoever, therefore, is lesser in the kingdom of heaven—that is, in Christian regeneration—is greater, as we have said, than him who obtained the praise of righteousness in the law. Since the law perfected nothing in all its parts.

LXIX. — TO MARO. On gluttony, and that it is the mother of irrational passions; and that the body should be chastised through fasting and sleeping on the ground.

I strive to investigate many modes of admonition through which I not only wish, but also pray, that you might emerge from drunkenness. ^D Tell me, then—tell me, I beseech you, by the very truth of God—is it not gluttony that drove our first parents from paradise?

^A Did not satiety strip Esau of his birthright and liberty? Did not the superfluous consumption of oxen and sheep drive Saul from both his kingdom and his life? Did not the desire for meat and pots cast the hermit Israel into the desert, where it consumed him with myriad swarms and a host of torments and temptations? Did not a gluttonous belly, and the plundering of meats, and drunkenness, and the madness for women, cut off Ophni and Phinees from their priesthood, from the ark, from command over the tribes, and from glory and honor, and deliver them to the works of enemies and swords? Did not the voracity for meat render the shameful priests worthy of the sword and death in the time of Eli? Did not the appetite of the belly and the craving for meats deliver the worshippers and adorers of Bel to destruction, as was exposed by the ashes? ^B Conversely, did not fasting and the renunciation of intercourse preserve Noah and his sons from the tempest of the miraculous sea, since they fed on legumes and did not approach their wives for carnal connection? For hear the Scripture instructing Noah in this: "Enter into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and the wives of your sons" (Gen. vi, 1). Separate yourselves, it says, the men by themselves, and the women by themselves. Fornication is disciplined and lasciviousness is punished by the floodwaters brought upon [the earth]; do not you, therefore, even touch an impure bed. That this was indeed the case is evident again from what it says when they emerged from the ark: "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and the wives of your sons" (Gen. viii, 16). The sinful race has been removed; you are once again amongst yourselves: let the pious race be increased again. Did not fasting provide ^C life for the Ninevites, when they had received a brief and swift sentence of death? Did not fasting make the wonderful Daniel and those like-minded with him superior to the tyrant and the roaring fire? Did not fasting and a holy life make John the baptizer of the incarnate God, having acquired a purity worthy of such a great mystery? Did not fasting and nakedness and sleeping on the ground and the wasting of the body make Paul a listener to the ineffable things in paradise? Why, then, having abandoned the imitation of these things, do you maliciously love the worse part? If, therefore, you have not completely departed from your senses, and have not forgotten God, return to that nature which possesses within itself all things by which God is reconciled, and recognize the One who created you, and who redeemed you with the precious price of his own blood, and do not, by becoming a slave to the flesh, turn your ^D Savior and benefactor into a judge and adversary.

^A LXX. — TO THE SAME. If, as you said, you do not succumb to your belly—prevented, as it is, by old age—why do the vices of the belly run riot in you as if you were young? For to master the belly completely is to master the passions.

LXXI. — TO HELION THE MONK.

^C LXXII. — TO THE SAME. How priests profane the Sabbath on the Sabbath days. "The priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless." For since every work that is fashioned by hand is forbidden on the Sabbath, they themselves chop wood, and light a fire, and distribute the meat of the victims; things which, as common works, they are not permitted to perform on the Sabbath, but which, as sacrifices, they are not only not forbidden to perform, but are even commanded by the Law itself to do. And so it happens that the Sabbath is profaned by the work, yet the priests are without blame due to the difference in the work.

^D LXXIII. — TO CALLIOPIUS THE PRESBYTER. Why God does not spare His own temples in a time of threats. You said you were amazed as to how God, when He brings fear upon the earth, does not spare His own temples. But

^A you have in the divine books an accurate explanation of these things. And do not be surprised at those things which you now see happening. For if He did not spare the holy ark, but delivered it up to the barbarians along with the priests themselves who had committed lawless acts, and delivered ^B the city of sanctification, and the cherubim of glory, and the stole, and the prophecy, and the anointing, and the declaration into the trampling and defilement of the nations, He does not spare even now the undefiled mysteries; so that, by not sparing His own courts, He may incline those who transgress to fear, as they await a more severe punishment for the things they do. "For let the fir tree howl, for the cedar has fallen." By the falling of the strong, let the weaker be instructed.

LXXIV. TO CRATO THE MONK.

On those who wear soft garments.

That softness, and delicacy, and elegant color of garments do not preserve the rule of the exercise that is pleasing to God, ask John the Theologian, who describes the tunic of the Lord; and he will tell you: "Now his tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout." But who is ignorant of the simplicity of that garment, the kind which the poor of the Galileans use, among whom such a kind of garment is also accustomed to be made, after a certain fashion, as breastbands, woven in a primitive way? ^C Learn also from the divine Matthew, when he brings news of John the Baptist, and he will tell you: "John himself had his garment of camel's hair." See also the great-minded and God-bearing Luke, recounting the pride of Herod, and mocking the garment with which he was clothed, and saying that those who wear soft things dwell in the houses of kings. But such garments are not worthy of the spiritual bridal chamber that flashes like lightning. If, therefore, you desire that, imitate the lowly garment of Jesus our God. For softness belongs to present-day lasciviousness, not to heavenly splendor.

LXXV. TO JOHN THE HERMIT.

On the temptation of the Lord.

If Christ, who was God, and for our sake had put on humanity, was led into the desert to be tempted, why do you marvel if you, living in solitude, are struggling with temptations, as you say? Therefore, fix your mind only on the victory of Christ, which was lawfully achieved; for vain-glory was trampled upon, ^D pride was extinguished, avarice was overthrown, and the adversary was put to shame, for he was unable to wound [the Savior] with any of his own arrows. And justly will you prove courageous and [the next page continues]

swords that pierce the soul, the angels themselves will minister to you after the struggle—not ministering in a servile manner, since that was owed to God alone, but crowning you in the manner of a victor. For this is the reward of him who bravely shows himself a man in the present contest.

LXXVI. THE SAME.

Why the Lord did not turn stones into bread.

That stones were not turned into bread by Christ (most excellent man), this was not done because the time for performing miracles had not yet arrived, as idle men chatter, but because the petition was vain and worthy of the petitioner. For God creates all things with weight, measure, and necessity. But where what is sought is superfluous, it is entirely untimely to perform miracles there.

LXXVII. TO DIOSCORUS.

That it is impossible to practice virtue in the midst of disturbances.

Withdrawal from urban disturbances ^B is so conducive to salvation that even the Son of God, having left the cities, pronounced them blessed who live with purity on the mountain summits. By these actions He was demonstrating that it is impossible for one who has not distanced himself from low [earthly] things and ascended to the pinnacle of virtue to be judged blessed by God or to attain future good things. For he who sets his mind on things above dwells there, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ^C

LXXVIII. TO ESAIAS THE SOLDIER.

To a soldier conducting himself in an unruly fashion.

If you think that the tips of swords, a helmet, and a breastplate are your security for living well while you engage in robbery and make the roads desolate, know that many others, having girt and armed themselves more firmly than you, have met a most miserable death. Let those who are recorded in our written accounts be an example: Oreb, and Zeeb, ^D and Zalmana, Abimelech, and Goliath, and Absalom, and as many as were like them. And among those outside [the faith], the Hectors and Ajaces, and even those Lacedaemonians who boasted more than all mortals in the name of strength, because they did not have justice as a companion to their power. If, therefore, you do not wish to be a vain soldier, turn yourself as quickly as possible to the spiritual war, and rather do this: wage war against your own unruly impulses.

LXXIX. — TO TIMOTHY THE READER.

^A We, most excellent sir, are liable to judgment along with the scribes and Pharisees. For just as they thought themselves to be fulfilling the law by the mere study of the law—having foolishly supposed that the mere proclamation of the letter was sufficient for the actual performance of the deed—in the same way, we too, by the very fact that we touch the altars of God, falsely imagine that we are drawing near to God. But the Lord, cutting away this conceit of ours, says, “Unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” ^B By saying this, He speaks in a manner worthy of God: "Unless you, who think a mere outward appearance is sufficient for the service of God, turn your opinion into action, the kingdom of God will not be opened to you." For since that kingdom is true, it is opened to those who truly seek it. Now, the superiority of the righteousness of the Gospel to that of the Law is its sublimity. For the Law punishes the deed, but the Gospel punishes even the naked intent, indeed displaying a judicial precision that reaches down to the depths of one’s thoughts.

LXXX. — TO NILUS THE MONK.

^C Since we walk with our own ruin and proceed in the midst of snares, for this reason the Lord, to make us clear-sighted and perceptive, pronounced that we must attend to the leaven and the scandals, and be quickly well-disposed to the adversary while we are on the way with him. In this passage, He diviney understands by "adversary" the desire of the body, which is contrary to the spirit. He calls "the way" this present life, which is traversed by our race without any stability. Finally, He calls "consent and benevolence" towards the body the recognition of its rebellion, which must be perceived immediately, ^D lest—if we should have succumbed to its commands and committed deeds unworthy of the heavenly vocation—we be surrendered by them to the Judge, when He comes to gather our works and words, and to render to each according to his own work.

LXXXI. — TO AMPELIUS THE PRESBYTER.

“Let not the seat of iniquity adhere to you, who fashion •••

^A labor contrary to your command.” The prayer of holy souls, who are struggling for the sake of the heavenly confession, is to call out to Him in supplication: “Let not the seat of the lawless be lifted up against you, O Lord,” causing us problems contrary to your command, just as the Babylonian tyrant was to your holy children, or as those impious ones, defenders of idols, were to the holy martyrs.

LXXXII. — TO ARABIANUS THE BISHOP. That those who undertook the war against the Gabaonites on account of fornication, according to the will of God, did not perish unjustly.

Those who went up to Gabaa ^B to punish the fornication of the Benjaminites, having undertaken the war according to the judgment of God, did not—as you suppose—fail of victory unjustly; but because it is not for a just judge to form an army out of iniquitous men, He avenged the crime that had been committed through justice. For those who possessed worse actions, and ones much graver than that which had then occurred, had gone up with a common consensus of soul as if they were innocent, for the slaughter of their brothers. But they learned by experience: “Hypocrite, cast out first the beam from your eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast out the speck from your brother’s eye.” Therefore the adulterers, since they preached that one must not commit adultery, being convicted by their own deeds, they indeed paid the deserved penalty in the war: but those who were entirely free from the crimes of fornication, having no such idol within themselves, achieved a brilliant victory.

LXXXIII. — TO LEONTIUS THE BISHOP. How one ought to understand the saying, “If your eye or your hand should scandalize you.” ^C

The all-good Christ named as the right eye and hand the closeness of our necessary and most faithful friends: namely, those who are kindly disposed toward us for sincere cooperation, calling them by the names of the members through which we perform the things that are near to our hearts. When, therefore, one of them becomes a cause of scandal, and wallows in some sin that brings reproach upon us and brings dishonor upon himself, it is necessary to cut off such a one, lest otherwise, imitating a plague, he feast upon the integrity and soundness of the body, having introduced his own pain to those who are healthy and untouched by such vices. ^D

EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. — EPIST. LXXXIV.

^A

TO THE SAME

It is not in a corner and in hiding, O dear head, that the law of the Lord is placed, which commands, “Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,” but it is bright and most clear, and manifest to those who are attentive. For since empty glory and ostentation are wont to follow upon doing good, therefore, He says, let no good be done by you with a vicious affection of the soul, nor let a perverse and improper thought accompany an excellent deed joined with virtue; but rather, if you do anything good, be you divorced from all ostentation and boasting, by no means seeking the present applause, but looking forward to the future crowns.

LXXXV. — TO URSENUPHIUS

The teaching of the Lord in the prayer, among all the other divine and majestic instructions, besides what is requested, “Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth,” teaches us to entreat God in our prayers that He might deem us worthy to be granted the peace of the heavenly powers, which is free from all dissension, that even as in them all Thy wills are perfectly accomplished, so also within us those things which are pleasing to Thee may be brought to pass. Accordingly, both having known these things before, and now having learned them from me, take hold of this peace, and cling to it with a firm grasp. For it is heavenly and draws one near to God. ^B

LXXXVI. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN

The rank of seed and the pride and boasting of blood, O most excellent one, is not virtue, but a certain involuntary succession descending from bodies, and is fluid and perishable. But virtue is found in prudence, and justice, and fortitude, and temperance. Whoever, therefore, has embraced these, is both most beautiful, and conspicuous, and of such a kind that nothing is lacking to him that pertains to living well and blessedly.

LXXXVII. — TO THE SANDALARIAS, ALEXANDRIAN NUNS

^A make an assault upon softness, and firmly repulse the engines and torments of desires. The famous Susanna, along with the daughter of Jephthah, and the wonderful Judith, are proof of this. The first of these overcame the intemperate lust of the elders in her youthful age; the second accepted even death with a great spirit, and departed with her virginity shining brightly; the last received this from God as a reward for her chastity, that she should bring death to a tyrant. Add to this the chief of female victories and trophies, that is, the Thecla celebrated by the praises of all, who stands like an immortal column of modesty, and who, having been kindled like a torch from the midst of the tempest of the passions, has brought herself to the port immune from all waves. If, therefore, you desire your praises to be proclaimed in this manner as if by the voice of a herald, keep your lamps unextinguished (for the Bridegroom is about to arrive), and do not allow any sleep of voluptuousness to depress you, which keeps the slothful and the drowsy outside the doors of the bridal chamber. ^B

LXXXVIII. — TO ARSENIUS That those who have performed no good works ought not to boast.

If the Pharisee, when he had done those things which he boasted of, was condemned on that account because he boasted, why do you boast, merely chattering, and not likewise doing something good, and making yourself liable to a heavier penalty than that by which the Pharisee was judged? Whereas he, however, had committed nothing worthy of censure, but was accused for this one thing alone, that he gloried in righteous actions. ^C

LXXXIX. — TO BISHOP ISIDORE That one must, if possible, avoid the company and conversation of women.

One ought indeed, if it be possible, to avoid all gatherings and conversation of women, as these have a certain power and facility for softening the mind. But since, on account of certain necessary exigencies or the distribution of alms to the poor, this is by no means possible, care must be taken that we speak to them with eyes downcast upon the ground. For to the majority, or indeed to almost all who have been overcome by the beauty of women, it happened that death climbed in through the windows, which also overcame that great prophet and king when he looked towards that ^D fatal bath.

XC. — TO THE SAME That it is apostolic for women to sing in the churches, and concerning ascetics.

The apostles of the Lord, desiring to check and suppress importunate chatter in the churches, and showing themselves as teachers of modesty and gravity to us, permitted women with wise counsel to sing in the churches. But as all divine

teachings have been turned in the opposite direction, and this also into...

an occasion for dissolution and sin for the majority, has come to pass. And they do not endure the compunction that comes from divine hymns; but, by using the sweetness of the melody to irritate and stimulate their passions, they think it no better than the songs of the stage. It is necessary, therefore, if we intend to seek what is pleasing to God and to do what is for the public good, to stop these women, and to forbid them from singing henceforth in the church and from remaining in the city, since they traffic in Christ and turn the divine grace into a wage for destruction.

^A

XCI. TO ELIAS THE MONK.

I rejoice at the testimonies concerning you, in which a certain great praise of continence is attributed to you. And I pray to God for you that you may retain the sacred anchor to the very end, and wisely repel the tempest of error and imposture, so that you may arrive at the harbor of tranquility free from the waves and without tossing, neither fearing the winds of temptations pressing upon you, nor ^B insolently puffing yourself up against the breaking billows: which you must especially overcome, as they easily impel [one] to ruin.

XCII. TO THOMAS THE MONK.

Philosophy turns away from noise, and monastic exercise is performed outside of tumult and confusion, that it may use this as a ladder to reach the height of humility, and by the leisure of solitude, may draw from it a complete oblivion of troublesome business and base words. But if we think that a cloak and a promised beard and a staff are enough for us to fulfill the angelic life in all parts, and yet we mingle ^C among mid-crowds and spectacles and urban performances, glorying only in the instruments of victory, while fleeing the struggle and the battle by which victory is achieved, or rather, kindle in ourselves the causes of the struggle, we do not notice that we are dogs returning to our vomit, or swine wallowing in the mire of an old habit.

XCIII. — TO THE MONKS AT TABENNA^A

"Do not become many teachers, brothers," writes the righteous James. Do not become many teachers, monks; I, the least Isidore, write this—even if I am not a proven monk, I am at least a listener to James. It would therefore be just for you, even if you reject the insignificance of the listener, to at least revere the righteous pronouncement of a just and wise man.

XCIV. — TO PANSOPHIUS, DEACON

These words, "naked and open," taken from the metaphorical language of victims brought for sacrifice, were written by Paul, a man endowed with great wisdom. For just as those [sacrificial animals], when their skins are removed, are stripped of all visible covering, and reveal the condition and disposition of the parts hidden within, and are flayed ^B for the searching of every bone and limb so that everything may be purged for the sake of the purity required for the object to which they are offered; so too, on the great day of the Lord, the uncovering of our hidden and invisible deeds will appear similar to such an unclothing and flaying, with no one being able to remain hidden, but all being brought into the light.

XCV. — TO EUTONIUS, DEACON

Since the thorn was the crop of that curse by which the earth was punished after we violated the commandment, and the Lord arrived to heal every sickness in Himself, for this reason He was crowned with a crown of thorns like a victor—just as famous and celebrated victors do, who carry in triumph the very weapon or instrument by whose means they achieved victory. "Take heart," He says, "I have conquered the world." For He who existed in human nature, yet did not exist in human vices, restored its ancient beauty to our race, and destroyed the strength of the curse in nature itself. ^C

XCVI. — TO A GENTILE PHILOSOPHER

You boast of a philosophy that is hostile to true wisdom, and you deny the very name of the thing itself.

For philosophy is nothing else than the absolute love of wisdom. If, therefore, you truly wish to be a lover of wisdom, love that which is truly wisdom, which does not merely adorn one's speech, but also one's life, and instructs in the true religion. For that which you yourself profess is now held in ridicule—calling the sources of obscenity "divinities," and in the future age bringing forth punishment void of pardon, where, in truth, Plato threatened you with Cocytus and Phlegethon. ^B

XCVII. — TO HYMETIUS *Against the Macedonians, or those who fight against the Spirit.* Our Lord and Master, in order to show the union of the most Holy Spirit with Himself and with the Father, having risen from the dead, said to His disciples: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven" [*Jn. 20:22, 23]. It is clear by this authority that He whom you receive is the Spirit, who has the power divinely to forgive sins.

XCVIII. — TO PHRONTINUS THE MONK *On him who received a blow on the cheek.* If you were wounded by words and broke out into uncontrollable rage, how can you become a worker in the Lord's vineyard? For He who, when struck upon one cheek, is able to offer the other, is appointed as the one who bears the burden of the day and the heat [*Mt. 20:1 sq.], as having fulfilled every work of the Lord's commandment. If, therefore, you desire those great rewards, do not weaken at lesser labors, ^C but accustom yourself to embrace greater ones; for you will not otherwise receive the denarius, unless it is verified that you have undergone labors in their perfection.

XCIX. — TO GELASIUS THE DUKE *On pride, and weakness, and nothingness.* It is a custom among many men, although it is foreign to divine laws, to be puffed up on account of their birth, or intelligence, or possessions, or beauty, or rank. But it profits them nothing toward pride, those who are from the earth and return to it again. That you possess none of these things at all, you yourself could not deny. If, therefore, you are deprived of all those things which inflate men, being ignoble, and poor, and of slow wit, and very unlearned, ^D and deformed, why do you [go about the city] as if more glorious than all, [and] become the cause of many riots there? Either know yourself, and acquire a character commensurate with

your insignificance, or prepare yourself for the toils and dangers with which those who possess power will repay you. For you lack the gold that often smooths out the roughness of adversities and scourges.

^A

C. — TO SYRUS THE LECTOR.

Against the Novatians.

Say to the disciple of the haughty Novatian: Why do you foolishly boast as if you were pure? Why do you pretend that you yourself are free from sin? Why do you deny your kinship with nature? Isaiah declares himself to be unclean; David acknowledges that every man is a liar, and that all were both conceived and born in sins. And God Himself says that men are wonderfully and assiduously addicted to wickedness, and that they stand in need only of the mercy of His philanthropy; yet do you arrogantly vaunt a pride of purity? Therefore, either cease to lie, or it is evident from what you do that you are being mocked, or rather, that you are being powerfully put to shame.

^B

CI. — TO THEOGNOSTUS, A NEW MONK.

That one must always be sober.

You have laid hold of the mattock with excellence. Excellently do you flee from material, tangible things, as from things that strangle; excellently have you flown up to a sublime and exalted life. ^C Therefore, walk vigilantly like a soldier, lest some sleep steal upon you, weakening you and—which heaven forfend—rendering you a deserter and a thrower-away of your shield. For we are not ignorant of the thoughts of the wicked enemy.

CII. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

Against those who say that God has suffered, and that there is one nature in Christ.

Just as sailors hide a hook with bait and catch fish unexpectedly, so in the same way do the wicked defenders of heresies, by covering their own perverse opinions with fine-sounding speech, catch simpler people unto death as if with a hook. Therefore, keep your heart with all vigilance, lest perchance you ^D receive [the impression] that the nature of Christ after the incarnation is mere appearance. For the acknowledgement of one [nature] alone destroys the other: namely, either that the divine has been changed, or that our human nature has been diminished. This is the Charybdis of Manes, through which he sought to cast all headlong into hell.

CIII. — TO THE SAME ^A

The triple questioning of the Lord to Peter regarding love is not to be suspected of stemming from the Master’s ignorance—let no one reason erroneously in this way—but rather the good Physician cured the triple denial with a triple confession.

CIV. — TO LEONTIUS

It is not for just anyone, noble sir, to covet the episcopacy, but for those whose life is directed by the laws of Paul. If, therefore, you perceive that exactitude within yourself, go forward joyfully and readily to the ascent of such a height. But if you do not possess it, until you have acquired it, do not touch the untouchable. Beware of bringing material near a fire that consumes it. ^B

CV. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON

John called the Jews a brood of vipers, as the worse offspring of evil parents. For they say that this beast gnaws through the maternal womb when it is being born. Since, therefore, they abandoned God who gave them birth and extinguished every grace granted to them—having rendered it void—he justly compares them to those venomous creatures, for by their ingratitude they cause the received benefits to vanish, ^C or rather, I should say, they devour them.

CVI. — TO TIMOTHY THE LECTOR

It is necessary to answer one who asks with such prudence. For, it says, "Speak into the ears of those who hear." And again, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." The Lord said, "Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise," to those who were selling doves, implying the priests who were selling the gifts of the Holy Spirit; since the divine Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, He was rebuking those who, in the manner of tavern-keepers, were making profit out of what belongs to God. But in saying, "Take these things from here," it is as if He said: There is no longer need of blood; ^D I grant an unbloody forgiveness of sins. Henceforth, I wish only for the spirit to be propitiated. The carnal law has been fulfilled; let the law of the spirit now rule, and let it take precedence in matters of salvation.

CVII — TO THE SAME

On the Concord of the Testaments

CVIII — TO PROAERESIUS THE SCHOLASTIC

On the Living Word

CIX — TO MARATHONIUS THE MONK

Against the Macedonians, or the Spirit-fighters

CX — TO CRATON THE MONK

That he who professes an ascetic life ought to embrace all its labors with readiness

^A embraces all its labors, whatever and how many soever they may be, with a ready mind. But he who, while engaged in the exercise of asceticism or in its ministries, thinks that he is not treated according to his merit and dignity, has clothed himself with an external pride, which he cannot put off unless he remembers whence his body originated, and whither it must at length return.

^B CXI. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER Concerning one who was ordained for money. You have received the priesthood in an unholy manner, O profane man, having stolen a heavenly thing with money; you are a second Caiaphas, having obtained secret things for silver. But there is hope that you may turn toward goodness. For I am unwilling to say anything contrary to you.

CXII. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP That priests ought to do what they preach. You teach pleasantly and agreeably in church, but I wish you did so more profitably. For you are like someone throwing stones into the air, and ensuring the direction of his own ruin, and calling it down upon himself. For if the reproof of sins, if it be seen in us ourselves, by our works proves our words to be false and destroys them, we shall not only fail to prevent the hearers from living wickedly, ^C but we shall also expose ourselves to their mockery, while teaching one thing and doing another.

CXIII. — TO THE SAME That he sold the priesthood for money. You are building the church with useless stones, namely with the proceeds of wickedness, not to say impiety. For you received the price of the priesthood, while selling the priesthood, and you gave it to Zosimus; this matter is so celebrated in the speech of all throughout the whole region, that the ears of all who hear these things ring with them.

CXIV. — TO TIMOTHY THE READER Concerning the three days of the Lord’s burial. This is the explanation of the three days and nights spent by the Lord in the sepulchre. It is written: ^D «Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so also will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.» He, therefore, who had promised to fulfill the type of Jonah, being accurately acquainted with it (since He was also present with Jonah, when he was being driven headlong into the deep and cast out from the deep), undoubtedly fulfilled it, having remained in the sepulchre for the same space of time as Jo-

Jonah in the whale's belly. But if you seek a second explanation of this passage, take this: ^A At the sixth hour of Friday, the Lord was crucified. From this hour until the ninth, there was darkness; understand this for me as night. Again, from the ninth hour, there was light; take this again for the day. This is the night of Friday. Then comes the day of the Sabbath. The night of the Sabbath is the dawn of the Lord’s day, according to the evangelist who says: "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week." But if you also demand a third [explanation] to learn, it is as follows: On Friday the Lord gave up his spirit; this is one day. He spent the whole Sabbath in the sepulchre, then its night. As the Lord’s day was dawning, he rose from the sepulchre, and this is a day, since, as you know, the whole is understood from a part. Thus, we also are accustomed to celebrate the memorials of those who have died. For whatever hour of the day someone might exchange life for death, we are accustomed to wait only for the day after the next, and on the other [day] after, we celebrate their third day. You have, if I am not mistaken, the solution to the question proposed. But if those who fight maliciously seek perfect days and nights, answer them that even if a king, having accepted the petition and supplication of those who are in mines and chains, had promised them to release them after the third day and, anticipating the appointed day, had set them free, he would have spoken the truth all the more by reason of that speed. ^B And the Lord, rising sooner than he had promised, will deservedly be worshipped by all.

CXV. — TO ELIAS THE MONK.

What have you to do with the way of Egypt, that you should drink the waters of Geon? The prophet says this to the backsliding people, or rather, God says it through him. What have you to do with the confusion from which you were delivered by the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God? Why, after you have attained virtue and tasted the highest philosophy, do you revert to vice, and why does that [passage] of Scripture not present itself to your mind: "He that turns away from justice unto sin, God will prepare him for the sword"? Flee the storm; flee the waves. Christ rebuked the wind. You will face no danger from the storm if you hold Christ in place of a harbor.

CXVI. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR.

Since you possess a wise device of truth, ^D that manifold machine of tortures, use fear for judgment, since the divine law has established you as a terror to the wicked.

CXVII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE COENOBIARCH.

On the text, "But of that day and hour no one knoweth."

Why do the impious draw upon themselves the judgment of the Lord?

^A They say, "The Lord was ignorant of the day of the consummation." He was not ignorant, far from it; rather, He refused to explain useless questions. For how could the Maker of the ages, in whom all the treasures of wisdom are hidden, be ignorant of the hour or the day? He was not ignorant, since He foretold the signs and terrors of the last day, describing it as if it were present with certain marks and tokens. But, as I have already said, He did not see fit to declare the resolution of a futile inquiry. For tell me, what profit is there in knowing the day of the end? It is advantageous, however, to be ignorant of it, so that, thinking every day to be that one, we may be found ready, watching, and waiting for our Lord. ^B

CXVIII. — TO ZOSIMAS AND MARON. On presbyters not walking according to the commandment of God.

You too, most shameless Zosimas, were sufficient to undermine the divine priesthood and heap every kind of insult upon it. And you have found a partner like yourself; you have been yoked together like a pair of oxen, tilling the thorny field of the passions. Cease, therefore, O wretches, from your absurd madness. Desist, most audacious of men, from defiling the royal court. Purge yourselves of your pollutions. Rid the altar of stain. Relieve us of our tears, free those who see you from scandals, allow those who mock you to be silent, remember the judgment of God, and spare your own souls and bodies. ^C

CXIX. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP. That it is exceedingly dreadful to sell or buy the priesthood.

You have well meditated upon the Psalmist and have gathered men of the same character in the house of the Lord, having joined Maron with Zosimas, striving, as I suppose, with all your might, so that no vice might be cast out from the altar. Know, therefore, that by multiplying the Simons—those who think they can procure the Spirit of God with money—you have obtained a common purse with the traitor, wallowing in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity, and brazenly selling those things which are desired even by the angels themselves. ^D

CXX. — TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER. On Bishop Eusebius and Zosimas.

Do not marvel at the audacity of Eusebius and the boldness of Zosimas, but rather at the forbearance of God, who thus awaits us for repentance, and receives incense even from an impure hand. For if someone who has been raised in wickedness and is stained with every kind of filth and sin…

touches the altars of God and handles the holy things unworthily, he indeed will endure judgment, but the divine sanctuary is not defiled by his actions. ^A

CXXI. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR. On the passage, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

"I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," the Lord says to the Canaanite woman, wishing to fulfill the promise made to Abraham, according to which He had also taken hold of his seed, and had chosen a mother from thence, and in her and from her had put on flesh, and had become a man truly like us in all things, except sin, thereby cutting off every excuse for the Jews. For since, as I said, He had promised salvation to the fathers, and had received that their seed would be multiplied like the stars of the heaven, therefore He came to them and from them; and for a time He did not admit those from the Gentiles, keeping the entrance for them first. But after He saw the stubborn wickedness of the Jews, and found those from the Gentiles to be flexible toward the good: and that the former had contrived death and the cross for Him, while the latter had offered adoration and the confession of His divinity, ^B rising from the dead, He commanded the disciples to teach all nations, rejecting the ignorance and ingratitude of the Jews. For which reason, having turned to the nations, they shed the splendor of the divine preaching throughout the entire world.

CXXII. — TO DOROTHEUS THE COMES. Explanation of the exclamation which is made by the priest.

The priest proclaims peace to the church from the height of the cathedra, imitating the Lord who took up the cathedra, when He would leave and give His own peace to His disciples. Furthermore, that which is answered by the people, "And with your spirit," has this meaning: "You have indeed offered us peace, Lord, that is, mutual concord among ourselves. But grant us peace, that is, such a union with You as can in no way be severed, so that, being at peace in Your Spirit (which You placed in us at the beginning of creation), we may not be distracted from Your love." ^C

CXXIII. — TO THE SAME. Explanation of the ecclesiastical initiation.

That pure linen cloth, which is spread out during the ministry of the divine gifts, is the ministry of Joseph of Arimathea. For just as he, having wrapped the Lord's body in a linen shroud, committed it to the tomb, through which our whole race received the resurrection; by the same ^D

we, by sanctifying the bread of the proposition on the linen shroud, find without doubt the body of Christ, bringing forth to us, in the manner of a fountain, that immortality which Jesus our Savior—having been shrouded by Joseph, but having risen from the dead—bestowed upon us.

CXXIV. TO THE SAME. Against those who say that God suffered, and that there is one nature in Christ.

Dei ^A passio non dicitur; for it is the passion of Christ that has occurred, God having evidently become incarnate and having endured the passion through the assumption of the flesh. For the divinity, unmixed, is not only unable to suffer, but cannot even be held or seen, unless it had been united to the nature of men out of love for mankind.

CXXV. TO BISHOP GREGORY. Concerning the angel who met Moses, and sought to kill him.

I am ashamed of the length to which the letter has grown, yet I did not endure the arrogance of being questioned by you. However, since parents take delight in the exercises of their children, even if they be mere trifles, I will speak briefly. The angel who met Moses as he was descending into Egypt, and wished to kill him, did not draw his sword against him to exact justice for the murder which he had formerly, in his zeal, committed; but rather to rebuke him for his transgression of the law, for the fulfillment of which he was traveling. ^B For as one who had been appointed by God as a legislator, and who was obliged to keep the law accurately, he himself was the first to violate it, by leading his sons into Egypt uncircumcised, and thereby annulling that command which alone distinguished the Hebrews from foreigners. But after Sephora, recognizing the fault, took a stone and circumcised her son, and becoming aware of the transgression, fell down at the angel’s feet, he immediately withdrew, thereby demonstrating that the cause of God's just indignation was that which the faith of the woman had surmised. For indeed, in times of crisis, women are accustomed to use more diligent devices than men, and to have recourse to God more sincerely. Therefore he did that which is commonly said in times of dire necessity and dangerous situations: ^C "We are surrounded by evils; let us baptize the children as soon as possible. Perhaps the angel will be moved by the mystery." For in place of baptism, the Jews used circumcision. ^D

[CXXVI] — TO HERMINIUS THE COUNT.

On the text: "Prudent, as serpents, and simple as doves."

The Lord commands us to be prudent, like the serpent, most ingenious sir: namely so that we may preserve our head, that is, our faith in Christ, in every temptation. For in whatever adverse circumstances and blows the serpent is compressed, it keeps its own head unharmed. And again, by art and cunning it sheds its old state, compressing itself in some narrow and tight fissure, and laying aside its old age. He wishes us, therefore, also through the narrow way and affliction, to put off the old man, and in his stead to put on the new, who is renewed according to His image.

[CXXVII] — TO SIMPLICIUS. On the fact that the possession of many books is useful to those who use them; but to those who think they become rich by their mere possession alone, it becomes the cause of extreme punishment.

You have bought very many books, as I hear, and you are rich in your own opinion, ignoring their reading: doing the same as those who hoard grain and feed moths. For books also become the parents and nourishers of moths when they are bound. Therefore, either use your wealth, or do not harm immense learning, collecting here also comic witticisms (while you are called a corrupter of books, or a tomb of books, or a feeder of moths), and gathering up an accusation before God, as one who hides a huge talent of utility, which was entrusted to others and worked upon, but by you was wickedly buried.

[CXXVIII] — TO ZOSIMUS.

Concerning vain glory.

It is probable indeed that, since you labor under ignorance, you should also have an impudence equal to your lack of learning. But because you are also puffed up with pride in addition to this, as I hear, recognize yourself from your own speech. You have the proof close at hand in your own words. See how much laughter you excite by speaking barbarously. See in what way those who hear you smile at your solecisms. And either cease to speak ridiculously, or think humbly and abjectly, as is worthy for your discourse.

[CXXIX] — TO PACHOMIUS THE MONK.

The kingdom of God is the monastic life, insofar as it succumbs to no vicious affection, but rather sets its mind on things above, and performs virtues superior to heaven. Embracing this, take care lest any sin ^D reduce you to servitude...

^A, and from the king’s palaces and temples you be cast out. For it is difficult for those who have fallen to be called back to that state again. May God, however, who has opened an effective door, and calls Himself the door—through which the access to salvation is opened—grant you both a mind that is neither wandering nor distracted, and a speech free from reproach, seasoned with grace; by which things you may find this present life smooth and easy, and the coming age peaceful and saving.

CXXX. — TO JOANNES THE MONK.

On fasting, vigilance, and gluttony.

Satiety does not know how to watch. Arrogance does not know how to be still. The monastic life requires vigilance and gentleness. If, therefore, you profess this life, see that you destroy those former things; but if you do not control your belly, why do you also occupy this place and break the spirits of those who are struggling? ^B

CXXXI. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

On the dumbness of Zacharias.

That Zacharias was made dumb, most acute man, did not happen out of astonishment, as you suppose; for that priest, as one who with a pure soul devoted himself to the divine mysteries, was accustomed to divine prospects and angelic visions. But by the type of his own silence, the silence of the Law was indicated. And as to the fact that a voice was produced from silence and sterility and old age, I think this signifies that from the written Law, weakened and grown old and become sterile through the disobedience and contumacy of those who had received it, the prophecies concerning Christ proceeded, and that His mother also came forth from it. ^C

CXXXII. — TO THE SAME.

What are the locusts and the wild honey on which John the Baptist was fed.

The locusts by which John was fed are not living creatures, as some ignorantly suppose, resembling beetles—far from it!—but rather the tops of herbs or plants. And in the same way, the "wild honeycomb" is not some kind of herb, but mountain honey, made by wild bees, which is very bitter and hostile to every taste. By these things, John manifested his extraordinary affliction—not by hunger alone, but also by the roughness of his diet, making ^D every appetite of the body bitter.

CXXXIII. — TO STRATEGIO THE DUKE.

To those in authority.

You possess a soul worthy of high rank and command, inasmuch as since your earliest years you have hated wickedness. And now you have received from the King a governorship that provides the power which your intention sought.

Since, therefore, both these gifts are from God, use them for His service as much as you can, so that He may grant you even greater authority if He sees this one being administered purely. For He knows, even from the height of the pastoral office, how to transform it into a most powerful kingdom. ^A

CXXXIV. — TO ZOSIMUS. On the state of being devoid of pain.

If the kingdom does not move and exhort you, and if hell in turn does not terrify you, we do not perceive that we are struggling against a wild and untamable beast, against a wicked demon covered by a human form. ^B

CXXXV. — TO THE SAME. Simile.

Since libido both casts down and steals away the vigor of the body and the strength of the soul, and delivers whoever is seized by this vice to be mocked and ridiculed by all—just as the blinded Samson teaches—why do you invite voluntary captivity upon yourself? Why do you not keep your natural strength unharmed and whole, instead of willingly offering yourself to be consumed by vicious passions? You grieve God, who has no place to lay His head in your life, you fight against us who offer prayers for your salvation, and you do an injury to yourself while you reject the healing remedies. ^C

CXXXVI. — TO HERMINIUS THE COUNT. On the order of the bishop, and of whom he bears the figure.

As much as you yourself are insatiable in your desire for learning, so much am I prompt and eager to explain the things you seek, provided that God, moved by your prayers, grants me the discovery from above. The linen garment with which the deacons perform their office during the holy mysteries brings to our memory the humility of the Lord, who washed the feet of the disciples and wiped them. ^D That cloak, however, which the priest wears upon his shoulders, and which is woven of wool and not of linen, signifies the skin of that sheep which the Lord sought when it had wandered, and having found it, carried it upon His own shoulders. For the bishop, who bears the type of Christ, fulfills the work of that Shepherd, and shows to all by his attire that he is an imitator of the good and great Shepherd, who undertook to bear the infirmities of the flock. And pay close attention: for when the true Shepherd Himself arrives through the opening of the adorable Gospels, then at last the bishop rises and lays aside the habit of imitation, thereby signifying that the Lord Himself is present, the leader of the pastoral art, both God and Master.

CXXXVII. — TO NILUS.

On that saying of the Lord: "But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give." ^A

The Lord does not reject the petition of the mother of the sons of Zebedee as though it were something impossible for Him (for He can do whatever He wills), but He rejects it as absurd. "For say," He says, "that my two sons may sit, one at thy right hand, and one at thy left in thy kingdom." But that righteous dispenser of rewards corrects such absurdity with a judgment that is equitable and consonant with reason. "It is not mine," He says, "to give simply to those who ask, but to provide the reward to those who have undergone the labors." For it is not the act of a just judge to hold the sweats of men in contempt and to bestow gifts upon the slothful and idle. If, therefore, they desire that seat, they are not ignorant of the contests, for the prize of which it has been prepared for those who strive lawfully. ^B

CXXXVIII. — TO CYTHERIUS THE SABELLIAN.

On the text: "I and the Father are one."

The light that lies hidden in Scripture cannot, as you write, be seen through the things you have set forth. Nay, rather, you yourself are blinded by the very splendor which flashes forth from it. For to say that the person of the Father and the Son appears as one in that passage is a sign of great folly, or rather of stupor and delirium. For if you would apply your mind diligently to the caution and security of what is written, you would find the unerring truth of the mystery. "I and the Father are one" is what is said; it is not, "I and the Father am one." Therefore, this word "one" denotes a single essence; but the word "are" signifies two persons. ^C

CXXXIX. — TO THEON.

On the text: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."

"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God," writes the divine Apostle to the Philippians—that is, to men who are superstitious and the champions and guardians of Hellenic dogmas, and who, because of the leisure they have invested in them, are indisposed toward the preaching of the Gospel. For since they, being Greeks, had learned that their supreme god had excised his own father's generative organs for fear that other sons might exist as sharers and partners of his kingdom, and because of the many jealousies and wars over such godhead, they were incredulous that the Son of God, having descended hither, became incarnate, leaving behind the heavenly realms and fearing no change to His power. This ignorance of theirs, or rather their madness, the divine Apostle corrects by his answer. ^D

^A “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant.” That is to say, He did not seize the Godhead and kingdom, but possessed them essentially before the ages; nor did He suppose they could be taken from Him, but being Lord of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, He neither abandoned the heights nor did He fail to come to us. Furthermore, He even visited Hades, so that, having passed through all things, He might everywhere restore all things: on earth, renewing those who live and those who shall live; and under the earth, delivering those who were held by the tyranny of death. ^B

CXL. — TO ZOSIMAS.

O humble and abject Zosimas, the final hour is at hand. Why, as if you were at the beginning of your life, do you grow sluggish? The harvest is upon you; the field is white for the cutting. Why, as if you were still in the time of sowing, do you labor with such carelessness? Let the hairs of your head teach you of your end. Why has the long time granted to you not taught you to foresee your end? The Judge arrives with terror; why do you not prepare your works for the gathering? Cease to indulge in gluttony; do you finally show some remorse. Do not mock the divine patience by eating and drinking with the drunken. God does not delay His coming, as you imagine, but He will arrive when you do not expect Him. And it is necessary for you from now on to emerge from this drunkenness, being corrected and chastened, if at least by that fear.

CXLI. — TO ADAMANTIUS.

Say to the Jew who has argued with you concerning the divine incarnation and claims that it is impossible for human nature to give birth without intercourse and seed: that it should not seem strange or marvelous, if, along with all the mysteries and dogmas of the Law, you are ignorant of this as well. ^C For if you were unable to recognize the very preludes of the Law, which are clear and open, how could you be able to gaze into or peer into its hidden depths? For it is written: “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman,” although He had previously created Adam himself from the earth. Behold, then, the man from the earth and the woman from the man, and both without intercourse. Since, therefore, the woman ^D

^A was bound by a kind of debt to the man, as one who had come into being from his rib without intercourse, the Mother of the Lord fulfilled this, in that she brought forth Him who was incarnate without any pouring forth of seed. Wherefore this is in no way impossible for nature. Indeed, what had previously happened in the primeval parents was accomplished also in the Lord's incarnation, even if other new and wondrous things were due to this birth. Read, therefore, that you may understand. But if you do not wish to understand, do not even read, lest you be condemned as one ignorant of what you read.

CXLII. — TO IRON THE SCHOLASTIC.

Concerning a servant who had fallen, that he might receive forgiveness.

^B A certain young man came to this solitude which we inhabit, and having encountered the doorkeeper, he asked that he might be given the power to approach me. Since it is my custom to admit everyone into the house and to be ready to impart conversation and rest to them, he was summoned. But he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, having spoken no word before he had shed a great stream of tears. When, however, I had taken him by the hand and promised that I would bring him aid to the best of my ability, and had asked who he was and in what matter he needed help, he said that he was your servant, and that he had fallen into a sin of this kind out of ignorance—a sin which, as he supposed, exceeded all repentance. And at first, indeed, he filled me with wonder. For I do not think that Iron, who loves Christ and has known and tested that grace which has set all men free, could have any servant. But then he brought me sorrow. Since we have been commanded by Christ that all sin, even when repeated by those who have committed it, should be mutually forgiven by one another. For He both taught and did this. He taught, I say, with these words: ^C “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses” (Matt. VI, 15). He did this, moreover, when He delivered not only from bodily but also from spiritual sins and diseases the harlot (Luke VII, 37), and Matthew the publican (Matt. IX, 9), and the Samaritan woman (John IV, seqq.), and the paralytic (Matt. IX, 2), and even Peter himself, the leader of the apostolic sodality. If, therefore, you wish to imitate Christ, forgive those who commit transgressions for their great sins. For those that are slight and common, most people overlook and are moved to forgiveness by prayer. But those that are greater, only those forgive who have a great conscience toward God and who expect great rewards from Him for their own glorious acts.

CXLIII. — TO THALELEUS.

divine instruction, you have received the commandments of Christ with a mind endowed with love for God. Do not, therefore, give what is holy to the dogs—to the Jews, who have often received the divine word and again return to their own vomit, or to those who from heresies proceed to the true word, and then return home to their former wickedness. We are also forbidden by divine command to cast pearls before swine—those who wallow in vicious affections and pursue a swinish life—lest perchance they trample them underfoot, in their wicked pursuits offering insult to the divine name, and, turning, rend you. For the communication of the mysteries to such persons is a rending of those who disdainfully bestow them, from which they cannot emerge.

CXLIV. — TO ATHANASIUS. Why, when you have proposed to yourself to keep the narrow way and have entered into covenants with God concerning it, do you walk the broad way that leads to death? For present indulgence calls forth future punishment. Conversely, present affliction and the restraint of desires prepare the fruition and delight of future goods.

CXLV. — TO MARO.

Regarding the fact that the priesthood is to be revered.

CXLVI. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

CXLVII. — TO THE SAME.

CXLVIII. — TO CONON THE GOVERNOR.

CXLIX. — TO TRIBONIANUS THE BISHOP.

He must oversee the incursions of the unseen and invisible wild beasts, the lethargy of the Church, the negligence of the monks, the malice of unjust men, the hardships of widows, the destitution of orphans, the suspicions concerning the altar, the infirmities of the deacons, the misconduct of the young, and the evil counsels of the old. He must be, as it were, an eye seeing all things, overlooking nothing; for if any of these things be neglected, not only is he himself punished, but often the entire Church is punished along with him. The man who is of such a character and yet ventures to preside as a priest before God, whether he unwillingly accepted so great an affair 44, or in a state of madness purchased it—as for these, they have unworthily conferred the priesthood upon such a man. ^B

CL. — TO THE PELUSIAN MONASTERY.

On the reception of guests.

Just as the movements of the heart are known from words, in the same way the condition of a house is revealed by its superior. Hear why I say this: certain men, coming to me, told me that at midday, gripped by heat and thirst, they had taken refuge under the shade of the porch of your house, and had fallen not upon a man, but upon a dog—or rather, a man-hating wolf—who had been entrusted by you with the duty of hospitality, and who drove them away by beating them severely. Thus, while some have unknowingly received angels through hospitality, you, not unknowingly, but knowingly, drive away angels. ^C

CLI. — TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS.

That the episcopate requires a great soul, and that the matter is full of infinite dangers.

The priest of God, since he draws near to God, ought to be all eye, like those many-eyed creatures, knowing nothing by half, but seeing all things. Since, therefore, 46 you are ignorant, learn gently, and do not disgrace the much-illumined priesthood which you insult, and having betrayed all by your lethargy and venality.

CLII. — TO SYMMACHUS.

Concerning St. John Chrysostom.

You ask me to [describe] to you the tragedy of the divinely inspired John.

^A I confess that I am unable to describe it. For the magnitude of the matter overcomes my mind. But hear a few things. Neighboring Egypt has always had this custom, to act unjustly and destroyingly, rejecting Moses and welcoming Pharaoh: lashing the humble and dejected, oppressing the laborers, commanding [them] to build cities, and denying [them] their wages—and even to this day it persists in these same practices. For, setting forth Theophilus, who burns with an insane love for stones and holds gold as his deity, strengthened by four associates—or rather, fellow-apostates—it waged war against that man so dear to God and so skilled in theology, having found the hatred and malice [it harbors] against one who bears the same name as I to be the starting point of its own perversity. ^B But yet the house of David grows strong, while the house of Saul, as you see, is weakened: even though that man, having overcome the storm of life, has migrated to the heavenly calm.

CLIII. — TO HERACLIDES THE PRESBYTER

To not go into the way of the Gentiles means not to agree with them [(48)] in their mindset; and in the same way, not to enter into the city of the Samaritans [is commanded], not as a prohibition against dwelling with them, but as a command not to touch their impiety and wickedness.

CLIV. — TO THE CENOBITES OF PELUSIUM

CLV. — TO THEOPHILUS THE SHIPMASTER

If you are of our flock, and under that good Shepherd, ^D

^A renounce the nature and likeness of wild beasts, and follow his voice, for he commands us not to swear at all. Furthermore, not to swear also implies that one should not demand an oath from another. For if you do not wish to swear, do not demand an oath from others, for two reasons: either because the one who is asked is a lover of truth, or, on the contrary, because he is prone to lie. For if a person is accustomed to speaking the truth, he will surely speak the truth even without the intervention of an oath; but if he is a liar, he will lie even when swearing. Therefore, for both reasons, it is not right to demand an oath.

CLVI. — TO EUSTATHIUS

Concerning the priesthood.

I have indeed sent the book you requested, and I expect from you the fruit from it which is customarily expected of everyone. For there is not, I say, there is not a heart into which the reading of this work has penetrated that it has not wounded with divine love; for while it shows that the priesthood is an august and venerable thing, and difficult to approach, it teaches that it must be ^B pursued without any stain of reproach. Indeed, that wise and learned interpreter of the mysteries of God, John, the eye of the Church of Byzantium, and indeed of all Churches, composed that book so subtly, prudently, and accurately, that all—both those who perform the priesthood as is pleasing to God, and those who administer the priestly dignity negligently and slothfully—may find herein their own virtues and faults.

CLVII. — TO PANSOPHIUS THE ARCHDEACON

To priests suffering from avarice.

If you minister at the altar of Christ, take care to administer your office according to His laws, showing yourself, namely, meek and humble and submissive in heart. For you are not wielding some forensic prefecture or power, swollen with pride and pomp and insolence, but a peaceful and tranquil ministry. But if wealth gathered by unrighteous means lifts up your spirits, it will itself be vomited forth immediately, being by nature fleeting and unstable; ^C but you will cause great laughter at yourself, if you have attached your soul to passing things as if they were firm and stable.

CLVIII. — TO PRISCUS THE CAPPADOCIAN

Some say that you are cruel, importunate, and arrogant, and that you surpass the nature of men in your depravity. I, however, although many absurd things are sung ^D and echoed about you, do not have the persuasion...

^A to believe them, because I am entirely ignorant of you; but one thing brings me by conjecture to lend credence to these tragedies, namely, the monstrous character of your fatherland. And I fear lest you might be of that party of Cappadocians that is branded with every kind of vice. For there is, on the other hand, another part of the Cappadocians—the very best—from which have sprung those who everywhere, by the light of their own conduct and instruction, have illuminated the ends of the earth. Since, therefore, the sale of money has also bestowed upon you the priesthood, fear those God-bearing men, and either imitate their character or do not insult their ministry. For if it should fall to you to be convicted by them, there will not even remain for you the possibility of not being condemned by Christ.

CLIX. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS. On the priesthood.

Let nothing ^B be an obstacle to the Gospel of the Lord, let no distraction follow upon spiritual teaching, and let no tumult intervene in a beneficial discourse. For neither did Christ, when sought for by his mother and brothers, accept their call when he was beginning his dogmatic teaching and working out salvation for his hearers, showing that it is fitting for spiritual matters to be preferred to carnal ones. And so, too, did his disciples decline the oversight of the tables, though it was necessary for the sake of the poor.

CLX. — TO TARASIUS THE ISAURIAN. That one must always be sober.

All say that you are superior to your lineage and your fatherland, and they report that you are excellent in character, as you have not been overcome by ^C the ruggedness of your mountains, but have loved both the character and the place of Thecla, the first martyr. And you are blessed, being poor in spirit. For this is worthy of praise among the faithful. And I pray that you remain unchanging, since we have nothing more stable, but rather are tossed here and there by light noises like winds.

CLXI. — TO THOMAS THE COUNT.

You write splendidly, and you send abundantly. May you ^D remain cheerful, since you show yourself so kind and accommodating to all.

CLXII. — TO HIERAX THE ILLUSTRIOUS. On exercise.

CLXIII. — TO CYRUS.

CLXIV. — TO MARTYRIUS. On pride.

CLXV. — TO AUSONIUS.

CLXVI. — TO MARTIANUS.

CLXVII. — TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER.

or the actions of Christ. ^A If one should call him a wicked demon, would he not be calling him by a name more fitting and appropriate than if he called him a worthless and base demon, seeing as he has changed his nature by his own will and intention? Since, therefore, Christ even before the time torments the demons here, and in the other life has promised them eternal fire together with their father, either cease to pursue a life of tumult, or know that you are subject to scourges here and will not escape vengeance there.

CLXVIII. — TO ZOILUS THE PRESBYTER.

Since the Lord called Himself the vine, as He who provided a preaching that moistens the breast and grants pleasure, therefore Divine Scripture necessarily calls the true doctrine of divine knowledge wine; this, too, Wisdom offers to be drunk in a cup, ^B naming the cup the side of the Lord, from which the joy of life flowed forth for us.

CLXIX. — TO THE SAME.

On the passage: "Your innkeepers."

When the apostles of the Lord had received the coming of the divine Spirit, they were thought to be full of new wine, and they brought the true and unadulterated drink of the mysteries to all nations. Therefore, those who adulterate the divine doctrine and pollute the heavenly teachings with spurious and fading commands—the Manichaeans, and the Simons, and the Montanists, and the Novatians, and the Arians, and the Macedonians, and the Photinians, and those of the same mind and opinion as them—the prophet ^C fittingly calls "innkeepers," as those who mix wine with water, that is, those who introduce their own miserable errors into the pure and limpid wisdom of the divine words.

CLXX. — TO CHÆREMON.

On those who unworthily partake of the mysteries.

Some tell me that you do everything that is forbidden, and even commit some nefarious and impious acts, and yet meanwhile you reach out your hands to the divine mysteries continuously, and impudently partake of those things which it is forbidden for you to touch. And it has extremely moved me to marvel at your shamelessness, ^D that you, who partake of the tables of demons to satiety, do not fear to partake of the Lord’s table. See to it, therefore, that no snare trips you, as it did Judas, who, because of his own rashness, fell into despair, simultaneously committing treachery and demanding the holy communion.

^A TO THE SONS OF NILUS. Why do you deny nature, or why are you ignorant of your calling? For the one brought you forth from a single womb, while the other regenerated you through one and the same hope. Therefore, let either the former birth move you with a sense of shame, or the latter regeneration strike you with fear; and ratify a covenant of concord, whether by nature or by the calling.

^B TO ARCHONTIUS. On that saying of Abraham to the rich man: "A great gulf is fixed between us and you." Abraham replied that a great chasm was fixed between himself and the rich man who was suffering in torments, thereby indicating the difference between the righteous and those who commit sins. For he was indeed a lover of guests and a lover of the poor, welcoming those who were separated from him by a great interval of space; but the other turned away from the man covered in sores lying before his doors, without any mercy. Just as, therefore, their intentions and the habits of their souls were contrary, so too was their migration to divided places: the former received rest and delight, while the latter received torture.

^C TO MARK THE MONK. To a monk who changes his place from place to place. The Prophet called those who lack firmness of soul and are like you, O unstable one, "dust which is driven away from the face of the earth." For if you had been planted by the blessed Ammon, and watered in a godly manner, and firmly established, and had brought forth fruit, as we supposed, and yet now—not for the sake of acquiring learning, but out of a desire and craving for more exquisite feasts—you are wandering through many houses, who could lament you as you deserve, since you are destroying yourself and rendering many others useless, to whom their youthful age attaches this harmful levity?

^D TO CYRENIUS THE GOVERNOR. The citizens have sent us a document, fixed to the doors of the church, as they say, before you entered the city, which both denies to all the power of clearing themselves and closes the refuge in the church. This indeed has the suspicion not only of cruelty, but also of impiety. For if you grant neither the power to plead a case, nor do you allow for flight to God, you have both sharpened the calumniators and increased the number of injustices; how, therefore, will you discern what is just? How will you save the one who is being treated unjustly? He who, that it might not become an act of a powerful man, in a state of distress…

and because he has no judge to avenge his injuries, flees to an unassailable sanctuary? The pretext, moreover, is the rendering of a judgment for sale. Undergo such cruelty, and you will have a very easy ^A market.

CLXXV. — TO THE SAME

CLXXVI. — TO THE PELUSIANS

CLXXVII. — TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS

CLXXVIII. — TO RUFINUS

^A in a harsh manner. For the seizures are severe, the poverty is great, the injustices are frequent, and the Church is unable to bring aid to this evil. Justice has departed, the law is ignored; to those who do not yield, terror is caused, as he relies on the length of his power; either stop him from his authority, or know that you will share in his punishment before God and judgment.

CLXXIX. — TO LYCAENA

CLXXX. — TO THEOPHRONIUS

That virtues are known more through action than through word.

Not the enunciation of words, but the administration of deeds renders a man a follower of divine instruction. For not even that ancient rebel, although he remembered the divine oracles when tempting the Lord, was therefore worthy of praise for his knowledge of them; but rather he was to be rejected and abhorred, because although he possessed the knowledge, he denied and spurned the action. If, therefore, you do not wish to appear shallow, possessing learning only on your tongue, prove it by deed. For neither did Goliath derive any benefit from his external armor, being weak in the internal aids. ^C

CLXXXI. — TO ORION THE MONK

That the indignation of the Apostle Peter against Ananias and Sapphira was not an act of madness, but was useful at the beginning of the preaching.

It is not an act of madness, O most philological friend, the slaughter of those who transgressed by the most wise Peter, but one of prophetic instruction, perceiving the many sins of men. For then, when they had begun to sow the seeds of the Gospel, and immediately saw the tares that had sprung up, he wisely plucked them out at once, so that having grown up together with the wheat, they might not be preserved for the fire that is to come for burning. In the same way, the divine Moses also, seeing the law being violated from its very inception, even if for a small sin he commanded that the one gathering wood on the Sabbath be stoned to death, this

was to show that the transgression of the law is judged both in small and light matters, even as in great and atrocious crimes. For, in truth, the first ancestors of our race were punished in both life and death most bitterly on account of the tasting of the fruit of the tree 29.

^A

CLXXXII. — TO HERACLIUS, BISHOP

The one who seeks the precious pearl, and exchanges for it all his possessions, is the new people of the Lord, who spurn their ancestral substance and religion, and seek the Lord of glory. He is called a pearl because he has been united to the depth of the Godhead, and is known only to the fishermen and the interpreters of the same.

CLXXXIII. — TO THE SAME

^C

CLXXXIV. — TO ZOSIMAS

^D

CLXXXV. — TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP

CLXXXVI. — TO SERENUS THE TRIBUNE

Do not calculate regarding your gifts, but simply offer them. For not even the one who has brought something to you investigates with excessive curiosity where and in what manner you might use it; it is sufficient for him only to have given it, and to have offered both honor to you and confidence to himself.

CLXXXVII. — TO THE SAME

CLXXXVIII. — TO ASCLEPIUS

If the heaven is rolled up like a scroll, and the stars fall, and Orion, and the earth, and all things contained within its embrace are consumed by fire, and all things are laid bare and manifest on that great day of the Lord’s presence, why do you suffer from neglect, and not prepare yourself as one about to render an account, but rather, as if one who is blameless or will remain unknown, do you put off repentance? See to it, therefore, that penitence does not come to your mind only then, when there is room for nothing but despair.

CLXXXIX. — TO SERENUS

CXC. — TO PALLADIUS

taught by us. Receive him, therefore, with kindness, and bring grace both to us and to yourself: to us, charity and benevolence, and to yourself, duty and obedience.

CXCI. — TO CALLIOPIUS.

We flee the cities as laboring under tumults, and in solitude we find tumults. For the leaders of public affairs, who ought by their office to reconcile tranquility to the cities, now turn solitudes into cities, converting those who dwell in them into exiles, and pouring into us mournful voices. That compassion is a divine matter, I myself also know; and that the weakness of seeking vengeance is an addition to the wound, this also I do not ignore. You, therefore, as one endowed with wealth and power, and who is capable of avenging injuries, repress injustice, restore the state, and grant us peace, having silenced the lamentations of the solitude.

CXCII. — TO LAMPETIO.

Jacob seized the heel of Esau at his birth, signifying by this action that the mind which beholds God in purity (for this is what Israel is interpreted to mean), trips up the passions of gluttony. And this was indeed fulfilled in them, when Edom gave a sign of a certain unbridled frenzy and made the honor of his birthright a slave to food.

CXCIII. — TO THE SAME.

You apply your mind ingeniously and cleverly to your thoughts, and you hunt out hidden enigmas sharply. Jacob, having clothed himself in the skins of kids and obtained his father’s blessing, signified our Lord and Savior, who took on a nature prone to sin without sin, and put its vicious passions to death within Himself (for this is what the wearing of dead skins designates). Since He left nothing in His nature that was henceforth goat-like, worthy of the left-hand position and condemnation, but having put its earthly members to death, He offered to the Father—who is ever hungry for our salvation—a blessing that is pleasing and impossible to take away, flowing forth like a fountain.

CXCIV. — TO ORION THE MONK.

Whence, you ask, do evil thoughts [proceed] from the heart... ^{C D}

which emerge and defile a man? [They come] because the laborers are sleeping, who ^A ought to be keeping watch and protecting the fruit of the good seed as it springs up. For if we had not betrayed our own watch through gluttony and sloth, we would not have defiled the divine image—that is, we would not have adulterated the good seed—and the sower of the tares would not have found a way to creep in, nor would he have cultivated within us tares deserving of fire.

CXCV. — TO THE SAME. On the same subject. ^B Do you wish that we go and gather up the tares? ask the angelic powers, for they always desire to provide service to the divine will with a benevolent mind, since they also observe our sloth and the great patience of God. But they are prevented from doing this, lest the wheat be pulled up along with the tares—that is, lest a sinner who is looking toward the amendment of his life be snatched away, or lest innocent children be cut off along with their wicked parents, those who indeed are often still in their father’s loins, but to God, as One who beholds hidden things, already exist. For the classes of angels, as fellow-servants of nature, are ignorant of those things which are not yet present. But God both understands and has often done this. ^C For He did not mow down the sinning Esau before his offspring had been brought forth, lest he also root up Job, who derived his lineage from him; nor did He visit Matthew, who was busy with the collecting of taxes, with death, lest He hinder the preaching of the Gospel; nor did He crush the harlots who were devoted to lust and impurity, lest examples of repentance be lacking; nor did He take vengeance for Peter’s abjuration, since He foresaw his burning tears; nor did He cut off Paul with death while he was persecuting, lest the ends of the world be defrauded of salvation. Therefore, all the tares which await the harvest, and which do not turn themselves toward the fruit of repentance, are prepared for the great fire, as those which have suffered from utter barrenness.

CXCVI. — TO SERENUS. On that text of Exodus: “Let each one ask of his neighbor silver and gold vessels,” etc. ^D It is not the judgment of an unjust man, as you think, to have commanded those who had endured very many labors and hardships, and had built cities with toil, to despoil the Egyptians and receive golden and silver vessels from those upon whom they had spent their own labors; but it is even [the judgment] of a most upright and religious judge, who ordains that a worker is worthy of his food. For if any one of us had attained to the spirit of knowledge, he would have found the reward to be far more, and thus

the grace [granted] for the use thereof to be far inferior to the bitterness of the labor undertaken in completing the bricks, and the sorrowful building, for which the just judge granted them grace to accept things of this sort on loan. ^A

CXCVII. — TO CYRUS.

CXCVIII. — TO THE SAME.

CXCIX. — TO DIDYMUS.

CC. — TO HERON THE DEACON.

^A says God, “with the tears of those who were wronged, seized, and slandered.” For this reason, He brings these things forward in rebuke, proclaiming that these wrongs are the cause of what followed. For the tears of repentance are not only beyond reproach, but are also sweet ^A to God, like incense. But the binding of garments and the veiling of the altar show how much their soul labored under contempt for the Divine. For when the Law commanded that the divine temple be adorned with pure and precious materials, they, on the contrary, by binding impure and filthy clothes around the Holy of Holies, branded the temple with a mark of insult: not only failing to distinguish between pure and ^B impure, but not even establishing any difference between God and unclean things, which indeed opened up for them the sources of so many evils.

CCI. — TO DIDYMUS

The kingdom of heaven is likened to leaven: this is the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, free from all sin, which leavened the whole world; and to the coagulation of one body ^C assumed from our substance and from the Theotokos Mary, which restored all men who have existed since the foundation of the world to a new birth.

CCII. — TO BISHOP MACARIUS

You are right, I am persuaded, to appoint new ministers of the Church; but you are wrong to praise them. See to it that they are not infected by such praises and despoiled of the sweetness of their tension, suffering loss in their earnestness by such an opinion of vanity and arrogance.

CCIII. — TO ZENODOTUS

Even if Noah made trial ^D of his own husbandry, being ignorant of what would happen to him from wine; and if Lot likewise was led into madness by wine, and unknowingly became a father in his old age; and if Herod, having become a plaything of drunkenness, stained his table and his heart with the blood of the great John; and, in short, if all the insane crimes of men flow from wine: why do you summon voluntary madness, and not embrace chaste and temperate moderation?

CCIV. — TO DIDYMUS

Just as a net, which is cast into the sea,

^A concludes the various genera of fish; in the same way, the eternal kingdom of Christ, receiving a multitude of men from every nation, determines salvation for each according to the measure of their faith; not bestowing its delicacies upon authority of lineage, nor amplitude of dignity, nor priesthood, nor reign, if it be unworthy of the calling, but upon a manner and life which has inclined toward purity, and has hastened toward the prey of the true fishermen.

CCV. — TO THE SAME Good things are gathered into vessels, but bad things are cast outside the net; this is to say, when the Church of the Lord is searched, since all have been sealed in the name of Christ, and have been united into one harmony. Truly, those minds which have remained in the truth are gathered into vessels, that is, into eternal mansions; ^B but those which are heretical and contrary to the right doctrine are cast outside the kingdom.

CCVI. — TO EUTONIUS Concerning the stater which Peter took. That stater, which Peter was commanded to take from the depths, hidden within a fish, signified our form obscured by vicious affections, which the Lord in Himself recalls to the primordial exemplar. He commanded it to be given for Himself, as one who, having become man, is subject to all our conditions; allowing no resistance to the emperor when he commands things that are not at all harmful or pernicious, while at the same time demonstrating the power and faculty of the divine majesty.

CCVII. — TO MARTYRIUS How must one understand: “Unless you be converted, ^C and become as little children”? When the Lord demands of us that we approach the likeness of children, He does not require of us that we return to infancy, as you yourself suppose, like Nicodemus, but that we abjure wickedness, so that a childish simplicity may dwell within us. And He demonstrates this through what He said: for He did not say, “Unless you become children,” but, “As children,” declaring through the addition of the word, “as,” the imitation of the thing.

CCVIII. — TO DONATUS Concerning gentleness. Do not make legitimate rule barbaric through unrefined and incongruous morals, but adorn it with things consistent with itself: dispensing lenity to the sorrowful, and equity to the lesser in relation to the greater; ^D and then you will kindle the bright torch of good governance. For justice is the kindling for the luminary of a well-ordered reign.

CCIX. — TO THEOGNOSTOS.

If anything is of one's own material nature, or if it is an instrument of error, or an idol of deceit which inward sloth has introduced into us, the Lord wills that this be cast away from us by the architect and creator of vice. Conversely, if there is anything that is a symbol of virtue, a badge of honesty, or a gain of vigilance and caution, He wills that we should consider and be persuaded that this has come to us by the gift of God, and that we should offer to Him the praise that is due. This is what He means by, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

^B

CCX. — TO CHRISTODOROS.

You have asked by letter that I explain to you the signs of the final necessity of the times, which the Lord has revealed for our knowledge. Receive, therefore, the power of these things in few words. "Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains": that is, let those who are fixed and established in piety (for this is what Judea signifies) look toward the high refuge, guarded and fortified by the protection of their own confession. "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything away from his house": that is, let him who has despised the present house and considered it as nothing, and has trampled underfoot the entire scene of this life, and has become exalted and sublime in his manner of living, and has banished the inward passions of the soul, draw nothing from them—neither fear, nor sloth, nor vain glory, nor craving for wealth, which is a descent from high places. "And let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle": that is, let him who has put off the old man, and has sent a notice of departure to carnal things, wear the new man, who has renewed him unto the knowledge of God and has cleansed him from filth and corruption. For from these things he will obtain that such a great calamity will be able to create no traps for him.

^C

CCXI. — TO THE SAME.

^D

CCXII. — TO ZENON THE PRESBYTER.

You have in the divine Scripture the fruit of those things which you sow.

You see the victory trophies of your excellent contests; for the good Shepherd and Savior promises a hundredfold, both here and hereafter, for your voluntary poverty, and for your sudden struggles and wrestling matches against the passions, Paul, that noble combatant and victor in such things, weaves for you an incorruptible crown. ^A

CCXIII. — TO SOSANDRO. You were bound by the tie of marriage; but the Lord has loosened this in a way that is profitable and soul-beneficial; for there is nothing of His that is without gain. Since, therefore, the partnership of life involves worldly, and not divine, solicitude, are you "loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife," lest the venom of a woman corrupt you, luring you into another congress of pleasure as if by certain spells, and teaching you carnal flatteries and useless cares and suspicions. But hasten to our mountain, that you may look after the health of your soul. ^B

CCXIV. — TO DOMITIO. That it surpasses every boldness for those who live unworthily of the faith to offer dogmatic definitions. It is not for everyone, oh man, to dogmatize; since not everyone wears purple. Therefore, if not everyone uses it—and especially not the poor, as they would be insulting the throne and dragging down the excellence of the position into lowliness—I wish you would refrain from those arguments that are not fit for the Church, which bring no profit to the hearers, but rather drag the concerns of religion into insult, and sharpen those heretics who are hostile to us—not turning them against you and your own accusation, but inciting them to insult our piety. For they do not perceive your ignorance, but mock the weakness of that doctrine. ^C

CCXV. — TO EUSEBIO THE BISHOP. To priests who suffer from avarice. As the elegance of garments becomes one who is fond of adornment, so the Psalm fits you: "Let those who act lawlessly in vain be ashamed." For since you have opened the doors and methods of profit-making, you indeed will render accounts for this name, but for others you heap up wealth, through which you accumulate many more torments for yourself. If, therefore, it is in your heart to deliver both them and yourself from the fire, many Lazaruses surround you; cast out upon them the flame of your money, and with them you shall obtain refreshment and consolation there. ^D

CCXVI. — TO ZENON THE PRESBYTER. We have received the pallium, and we have sent a tunic, and we give you immense thanks, who [have sent]…

requested it from us, since we have fulfilled the law of the Baptist, not having two tunics. And if it should be given to anyone in need, ^A it will have been dealt with well and conveniently for both of us: for me, surely, who warm my body with a new garment; and for him, who consults the needs of his own nakedness with a tattered tunic. But if you intend to keep this one also, as if it were the property of some holy men, you will drive me into utter despair, as I am convicted by the testimony of my own conscience; and if you send again, and ask again, you will certainly receive nothing from us. CCXVII. — TO THE SAME. If, relying on that hope which contains all things, you have cast your eyes upon this matter, and in faith have attempted those things which surpass our measure, may you enjoy this disposition of your soul, frequently clothing us and bestowing upon us with generosity and abundance the things that we need. And oh that you may obtain mercy from the Lord on that day! ^B

CCXVIII. — TO TIMOTHY THE LECTOR. Concerning the vision of the four beasts.

CCXIX. — TO NILUS. Why did He command to eat the flesh of the lamb roasted with fire?

^A in an ineffable union with the flesh which is now eaten by us, and works the remission of sins.

CCXX. — TO THE MONKS IN PELUSIUM

The certain proof of a religious life, brothers, is not the display of a cloak and a promised beard. The desire for monastic withdrawal is not a dwelling in cities and tumults. No one breaks the furrow of Christ who embraces the pleasure that is prickly with thorns. He who busies himself with word-battles and contentions cannot attain to philosophy. He who seeks the delicacies and richness of foods does not endure to be cleansed through abstinence. If, therefore, we wish to compete lawfully, let us strive for the good contest through a habit alien to pride and ostentation, through monastic leisure, the virtue of tranquility, the safeguard of silence, and austerity of food.

CCXXI. — TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER

What is the meaning of: "If the dead do not rise at all, why then are they baptized for the dead?"

"If the dead do not rise at all, why then are they baptized for them?" the divine Apostle said, assessing the nature of bodies so well ^B when compared with the integrity of the soul. For the latter is endless and immortal, while the former is subject to corruption and change. We are baptized, therefore, for the dead [i.e., for those] dead by the nature of their bodies, believing that these will be transformed into immortality. And this is the clarity that the statement contains: "If at all," he says, "our bodies do not rise, why do we believe, in being baptized, that they are being transformed into incorruptibility?"

CCXXII. — TO THE SAME

How is the Lord going to judge the living and the dead? To Timothy II.

That the living and the dead are to be judged means that both soul and body will come into judgment, and neither will be separated from the other; but just as they made a common union here in this life, so also shall they undergo the judgment to come united. If, however, you seek it in another ^C way, consider it thus: To judge the living [means to distinguish] those who have pursued an eternal and God-beloved life, and to render unto them endless rewards; to judge those who have died through sins, and who buried the talent given to them in their own sloth as if in a sepulcher, [is to punish them] with appropriate retribution. ^D If you demand yet another explanation, it is of this kind: to judge those who will be left alive at that time, and those who have already exchanged life for death before them.

^A

CCXXIII. — TO ZOSIMUS, EUSTATHIUS, AND MARO.

If you desire not the life that is eternal with Christ, nor do you fear the judgment of the eternal flame, then you are either struggling against the contemptuous demons, or you are inanimate and senseless likenesses of men, devoid of reason and incapable of any feeling of fear.

CCXXIV. — TO QUINTIANUS THE MONK.

My ill health was proceeding according to my wish, little by little withdrawing me from the tempest and the storms. But since God has commanded me to remain once again among the waves, help my voyage with your prayers, so that nothing alien to tranquility may befall me.

CCXXV. — TO SIMPLICIUS. ^B

We congratulate the city upon your magistracy, and we rejoice to see justice now walking and triumphing through the midst of the city. For this reason, you shall have God as your helper and ally, both pointing out to you the wicked and revealing to you the good.

CCXXVI. — TO THE SENATE.

God still cares for the interests of Pelusium. A seed of godliness still exists therein; the guardian martyrs of the city still take care of it in its misery. The admirable Simplicius has arrived, taking up and moderating the leadership of the prefecture. I announce to you another life. Receive the man gladly; recount to him all your troubles and difficulties in tragic terms. He has both a wise mind and a pious will, and he will bring about a change in your labors. For he has received strength from God, from whom it is granted to many to conduct matters rightly and nobly. ^C

CCXXVII. — TO FLORENTIUS.

On vanity, and the restraint of the tongue.

You do not rightly admire Athens, and the Porch, and the Walk, and the Attic grandeur, in which you were once assiduous for the sake of trifles—you, I say, who have despised earthly things and have been commanded to love nothing of what is here. If, therefore, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where He is. For they who look upon your cheap clothing and the philosophy situated only in your outward habit, and then at your perversity of mind and the arrogance of your tongue, cast impious and insulting words against our most divine religion. ^D

LETTER CCXXXII.

CCXXVIII. — TO SORANUS THE COUNT. On Holy Communion.

Participation in the divine mysteries is therefore called communion, because it brings about for us a union with God, and makes us consort and partakers of his kingdom.

CCXXIX. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

You have asked by letter that I explain to you for what reason a certain man, having come with the intention of doing good to the poor, underwent a grave crisis, and his intention did not deliver him from his misfortunes. Because, I say, God does not delight in sacrifices [offered] from iniquity, nor does he accept counterfeit gifts. For not everyone who wishes does good, but [only] the one who does so worthily of God, and who has both acquired [the means] and promised the sacrifice.

CCXXX. — TO THE SAME.

Since you have asked me to confirm my answer by the testimony of the holy Scriptures, know this: that Cain brought both gifts and the firstfruits of his produce as gifts. But God, looking to the perversity of the mind, did not cast his eyes upon him, nor did he accept his gifts, although they were offered with a [pious] intention and resolve.

CCXXXI. — TO CERCYRIUS.

Perils and perpetual terrors accompany bold and rash minds; on the contrary, praises, honors, and boldness belong to the gentle and meek. Therefore, unless you have lost the right judgment of things through folly, abandon the wicked party and join yourself to the better.

CCXXXII. — TO BISHOP SYNESIUS.

It is a noble and advantageous thing to have one’s loins girded before the onset of perils, and to render service to God, and to put to flight and defeat the opposing forces by faith; not to be torpid through sloth and cowardice, and to lie exposed to the weapons of enemies and foes. For we have proceeded to such a point in our lack of judgment that we do not even have time to perform the priestly office for God; because the evils by which we are surrounded on all sides do not give us the power to take up the instruments by which we might repel the hostile assault: whereas Phinees used a spear when God was angered.

^A

CCXXXIII. — TO ANASTASIUS. On Arrogance.

That Christ abhors men of blood, and not only them, but also all those who dwell with them—because he does not in the least avenge their outrages and crimes—is shown by his conduct toward Herod. For after the nefarious slaughter of the Baptist, he left the region and withdrew. If, therefore, you do not wish for yourself and all the citizens in the city of Herod to meet the same fate as he—with whom your own house and children will also be destroyed—cease this incurable madness. Why do you hasten in vain toward wicked destruction and ruin?

^B

CCXXXIV. — TO AMAZONIUS.

Why do you carry books in vain, and by your actions turn away from their reading? For while the Lord condemns even the curious gazing upon women, you not only blaze with an insane love for beauty, but, as I have learned, have also embraced a servile life, having taken a harlot as your companion, and loving eternal disgrace—when you ought to have kept in view the written word: "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge," and you ought to pursue the former and hate the latter. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." He who heeds these words of Scripture is not at all delighted by these things, but rather resists them.

^C

CCXXXV. — TO SERENUS. On the Lord's interrogation, "Whom do men say that I am?"

It was not because Christ, who penetrates the heart itself, was ignorant of the varied opinion men held of him that he asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I am?"; but because he desired to teach all the certain confession which Peter, inspired by him, laid down as a base and foundation, upon which the Lord built his own Church.

^D

CCXXXVI. — TO THE SAME. On Peter's response, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The words, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," signify the union of the two natures, which the Son of God himself brought about within himself, for the sake of our salvation, in a manner worthy of God.

^A [CCXXXVII]. — TO HERMOCIANUS (22).

You are ignorant of the retribution, as one who is blind to things to come. And not only in the judgment and tribunal to come, but even in this present life, those who suffer from envy pay the penalties they deserve. Let Jezebel, that wife of Ahab, convince you of this; she, who was possessed by an insane desire for the vineyard of Naboth, became even then the prey of dogs, and is kept for the eternal fire hereafter.

[CCXXXVIII]. — TO SERENUS. *On the saying of the Lord concerning the Church: "the gates of Hades."*

The divine Word calls the assemblies of the impious and the blasphemies of the heresies "the gates of Hades." The Church of God, standing against all of these, breaks and conquers them, yet is not overcome by them.

^B [CCXXXIX]. — TO ALPHIUS THE PRESBYTER.

The transfiguration of our Lord and Savior upon the mountain prefigured our resurrection from the dead. Being witnesses to this, those present were commanded to keep the matter silent among themselves until his resurrection, so that it might then find faith, being seen, as it were, in the reality of the event. The presence of Moses and Elijah bore witness to him, testifying that he rules over both the living and the dead.

[CCXL]. — TO CYRENIUS. *That God is not the author of evils.*

If the Divine were the author of evils, how does it come to pass that he makes it rain upon you, that he makes the sun to rise, and that he has lengthened your life here unto old age, you who have long been worthy of many deaths? In truth, it is because of his own mercy that you have been preserved to this age, for the sake of repentance and sobriety.

^C [CCXLI]. — TO SYNESIUS. *On the Arians and Eunomians.*

What you wish to learn is brief, yet certain. If God is always like himself, and nothing is ever added to him, it is necessary that he always be Father. And if he is always Father, it follows that he always had a Son. From which it results that he has the same eternity as the Father.

[CCXLII]. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT. *On Montanus.*

Even if you had heard nothing of the blasphemy of Montanus until this day, as you write, it is nonetheless ancient and long-standing; it has wrought much corruption, stain, and ruin. It is necessary to flee from it with haste and to cast it away, as it is able to beget as great a detriment to the soul as that which he himself found in his error. ^D

[CCXLIII] — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

To clear up this impiety would require a lengthy discourse. But to comprise the matter in few words: they endeavor to take the Holy Spirit away from the midst, asserting that He did not come to the sacrosanct apostles on the day of Pentecost, but rather was given a long time after this, through the agency of Montanus—a man who, according to them, had committed nothing grave, but who was in truth clearly caught in adultery, and who, with that illustrious exploit, claimed that the divine provision of the faith had been entrusted to him.

[CCXLIV] — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

Fasting profits nothing to those who do not apply their mind to sound decrees. For by as much as the soul is more excellent than the body, by so much are the dogmas of piety preferred to the life of the body.

[CCXLV] — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

The use of inferior things achieves this: that we find better ones. For so that we might avoid this impiety, we have observed it, and we have fled from it, and through it we have reached another, and finally a pure and stainless doctrine. Therefore, just as we shudder at Montanus, in the same way we shall detest Manichaeus, who thinks the same things as he does. For it is a twin evil, central to hell.

[CCXLVI] — TO THE SAME. On the Arians and Eunomians.

Between Arius and Eunomius there was no disagreement as to who professed the better doctrine; but each strove to surpass the other in the magnitude and abundance of their impiety. The former, indeed, dared brazenly to declare the Son of God to be a creature; but the latter impiously affirmed Him to be a slave. Wherefore, with all our might we must flee from both, as they fill their disciples with the ultimate stain and destruction.

[CCXLVII] — TO THE SAME. Against the Sabellians.

Another Charybdis, difficult to describe, which precipitates those it has seized into the depths of hell, is the error of Sabellius. It set out from Libya and crept through to many. For it [attempts to turn] the adorable and blessed Trinity, one...

^A three-personed hypostasis, which is rather the destruction of the three (29); for the Godhead is one, but the hypostases are three. Hold to these; believe it in this way, lest someone teach you a contraction of the hypostasis as if it were a conjunction of the essence.

CCXLVIII. — TO DRACONTIUS THE PRESBYTER.

CCXLIX. — TO EPICTETUS.

CCL. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP.

CCLI. — TO EVAGRIUS THE DEACON.

brought, it gained strength and vigor, and advanced to a power that knows no successor. For it was fitting that that which had even merely touched Christ, and had become his hem, should be safe and secure. ^A

CCLII. — TO ALPHIUS THE PRESBYTER. Why the veil of the temple was rent. The path to the holy places, which was hidden in the temple and obstructed by a veil, signified that sanctification had not yet been given, but was preserved for the advent and presence of our Lord. ^B At that time, when he rent the veil and revealed to the Gentiles the mysteries of the holy of holies—which had remained covered to the Jews because they were laboring under the stigma of ingratitude—he paved the way for us to our heavenly kinship.

CCLIII. — TO THE SAME. Why inanimate things were scourged during the passion of the Lord. You inquire keenly into the meanings. And who will be sufficient for you as you milk them, unless God provide the word and the vigor to match your purpose? That the rocks were rent during the Lord’s passion, and the tombs trembled at the migration of bodies, signified that he who was being nailed to the cross is the Lord of both earthly and subterranean beings. ^C

CCLIV. — TO THE SAME. For what reason, you ask, were inanimate things scourged? I say, it was to accuse the stupidity and madness of the Jews: for while those things were being broken by fear, they, on the contrary, were hardening into the nature of stone, and were both senseless toward the fear and ungrateful for the benefit.

CCLV. — TO THE SAME. Concerning the two robbers. The two robbers typified the two peoples 34: the one, who displayed his wickedness and perversity of soul even to his very last breath, and who did not confess that he was undergoing the final captivity, which he suffered at the hands of the Romans, as the punishment and vengeance for the insults offered to Christ; whereas the other, who at the very end did not despair of the remission of sins, but by his theology corrected the swarm of his evils. ^D

CCLVI. — TO THE SAME. Concerning the same. The fact that the Lord endured to be crucified between the two robbers revealed his voluntary presence toward the two peoples, to whom he willingly came, that he might correct the whole troop of crimes through the preaching of his divinity.

to renew His incarnation, He came of His own accord and will, even if the former [people], like one of the thieves, refused that benefit, saying, "We have no king but Caesar" (John xix, 15), while they demanded the innocent blood be upon their own head for their destruction, and made a boast of such a murder as ^A if it were just. From which it has come about that both this people and that thief fell from the kingdom.

CCLVII. — TO EULOGIUS.

On the fact that Zacharias became mute.

CCLVIII. — TO PETER THE ARCHIMANDRITE.

CCLIX. — TO GIGANTIUS.

CCLX. — TO LUKE THE MONK.

On subjection.

betake yourself to a solitary mode of life, but bow your judgment to those who, through their life, their time, and their labor, have already dug and cultivated the divine vineyard; from whom you will easily learn the work. For it is ridiculous and laughable to run about everywhere to find teachers of menial and mechanical arts, but to entrust the divine philosophy, as if it were something cheap and despicable, to ourselves alone. ^A

CCLXI. — TO EUBULUS.

On Malice.

CCLXII. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS.

That one ought not to let the inexperienced establish monasteries.

CCLXIII. — TO HERACLIUS THE DEACON.

CCLXIV. — TO ORION.

CCLXV. — TO SYMMACHUS.

the giant Nemrod surpassed you by far in stature, as did the giants of Astaroth, and the barbarian Goliath, and Saul, who overtopped all the Israelites with his shoulders. But their height profited them nothing, since they thought more highly of themselves than [they did of] divine kindness and condescension.

CCLXVI. — TO CRATINUS.

On subjection.

CCLXVII. — TO CYRENIUS.

CCLXVIII. — TO PAULUS.

On the power of the divine preaching.

CCLXIX. — TO MARO THE PRESBYTER.

To priests, on the dispensation of the poor.

CCLXX. — TO AGATHODAEMON.

Against the Gentiles.

^A For Hellenism, established though it was over much time, by much toil, by vast resources, by arms, and by arguments, has vanished. Yet our religion, entrusted to common, unlettered, poor, and lowly men, in a short space of time passed everywhere like a flash of lightning, illuminating not only eyes and appearances, but also minds; for the former was compacted of lying fables, while the latter was fashioned of heavenly dogmas.

[CCLXXI]. — TO LEANDER. On free will. Human nature, excellent sir, is not of such a kind that it is incapable of admitting vice, nor again does it possess vices by the force of nature. But the mind and the will, by admitting these, undergo a falling away from virtuous things.

[CCLXXII]. — TO THE SAME. That which you write, the first man also suffered; but the second restored the former form to him, inasmuch as he existed ^B in it in a manner surpassing all speech, and corrected it in a manner consistent with divinity.

[CCLXXIII]. — TO EUTONIUS. "I will magnify the Lord," etc. "I will magnify the Lord in praise, and it shall please him better than a new calf," sang David, signifying the downfall of the Jews and the association of the Gentiles. For since, he says, that people to whose faith the sacrifices had been committed rejected God, and God takes no pleasure in the pouring out of blood, therefore I apply spiritual worship, which He Himself will esteem far ^C more highly than that.

[CCLXXIV]. — TO THEON. You pride yourself, it seems, in beauty and wealth, and treat as of no account others who lack these things, unaware that you are adorned with grass that withers most quickly. And you hold money like water, which moistens others from others, and flows back to others again. Wherefore, either apply your mind to these faithless riches—just as one would to a shadow, and smoke, and winds—or know this: that you are relying on shadow, and smoke, and winds.

[CCLXXV]. — TO THE MAGISTRATES OF PELUSIUM. Pelusium receives splendid rewards for its ^D education from Aspianus; he makes a splendid return and recompense to his foster-mother.

^A For after he whispered a calumny into the open and overly credulous ears of the emperor, he received from him the city's quaestorship, and he involved his fellow tribesmen in as many evils and calamities as does a thieving housemate. Pray, therefore, fervently, that the people of Pelusium may never be able to do as much as they wish. For they are better when they struggle with poverty and are bowed down, or when they are slightly emerging, than when they possess shadowy power. For it is then that they appear as the offspring of vipers, eating the womb that nurtured and brought them forth.

CCLXXVI. — TO CHAEREMON.

CCLXXVII. — TO PAEONIUS.

CCLXXVIII. — TO PETER.

CCLXXIX. — TO CLEARCHO.

CCLXXX. — TO CHRYSANTHUS.

^A soul provided to aid it, so as to strengthen ^D the indolence and weakness of the body. If they speak the truth, it is clear that you are ignorant of the aim of the Creator, and that you use even iron for slaughter, beauty for deceit, and the tongue for blasphemy, making the giver of all good things the cause of evils. Rein in your anger, therefore, as quickly as possible, lest it cast you headlong into destruction.

CCLXXXI. — TO DIDYMUS. ^B If the Philistines traced their descent from the Cappadocians, and the Philistines are descendants of the Cappadocians, and the Gibeonites are, in turn, of the Philistines, it is obvious that the Cappadocians are Gibeonites. Having, therefore, their wickedness recorded and written down, why do you marvel at Gigantius? For the race is, for the most part, treacherous and wicked, not finding pleasure in peace but feeding on strife, having one and the same fountain for both bitter and sweet. In association they speak kindly and gently, but in absence they slander. They are deceitful, shameless, rash, cowardly, mocking, ungenerous, crafty, inhuman, proud, and obstinate; sad at the prosperity of their friends, but insatiable in their adversity. Under the mask of piety, they reduce weak women to captivity; and in their insane love of gold, they surpass the Babylonian. They are quick to lie and swift to perjure themselves. And finally, consider all Cappadocians to be, and hold it for certain that they are, just like the wicked and altogether hateful Gigantius you have before you.

CCLXXXII. — TO SERENUS. ^C What is meant by, "Where the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together?" Since the Creator and Lord of all things had provided for us a dwelling place of blessed life in Eden, but because of the levity of our mind and the wickedness of the deceiver we were cast out from it, and were thrown into this toilsome earth and this grievous and bitter pilgrimage, Christ therefore [gathers] those of us who have put on wings again, and, having left behind this lowly and wretched life, and having approached the height of the heavenly commonwealth, into that place

^A which the good Christ promised, He will gather us. And this, too, is what you asked: "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." Where, He says, the defeat occurred through intemperate taste, there also the victory has been achieved through the fasting and self-control which nature has cultivated and perfected.

CCLXXXIII. — TO PETER THE ARCHIMANDRITE. On the saying, "In that night there shall ^B be two women grinding."

From the ranks of the angels and the choir of the apostles, the intentions of men are judged. For from the former, one who held the primacy was separated; from the latter, the traitor was cast out. And you will find this same thing being accomplished even now. For since some devote themselves to effort and vigils, while others languish in laziness and negligence, it happens that when the Lord comes in His glory, the former shall be taken, and the latter shall be left behind.

CCLXXXIV. — TO SYNADIUS. On the resurrection.

If God is able to bring into existence whatever He wishes from nothing, how much more can He renew what has already been created and what has returned to the earth? That it will indeed happen, and how the resurrection will take place, the mystery of the things that are sown will teach you, as well as the movement of all plants, dying in winter and returning to life in spring.

CCLXXXV. — TO PETER. On the two women grinding.

Since you also requested an explanation of the thought connected to the previous one, "There shall be two women grinding ^C at the mill; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left." Understand by the mill and the grinding-place the rotation and dizziness of this life, which tosses us about inconsistently, and, like the speed of a mill, changes our affairs. By the two women grinding, however, understand the differences of life in one thing or group, for example in religious exercise, or virginity, or self-control, or temperance, or hospitality, or faith, practiced and fulfilled by many, but not by all with the same mind and will. For some perform the duties of the virtues for the sake of the future reward; others perform them for the sake of display, receiving their wages in the praises of this world, and are left in the mill. ^D The others, however, are taken.

CCLXXXVI. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. On the ten virgins.

The parable of the ten virgins shows the difference in characters and lives. For all kept their virginity, but not all were equally zealous in the other virtues; rather, it was sufficient for them to…

… ^A satisfy their own minds, but that impartial judgment made it clear that if compassion and humanity are absent, virginity brings no benefit. "For all the glory of the daughter of the King," he says, "is from within," encompassed with variety. It must be adorned, he says, with the gold-gleaming fringes of all the virtues. For if anyone practices virginity and boasts in this, he surely strays from the greater virtue, which is humility. For it is not written, "He who practices virginity," but rather, "He who humbles himself shall be exalted."

CCLXXXVII. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

Nature contains everything within itself, having received gifts from God, and having in all its senses a fertile discernment of good things. Whoever, therefore, strives in honorable actions and teaches by his works has doubled the five talents, and is commanded to rule over five cities—the dwellings and tabernacles of God, and not the tabernacles alone. For the one shall be placed over one, but the other over many, each according to the measure of his own labor.

CCLXXXVIII. — TO THE SAME.

The divine oracle says that the sheep—meek, gentle, and providing us with aid for clothing and covering—is to be set at the right hand of God, whereas the harsh, voracious, and savage goat is to be cast to the left. ^B By these words, the same modes of life are signified, which obtain a state appropriate to themselves. Therefore, let us hate and detest the one, and cling firmly to the other.

CCLXXXIX. — TO EULOGIUS.

The Word of God, as He truly clothed Himself in humanity, so did He truly fulfill everything that falls to man. In this same way, at the time of the passion, He prays to be excused from the cup, ^C showing thereby that one should not rush to meet dangers, but once we have entered into them, we must receive them with fortitude and endurance. For while the cross was still being prepared for Him, He deprecated it, but when it was revealed, He took it upon His shoulders as a victor and carried it.

CCXC. — TO PETER.

The strength and firmness of authorities is the friendship of God. It follows, therefore, that he who exercises authority firmly is a friend of God. For, "To me," says Scripture, "Thy friends, O God, are highly honored, and their ranks have been greatly strengthened." If, therefore, you wish to be a friend ^D of God, rule firmly; not with gifts, nor with friendship, but with the justice of deeds.

^A

CCXCI. — TO TITIANUS. What is the meaning of Peter cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant? He who lives in association with Jesus, and has a mind that follows Jesus, avenges insults offered to the Master, as Peter did. Since the Jews were suffering from the disease of obstinacy—being such that they did not apply their minds to the Law, which commanded them to listen to everything that Christ the Teacher might say—by cutting off the ear of the servant who belonged to the priest, he showed that the priest himself was a servant of disobedience to the Law, and that he stood in need of a sword ^B for the excision of his contentiousness.

CCXCII. — TO THE SAME. On the release of Barabbas. It is no wonder that the city of blood, and the children of homicides, released their own partner in crime, Barabbas the murderer, and let him go unaccused. Since they cared little for murders, as they were accustomed to deeds of blood, they were now granting pardons to the perpetrators of murders, and yet they brought (death on) the cross and the grave to the treasury of life and immortality. They paid the penalty for both crimes at one and the same time.

CCXCIII. — TO ORION. The divine oracle likens the evangelical preaching to wine—sometimes flowing from the Lord’s side, ^C and sometimes sharpening and strengthening the disciples like new wine. Since the Jews did not obtain the joy of this, and strove to disguise the truth with falsehood, they offered vinegar to the Teacher of wisdom, mixing bitterness with it. For since their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their drinks are of the same kind; they requited the Planter of the living vine with vinegar, and received the One who had sweetened them with divine words and laws as with honey, with the bitterness of gall.

CCXCIV. — TO GERONTIUS. If you desire to conquer your enemies, lead your army with the fear of God. ^D For justice brings about excellence in battle. Our own injustice, however, is an aid to our opponents.

CCXCV. — TO PROÆRESIUS. The Creator has placed a limit upon nature, and the Law has threatened fear to those who pursue evil. Therefore, those who remain within the boundaries honor nature; but those who have thrust the Law aside have received fear.

CCXCVII. — TO EULAMPIUS. To a murderer.

Why do you walk through the city with such insolence, you arrogant man? Why do you disturb a quiet and peaceful life? Why do you make war upon gentleness, fearing neither God nor blushing at your own conduct? For because you killed an upright man, many tongues decry you; but because you gloat over the murder as though you had cut down some wicked man, more people yet lament you with tragic speech. Consider then, you who are blind, whether you committed murder as Moses did, or burned with zeal as Phinehas did, or avenged God as Samuel did, or played the champion of piety as Elijah did; and only then be proud of what you have dared. But if neither the law has ordained you, nor the order of battle has armed you, nor has a divine oracle set you upon the blood of your own kinsman—which rather commands you to establish charity even with your enemies—it would be better for you now to cleanse your hands stained with gore, and to restrain your blood, and to offer your own blood to be shed, rather than keeping the crime in your soul, to be kept for the tribunals of the life to come for eternal punishment. ^B

CCXCVIII. — TO LUKE THE ARCHIMANDRITE.

"The partridge has called out; it has gathered what it did not lay, becoming rich not with justice," says Jeremiah, the most wretched of all the prophets, describing a wicked leader of war who arms himself against the truth in the last times, and all those who likewise perform the duty of a military commander with reckless mind and not for benefit or utility. Since, therefore, these things are so, why are you preparing bands and phalanxes not of monks, but rather of fighters? For it would be just for you to perceive that a confused mob falls into disorder of its own reasoning when idle. Therefore, either teach them to work, or diminish this multitude, lest otherwise you run into the labor of entreaty and have need of weapons, when drunkenness combined with idleness stirs them toward the pursuit of innovation. ^D

CCXCIX. — TO ISIDORE THE PREFECT. On granting pardon to those subject to us.

If we depend on God and seek pardon from Him, let us remit the debts of those who are beholding to us, so that by this reasoning we may obtain it, and not owe anything. Bonus the shipmaster says that he is...

^A of the grain, which the winds and whirlwinds and storms in the sea have claimed for themselves. Wherefore, either be angry at the tossing of the sea and the tempest, governing matters with justice, or, as long as we continue to sin, grant pardon for the trials that befall us.

T. — TO SOZOMENUS, DOMESTIC OF THE PREFECT ^B This Bonus, who delivers our letters to you, has endured the toils of the sea, the high winds, and the harsh waves, and he has been deprived of the public grain. Since, therefore, he is not a shipmaster by profession, but is orthodox in religion, and by his tongue is not versed in nautical matters, and is in all things pleasing and acceptable to you, free him from his despondency, so that Christ may perfect you with crowns of immortality on the great day.

TA. — TO THEOGNOSTUS On the text: "Thy rod and Thy staff." "Thy rod and Thy staff, they have comforted me," this, I think, means: Since, having grown negligent, I slipped into sin, with the rod you instructed me towards attentiveness and vigilance. But since, being scourged, I was turning towards faint-heartedness, with the staff you supported me, strengthening me.

TB. — TO QUINTUS THE MONK ^C Let the rule of philosophy for you be the exercise of the athletes among whom you have been enrolled. As for what you now see in them, both of zeal, and having been filled, as if pregnant with much wisdom, and having woven many crowns for those who wrestle.

TΓ. — TO LEANDER ^D Concerning free will. Human nature, O excellent man, is neither incapable of evils, nor does it possess evils by nature, but through judgment and negligence it suffers the falling away from good things. Which is what also happened to the first man, and he fell from the boundaries of salvation, which the second man, who sprang from him and who received our true nature into Himself, restored to him again; for being truly God, He became truly man, from two

^A natures, being one Son of God, not changed into what He was, in becoming that which we are.

CCCIV. — TO CHÆREMON

I am suffused with shame at your frequent letters, and again I turn away from your actions, as they are neither honest nor praiseworthy. And I am of a divided mind as to what I should answer you, not because I am unable to explain what you ask, but because I spare your ears, as they are unworthy. For it is not permitted to us to give holy things to dogs. ^B But if you cease to be insane, I will explain what you have asked of me, and I will show how that which you disbelieve is beyond doubt. For neither can a bleary eye fix its gaze upon the disc of the sun, and if it does focus, it does so in vain; nor can a defiled mind usefully scrutinize any of the holy things.

CCCV. — TO EUTONIUS

How to understand: "My soul hath cleaved to the floor."

When the Psalmist says, "My soul hath ^C cleaved to the floor," he signifies, first of all, its communion and society with the body, as it comes from the dust of the floor. Then, he also signifies his voluntary humility, which he displayed on account of the sin he committed; for he hoped that through it, according to the word of God, he would attain the life of Him who exalts the one who humbles himself.

CCCVI. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC. Concerning a slave.

When conduct provides testimony of integrity, not years, there is no place for the reproach of a slave in such a man. Even if ^D violent fortune reduced him to servitude, yet a noble will and the intention of his mind set him free. And lest you think these are sophistries and quibbles, you have Paul, the listener to secret things, promising a future reward to servants for the benevolence shown here to masters, and making no distinction between servants and lords, when the intention of the mind is free from reproach.

CCCVII. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS. To upright priests.

He who brought back that great Shepherd of the sheep from death to life, the same also brought thee back, His imitator and the pastor of His sheep putting thy [(no footnote)] soul at risk for them, back from the very gates of Tartarus, in order that, preserved through long cycles of years, thou mayest be to the flock [the rest of this page continues on the next page].

chief shepherd a pleasure, and to us a firmament of hope, and a luminary to the world, and like David to the beasts of impiety, striking down both the lion and the bear with the staff of the Cross, by which and with which thou shepherdest successfully.

CCCVIII. TO ABRAHAM.

On Sobriety.

Greetings from us, Abraham, and be sober, keeping watch for the war. For consider and believe that the arena of ascetic struggle is a war, surrounded by mental missiles more grievous than those swords which fall upon the senses; which he who was thoroughly experienced and had explored them rightly calls "fiery."

CCCIX. TO CASSIAN THE MONK.

I hear that thou hast fled the corruptible life and run to the arena of the monks, yet that thou possessest a glib tongue and speakest rashly. This is nothing else but to build a strong wall inaccessible to enemies, and yet leave a gate for their entry. But if thou desirest to keep the wall free from danger and to appear as a force against the adversaries, restrain thy tongue with all thy might, for from it proceed swift and great falls.

CCCX. TO CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

A partial favor does not see clearly, but hate sees nothing at all. If, therefore, thou desirest to be clean and immune from both types of impurity, do not issue violent sentences, but commit the causes to a just and upright judgment. Since even God, who knows all things before they come to pass, in His human kindness willed to descend and behold the cry of Sodom, in this clearly instructing us in the basis for accurate investigation. For many of those who were gathered to Ephesus deride thee, as if thou art avenging thy own private enmity and not seeking in an orthodox manner those things which pertain to Jesus Christ. "He is," they say, "the son of Theophilus's sister, and he imitates that man's mind and judgment." For just as that man poured out his manifest fury against the God-bearing and God-beloved John, so too does this man desire to glory and boast, even if there is otherwise a wide difference between those who are being judged. ^C

CCCXI. TO EMPEROR THEODOSIUS.

On Providing Security for the Synod.

If thou shouldst take enough time to be personally present for those matters being decided at Ephesus, I have no doubt that they would turn out in such a way that they could be censured by no one.

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(76) For [i]tēs askēseōs[/i], the codex reads [i]tēs klēseōs[/i]. I would not dare to say that this reading is better; it seems, however, not entirely improbable. The Vatican version very correctly removes the article [i]tōn[/i] before [i]aisthētōn[/i]. The same Vatican manuscript reads [i]kykloumenon[/i] instead of providing the participle, for it refers better to the subject itself.

[Note: "Abraamium quod minus apte vulgatus ad [i]stadion[/i] retulit" refers to the manuscript tradition of the letter to Abraham.]

(77) Nicephorus Callistus (lib. xiv, cap. 53) praises the initial sentiment of this epistle. Here pertain the remarks of C. Julius Caesar in Sallust's [i]Catiline[/i].

^A If, however, you have allowed pebbles to be thrown into the turbulent waters, who will defend the council from cavils and insults? But you will bring a remedy for this evil if you remove your ministers from the prescription of dogma (as those who have been separated and severed from it by a great chasm, so that they may strive to serve both the emperor and God), lest they otherwise bring agitation and disturbance to the empire, shattering the engines of their perfidy against the rock of the Church. For she is fixed in a firm place, and not even the gates of hell prevail against her, as God, who acted as her foundation, promised.

CCCXII. TO EULOGIUS.

The evangelical fig tree is human nature; the householder is God and Father; the tiller is the Son of God, who for this very reason made His way to us, that He might cultivate and cleanse our vineyard, which the householder had ordered to be cut down as fruitless. "Leave it alone," He says, "even this year. ^B If they have not become any better through the law and the prophets, and have yielded no fruits of repentance, let them be irrigated by my doctrine and my sufferings." And if indeed they bring forth the fruit of obedience, it will be well. But if not, you shall cut it down in the future, that is, in the other age, which will never have an end, amputating them from the portion of your just ones.

CCCXIII. TO ZOSIMUS.

Do not brand the divine sacrifice with the mark of insult. Do not spurn the blessing of the fruits. Do not defraud the drink by immoderate gluttony. Do not injure moderation with excess. Do not drown your mind and reason by drinking. ^C Rather, keeping in mind that the divine Spirit makes of the first-fruits of this the blood of Christ, use it as one who is weak and in need of it for assistance, but not as an enemy, using wine as a weapon against all others; nay, rather against yourself, since you are corrupted and putrefied by it.

CCCXIV. TO PELAGIUS THE MONK.

Grey hairs have blossomed on Ephraim, and he has not known it, for he is still young in his vicious passions. Likewise, a great multitude of years has brought grey hairs upon you; yet you have a rigid and unbending mind, moving frequently from one monastery to another, ^D and searching out and exploring everyone's tables. If, therefore, you care for the savor of meats and the seasoning of delicacies, flatter those who hold office rather, and search out the chimneys of the cities. For hermits do not have enough means to receive you, as you would like.

CCCXV. TO LEONTIUS THE BISHOP.

If, against your will, and by the contentions of the people and the suffrages...

^A of those who have used force, you have taken upon yourself the care of the Church, you will have God as your helper, guiding for you, in accordance with the intent of your soul, all things that pertain to the state above. But if, as report has it, you have pursued with money the treasure which it is impious to sell for a price, and have desired to obtain the priesthood after the manner of Simon, there is for you neither part nor lot in this matter. For the things that follow, I shall pass over out of my indulgence toward you. I note only this one thing: that Caiaphas also bought the priesthood, when he armed it against Christ. Whoever, therefore, buys the priesthood is found to be a Caiaphas, a killer of Christ. For what cannot be trusted to works, this is procured by ungodly gifts and largesse.

CCCXVI. TO CALLIMACHUS THE COMES

CCCXVII. TO HERMINUS THE COMES

CCCXVIII. TO LUCAS THE ARCHIMANDRITE

Let him be sent away from the peace of the brethren, lest he stir up swelling waves and turbulence in their calm and quiet character. For the law also prescribes this to us under the shell of a parable, when it sends those who labor with leprosy outside the camp. ^A

CCCXIX. — TO DOROTHEUS THE PRESBYTER.

On Laughter.

CCCXX. — TO THALASSIUS THE MONK.

On the passage: "Lest there be any fornicator or profane person, like Esau."

CCCXXI. — TO PALLADIUS THE BISHOP.

On the passage: "In the morning I destroyed all the sinners."

CCCXXII. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

That one ought not to dispute over words with an ignorant person.

ignorance, it excludes everyone from the inhabited world, both philosophical discourses and men who love virtue. For folly, as is generally the case, is prone to act with arrogance, and you will find it presiding everywhere ^A today. For you would not see the Church, nor the commonwealth, nor the imperial state itself being governed without it; from which both evils abound, and a servile humility has seized authority everywhere. Therefore, bear the foolish and inconsiderate man with fortitude, since, being wise in the Lord, you gladly tolerate the foolish.

CCXXIII. — TO CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA.

^B Many are the testimonies of Scripture, and many are the contemplations conjoined with practice, that securely make clear the true doctrine of the Lord’s incarnation, even if the mystery exceeds the power and capacity of our mind and tongue. But that the true God, and God over all, truly became man, not departing from what He was, and assuming what He was not—being the one Son out of two natures, without beginning and boundless, recent and eternal—you yourself would not deny, having very many corroborations of our holy Father, the great Athanasius, regarding these matters, as he was a man who exceptionally penetrated into the inmost recesses of divine things.

CCXXIV. — TO THE SAME.

^C You ought, O admirable man, to remain always firm and constant; in such a way, indeed, that you neither betray heavenly things through fear, nor appear to be at variance with yourself. For if you were to compare what has now been written by you with your previous writings, you would seem either liable to the charge of adulation or a minister of levity, by yielding to vain glory, and not imitating the struggles of the great holy athletes, who throughout their entire life endured to be pressed and vexed in a foreign land rather than admit a perverse and false opinion even to their ears.

CCXXV. — TO CYRUS, MONK.

On the restraint of the tongue.

^D The law of secure philosophy and the rule of exact purity has been prescribed to us by the God-bearing Paul: to mortify all our members that are upon the earth. Wherefore, if you wish to follow his decrees, (and indeed, if you wish to exercise [yourself]...)

in the monastic life,) bridle the speed of your tongue. For the tongue is the greatest of all earthly members, as it is difficult to restrain. ^B

CCCXXVI. — TO JOHN THE SOLDIER

Put an end, John, to your singular audacity; look upon the vast and difficult-to-resolve wickedness of your works. Either as a legitimate soldier and a disciplined combatant, set yourself for the battles against the barbarians, or as an orderly citizen, appear in the city and conduct yourself as is fitting.

CCCXXVII. — TO THE SAME

You go into the small cells of the monks, as I have learned, and you seize the sheaves of the farmers in order to plunder them. And beyond this, you instill a foul dogma into their ears and defend it with a firm spirit. See to it, therefore, that you do not face the danger of some storm, ^C and suffer a just blindness, being chastised here by the loss of your eyes, and reserved there for fire.

CCCXXVIII. — TO ANATOLIUS

Clamor, indignation, and anger are so much graver than blasphemy—in that the great and magnanimous Paul has placed the latter before the former. That he who insults God is called and understood to be a blasphemer, no one has ever been ignorant of. If, therefore, you possess anger, which is graver than blasphemy and through which every kind of evil has crept into the world, either abandon this also, or else do not grieve or struggle in your spirit when you are called a blasphemer. ^D

CCCXXIX. — TO THE SAME

Some mock you for having an intemperate tongue, and for being a river of the fountains of slander, both copiously receiving and belching forth its streams, which cast a man into a sea of punishment and torment. If you wish to escape this, seek out rather the well of living waters, which brings this: that no one may thirst afterwards, and it provides a guard for the tongue, lest it decline into words of malice.

CCCXXX. — TO DIDYMUS

On the text, « My bone was not hidden. »

The great David, singing in the Psalter about the cause of the transgression of our first parent, and rendering the Lord easy and placable for the forgiving of it, signified both the inescapable knowledge of God and the

^A honesty of his heart after the fall, using these words: "My bone was not hidden from Thee, which Thou madest in secret." As if he were to say: "The fall of my wife, whom Thou didst secretly create from my bone when Thou hadst oppressed me with a deep sleep, did not escape Thee. But Thou didst know our secret things, Thou who didst secretly form her."

CCCXXXI. — TO THE SAME.

CCCXXXII. — TO EUSTATHIUS.

Concerning Eusebius the Bishop.

CCCXXXIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

^A For they do not consider insults and punishments to be equally grievous when they are not committed in the presence of many. If, therefore, these things are so, consider how we shall be disposed when we are about to render an account before the whole of humanity and the host of angels, especially at a time when there will be no room for impudence, as our sins will follow us like shadows.

^B CCCXXXIV. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT. «Weep for the dead, for his light has failed.» By these words, the Scripture does not intend that we should lament all those who have departed from the living, but it wishes us to weep for and deplore him who has died in evil deeds and has not followed the living way of life, as one who has fallen away from the future light.

CCCXXXV. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. Do not reproach him who has desired to do a good turn for someone but was unable to render help, judging him by the result; rather, praise and honor him for his intention and will; for he was stirred by the force of nature to do what was fitting, even if he grew faint in strength and could not accomplish what he attempted.

CCCXXXVI. — TO CYNEGIUS. On gluttony. Not even Paul himself, gifted with the most exact knowledge of heavenly and divine things, teaches ^C that the belly and its unruly appetites should be destroyed, declaring these things to be abolished: rather, you are entirely addicted to the pleasures of the table, only flatteringly and brilliantly mollycoddling your belly, and you consider it a god. If, therefore, you think that all things perish together with this life, you struggle excellently by restraining your body with food. But if you believe that anything will exist after this, prepare your works for the departure.

CCCXXXVII. — TO ISIDORUS THE DEACON. What is the meaning of: «As far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns»? That which was said by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, «As far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns,» ^D signifies certain places before Rome, portraying a certain appearance or image having a statue of Appius, as is likely, and called a forum of such a person, just as even to this day the images of emperors are called fora of this or that person. By "Taverns," however, is indicated in the Latin language the use of certain inns or taverns.

CCCXXXVIII. — TO AGELIDUS NOVATIANUS. Contra Novatianos.

^A You have woven together trifles to defend your cause, composing a most bitter complaint, while you deny that the divine sentence—which granted to the priests the power to remit sins to men—has any force. But if this is in no way firm and valid, then all things are certainly uncertain and infirm, and our hope is empty, just as you have taught.

CCCXXXIX. — TO THE SAME. On the same.

If you possess such foreknowledge that the things kept for the final judgment are already clear to you, you condemn men before the judgment not without reason, as one who, out of conceit, has become a searcher of hearts. ^B But if you also are a part of a nature that gladly sins, as is the lot of man, and you await that you will certainly come to trial, where an account will be required of you, do not snatch at the judgment of God ahead of time; rather, be so eager to call those who sin to repentance, that you do not push them toward despair.

CCCXL. — TO AQUILA.

The unyielding judgments and their punishments were recorded for our correction, that we might flee from their imitation and avoid experiencing them. If, therefore, we love wealth and neglect to do good, we have learned from the divine scriptures that such a man is roasted in everlasting fire. ^C

CCCXLI. — TO EUSEBIO, BISHOP. On the saying, "Let your loins be girded."

Accept these evangelical dogmas with caution, those which command, "Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning" (which surely mean that our desires and appetites ought to be restrained, and our minds awakened to watchfulness), since you yourself burn with desires, are angry, are envious, and are given over to misguided loves, and finally, in all your actions, you show yourself to be someone who makes his own life opposed to the law of God. See to it, therefore, most audacious man, lest you experience that sublime hand ^D before the future punishment, paying penalties here also because of the singular magnitude of your wickedness.

CCCXLII. — TO SELEUCUS. On humility of mind.

Be humble in spirit and affection rather than in words, so that you do not have in near proximity things that your discourse...

^A demonstrates, but rather the things themselves through your steps—possessing works for your words, and not overturning your words by your works.

CCCXLIII. — TO SILVANUS. On the divine goodness.

You are unaware—or rather, you are unwilling to know (for the truth does not escape you)—of the power of the divine dogma. For that God is the Creator of the angels as well, the Prophet testifies in theology, speaking of God: “Whose hands have created all the host of heaven.” And that He is the Creator of the waters and the clouds, David sings in the Psalms: “And let the water that is above the heavens praise the name of the Lord. For He spoke, and they were made.” And God Himself, speaking to Job through the whirlwind, says: “I have set the cloud as a garment for the sea.” And that the Architect of all things is good, the Lord affirms in these words: “He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” Which is the greatest proof of goodness.

CCCXLIV. — TO THE SAME.

The correction and chastisement of sins, which God brings about for our improvement, we ought not to call wrath or indignation, but rather admonition. But if some think it is wrath, they thereby even proclaim His benevolence toward the human race, while they believe that God descends to human passions on behalf of the men for whose sake He even put on humanity.

CCCXLV. — TO EUSTATHIUS. On gluttony.

^C I too, excellent man, possess a great facility for flattery, so that I could deceitfully call you blessed and easily unsettle the path of your feet—which is nothing other than to make you supine and incline you to sloth and laziness, when on the contrary you ought to stand with great intensity of soul and implore God’s mercy and indulgence with suppliant words. But the God who spoke in David does not allow me to do this, having threatened to rebuke the one who sets his portion with adulterers as if he were a sinner. Therefore, if you love false flatteries and sycophancies, endure those who lead you into deceit and circumvent you. But if you expect to go to God, obey my counsels and extinguish the rabidness of your gluttony, quenching the sparks ^D of the pleasures, the excess of which transmits men to the future flames.

CCCXLVI. — TO CELSUS. On the blindness of Paul: and why God speaks to him from heaven.

Just as wool, for the sake of receiving the purple dye, is first very strictly tightened on account of the excellence of the garment; in the same way, that great-minded Paul…

once cut off from Judaic folly, was first constrained by a three-day blindness, so that he might become the purple of God, and might exhort all men to become the same.

^A

CCCXLVII. — TO MARTINIANUS AND ZOSIMUS. On indolence.

^B

CCCXLVIII. — TO SILVANUS. That he involved his own bishop in evils.

^C

CCCXLIX. — TO THE SAME. On the presbyter.

^D

CCCL. — TO LAMPETIUS.

CCCL. — TO AMMONIUS. On the Cappadocians.

Why do you mingle with those who are hostile? Why do you clash with the Cappadocians? Why do you arm against yourself those who join in the warfare of the Giants? Why do you provoke those who are capable of drinking to excess? Why do you stir up those who are like rabid dogs, whose bites are fatal? Why do you whet tongues that are given to slander? Why do you stain your own reputation by comparing yourself to those whom any man of sound mind would not choose even to use as slaves? ^A

CCCLII. — TO THE SAME. ^B Indeed, as you say, the character of the Cappadocians presently celebrated everywhere is unworthy of the virtue of the ancient holy Fathers. And for that reason you do not believe that those saints could have originated from these people. Yet I maintain that those holy men did indeed come from Cappadocia. And this is, most of all, the proof of the wickedness of the former. For if those saints had not shone forth from among these, this ill-fated race could have used their general depravity as something innate by nature to excuse their vices, and perhaps would have made the Creator and Maker of all things the author of their sin. But since nature shone brightly in those men, in these present ones the tendency and inclination of the mind is clearly recognized. ^C

CCCLIII. — TO SYMPHORUS. On the passage: "The Son can do nothing of himself." These words, "The Son can do nothing of himself, unless he sees the Father doing it," do not in any way signify weakness, but rather indicate that it is impossible for the Father to have one will and the Son another. But if the Son sees what the Father does, and the Father does what He does by counsel and deliberation, then the Son also sees the very counsels of the Father; since the action of God is His will and counsel. But if He sees Him taking counsel and is a participant in that counsel, it is necessarily the case that He is also a participant in His nature. From which it follows that, just as there is one will of the Father and the Son, so also is there one nature.

CCCLIV. — TO SERENUS. Concerning the sorcerer whom Paul blinded by his own sentence. O most prudent man, the action taken by the Apostle against the sorcerer is in no way in conflict with the divine law that commands us to love our enemies. For since he was perverting the paths of the preaching and was drawing away from the faith the proconsul, by whose means the whole nation could easily have been won over and brought to salvation, Paul uses a wise measure to restrain the impious man, inflicting blindness upon him for the sake of admonition—blindness which itself served as a guiding hand to lead him to submit to the Apostle’s instruction. For he learned through that medicinal treatment how to heal his own unbelief and the contradiction of the law, through which he himself also attained health. By these words, "for a time," Paul established this law for his will, so that if he should change his ways for the better, the recovery of his sight would lie in his own hands.

TO LYSIMACHUS

"Let them wash their clothes today and tomorrow, and let them be ready for the third day," says the Scripture, signifying this: Those who in the two Testaments and in their meanings have acquired purity of conduct and have discovered the sincerity of faith are led by the hand to the three-day resurrection of the Lord, which is also called the kingdom of heaven. For by "today," he designates the state of the Law; but by "tomorrow," he signifies the evangelical truth, as having been indicated by the Law and having appeared after it.

TO SELEUCUS

Concerning the denial of Peter.

TO THE SAME

Concerning the same.

TO THE SAME

Concerning the same.

TO THE SAME

Concerning the same.

^A a removal occurs: "We have no king," they said, "but Caesar," and they denied the Lord of glory.

CCCLX. — THEONI.

On the text, "I am the bread of life."

The Lord is called bread, having bestowed this name upon Himself. According to the obvious interpretation, it is because He became the food of salvation for all; but according to the hidden meaning, it is because He united and purified the leaven of human nature, and as if baked it with the proper fire of His divinity, and thus became one person with it, and one adorable hypostasis.

CCCLXI. — TO EUSTATHIUS.

On gluttony.

Despise delicacies, as they will be no more in a little while, nor do they possess any splendor longer than the actual eating of them. For superfluous consumption of food presently gives birth to ^B diseases, while in the life to come it brings down the penalties of judgment.

CCCLXII. — LEONIDE.

On the blessing given by the patriarch Jacob to the sons of Joseph.

The blessing of the patriarch, which he bestowed while praying for the sons of Joseph, was not fulfilled only in them, but also existed as a type of greater things. For the crossing of the hands shadowed forth the saving cross; and the bringing forward of the younger indicated the new people, crying out, as it were, through the very gesture: When the cross appears for ^C blessing, the lesser people will be magnified, "and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

CCCLXIII. — SERENO.

On the text spoken by Elisabeth, "And whence is this to me?"

Let not the prophecy of Elisabeth trouble you, where she says, "Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?" For He who had placed the formation of the Baptist within her, and had sanctified the forerunner as a prophet before he even came out of the womb, provided the revelation of this mystery ^D interiorly to him. Since, however, the immaturity of time did not permit those who are still in the maternal womb to speak, for this reason, since the Baptist longed to preach the Redeemer, the mother lent the organ of her mouth.

CCCLXIV. — POMASIO.

chords," says the Psalmist, not committing the divine hymns to ringing brass and instruments for soothing and softening the soul, but admonishing us to make our own flesh a timbrel, which possesses no movement of passion, but is dead and extinguished to earthly limbs. By the choir, he calls for the harmonious concord of the Church; by the strings, he signifies the senses within us, by which the plectrum of the tongue is struck; and the "organ" is found to be every man who approves his own character and life to God, and is fit for the benefit of others. ^A

CCCLXV. — TO LEONIDAS

Jacob, having promised to speak of the future and explaining what had already come to his sons, did not depart from his undertaking, but his sense was touched by the finger of God, and a useful silence was enjoined upon him. For when he had intended to tell them of the incarnation of the divine dispensation that was to come from them, he underwent a forgetfulness of what he had intended, having commuted those things which had not yet come to pass with those which had already passed. For you, he says, having obtained a mind worthy of such a great mystery, were reasonably entrusted with the knowledge of it; but they will not have piety equal to their father. ^B

CCCLXVI. — TO THE SAME

Since you ask for confirmation by Scriptural testimony for what I have written, Isaiah, the clearest of the prophets, explaining the perplexity of Jacob and the interruption of his intended discourse which he had suffered—when he had willed one thing, but was commanded another—speaks in this way: "Do not say, O Jacob, and why hast thou spoken, O Israel, my way is hidden from the Lord, and my God has taken away my judgment, and has departed from me." For God took away nothing from Jacob, whom He had loved, except the promise to his sons, as I have said, because of the rejection of piety which He foresaw in them. ^C

CCCLXVII. — TO NUNS WHO FREQUENTLY GO INTO THE CITY

If you care neither for the modesty of nature nor for the monastic life itself, and do not fear the effeminacy that cities bring upon eyes and ears, nor tremble at the future threat denounced against this practice, you do a fine thing by frequently making your way into the city. But if you do retain that life, and do not wish to risk the danger of punishments, flee the war of tumults, which shoots at the exercise of your religious and God-consecrated life with cruel arrows. ^D

CCCLXVIII. — TO SEVERUS. On self-esteem.

CCCLXIX. — TO CYRUS. That none of the inspired and canonical books should be preferred for reading over another.

CCCLXX. — TO CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. On contention.

CCCLXXI. — TO PANSOPHIUS.

CCCLXXII. — TO JOSEPH.

CCCLXXIII. — TO PALLADIUS THE SUBDEACON.

CCCLXXIV. — TO ORION.

^A

CCCLXXV. TO CYRUS. Concerning poverty.

If poverty is a cause of sorrow, then this divine law is held as nothing: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." If, therefore, we do not strive for this poverty, it is clear that we do not desire that [kingdom] either; but if we accept the former with a grateful spirit, let us also yield to the commands of the latter.

CCCLXXVI. TO THE SAME. Concerning poverty.

Want of bread is not famine, nor is lack of clothing nakedness. For that hair-clad Baptist, and the doorkeeper of the rich man—those who wasted away from hunger and nakedness—are now dwelling and finding warmth in the eternal and endless kingdom. But he who lived in the delights of food and flowed in wealth and linen garments, possesses Gehenna, and its fire as his mantle. ^B

CCCLXXVII. TO OLYMPIUS THE COUNT. On the birth of Christ.

Following the birth, which was superior to nature and transcended all power of speech, everything that occurred was also above nature: the ministry of the angel, the service of John before his birth, the conception without seed, the birth free from every stain. Similar to these, too, was the service of the star for pointing out the way to the Magi; it did not use the customary path, but in a miraculous manner held a new course. And on this account, it struck with admiration those wise Magi, who were experts in such things, and persuaded them to undertake a long journey. ^C

CCCLXXVIII. TO THE SAME. Concerning the star that led the Magi.

That which is contained in the divine book concerning the star, "Coming, it stood above where the child was," will show you more clearly that the star which brought the joyful news of the divine birth did not keep to that path which is customary and usual for the stars. For the distance of its height would not have provided for the easy finding of what was sought; but a new and unaccustomed course, like a finger, pointed out both that holy cave and the Lord-bearing and venerable manger situated within it. ^D

CCCLXXIX. TO MARO.

If you are of the divine flock, let the holy Scripture teach you that those things which are done in this life are by no means devoid of judgment, but are kept for that terrible day of examination. But if you are of the party of the Jews, let Isaiah, a man endowed with the greatest spirit, teach you that the Lord will come as fire, and his chariots as a storm, to render vengeance in wrath and rejection in a flame of fire. But if you are a lover of some heathen sect and religion, and through preposterous...

^A inclination of mind you despise the true promise, let Plato and his Cocytus and Phlegethon, and the fabled waves of the fire-breathing rivers, bring you to a better mind.

CCCLXXX. — TO CLEOBULUS THE COUNT.

Most prudent man, the magnitude and gravity of sins forces the divine nature—which is free from every turbulent emotion—to turn from its natural goodness towards wrath, a thing repugnant to its own nature ^B and alien to its own will, yet useful for us even so. The Lord speaks this even to the Jews in these words: "How often I would have gathered you, and you would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." (Matt. xxiii, 37, 38). That is: Since you reject my kindness, you shall recognize my power through punishment and torment.

CCCLXXXI. — TO MARTINIANUS.

It is indeed the most excellent thing not to sin, and to be not far removed from God; but it is also a beautiful thing, when one has fallen into sin, to be led to repentance and to rise as quickly as possible from the fall. Since, therefore, you have failed in the former—as it is entirely beyond your strength—take care of the latter, as it is something possible and easy, lest despair, like a tyrant, drag you into captivity.

CCCLXXXII. — TO THE SAME AND TO ZOSIMUS.

If I were leading you into sins, just as I am striving to deter you from many sins, O ^C indomitable and blockish men, you would not without reason flee from my discourses and conversations, having rather a natural desire for virtuous things, from which God has breathed into us something of His own. But if my discourses reprove your base actions, I am found to be like a mirror to the foul and deformed, and like a physician to the sick. For the one flees from the mirror because it reminds him of his most base form; the other, for that very reason, loathes the physician and is offended by him, because...

you have called back health, or else I shall be your mirror and physician forever.

CCCLXXXIII. — TO PHILAGRIUS. On Gluttony.

Superfluous consumption of food is not eating, but satiety, and it is so called. Satiety, moreover, is the mother of insolence, and insolence [is the mother] of passions, as it is recorded to have happened of old in the desert. For "they were filled," he says, "and they rose up to play." 12 So that we may not play at intemperance, through which even the forgetfulness of God is risked, let us bridle the author of these excesses by attending to necessary and moderate food, through which both strength will be attributed to the name, and the war of gluttonous drunkenness will lose all its power, and we shall be content.

CCCLXXXIV. — TO THE SAME.

Gastrimargia (gluttony), O friend, is what excess is called. But gastrimargia is an insane devotion to the belly; for *margos* implies a madman. Why then, neglecting the moderate and thankful reception of God’s gifts, do we study to be insane about pastries and empty culinary arts, which do not contribute to nourishing the body, but rather excite it toward depraved passions?

CCCLXXXV. — TO LYSIMACHUS.

Regarding a stomach laboring under weakness, the wise Paul taught that a little wine should be given, lest through excessive abstinence the intemperance of drinking water might require another cure. But to pour wine—which is the hottest of all liquid things—into one who is healthy and in the heat of his age, and a monk at that, seems to me not to be good, being like adding fire to fire. For from this, savage impulses and swollen desires are set aflame; and headlong rashness, boiling over, makes the athletes of gentleness unruly toward the bridle.

CCCLXXXVI. — TO SCHOLASTICUS. On Prayer.

Prayer is directed not by bare words, but rather by upright actions. For see how the most divine man David asks that judgment be passed upon himself according to his own innocence; and how the most pious Hezekiah offers his own piety and religion as a suppliant to God; and how the widows of Joppa employ the virtues and noble actions of the deceased woman to intercede. If you fulfill your prayer in the same manner, it will speed straight to God, and He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday.

CCCLXXXVII. — TO THE SAME.

Since you have said that you need a clearer explanation, I will speak more plainly again. You wish that to you *God*...

God as your helper? See whether you were able to help one who was in need. Do you ask for wealth to be added to you by Him? Look to whether you have managed well what you already possess. Do you wish the Judge to appear kind to you? Be forgetful of injuries against your enemies. Do you wish to attain benevolence? Forgive those who are liable to you yourself. For it is noble to be saved by recompense and debt, but not always by grace; which is the mark of a base and malicious man.

CCCLXXXVIII. — TO CAPITOLINUS.

Even if this time, productive of all things, has brought forth a new Doeg as if by some surge, I do not pray that you should become a Saul, a slayer of priests. For a priest ought to possess a fairness toward all that is above reproach, inasmuch as he is a minister of God, who is good to all. Cease, therefore, from fuming against the old man who has performed two noble deeds, both by preventing you from committing an iniquitous crime and by saving a man who was in peril of his life.

CCCLXXXIX. — TO THERASIUS.

Concerning Priests.

I would gladly ask you, who assail us with cavils and show yourself a bitter and harsh judge of us: if the Emperor had stationed you at a rampart and appointed you guardian of a tower of the city, and that tower were being mined and shaken so that an entrance might be opened to the city for its enemies, would you not use every implement and weapon you had stored away or could devise, warding them off, casting missiles, breaking up such an attempt, and thereby delivering both the city and yourself from danger, and preserving faith and goodwill toward the Emperor? Yet you are angry with us, whom God has appointed as teachers of His own Church, because we fight against Arius, who not only wars against the flock of piety, but has already destroyed many. I, for my part, despise every danger for this cause, and I would rather cease from doing all things else than cease from striking him with all my power.

CCCXC. — TO QUINTINIANUS.

Harsh reports have disturbed me, announcing certain ill-omened and detestable things. Some say that you are so mad and led astray by error of mind that you wish to lead that boy, whom God has made capable of all learning, to arms and to a base and contemptible military service, which is a game of death. If, therefore, you have not utterly suffered the loss of your senses, desist from this preposterous plan. Do not snuff out a lamp that is eager to be lit well; rather, allow him who uses his reason to give assiduous attention to the study of letters. As for that dignity, or rather that punishment, procure it for some other charlatans with whom common senselessness and ignorance of letters are joined.

CCCXCI. TO DOMESTUS THE PHYSICIAN ^A

CCCXCII. TO DOSITHEUS THE ARCHIMANDRITE ^B

CCCXCIII. TO CYRIL ^C

CCCXCIV. TO ECDICIUS ^D

CCCXCV. TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR ^D

CCCXCVI. TO THEODORUS THE SCHOLASTIC ^D

^A Honor him. For he possesses an art from God, which knows how to quench the fire of youth, and to add living erudition to what is dead.

CCCXCVII. — TO ZACCHAEUS

If the miracles were true events, as they are bandied about in the talk of the multitude, and had been performed in hope toward God, they would have remained forever, doubtlessly alien to any change. But if they are only phantoms, which came about by certain tricks of magic, they neither subsist nor have any power. For whatever is innovated by human wit and craft meets with a swift dissolution when it is not guarded by divine grace.

CCCXCVIII. — TO THE SAME

Certain people have deceived men with novel tales, introducing Apollonius of Tyana, who, they say, performed many things in many places for the sake of secure habitation. But they can show nothing that was actually done by him. For those who even recorded the mere words of the man and wrote down in detail everything concerning him would not have omitted the deeds that are celebrated in the talk of the multitude. You have Philostratus, who published the man's life with great care and diligence. From this, understand clearly how the enemies of that man, as is likely, concocted this transparent calumny of magic.

CCCXCIX. — TO CANDIDUS

That the possession of many books is useful to those who use them, but the cause of extreme punishment to those who think they become rich by their mere possession alone.

A certain man amassed the grain he had gathered from his farming, and because he did not give it to the needy citizens, he perished, stoned with rocks and consumed by fire. If that man, by hoarding his produce as if he were oppressing the public good, was removed from the midst, you—since you possess nothing of your own that pertains to literary studies, but have bought the books of many learned men, and are yourself neither a participant in their utility nor share it with those who are possessed by a desire for it—with what evil will you not be punished, both accused here and afflicted by God with penalty and torment, as one who has amassed for yourself a useless and unfruitful treasure?

CD. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

On the verse: "You led captivity captive."

The passage, "He led captivity captive," seems to me to have this meaning: those whom the enemy had oppressed through fraud by captivity, these Christ in turn drew as captives out of the enemy's own tyranny.

CDI. — TO BENJAMIN THE HEBREW

You say that the new and strange manner of offering which the Church uses has been devised, because the bread...

^A ...has been entrusted, while the law defines the sacrifices by blood. But how do you not perceive, being one who boasts in the law, while at the same time being ignorant of the law, that the law ordered the blood and the fat to be offered in the courtyard and in the porches of the sanctuary? But the bread was received by the table within, which was invisible to the ancient people; of whom you yourself are one, who do not know the truth which was hidden in the law, and is now declared.

^B CDII. — TO THAUMASIUS. That it is impossible to practice virtue in the midst of turmoil. Solitary retreat has added to my mediocre knowledge. For he who is occupied in the midst of turmoil and desires to gain knowledge of heavenly things, is unaware that that which is sown among thorns is choked by them; and he who has no leisure cannot know God.

CDIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. Both painters and weavers, who work up silk membranes, vary their own craft with many colors and threads, so that they may produce a perfect image or a garment complete in all its parts. And progress toward God is not of one kind. For it requires all the virtues for its perfection. Therefore, fasting from food is of no use to those who do not fast with all their senses. For he who struggles must be temperate in all things.

^C CDIV. — TO THEODOSIUS THE DEACON. On the Lord's resurrection. Just as the Lord’s birth occurred while nature maintained its virginity, and the emergence of his incarnation brought no decrease to that purity: in the same way, the resurrection happened while the tomb remained sealed. For when God became human, He accomplished both.

^D

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

^A,

Epistle CDV. To the same. Concerning the same.

One must not seek natural proofs for things that are above nature. For although the Word has truly become flesh, Christ is not merely a man; rather, he is God having become man, and he exists as one Son of God in both natures.

Epistle CDVI. To the same. Concerning the same.

The angel rolled away the stone from the tomb after the resurrection of the Lord. And do not think that the resurrection occurred after that. But if you say, "What then was the need for the presence of the angel?" I would reply that the angel was giving assurance to those who were seeking the Lord that he had risen to life, and that he had not been stolen away; affirming this and working toward that end. For angels serve God alone.

Epistle CDVII. To Palladius the Deacon. That Paul did not return to the law, but did the things of the law for the sake of dispensation.

He who wished to be anathema for the sake of the Israelites ^B, and to be excluded from the kingdom of Christ for their sake, what would he not have undergone and done, so that they might obtain salvation? Therefore, neither when he circumcised Timothy, nor when he shaved his head during the time of unleavened bread, nor when he said that he was bound by a chain for their sake, was he returning to the Law. Rather, he was accepting for their sake, by way of dispensation, that which as a mature man he had left behind because it was more suitable for children, so that they might become mature and perfect. ^C

Epistle CDVIII. To Athanasius. Concerning penitence.

Repentance is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing, but it is possible for few. Therefore, God, who wishes for us to attain life through repentance, shall draw water from your heart, which will be for you a second baptismal bath and a voluntary pool, cleansing your conscience from impurities, so that you may bring joy to the angels whom you saddened by sinning.

Epistle CDIX. To Leontius the Deacon.

The Lord, teaching the ^D transcendent and divine instructions... [alt-version omitted]

to Paul, speaks to him from heaven, so as to demonstrate that the preaching which He was about to entrust to his faith was heavenly.

^A CDX. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS. “Neglect not the gift that is in you.” Do not overlook the faults of those over whom you preside, lest what is done by them, but permitted by you, should become rather your own, as one who has the power to heal these things, but is unwilling to do so.

CDXI. — TO CYRECIUS. You possess wealth gathered by just means, yet you hold onto it unjustly. Therefore, make it common, so that it may thus become truly yours; that is, that in times of distress and necessity, it may redeem your soul and render God propitious to you.

CDXII. — TO NICANOR THE SCHOLASTIC. Learning is the guide of character ^B, established for this purpose: to order everything within us according to reason. But if we expend this on quarrels and wrangling, and lend it to those who are void of learning so that they may exercise their enmities more furiously, we shall have to render a great account to God the Word, as those who have been affected by no shame at His name, and who have shown no honor to letters and the study of doctrine, but have, as it appears, been educated only for judgments, squabbles, and fights.

CDXIII. — TO SERENO THE TRIBUNE. On the words: “The time is short,” etc. None of the apostolic laws is without reward; none is devoid of utility, as the wicked and foolish Manichaeans slander them, who by their impiety ^C far surpass the devil. “For the time is short,” says Paul, “remaining, that those who have wives should be as though they had none.” By these words, he does not prohibit lawful cohabitation, but checks preposterous and inordinate pleasure; and at the same time, he signifies the completion of the time. If life passes in a swift course, he says, we ought not to be inclined and devoted to it as if it were firm and stable.

CDXIV. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON. On the words: “You shall eat the labors of your fruits.” “You shall eat the labors of your fruits”—this is a Psalmic strain profitable for every life. And he says: You who concern yourselves with a holy and honest life, you shall eat its fruits, being crowned by God with immortal crowns; ^D and clearly, the intemperate and flagitious men shall receive the wages of their evil deeds.

CDXV.—TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR

On the text, "There are three things impossible for me to understand, and the fourth I do not know," etc.

^A The things you have asked about are not without difficulty; indeed, they bring forth a very wise mind and meaning. For the knowledge of God, which is like an abyss, after it had imbued the most prudent Solomon with wisdom, scattered into him many proofs of the divine incarnation. Whether he was ignorant of these, I do not know: but to us they are certainly very appropriate. Among this number are the four things in which Solomon indeed hesitated, as being of such a kind that they cannot be understood; but you, as if they were easy to grasp, ask to be taught them by us. Yet I will by no means explain them to you, so that you may find them out for yourself, provided you by no means shun effort.

CDXVI.—TO THE SAME

On the same passage.

^B You too have a talent, and do not judge, lest you also be judged in like manner. "There are three things," says Solomon, "which I cannot attain by intellect, and the fourth I am entirely ignorant of. The way of an eagle in the sky": this is the divine nature of the Son, which can be comprehended by no human genius. "And thy footsteps," says the divine Spirit in the Psalms, "will not be known." Moses also saw this eagle, sheltering his people in the desert with his wings. "And the way of a serpent upon a rock." Oblique and winding are the ways of that serpent who whispered to us the transgression—which are sins—nor did they find a way upon the rock. But the Rock is Christ, who, when He put on flesh, remained exempt from all change; "For He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." ^C"The way of a ship in the midst of the sea": this is the divine incarnation which brings salvation to all, which, like a ship, traversed the abyss of death, and recalled our race from it, while the path of death itself was by no means found in hell. "The way of a man in his youth." By youth, he understands here the resurrection from the dead, when, naturally, corruption shall be changed, and nature shall grow young again toward a state alien to all corruption and destruction. Seek this state. But if anyone asks what sort we shall be when we have returned from death to life, the Lord shows that when He said: "The just shall go into life eternal, but the sinners into eternal punishment."

CDXVII.—TO THE SAME

What is, "So is the way of an adulterous woman," etc.

^D That which remains harmonizes very beautifully with what has preceded, and it will immediately correspond and cohere with the work of our discourse in a very fitting way. "So is the way of a woman who is an adulteress, who, when she has done it, having washed [herself], our...

mouth says: I have done no wrong.” Just as the things I mentioned above are obscure and hidden, partly because they have not yet come to pass, and partly because they are seen by God alone, in the same way will the sins of the new people be, once they are purged by the washing of baptism. For by the term “wiping” he calls for the complete obliteration of those wrinkles and stains, ^A which the Church of Christ, receiving in faith, is persuaded that it has committed no evil, having obtained in the washing the forgiveness and oblivion of its previous deeds. That the Lord calls every faithless mind, and one that is contrary to His commandments, an adulteress, you will find in many places of the divine oracles, such as: “They committed adultery in wood and stone,” and again: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign.”

CDXVIII. — TO SYNESIUS.

On the passage in Joel, “Let the meek man be a warrior.”

The Scripture makes the meek man a pugnacious and warlike one, when someone plots something against God. In this way, it stirred Moses against his own tribesmen; in this way, Phinehas pierced through the wicked and those who commit crimes. In this way, David [fought] when he contended against the Philistine; in this way, Peter, when he was inflamed with zeal and used the sword, ^B at the time when the Lord of peace was being warred upon by the Jews.

CDXIX. — TO BISHOP HERMOGENES.

A “reed staff,” upon which no one can firmly lean, is a mind suffering from levity and inconstancy, which, while it is thought to be like a walking stick, is found to be a weapon. For it cannot stand, but is tossed hither and thither by every wind: and yet, in the meantime, it has such audacity that it compares itself with cedars. Egypt again imitates Pharaoh, no longer imposing the labor of building cities upon the sons of Jacob dwelling there, but exacting the tribute of heresies from all who are endowed with steadfastness of mind. See that no one leads you astray, ^C but stand as a firm foundation. For God, having taken on humanity, has not been changed, nor divided. For the Son is one and the same, without beginning and eternal, both before the incarnation and after the incarnation, and is thus worshipped by us.

CDXX. — TO CYRECIUS.

It is not only you whom those things written sharply and reproachfully concerning wealth and possessions have affected with sorrow, but also another before you, who heard from the Lord Himself: “Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” Therefore, if you desire to follow in his footsteps, and you keep your property shared with no one, you have also another, more splendid, ^D who was clothed in fine linen and purple, but who neglected the needs of the poor.

Beware of imitating him, lest he receive you there as a companion and sharer in his punishments. ^A

CDXXI. — TO THE SAME.

What we have written is not for condemnation, but as a prediction of those things that are certain to come to pass. For Christ also foretold them, so that we might not experience them. If, therefore, the threats frighten us, let us fulfill the things that are commanded.

CDXXII. — TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC.

Concerning the Arians and Eunomians.

Greater and lesser is investigated and judged among those who have the same substance, as when one man is greater than another, or an ox than an ox, or a horse than a horse. And once for all, the rule of comparison fits those of the same genus. ^B If, therefore, one who boldly investigates the things of God, and asserts that the Father is greater than the Son, admits this comparison as if they were of the same substance, we shall answer him briefly regarding this "greater." For things that differ in their rational substance cannot be compared with one another. Nor is a man said to be greater than an ox, nor a horse than a camel, nor an ass than a fish.

CDXXIII. — TO MARO.

Concerning gluttony.

See that you do not fall into lust through gluttony, and be found being dragged away by two unruly colts ^C towards the chasm of destruction.

CDXXIV. — TO THOMAS.

Concerning equality.

The sensible monk ought to be a proven weigher, allowing neither side of the scales to tip—that is, neither yielding to fasting unto weakness and faintness of strength, nor to excessive eating unto wantonness and lust.

CDXXV. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP.

You have, as I have learned, yoked a Herculean pair to a savage boar, and you have entrusted the care of the poor to a bold and ferocious lion. And if you have handed over these affairs to this marvelous pair for money, ^D Judas did the same, when he sold the Lord for money. But if the sin is free from greed, let those who act wickedly to no purpose be ashamed.

CDXXVI. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

On the saying to the serpent, "I will put enmity between..." (Gen. iii, 15).

That seed of the woman, whom God commands to be an enemy and a scourge to the serpent, is our Lord Jesus. For He alone is the seed of the woman who has sprung from her, such that no seed of man intervened, and nothing was taken away from her purity.

CDXXVII. — TO NILO THE MONK.

CDXXVIII. — TO CYRO.

How Divine power is perfected in weakness.

CDXXIX. — TO SERENO THE TRIBUNE.

How God made the wisdom of this world foolish.

CDXXX. — TO HELIAS.

Concerning the Cappadocians.

CDXXXI. — TO PALLADIUS.

That the good is implanted in nature.

and not only pleasing Him, but also moving toward a higher life, while still living among mortals, and likewise Melchisedech, exercising the priestly office with bread and wine, through which things he foreshadowed the type of the divine mysteries.

CDXXXII. — TO CELSUS. Farmers root out the cockle that grows up with the wheat, in order that the fruit may be pure when it reaches the harvest. In the same way, you too must excise the vices by which your mind is infected, so that your conscience, being healthy and free from every vicious affection, may produce the food that remains unto life eternal.

CDXXXIII. — TO SOLOMON. If the desire of your flesh rages against you and is borne on with a rabid impulse, and the heat of sloth has inflamed it, call to its mind the fire that is to come, and it will be extinguished. For the burning of fornication here looks toward that furnace.

CDXXXIV. — TO CRISPUS. If you have been ensnared by the poison of avarice, which is indeed the root of all evil, and which draws you away, transferring all your senses to itself, and inciting you to the worship of idols, answer it with this divinely delivered voice: «I will worship the Lord my God, and Him only will I serve.» And while it will depart, you, having recovered a better mind, shall attain to being content with what is sufficient. ^C

CDXXXV. — TO AGATHODAEMON. You have been harsh in scrutinizing the life of monks and priests, seeking a state in it 111 that is free from all sin. This, however, belongs to God alone, and no mortal exists who attains it. But if you wish to seek what is appropriate to our nature, these are the things: to touch no voluntary wickedness, which is indeed the mark of a pious man; not to fall into many involuntary sins, which is characteristic of those who strive to draw near to God; and (what is lower than these, and very easy for many) not to persist in sins for a very long time.

CDXXXVI. — TO ZOSIMUS.

Concerning the divine advent.

^A of judgement induce you to be wise. If, therefore, you are a man, let the former instruct you. But if you are a demon, let the latter teach you not to abuse an excellent nature for base affections. For you will arrive at the judgement to render an account of all these things, and will be required to give a long reckoning for your long insensibility.

CDXXXVII. — TO ORIBASIUS THE PHYSICIAN

Medicine, to use the words of Democritus, heals the diseases of the body; but wisdom removes the passions from the soul. Since, therefore, you have a share in both, and you use the one to ward off the diseases of the body from others, see that you heal yourself by the work of the other—that is, by gaining the health which you lack; without which, in truth, you will be neither an excellent physician nor a wise man.

CDXXXVIII. — TO TIMOTHY THE LECTOR

Why does the Law command two turtledoves and two young pigeons to be offered for newborn infants?

The Law commanded that ^B the male infants of the Hebrews, when they went into the presence of God, should bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as a gift, by the type of these approved and gentle birds signifying the simplicity and tenderness of children, and teaching that like things are to be purified by like. The Scripture also calls them lambs in another place. For those who are driven as if by some gadfly, and who reject the divine law, and who through rashness and petulance bring insult upon nature, it has compared to kids.

CDXXXIX. — TO THEON

How are we to understand: "It repenteth me that I have anointed Saul as king"?

The idle and worthless audacity and madness of wicked men leave nothing divine uninsulted. Since, therefore, the questions now proposed by you are also fruits of that same barrenness, ^C ignore them and hear the truth. These words, "It repenteth me that I have anointed Saul as king," do not at all disparage divine foreknowledge, nor do they imply ignorance on His part—far be it! But they show a certain singular and incredible mercy and human kindness. For since, He says, the Hebrews were indeed worthy of being disciplined for having demanded a king and having repudiated Me, yet not in such a way as Saul acted toward them after attaining the royal dignity, ^D He grieves both for their sake, as they were subjected to grievous misfortunes, and for his sake, as he had shown himself cruel and bitter toward them. Therefore, the blame is to be laid upon their own mind and will, and not on the kindness of Him who yielded to their petition.

TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

^A Just as children who are learning their first letters are intent upon their teacher, watching to see where he applies his pen, and receiving the characters willingly and with obedience; so too, those who apply themselves to the study of divine things ought to follow their teachers, possessing a childlike simplicity and a doubt-free assent. For these things, He says, have been hidden by the Lord from the wise and prudent, and revealed to little ones.

TO THE SAME

To those being taught

^B Even if the divine law wishes us to be perfect, man of my own name, yet it is necessary that those who reach perfection through ascent and progress should first be nourished with milk, as newborn infants, and grow in it unto salvation.

TO THE SAME

"What is it: 'Become children in your minds'?"

Everything which you said I find confirms what I wrote to you previously: that we are not to be children in mind, but to remain youngsters in wickedness, while being perfected in our minds, as the all-wise Paul wrote. For it is not possible—it is simply not possible—unless we have wiped away wickedness and become as infants toward purity, either to be perfected in mind or to be raised to the state of a perfect man, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed. ^C

TO THE SAME

"When I was a child, I thought."

The text, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child," spoken by the God-minded Paul, was written by him regarding the instruction under the Law, according to which, while he spoke as a child, he kept the law given to children; while he thought as a child, he pursued the Word, defending those things of the law. "But when I became a man," he says, "I put away the things of a child," not in the sense of abrogating the law, but of instructing others in the Word.

TO THE SAME

The great Apostle himself, who labored more than all, who kept the law precisely, let him teach you that the knowledge of divine instruction within it was tender, as if covered in a shadow and only ^D dimly seen. For the law had a shadow of the good things to come, he declares, not the very image of the things which was entrusted to the Gospel, and toward which the figures were tending.

^A

CDXLV. — TO THE SAME.

What argument do you bring, you ask, if the Law was childish, as having been given to children, and likewise the Christian instruction is again a childish state, as is clear from these words of the Apostle: "I gave you milk to drink, not meat; for you were not yet able"? Hear, then: the evangelical word, having received them as children from the Law, and not being able to impart to them pure, perfect, and absolute knowledge, nor to demonstrate suddenly the truth of the mysteries that transcend the mind—which had been revealed through it—such as the divine essence subsisting in unity, and yet established in Trinity, to those who, through an error of opinion, imagined that there was only one hypostasis of God, just as there is one essence—therefore employs the Law for the establishment and persuasion of those who had been tutored by it, drawing from it the testimonies for the perfect dogmas. In this way, Paul gives milk to drink to the newborn people of the Lord, wisely instructing them in perfection through the childishness of the Law. ^B

CDXLVI. — TO PALLADIUS.

If you abstain from foods, why do you feed on revilings and curses as if they were meat? For it would have been better to be gorged with the former than to be contaminated by the latter. But if you abstain from the one, yet are stained and defiled by the other, you are like one who prays a little, but for the most part provokes God with impious and insulting words. ^C

CDXLVII. — TO ANTIOCHUS.

It was fitting that all who are consecrated to the worship of our Lord God and are appointed to the ministry of the Church should resolve each other’s disputes and frantic controversies, and not seek their vindications from elsewhere. But since they have their eyes fixed solely upon wages, and judge that Church to be holier from which they receive a more abundant supply of sustenance (having, as it were, their belly for a God, and providing the cause for why the divine and venerable name is torn by blasphemous words): but cast away the care for better things, and do not have even the slightest regard for them; know this, O man endowed with admirable virtue, that what was said by the upright man Hiero is true, and has its proof from the divine Scripture: for it is not Philip the Apostle, who is numbered among the twelve, but one of the seven ^D that were chosen along with the renowned and arch-general of the

victorious martyrs, Stephen, for the administration of the widows, who is the one that both baptized the eunuch and instructed Simon. ^A

CDXLVIII. — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

Since you are requesting from me testimony from the Scripture regarding this matter, hear what the most excellent Luke wrote in the Acts: "When Stephen was killed, a great persecution arose against the Church which was in Jerusalem, and all were dispersed throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." From these words, it is clear that Philip the Apostle remained in the city of Jerusalem with the other apostles. ^B

CDXLIX. — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

If you had searched the Scriptures studiously, you would have found other testimonies there as well, by which that which is in dispute would be clarified for you. For when the apostles alone had remained in the city of Jerusalem, and all the other disciples had been scattered elsewhere, this Philip was also among the dispersed; he who, moreover, having instructed Simon in the faith in Samaria, and having baptized the eunuch according to a divine oracle, was caught up by the Spirit of the Lord, and was found in Azotus, but afterwards betook himself to Caesarea, which city had brought him forth. For, having been moved by grief over Stephen’s slaughter, and perhaps fearing lest the same things should be perpetrated against him, on that account he retreated home. ^C

CDL. — TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

Since you seek many proofs, behold another one: Philip indeed baptized those who had been instructed in the Christian doctrine in Samaria. But Peter and John, the apostles, descending from Jerusalem to them, imparted the grace of the Holy Spirit to them. But if he who baptized had happened to be one of the apostles, he would have had the authority of the giving of the Spirit. But he baptizes only as a disciple, while the apostles complete and perfect the grace, as those who had received the power and authority to bestow a gift of this kind by divine favor. ^D

CDLI. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS. On fortitude.

It is not right, most excellent sir, always to yield to the winds; but sometimes it is necessary to stand against the waves and storms with the prow facing opposite, and to repel the onslaught of the winds, lest the growing whirlwinds should otherwise cast us from the helm, and break the ship into many parts. Therefore, resist the tempest now raging (even if, with crafty and mal-intended simulated gentleness, it calls its own malice toward the harbor...

^A of refuge), lest, as master of your ship and your cargo, it should push you onto an inaccessible shore, from which those who have been captured must needs suffer shipwreck.

CDLII. — TO THE SAME.

On that statement made by Hezekiah: "Let there be peace in my days."

"Let there be peace in my days," the most God-beloved Hezekiah said, not because he was yielding to his enemies or desisting from prayer; but while he brought this as a suppliant before God, he was seeking defeat for them from that source. By these very accomplishments, he was declaring that since he had obtained peace as a friend, he was beseeching ^B to have it until the very end. Whence also he obtained victory by the hand of an angel, not by proceeding to battle and arms, nor by making incursions, but by keeping watch in prayers and supplications to God.

CDLIII. — TO THEODOSIUS.

When Jacob was wrestling, what did he who was wrestling with him say his name was?

The divine nature is indeed unnameable. But Jacob was asking for the name of him who was wrestling with him, and who was teaching him to prevail over ^C the passions through the touching of the thigh nerve. "But why do you ask my name?" he hears—the one teaching him that it is not for the Law, nor for those before the Law, to know this. But at a late time, when the fullness of time shall come, and when the transgressions of men shall have greatly increased, "I shall be called Jesus, incarnate," which is interpreted as Savior. For I shall perform that dispensation for the sake of the salvation of those who have sinned.

CDLIV. — TO TIMOTHY THE READER.

Not only is a false accusation, O vessel of God, ^D but even a very true one—if it be made against a father alone—productive of destruction for the parricide, as the accusation of Noah was for Cham. And since you, like Shem and Japheth, and you as their champion and co-heir, have shown yourselves pure and immune from that, and have covered the uncleanness and filth contracted from drunkenness, you will deservedly attain one and the same blessing.

EPISTLE CDLV. — TO SYMMACHUS. On poverty.

Things which are acquired rarely and with difficulty, as being of great price, and are preserved with hardship, as being exposed to snares, and yet have the same use as things cheap and of little value, ought to be removed not only from the possessions and property of Christians, but even from their eyes and affections; for they not only bring a stain upon the benefits distributed to the poor, but are also an obstacle to the salvation of those by whom they are possessed. ^A

EPISTLE CDLVI. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON. On that saying, "Not in reveling and drunkenness."

Reveling, my friend, is a drinking-song accompanied by excessive wine, stimulating pleasure and lust, turning the banquet into a shameful and obscene spectacle, and soothing or charming the guests by means of certain cymbals and instruments adapted for deception; that those who engage in this will be excluded from the heavenly kingdom has been handed down in the Sacred Scriptures, as you yourself know. ^B

EPISTLE CDLVII. — TO THE SAME. How one should understand, "Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet." On the music which the Scripture mentions.

If you seek an explanation of the music of which the Scripture speaks, you must understand it in this way: "Praise the Lord with the sound of the trumpet," that is, in the memory of the resurrection, which shall occur with a trumpet, as Scripture testifies. "Praise Him with the psaltery and harp," that is, with our tongue and mouth, moved by the Holy Spirit as if by a plectrum. "Praise Him with timbrel and dance," that is, in flesh and soul, from which prayers pass to God as if in a choir. ^C "Praise Him with strings and organ," that is, in the heart and all the inner viscera and nerves, which He has called an organ. "Praise Him with loud cymbals," that is, with the lips, by means of which the harmonious and modulated songs of psalmody are woven together.

EPISTLE CDLVIII. — TO THEOPHILUS. That the evangelical teaching is not contrary to the ancient Law.

The evangelical law has not delivered to us anything discordant with, nor alien to, the commandment of the Law. For whereas that (the Law) forbids the outcome and the perpetration of sin, this (the Gospel) forbids the beginning of evil, that is, covetousness, so that no one may easily slide into action through it; for when this is removed and extinguished, no place remains for action. ^D

EPISTLE CDLIX. — TO THERASIUS. On that saying, "Blessed is he that has not slipped with his tongue, neither is pricked with the grief of sin."

The question of your charity is to be explained in this manner:

^A that is, blessed is he whose tongue has neither been defiled by the obscenity of words, nor has become a cause of scandal to any by insult. And that he is not pricked with the grief of sin, that is, he who has either repented of the things he spoke indecently and disgracefully, or who has not grieved anyone with harsh words, and has felt compunction for these things. For it is better to have slipped on the ground, than with the tongue. For many, to be sure, after they had fallen, rose again, but they who spoke perished in their downfall.

CDLX. — TO MARTINIAN. Concerning judgment.

Epicurus, the shepherd of your flock, impiously proclaimed that all things came into existence rashly and by chance, and that they would return again to nothing. But Christ, the Maker of all things, and Father, and God, and Savior, promised that He would come in glory, and would render to everyone according to his works. If, therefore, He is more worthy of trust than that man, it is for the compunction of your heart—which receives correction with difficulty—to perceive this, lest perhaps you be overtaken by your own contempt, and then seek the opportunity to repent, when there will be no more place for penitence.

CDLXI. — TO THEANO.

^B The pursuit of personal adornment, and the flowers of precious stones, and the interweaving of gold with them, and curled hair, and eye-paint, and the manufacture of beauty, and the depraved arts of this kind which all report you are concerned with, bring insult upon the necessary utility and gravity [of life], and signify the madness of vicious affections. Wherefore, if taken by a forgetfulness of the compacts entered into with Christ, I have written these things for the sake of reminding you. But if, as a human, you have changed, make it your business to recover your senses as quickly as possible. For not to have promised a gift to God is free from danger; but to have vowed it and to fail to perform it is worthy of condemnation.

^C CDLXII. — TO SERENUS THE TRIBUNE.

You always have God guiding your counsels prosperously. But now, as you are setting out for Thrace—that is, the citadel of perturbations and tumults—you have need of Caesar's bounty, which "the Androgynus" [the Hermaphrodite] provides to him in abundance. Therefore, you who are suffering from a lack of counsel, prepare yourself as one about to be cast into the midst of lions, and employ the aid of prayer. But He who guards you, I know, will not slumber; He will crush the millstones of wickedness, ^D and will bring you back, safe and sound, to the land of your possession.

CDLXIII. — TO DIONYSIUS THE YOUNGER

CDLXIV. — TO SALUSTIUS

CDLXV. — TO ZOSIMUS

CDLXVI. — TO SERENUS THE TRIBUNE

CDLXVII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

that lead to our correction, so that through the fear of the same punishment we might avoid participation in the deed. If, therefore, you fear the penalties, let reverence be maintained for the dogmas.

CDLXVIII. — TO ORION THE MONK

On the monastic life.

CDLXIX. — TO HIERAX

What are the good things of the earth of which the prophet speaks?

CDLXX. — TO THEODORUS THE SCHOLASTIC

CDLXXI. — TO CYNEGIUS

On slaves.

CDLXXII. — TO THEON

That those who have provoked God after [the coming of] grace will pay greater penalties than those who sinned in the past.

^A CDLXXIII. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON. On the passage, "And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten." If idle men think that the Son of God is diminished by this argument, because it is said of him by the evangelist, "glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father," let them also think that the goodness of God is diminished, because David uses these words: "How good is God to Israel, to those who are upright in heart!" But if in this place the words, "How good," are said by way of amplification, then there also the words, "as of the Only-begotten," are written by way of confirmation and comparison.

CDLXXIV. — TO THE JUNIOR MONKS. On pride. If you live the monastic life lawfully, while you fast, show yourselves to be strangers to pride. But if you boast of this, you had better eat meat.

CDLXXV. — TO PAUL THE DEACON. On almsgiving. The goat-skin garment in which Simon, whom I love above all, is dressed, shows that he is naked. And because he is setting out for Egypt, he has need of clothing. I therefore commend him to you; and indeed, the law of the Baptist demands a tunic from you in these words: "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none." But if, because of your overflowing abundance, this opinion must be changed, let him who has twelve tunics impart one to him who does not have even one.

CDLXXVI. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER. On faith. This word, "How," cannot have a place in regard to God, whose will alone is an admirable work.

CDLXXVII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. On the passage, "They who are in the flesh cannot please God." The term "flesh" is used in two ways in Holy Scripture: sometimes it is understood as referring to nature itself, and sometimes as referring to impulse and frailty. An example of the former meaning is this: "A spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have"; ^D and of the latter: "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Therefore, he who wishes to school his frailty and impulse, deadens the sparks and incitements of the flesh, and, even while still encompassed by flesh, pleases God, and

inherits His kingdom, being as one incorporeal while yet in a body.

[CDLXXVIII] — ISIDORE That the Lord had his fleshly origin from the seed of David, both Matthew and Paul and David, those divine men, clearly declare. The first, when he writes: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David" (Matt. 1, 1). The second, when he clearly asserts that our Lord, according to the flesh, sprung from Judah (Heb. VII, 14). Finally, the last, when he says: "Once have I sworn by my holy one, if I shall lie unto David, his seed shall remain for ever. And his throne as the sun before me; and as a faithful witness in heaven" (Ps. LXXXVIII, 36, 38). By these words he surely designates the ascension of our Lord with his body into heaven, which is to be eternal, inasmuch as it is so conjoined to God the Word that it can now by no means be separated.

[CDLXXIX] — CYRECIUS Just as wine, when it is poured in beyond what is satisfying, fills all the passages and channels and membranes of the senses and the brain, and turns the mind into dementia; in the same way, anger, leaping beyond its proper bounds, renders the mind intoxicated, infecting it with fury, and violating the order of sobriety and vigilance by insult and petulance. Wherefore let us abstain from both: let us not lay siege to the citadel of the mind by drink or by anger.

[CDLXXX] — CANDIDIANUS Why do you endeavor to afflict with injury him whom you should rather hold dear, as one who disclosed to you what the opinion and judgment of all men was concerning you? For enmities and dissensions have often corrected men of keen and skillful minds, by causing them to remedy the things that had been done insolently. If, therefore, you consider what you heard to be an insult, take care by upright actions to keep yourself pure and immune from all insult. For if you amend your deeds, abuse and reproach will also be removed from the midst.

[CDLXXXI] — HIERON If you derived some profit from the reading of the book, show it in deed. But if you remain in those same things and habits which it censured and attacked, it appears that you are condemning it yourself. And henceforth we shall neither confer any discourse with you by letter, nor shall we provide a book to you, when you ask, unless we also perceive the fruit and usefulness of the former one.

[CDLXXXII] — ESAIAS Some say that you are in a desert place with an uncouth crowd, and in

^A the midst of the people you carry arms, and imagine that you resemble David, demanding this very thing of all in a frenzied manner. Know, however, O wretched and thunderstruck man, that the great David, sheltered by the providence of God, avoided the snares of Saul, while indeed performing excellent service; yet he was rejected and spurned, and presented himself as a wall to those he had as neighbors, just as the servants of Nabal themselves testified. But you are not only hostile and inhuman to your neighbors, but you even labor to lay snares for those who are far removed from you. See to it, therefore, that some divinely-sent scourge does not punish you, unless you convert yourself from your wicked and criminal way of thinking to a better mind.

CDLXXXIII. — TO SYNESIUS.

Concerning the Cappadocians.

^B The Cappadocian is again in the camp, as I have heard from the speech of certain people, seeking the miserable rule of our province, so that a twin Cappadocian may arrive among us, having joined, of course, to his native and internal cruelty, an evil authority and power. But there are also those who report happier tidings, namely, that he aspires to the rule and prefecture of his own countrymen. Would that God might grant this by His nod: so that he may pay back the fitting reward of his education to the nurse who perhaps sucked in with that milk, the poison he now offers her to drink.

CDLXXXIV. — TO SELEUCUS.

^C That Cappadocian, the corrupter and depraver of our citizens, is now in the camp again, doing and contriving that he might rule over us. It is therefore your duty (you who have received strength from God) to prohibit this, and to exact from him the penalties for his former wickedness as well: or at least to grant him the power of sifting and overrunning the extreme recesses of that land from which he drew his origin; so that the tribesmen of that slave, and his own people, might learn to consume and wither away their own wickedness among themselves, and not beyond their own region, to undermine healthy minds and regions with their pestilential habits.

CDLXXXV. — TO ISIDORE.

Concerning the same.

^D The law prohibits Carthaginians, who are less evil men, from holding administrative office. The Cappadocians, however, whose wickedness is vast, are removed by no law from imperial command and prefecture. Since, therefore, you both desire to do well for all, and possess the power equal to your desire, either change the law, barring Cappadocians from holding command rather than Carthaginians, or join the former to the latter. But if, as is consistent with the truth, commands are purchased with money (which even a barbarian...

buyer is not only prohibited from doing, but is also punished with the severest penalty if he has given money), then let them at least rule over Cappadocians alone, for they deserve to be bound with their own chains.

CDLXXXVI. — FLORENTIO. — De eodem.

^A You have Gigantius there, master, who thinks the deeds he previously committed are unknown and obscure, and is deliberating how to regain the command and prefecture. Since, then, he has subjected us here to very many inconveniences and calamities (for which reason it is necessary for your integrity to take notice of him), and since you do not need a lengthy speech to become acquainted with his misdeeds, being as you are besieged on all sides by many concerns, take this: he is a Cappadocian, and he has ruled as a Cappadocian. Let him obtain nothing more from you than a Cappadocian deserves.

CDLXXXVII. — ARCHONTIO. — De eodem.

The impious Gigantius, who concocted a slander against the wretched farmers, as if they had stolen certain revenues and tributes, and who increased the Augustan census and tax-assessment, even though it was already most grievous and harsh for them, having long ago persuaded the ruler to apply his mind to him as one speaking the truth, and having become the cause of calamities for the villagers, now betakes himself to Thrace, with the purpose and intent of regaining command. ^B You are not unaware of what a multitude of men he drove into flight by his assessment, who, of course, exchanged their ancestral freedom for the grubbing-hoe and plow. And see to it that he does not seize the leadership again, and make everyone a Cappadocian, for whom the manner of survival consists of nothing else but servitude and agriculture.

CDLXXXVIII. — THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC. — To the disciples.

Whoever plants shoots and tills a field sustains his labors with a better hope: for the expectation of fruits mitigates the discomfort of the labors. In the same way, we have labored in teaching you the precepts of the Christian faith. See to it, therefore, that you yourself reveal the budding crop.

CDLXXXIX. — TO RUFINUS, PRAETORIAN PREFECT. — Concerning the same.

^C The law excludes Egyptians from command and the prefecture because of their cruelty and the inhumanity of their customs: but it does not exclude Cappadocians, who surpass them in wickedness. Since, therefore, we, having chanced upon a Cappadocian prefect, have had frequent experience of a nation prone to concocting slanders, and since you possess the mind of the Emperor regarding what you wish, join these men to the Egyptians, lest...

any other region be ruled by a Cappadocian than his own. For it is truly fitting that they should be irrigated and bathed by the bitterness of their own homeland in return. ^A

CDXC. — TO CATILLIANO

You too, O sacred head, were a participant in the Cappadocian pestilence when you had your residence in this city, and you heard the vain and horrendous oaths of that impure and wicked mouth, along with [his] honeyed and frequent, "I adore you," and you came to know the calumnies which he used privately against individuals and publicly against everyone, the nefarious and sacrilegious thefts, the new registration, the lucrative pursuit against God and the poor, the snares laid for marriages, the digging up of tombs, the bonds in which he was confined, ^B and likewise the mutual imprisonments, the torture and exposure which he endured there at the command of God for his correction, when he was being dragged to the camp. But since, having forgotten all those things, he desires to rule again, as we learn, do not yield; hinder him with all the power you have. For thus you will do a service to yourself, to the city, and to that man himself—to yourself, glory; to the city, peace; and to him, that he might not sin much, and be subjected to more punishments again.

CDXCI. — TO EUTONIOS THE DEACON

Concerning the title placed on the cross of the Lord.

The writing upon the tablet ^C which Pilate fixed above the head of the Lord fulfilled the voice of the Lord saying, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all things to myself." The reading of that [title] therefore indicated that the saving passion had occurred not for Judea alone, but also for all nations, both Greeks and barbarians.

CDXCII. — TO EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP

I wish you to know this, excellent man, that judgment will be without mercy to him who has showed no mercy, not only concerning the gifts and benefits of others, of which you deprive the poor, but even concerning your own, which you are bound of your own free will to share with others. ^D

CDXCIII. — TO CYRENIUS

"Why are earth and ashes proud?" Why does decay and corruption behave insolently? Why does a shadow feel magnificent about itself and puff itself up? Why does the dream of rule and prefecture inflate you? Why do you not observe those who bring the last day of their lives to a base and shameful close? Why do you not show yourself to be an emulator of those who have lived uprightly and notably? But you consider a brief principate as if it were an everlasting power: on account of...

which the turning of the world's circle will care for you, bringing your term of office to an end and putting a limit to your craftiness.

CDXCIV.—TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

CDXCV.—TO SYNODIUS.

CDXCVI.—TO CONSTANTINUS.

CDXCVII.—TO CYRILLUS.

became the head of the corner, keeping the union firm and unshaken by her own mediation.

CDXCVII. — THEONI.

CDXCIX. — ARCHIAE.

D. — EIDEM.

THE WORKS OF SAINT ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM — BOOK II OF THE EPISTLES

SAINT ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM — EPISTLES, BOOK SECOND

^A 126. TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER. What is the meaning of: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem"?

Those teachers who pursue a life becoming to masters should not only keep themselves above all reproach, but should also abound in the riches of divine virtues. For the former is the mark of even ordinary men, but the latter is for those endowed with supreme virtue. Being such that, even if they utter not a word, yet through silence they instruct their disciples more clearly than any voice, not by delighting their ears, but by bringing light and splendor to their souls. For those who imagine that there is nothing in a teacher beyond his speech, they both weary the ears and court laughter. But those who shine forth in their deeds, even if they practice silence, yet teach ^B the souls of those who behold them. And this, then, is what you sought to learn: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." For many are they who cause annoyance through words, but few are those who teach through deeds—those to whom it is especially fitting to be consecrated and to perform the priestly office.

II. TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER.

If of old the nature of men possessed the seeds of virtue and probity (whence also some, having cultivated them, shone forth, while others, having stifled them, paid the penalty), now that it has been adorned for the better, and crowned with a myriad of graces, and has become more tractable toward virtue, do you not think that those same seeds have remained in it intact, and that they stand in need of those who will make use of them? For it is not, of course, to be supposed that when it has received other prosperity in addition ^C, it must be thought that it is deprived of the earlier goods. Rather, it is likely that by the present

^A grace, those things also—which were absent before—have been granted, rather than that they were present before and have now been removed and taken away. But I think that many have suffered the same thing as lazy ship-masters, who, when they could be enjoying a favorable wind, remain in the harbors and lounge about in taverns, blaming the time for not having provided the winds as it ought. To whom one might justly say, “Most idle of sailors, the wind was indeed keeping its own law, but you did not make use of the opportunities.” It is the part of divine providence to bring aid to those who sail, but each person must require the works from himself. We, therefore, knowing that the inclination toward virtue has been given to our nature by the divine right hand, let us contribute our labors; ^B for thus will the end follow, joyous and auspicious.

III. — TO TIMOTHY THE READER. — How wisdom mixed her own crater.

The crater of discourse, O most eager for learning, is what the wisdom of God has mixed—the divine Scriptures; a crater, I say, not filled with honey, not with milk, not with wine, but with doctrine and philosophy, and wreathed with divine graces, which exhorts those who use it to virtue and piety, preparing them to neglect earthly things and enter into heavenly ones; a crater, I say, not containing methods, nor sophisms, nor atoms and infinities of natural philosophy, but the deeds of most renowned and glorious men, whose likeness, in action and speech, you will possess as an ornament of virtue. But it has not even kept silent about the lives and punishments of those who have stumbled, so that, having learned them, you might, if you wish, zealously follow the good things, and flee the base ones. As much, therefore, of outside learning as is useful for our philosophy, gather like a bee (for many, if one must speak the truth, have philosophized for the sake of virtue), and bid farewell to all the rest; especially when you see them having ^C stirred up a fierce war against one another. For Aristotle rose up against Plato, and the Stoics entrenched themselves against him. But give yourself through your whole life to the divine oracles. For thus, being helped both by those and by these, you will be a great benefit to yourself and to all. Since ^D

you wish to know what is meant by, "Wisdom has mingled its wine," and for what reason it did not set it forth unmixed, learn much in few words: the divine and supernatural teachings it has mingled with bodily expressions and examples. For it was not possible for us to understand them in any other way. Therefore, the union of divine ideas and earthly words it has not unreasonably called a "mingling."

IV. TO THE SAME.

I would have much to write regarding this apostolic saying, if you had not sent me praises greater than my worth; they almost caused me to hold my peace. Therefore, cease, I beseech you, to praise me in this way. For otherwise, you will render the foolish lazy and indifferent, and you will cause redness in the faces of the prudent and wise. But since you have been sufficiently admonished by me, I shall say a few things about the Apostle’s utterance. These words, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels," seem to me to carry a double meaning. ^C Namely, in this way: "We have this treasure"—that is, the heavenly riches and the supernatural gifts that are greater than our dignity—in this mortal body, which is rightly called "earthen," since it was made from the earth. Or certainly in this way: we have the riches of divine wisdom in the holy Scriptures, contained within lowly, common words and examples. For that this is what it signifies, he immediately added the reason: "so that the transcendence of the power may be of God and not from us." For those who saw the heralds of the word—being unlearned, ^D common men, and weak (for they were beaten and driven from every side)—yet overcoming and conquering, glorified God. For the power of God was more clearly seen and shone forth in the weakness of the Apostles; for being weak, they overcame the strong; and being poor, they ruled over the rich; and being unlearned, they surpassed the wise.

V. TO THE SAME.

You seem to me to be ignorant of what the state of the Church was in former times. For if you knew, you would not be in a doubting and anxious state of mind regarding these things. As for me, having shed hot tears for this reason, [knowing] that though we possess the coffers of the wealth, the wealth its-

itself through our own sloth (I speak of myself), I shall come to the explanation of the things you signified by your letter. The Apostles, though they had a mortal body, and one weaker than any clay, even while they were being driven and persecuted, raised the dead, braced the limbs of the paralytic, restored the sick to health, cast out demons, prophesied things to come, [and] brought about the presence of the Holy Spirit for men. For did you not hear Simon saying to them, “Give me also this power, that on whosoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit”? What is equal to this wealth? Or what is more precious? If someone were to gather together the empires of all the earth—I mean those of the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans—and make them one by the power of speech, and compare them to this wealth, I would condemn him as a foolish and senseless child, who does not know how to discern the nature of things. But if you were to consider things greater than these, you would behold greater ^B wealth. They became companions and table-mates of the Master of all; they were deemed worthy of divine conversation, and were adorned and instructed with supernatural teaching, and attained to the adoption of sons and the friendship of God. For they were like certain prefects around the king, and like stars revolving together with the Sun of justice; and they received not tablets of ivory, which perhaps carry some human reward and honor, but authorities such as not even the kings of the earth possess. For it was said to them: “Whatever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in the heavens; and whatever you shall loose, shall be loosed.” And if you should also consider the goods promised to them in the future age, you will be even more astonished. But if anyone disbelieves in the future, let him take proof from the present. For he who rules both land and sea goes to the tomb of the fisherman to embrace his bones. ^C Have you seen the immortal wealth stored in earthen vessels? Behold also the divine wisdom blended with lowly words and examples. For if God had only taken into account His own dignity, and had not rather desired to provide for the utility of those who read, He would surely have used heavenly and divine words and examples. But since He was legislating for men who were weak and in need of human words (for thus they were able to understand with ease what was above them), He blended the divine teachings with ordinary expressions, so that even a woman and a child and the most ignorant of all men might gain something even from the very hearing of them. For the Word, having concerned Himself for the salvation of the many and the more simple-minded, being tempered with such clarity through the philanthropy of the Lawgiver, deprives no one of the benefit within his reach. Nor did He neglect the ^D wiser. For such profound thoughts reside in such clarity, just like certain treasures, that even the most wise and most eloquent of men are dizzy at the depth of the meanings

and are often forced to yield to the greatness of a wisdom that they cannot reach or grasp. ^A

VI. TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER.

On patience.

He who desires to win a glorious and brilliant victory must not only bear injuries and insults with a brave and vigorous heart, but must also offer to the one who inflicts the injury more than he desires to take, and surpass the limits of his wicked greed with the abundance of his own generosity. If these things seem to you to be far removed from the senses and judgment of men, we shall bring forth the decree from heaven, and we shall read this law from there. For the Savior did not say, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, bear it bravely and be quiet" (for even some who were uninstructed by any precepts or counsels, yet shining with the praise of philosophy and ordering their lives according to the law implanted in them by nature, have accomplished this); but he added this: "And offer the other one as well to the one who strikes you," ready to receive the blow. For in this consists the brilliant victory. For the former is philosophical; the latter is supernatural and heavenly. ^B

VII. TO ATHANASIUS.

On temperance.

Whoever has looked upon the visible and preeminent beauty of temperance, and has not been captured and overcome by the love of it, let him be judged by me unworthy of the love of beautiful things. ^C

VIII. TO JUNIA.

On virgins.

Not by the chastity of the body alone, O wise man, but also by the love of quiet and leisure, does the divine Paul define virginity.

IX. TO JOSEPH THE PRESBYTER.

On virtue.

With all your might, my excellent friend, you must pursue virtue itself; and you must not dwell in such an opinion that you think it is enough for you to seem to pursue the monastic life. ^D

^A X. — TO CHÆREMON, ANATOLIUS, GOTTHIUS, AND MARO. To those who exercise themselves in piety. Since your life has provided a cause and substance for perpetual tears to holy men—who naturally ponder why it is that, while you lay claim to the name of Christians, you nevertheless lead an Epicurean life, in that you have left no base deed of lust and intemperance uncommitted, nor any foul and obscene speech unuttered—by this letter I admonish you, that by withdrawing your mind from such an improper way of life, you may deliver yourselves from shame and infamy, and from the severity of the coming judgment, and deliver the holy men from the sorrow in which they find themselves on your account, and finally save the Church from a heavy and not easily washed-away stain.

^B XI. — TO STRATEGIUS, A BISHOP NEWLY INSTALLED. I would have you know, most excellent sir, that in the entire course of life, and now especially, when you have ascended to the boundaries—not so much of authority, as you thought, but of office and ministry—it is fitting to restrain and curb your desires, so that you may not succumb to any of the vices from which your subjects suffer. For it would be most disgraceful if, while wishing to command those who are subject to you, you were found to be so overcome by your own affections that you were unable even to rule yourself.

XII. — TO CAIUS. You are not unaware, most illustrious sir, that while vice has its pestilential pleasure, virtue has its labor, yet it is joined with glory and the splendor of a name. For indeed, glory is gladly watered by sweat. It is necessary, therefore, to flee the former and to cling to the latter with all your might. ^C

XIII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. Those who have virtue as their companion stand over those who are devoid of it as much as men surpass beasts, and angels surpass men. For they move through the marketplace like certain luminaries that have suddenly appeared in the darkness, and as soon as they are seen, they turn the eyes of others toward themselves. Since you are in their number, take care that you retain your possession.

XIV. — TO HIERIUS. True and sincere lovers of virtue, even while they live in the body, direct cities; and when they lay it down, they leave behind an incentive of love and desire. Therefore, their monuments are ^D famous and distinguished, their descendants are held in honor, and their memory is eternal—and deservedly so; for they have attained virtue, which is so constituted by nature that death does not in the least touch it. But if you happened to agree with us regarding your opinion of the Divine...

^A Name, I would have sharpened and roused you more vehemently toward the love of virtue.

XV. — TO SERAPION THE CORRECTOR.

Nothing is accustomed to make a person so renowned and distinguished among men, and so acceptable to God, as the ability to do what one wishes, while always wishing and doing what is humane. Therefore, since the power is present in your office, let humanity be mingled with it, so that even after your term of office you may become famous. But if you indulge in anger and abuse your power and authority, you will extinguish your own glory and bring upon yourself a reputation for brutality. ^B For to deem those who stumble worthy of forgiveness is a divine thing; but to punish them immediately without mercy is beastly and serpentine. Who, therefore, having neglected to imitate the Divine, would wish to render himself like those things that creep upon the ground? No one, assuredly, unless he were to despise both the fear of God and the opinion of men.

XVI. — TO MARO.

The physician Hippocrates forbids one to reach out a hand to those seized by an incurable disease; and some of those who despair of your salvation—as if you were a man removed from all sense of pain, or rather dead—obey1 these ^C prohibitions, and they mock us, who are exhorting you to repentance, as if we were attempting to wash an Ethiopian white. But I, hearing of many changes among men that have already occurred, and seeing those that are occurring, and expecting those that will occur, think it right to rouse and direct you, feeding myself on good hope. And if, which may it never happen, I should fail, I will at least have gained the benefit of not accusing myself, and I shall not be more cruel than those who sail the sea, who, when they see someone fallen from the ship, lower their sails and strive to pull him from the waves. But if that man ^D should not wish to be saved, no one would then accuse them for not having saved one who did not wish it. Reflect, therefore, from the deep of wickedness; cease from licentiousness; consider the frailty of this present life.

and the punishment in the life to come that cannot be escaped. Why do you spend your time in vain, or—to speak more correctly—to your own evil and destruction? Let it come to your mind how, though you have but one soul, you cover it in every kind of depravity. ^A Free yourself, I pray, from wickedness, infamy, reproach, and torment; free the Church from defilement, the altar from stain, the one who ordained you from accusation, us from grief, and the holy ones from the tears which they shed without intermission.

XVII. — TO PAMPREPIUS THE DEACON

XVIII. — TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER

XIX. — TO EUTOCHIUS THE DEACON

XX. — TO MARO

of falling into stupor, embracing vice, and subjecting virtue to insults and ignominy. ^A

XXI. TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

With stern words, as has been reported to me, your reverence accused me before certain friends present, saying that I had by no means made use of freer and sharper letters (since indeed bland and gentle admonitions were of no avail), by which I might have been able to correct Bishop Eusebius, even against his will. Know, therefore, O sacred head (for I must offer a defense), that I have exhausted every method of healing, as far as I was able, both the milder and the harsher, and I have omitted nothing of those things that ought to have pried out the disease, yet I have been unable to do so, because the illness was found to be stronger and more powerful than the remedies, and had fallen into a state of stupor. ^B Although it is of no interest to publicize things that deserve to be forgotten and consigned to deep silence, nevertheless, I shall reveal to you a few of the things that I wrote to him privately with frankness, so that you may understand that he despised this part as well, and may cease blaming us. For I have written much to him that was necessary, but I write these few things while shedding tears; for I will cut short the majority of them, for fear of seeming to be prolix: "The whole city," it says, "which recounts with tragic words your notorious dramas, speaks in this manner: For what cause do you sell the holy ordinations? For what reason do you betray the priesthood? For what purpose do you make merchandise of the Divine? For what cause do you defile the sacred precincts? ^C Why do you amass wealth by turning aside the goods of the poor? What is the reason that, on the threshold of old age, you act like a youth in your shameful deeds and crimes? Why did you not remain in authority, but were found to be subject to vice? Know, therefore, that you will pay a heavier penalty for this reason, that you have yourself committed those things which, by your office and duty, you were set to prevent others from doing."

XXII. TO MARON

I would gladly hear from you what the cause is why you wage so fierce and inexpiable a war against virtue. For if you admire Epicurus, and model your own life after his example, why do you pretend to be a Christian? But if you desire to be called a Christian, for what reason do you live your life in the Epicurean manner? ^D

XXIII. TO EUTOCIUS THE DEACON

Pura and absolute freedom in all respects is to need nothing at all; which, indeed, as it is something more sublime and excellent than the condition of human nature, let it be considered divine. But that which comes after it...

namely, to need but little, is both possible and attainable for men. Let us, therefore, embrace this latter, since the former is for the present beyond our reach.

^A XXIV. — TO OLYMPIUS THE DEACON. On the saying, “In the world you will have tribulation.” That pains and struggles produce an ineffable and unending gladness, and that labors are nothing when compared with the greatness of the glory which is fashioned by virtue, you already know. How is it then, possessing this knowledge, that you have asked to learn the meaning of that which is said: “You will have tribulation in this world”? It is clear that the present life is the stadium of struggles and contests, but the one to come is the stadium for crowns and prizes.

^B XXV. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR. Having learned that petitions have been addressed to you by the whole city, I thought it absurd that I should be lacking in such a supplication—I, who ought to be the first, and perhaps the only one, to labor that it might be accomplished. As for the fact that it arrived late (for I must speak in its defense), the intention and character of those who do not easily yield to it were the cause. For because of those who govern cruelly and inhumanely, and do not temper their integrity with benevolence, the city has become weary of persistently offering constant petitions to those who do not, ^C according to the custom of your prudence, conduct their magistracy lawfully and humanely, nor are they prompted of their own accord to deserve well of men. And so much for that. But as for the petition which the populace seeks of you, I beg you, do not be reluctant to carry it into effect. For just as we know that he who is detained has experienced difficult and troublesome matters on account of your magnificence, in the same way we also know that he can be helped and benefited if he should find your aid and assistance.

XXVI. — TO ORION THE DEACON. Disciples should love their true teachers as fathers, ^D and fear them as rulers; and they should neither cast off fear because of love, nor obscure love because of fear.

XXVII. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON. If you are possessed by a desire for salvation, do everything that leads to it. For he who desires that something should come to pass, must do everything by which it might come to pass, and it is not his desire that prevents it—but the acting in all ways so that it might happen.

XXVIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER, ANATOLIUS AND MARO THE DEACONS. If modesty becomes those who love virtue (for this quality both adorns and illuminates the other gifts of the soul), it is certainly also advantageous for sinners to be of a submissive and humble mind. For by what name should one call those who are high-minded,

^A while suffering laughter and infamy here, and expecting punishment and torment there? For the righteous have their good deeds as a basis for boasting; but the wicked, from what actions could they ever be exalted? What, therefore, of the things you have done is not sufficient to humble you and cast down your pride? So many and so great, as they say, are your transgressions that not even one of the common people is ignorant of them. They are mocked throughout the entire city and are notorious. But if, while witnessing such things, you are still high-minded and arm yourselves against the virtuous, attempting to hinder their course of virtue, look to see where this evil ends. For if the Pharisee, who flourished in virtue (for Scripture does not accuse him as a liar, but as an arrogant man), was harmed by being high-minded regarding his good deeds, then for you—who are not even like the publican, but as they say, are many parts more wicked than he—how will high-mindedness regarding your failures not be harmful and bring you to extreme destruction? ^B Therefore, sleep off such drunkenness, and above all, strive not to sin (for thus, as you progress along a certain path, you might eventually arrive at producing actions that are upright and joined with virtue). But if (which I do not believe) you have decided to wallow in flagrant crimes and wickedness until your last day, at least do not commit the act of trying to cure evil with evil, by taking up arms against those whom it is by no means right, and by insolently exalting yourselves against those against whom it is least fitting.

XXIX. — TO THE SAME.

Those who are not touched by the fear of judgment, nor burn with the desire for the kingdom, but sharpen themselves toward cruelty and inhumanity (some consider you the leaders and ringleaders of these, expressing this opinion based on the things you perpetrate), ought to reflect in their own minds on these things which, as I for one am persuaded, are reasonable and consistent, and which I leave to be judged by the vote of the readers. Namely, that if they refuse to suffer something for the sake of God, they will nevertheless have to suffer it in some other way. But if they undergo death for the sake of God, they will be immortal and free from all defilement. Nor even if they should not give their wealth to those in need for His sake, ^C as they possess it...

they will depart with it to that place. These things God requires of them here; things which, even if He did not require them, they would entirely abandon, since they are mortal and subject to corruption. He desires them to do these things with a willing mind, which necessity compels them to do even against their will. Thus, He requires only that they be done for His sake. ^A For so it happens entirely, and from the very nature of things, that they must come to pass. Therefore, those who are wise, since they are compelled to suffer them in any case, ought to choose to suffer them for His sake. For if this is added, one will have sufficient obedience, and he will surpass labors with rewards.

^B XXX. — TO ATHANASIUS. If the desire for a kingdom possesses you, why do you not despise money? But if you seek a divine reward, why do you not cease to covet human favor?

XXXI. — TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP. Now, with these letters, as if with a prelude, we feed our desire, which is agitated and exulting with divine joy, and hastening toward the sight of you, but unable to remain quiet for the time to come, unless it obtains some comfort from this epistle, from which it now seems to lay the foundations of a firm hope; I mean the expectation of the coming solemnity. Therefore, make haste as quickly as possible to provide us a feast through your arrival and presence. ^C

XXXII. — TO HERACLIUS THE BISHOP. By how much the more excellent and noteworthy are the affairs you have been appointed to manage, by that much more is it fitting that you be vigilant and most discerning; lest, having fallen from divine undertakings, you incur a greater stigma of guilt. For there must be such a great accusation if you stray from supreme virtues, as there will be a reward if you keep your ministry free from all reproach.

XXXIII. — TO ISCHYRION THE PRESBYTER. I have highly praised your piety, because you have honored the judgment of the father, and have given your vote to the one whose lot it was to preside, since he considered most excellently what ought to be done. ^D

XXXIV. — TO DIONYSIUS. On Oblivion. Oblivion does not occur without some human vice; it happens, however, just as other diseases do. It enters the souls of those from whom memory has departed. But then it flees and vanishes when someone has fought it off with the weapons of memory. Since, therefore, while you were with us, you held a constant memory of virtue; but after you went away, you gave yourself, as we have heard, to oblivion, it seemed necessary to...

assail it with the arrows of epistles, so that we might bring back the memory that has been extinguished and deleted. Let oblivion, therefore, go headlong, so that the grace of memory may shine forth again. ^B

XXXV. — TO MACARIUS THE BISHOP. Every one of those who struggle with a harsher fortune is worthy of mercy and compassion, when he laments his own calamities. But if he should turn to slandering or defaming others, he loses even the pity which his own adverse and calamitous circumstances had aroused in others, as you yourself know. For he is no longer judged worthy of pity, but of hatred, while he abuses his calamity to make trouble for others. Since, therefore, the seeds of curiosity—which gladly inflicts annoyance upon others—must be plucked out as they are springing up, before they sprout and can no longer be suppressed by any force, and create danger for the one who provoked them (for he who is oppressed by slanders is celebrated by all for his integrity and the elegance of his manners), I would like you to summon the man whom calamity has made drunk, and persuade him to refrain from a man of such renown.

XXXVI. — TO PETER. Since you ask me by letter what that means, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares," [*] I think, or rather I am persuaded, that it was clearly predicted that the plow of peace—I mean the divine preaching concerning Christ—will mollify regions that are greedy for war, whose weapons of vice and defenses will be changed into implements useful and adapted for life.

XXXVII. — TO HERMIUS THE COUNT. Since, as you have written, you are offended by the life of Zosimus the presbyter, and you think that those being baptized by him are harmed in the most serious and important matters, I decided to reply to you as quickly as possible: namely, that he who is being initiated, as far as the saving symbols are concerned, is not harmed in any way by the wicked life of the priest, but he himself truly and entirely (for one must use an assertion) enjoys those divine benefits which are superior to any power of speech. But the priest will undergo more serious accounts of his life, and such a heap of punishment and torment will be added to him as the honor previously bestowed upon him is great. For he who, even when adorned with the priesthood, did not strive for probity, undoubtedly deserves to be judged more severely. Since these things are so, let no one of those who are imbued and consecrated by this divine sacrament, which opens the heavenly kingdom to the initiates, worry that he is damaged thereby in the marks of his salvation, nor, when he has fallen into sin, let him think that he has a specious excuse in the life of the priest. I say these things, however, not as though all priests are such—God forbid; for even if some are burdened by these accusations, others are free from them. And if some lack good deeds, not all lack them—but wishing to show that even if all were such, in no way ^D [does the initiate suffer harm].

^A If, however, you think these are merely the reflections of men, I shall try to convince you from the divine oracles. For what could be more defiled than Balaam? Yet God used his tongue for blessings. And what could be more [wicked] than Caiaphas? Yet he prophesied, and grace touched his tongue, though it did not touch his judgment. But if you wish to learn of something even more paradoxical, God fed Elijah, the heaven-traverser, by means of a raven, an unclean bird. Do not doubt, therefore, if through certain sinful priests—for it is not right to condemn everyone, nor is it just—divine and supernatural gifts are bestowed.

^B XXXVIII. — TO ZOSIMUS.

I am greatly astonished at how you—neither pushed nor dragged by anyone's example, and having no one who would imitate you (for may God avert that anyone should fall into such a pit, and may you yourself emerge from this pestilential drunkenness!)—slander priests who are adorned and instructed in virtues, and who abound in spiritual accomplishments, thinking that the mockery of others is an apology for your own actions. But this is not the case, my good man, it is not. Rather, you expose yourself to the laughter and condemnation of men, and you will endure many punishments from God, because you embraced vice, because you disparaged virtue, because you slandered its fosterlings, and because you heaped outrage upon the priesthood through extreme wantonness, so that most men—not to say all—offended by you, think (mistakenly) that they have been harmed in the symbols of salvation. ^C In order, then, that you may be delivered from all these evils (for this I pray), know yourself.

XXXIX. — TO BISHOP ARABIANUS.

Regarding what sort of person the best priest should be.

Do not think that you must only be free from blame and reproach, but that you must also be full of praise. For the former is something even common people possess, but the latter is for those endowed with supreme virtue.

XL. — TO DEACON EUDÆMON.

On frugality.

Since our nature, having very many necessities,

^A is oppressed by the gluttony of the belly (since it commands us in many things—for it is very unwilling to obey reason), let us prune its tyranny by the aid and assistance of reflection, and let us devise a plan to conquer what can scarcely be conquered at all. This will come to pass if we soothe necessity with what is required, and curb intemperance with self-sufficiency.

XLI. — TO ZOSIMUS. On judgment. That you have not yet paid the penalty, my good sir, will not result in your paying no penalty at all, but rather in your paying more severe and dire ones, unless you come to your senses and repair the disasters you have sustained.

XLII. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN. That not only others (though perhaps this may seem a small thing to many) but even Libanius himself, who is famous and celebrated among all for his eloquence, has marveled even to the point of stupor at the tongue of the illustrious John, and at the beauty of his thoughts, and the density of his enthymemes, is proved by the letter ^B in which he not only blesses him for being endowed with such faculty of speech, but also those who were praised, even though they were emperors, because they had happened upon such a herald of their own praises. And it is this:

Libanius to John.

And these things Libanius has written. Plutarch, however, believes that clarity and smoothness are the genuine Attic style. For thus, he says, the orators spoke. But Gorgias of Leontini was the first to introduce this "disease" into forensic speeches, as one who embraced a sublime and figurative style of speaking, and thereby undermined clarity. This disease, he says, touched even the admirable Plato. ^D If, therefore, one must (and one must) believe Plutarch in this matter, the illustrious John surpasses all the others, in that he has shown himself Attic in his speech, and has used clarity as I know not if any other has.

XLIII. — TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER. On the resurrection.

^A You have said that the doctrine of the resurrection of bodies is mocked by the Greeks as impossible. Since they reject the holy Scriptures, it is worth the effort to construct a discourse from reasonings and demonstrative sequence, which provides as it were a force, and enables us to discern what is obscure. Therefore, if they are wise and learned, let them consider what the philosophers say. For they, asserting that the corporeal essence is compounded and tempered from the four elements, posit that it is mutable, inasmuch as the elements easily pass into one another. For fire, while thickening and inclining downwards, becomes air; air becomes water; and water, earth. And conversely, as earth is thinned, it becomes water; water becomes air; and air, fire. What, therefore, do we say that is incredible if, when this body, which is now for the most part a participant of earth, is thinned, ^B we assert that it becomes ethereal and spiritual? For we say that it rises, not such as it is now, but transformed into a better state and adorned, and thus, as if in a furnace, it has laid aside all decay, corruption, and passions. If, therefore, those who consider these things are wise and learned, let them put an end to their unbelief. But if they are devoid of arguments and unskilled in the exercises of dialectic, and ask what this is or of what kind, the discourse will proceed by way of example, showing the truth even to the unlearned. For we say—that we may use an even cruder example for the clarity of what is being said—that just as auriferous earth, when it takes in water, becomes mud, but when it is exposed to fire, becomes gold, and no longer suffers that which it previously suffered; so too the body, when it has communed with immortality and incorruption, will be unassailable and inaccessible to all the passions to which it is now ^C subject. But if they will also gratefully consider the power of Him who brought it into existence from nothing, they will have no need of such reasonings. For He who made what was not, will much more restore to life that which has already been.

XLIV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

If it were possible to carry your wealth with you after death, even then it would not be of any value, obscured as it would be by the far more precious riches of the other age; yet nevertheless, it would seem to bring some shadow ^D of consolation. But since this is impossible, and it is possible to exchange these by spending them on alms—and especially because you do not even have the excuse of your children, which carries the appearance of some honorable pretext—it is better to make a choice of what is necessary. If you do not wish to bestow them, why do you not at least blush as you plunder the goods of the poor?

[VARIE LECTIONES ET NOTAE.] (22) Forte legendum φιλοσοφικὴ χρῆσις, cum nulla sit hic Philonis mentio. Ritt. (23) Post τοῦ cod. Vat. addit αὐτοῦ. Possin.

XLV. — TO ALEXANDER.

Let the labor of virtue be moderate, lest the manner of change become immoderate.

XLVI. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Say to him who has contended with you and professes the dogmas of the Gentiles, and asserts that the Gospel has introduced a certain new manner of life, one dissenting from ancient custom: "Most wise sir, you seem to be unaware that wicked custom is accustomed to be checked and extinguished solely by novelty. For this cause the Lord of the Gospel also came hither and introduced a manner of life becoming to heaven. And indeed, if we were to remain in our pristine state, ^B it would have been unnecessary to devise anything new. But if He came for the reason that He might rebuke those things which were not rightly established, truly there was need of new things, so that the wickedness which had prevailed might be broken. For it was not possible that a correction could be made while the same debauchery held sway; but it was necessary for Him who desired to remove and clear away the vices from the midst, to establish in the place of those things which had prevailed unto detriment and ruin, those things which had not yet been sanctioned by laws. Wherefore, ^C it would have been more reasonable to wonder at the opposite, if, when He came here to change things, He had sanctioned nothing new in His laws. For it is fitting that both a lawgiver and an advisor should appear by declaring things that are beneficial, not caring at all whether there is any shred of novelty in their opinions. For just as it is right to hate and detest one who persuades us to things that are not at all conducive to our good, even if he appears to stick to the footsteps of custom; so it is proper to follow with praises and applause one who comes forward with the best and most useful counsels, ^D even if he proposes something outside of those things which are accepted by custom. Therefore, if you perceive that anything which deserves censure has been added to the oracles of Christ, point it out, and I will concede the victory to you. But if you cannot say this, and you hold onto habit and custom as if it were some firm bulwark, it is apparent that under the specious pretext of custom you are repudiating that which is useful. For it is neither serious nor wicked to innovate something, when utility is joined to novelty. For harmful and useful things are not weighed by the duration of time; but this is what must be explored: whether vice is found in the more ancient things, or whether, on the contrary, virtue is found in the more recent ones. Furthermore, by this reasoning you seem to think that to one who from his youth has always wallowed in brothels and dens of vice, a discourse concerning chastity should not be imparted, nor to a murderer one concerning gentleness and mildness of character. For if each of those should prefer custom to honesty, he will involve and transfix himself with six hundred evils.

XLVII. — TO TIMOTHY THE READER.

What rights of primogeniture Esau granted Jacob.

XLVIII. — TO THE SAME.

Why Reuben, though he was the firstborn, was deemed worthy of neither the priesthood nor the kingdom.

XLIX. — TO THE SAME ^A

Not even Joseph, best of men, attained his kingdom by favor. For he was adorned and prepared with many virtues even while he was still a youth. And it was for that reason that his father loved him above his other sons. But since he perceived that he was burning with the envy of his brothers, in order to heal their jealousy he gave a reason for his love, asserting that it did not arise from the child’s own virtue, but from his having been born last. But that this was a pretext of the father, who wished to quench the envy that was being kindled against him (for from this they were smoldering and concocting an evil charge against him), is clear from the following: if he was loved for this reason—that he was born late—the one born even later (and this was Benjamin) ought to have been loved more. But, as I said, Moses has introduced the most wise pretext of the father. For that he flourished in outstanding gifts of virtue even while he was still a youth, both his adolescence and the rest of his life made clear, as it nowhere extinguished the virtues with which he was endowed from the beginning, but rather accumulated them with new growth and caused them to bloom ^B together. For what kind of virtue is there with which he was not adorned and crowned? He was sold again and again, but he did not for that reason lose his nobility. He was loved by his master on account of the honesty of his character, yet this did not lift him up into arrogance. His mistress burned with desire for him, yet he did not betray his chastity. He was slandered and bore it bravely. He became a prisoner and did not fall in spirit. He was proclaimed for wisdom (since the interpretation of dreams came to fruition), yet when he was neglected by the king’s servants, he did not bear this with a troubled and bitter heart. He reigned, and ^C he bore the wickedness of the woman who had slandered him with a calm and moderate mind, not demanding any punishment from her. He had his brothers in his power, and not only did he not avenge himself on them as enemies—at a time when he was not known to them—but he actually repaid them as if they were his benefactors. He governed the Egyptian state; he was proclaimed for his wisdom and philanthropy; and through every age he joined trophy to trophy. Let no one therefore, when in adversity, be cast down, but let him cherish and nurture the seed of virtue, and it will surely shine forth, either in this life or the next.

L. — TO JOHN THE DEACON ^D

Of those who boast that they are servants and disciples of the meek and gentle Lord and wise Teacher, and who pride themselves on having obtained the function and office of the priesthood, some abuse this state for tyranny, some for the acquisition of gain and wealth, some for luxury and pleasure; and others still, in order...

^A to be revenged upon their enemies. There are some who drive away those who live in an orderly manner, while those who are caught in the most disgraceful acts are deemed worthy of a higher rank. But if Eusebius, as you have written to me, gathering into one all the faults of everyone, and enlisting into the sacred order those whom it is by no means fitting, and being eager for gain, and indulging in luxuries and pleasures, and being ignorant of himself and his friends, and revenging himself upon his enemies, and abusing the priesthood for purposes of tyranny, is not at all crowned with any gift of virtue (for those who perform the things mentioned are certainly adorned with some virtues), do not marvel. For because he neither perceives for himself what ^B duty requires, nor suffers anyone’s warnings and counsel, he has slid into such great wickedness that he not only does not praise or imitate those who are flourishing in all virtue, and living according to the apostolic life, and maintaining the character of the Savior’s disciples (for there are, I say there are, those who live in such a way: even if some oppose it a thousand times, and assert that all have fallen into vice), but he even reviles and banishes them. For, considering their conduct to be a reproach of his own life, he thinks he can conceal his own wickedness by accusing them. Do not, therefore, be discouraged or listless; for he will suffer punishments corresponding to his sins.

LI. — TO BISHOP HERMOGENES.

You will never be lacking in genuine friends, who embrace friendships on account of supreme virtue, as long as you are such as you now are. For you show yourself a cunning and skilled hunter of this thing, having your own character in place of nets. Use them, therefore; and all to whom virtue is a care will have you as a friend. ^C

LII. — TO BISHOP THEODOSIUS.

The priesthood is a divine thing, and the most excellent of all things that exist. But they are of all men most abusive toward it who manage it wickedly and flagitiously. These, too, it was by no means fitting to exercise the priesthood, lest foolish and mindless men should dare to turn the crimes of those who discharge that office wickedly and flagitiously against the priesthood itself. For, passing over those who are abusing it, they turn the accusations against the thing itself, which ought to have met with vengeance, as being insulted by base men, and those to whom it is not lawful to touch it. For if in the case of worldly offices, the thing is one ^D thing, and he who does not manage it as is fitting is another—and since the office keeps its own rank and worth, he who has insulted it pays the ultimate penalty—for which reason, in the case of the priesthood...

^A are they confused, and do they attempt to heap upon it the sins of those who do not administer it as the rule of their office demands? Therefore, let those who, because of Eusebius and Zosimus, and Palladius and Maron, treat the priesthood with contempt, cease, and let them not sharpen the sword of justice against themselves. Rather, if those men cannot bear to live philosophically, let them be reviled as accursed, and as enemies of piety and virtue, but let the priesthood itself be praised and crowned, as one that provides all things that are fitting. For it is through it that we are reborn and become partakers of the divine mysteries, without which it is impossible to share in the heavenly gifts, according to the unerring oracles of the Truth, which says at one time: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” and at another: “Unless one eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he has no part with me.” If, therefore, it is impossible to be accounted worthy of the divine lot without these things, and these things are accomplished by no other means than the priesthood, how can anyone who despises it fail to offer insult to divine things, and despise his own soul? Wherefore, that these things may not come to pass, let us deify the priesthood, but let us weep for those who exercise it unworthily, and let us not ascribe the faults of these men to the One who also requires them to be punished. ^B

LIII. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER.

On the adornment of women.

Of women, those who cannot endure to hide their womanly infirmities, if they are beautiful and abound in wealth, pride themselves on the most precious stones interwoven with gold; but if they are ugly and poor, they devise a borrowed beauty with certain rouges and eye-paints. Those, however, who desire to have a reputation for honesty and modesty are content with the beauty of nature, yet they do not refuse to cultivate it for the better. But those who are truly modest, having set all their diligence in the care of the soul, do not refuse to take moderate care of the body as an instrument of the soul; yet they do not at all deign to adorn and entice it (lest that which is by nature a slave should impudently rise up against the soul, to which the sovereignty has been entrusted), but they teach it to recognize its own order, nor do they set it forth as fuel and a subject for the fire of lust, like bait. Nay, rather, they remove the materials of this fire as far as it is possible. For in this kind of matter, I heard from a certain lover of truth a story worthy of both account and memory, which also to your wife...

^A I considered it worthwhile to relate: How a certain young man, prone to lust and a slave to women, having caught sight of a most beautiful maiden and having been captured by force of love, had set every device in motion to enjoy his desire. She, at the beginning, refused his proposal, for she was noble and chaste, and had promised to keep both her soul and body untouched for Christ. But when she heard that he was being driven headlong by his rage and madness, she discovered a device by which she might both keep her own chastity safe and extinguish the fire within him. For by shaving off—or rather, by cropping away—all the adornment of her hair, and by smearing her face with ashes mixed with water, she summoned him to her. When he had entered, she said, "Do you love this deformity?" He, as if recalled from his madness, not only extinguished the fire of his lust, but later burned with a great love of chastity. Therefore he too is admonished (for it is better to find a way to avert future evils than to take vengeance for those that have already occurred) not to use added adornment, nor to add fuel to the fire within by means of finery, lest they become the agents of terrible falls. ^B

LIV. — TO APOLLONIUS

Just as the apostles, protected by courage and greatness of soul, and armed and girded by divine assistance, having been engaged in so many wars, found sufficient consolation in the purpose of their struggles (for they did not suffer what they suffered for their own sake, but for the sake of the Lord’s glory; and therefore envy, which is accustomed to be tormented by the successes of good men, did not harm them); in the same way, we too, when we are afflicted by some evil not because of our own wickedness, but for the sake of piety and justice, ought not to be dismayed in spirit. For the very purpose of our struggles is sufficient for us as an adornment, even before the future crowns. ^C

LV. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN

It is necessary, my friend, to enter into a truce even with enemies who are suppliants. For he who does not enter into a truce, but wreaks vengeance upon men who are suppliants and are uttering those cries which necessity wrings from them—men who are no longer fighting on equal terms—and who neither restrains his anger through pity ^D nor turns his mind to the kinship and affinity of our common nature...

for he destroys the merit of victory, and, as an untamable beast, he will be condemned by all and will not escape divine justice.

^A LVI. — TO ALPHIUS THE SUBDEACON. *Why did Paul say: "Now I know in part"?*

"Now I know in part," says the holy Apostle, knowing that God would have shown the overflowing abundance of His own wisdom even here, if the recipient were capable of receiving that knowledge which cannot be grasped now, but which will be grasped according to what is permitted in the age to come.

^B LVII. — TO PALLADIUS. *On the frugality of food.*

The body, my dear friend, has need of nourishment, not of luxury; of moderation, not of gluttony; of self-sufficiency, not of extravagance and the waste of money. For the former provide benefit to both soul and body, producing health, strength, and a sound constitution; while the latter harm both, not only destroying health, but also bringing forth most grievous diseases. A clear proof of this is that those who practice frugality surpass those who choose a life of soft living and luxury, both in the sharpness of their intellect, in prudence, and in physical health.

^C LVIII. — TO ISCHYRION.

You seem, because of a base and flawed disposition of mind, to be unable to approve of either the magnitude of spirit that is more sublime than any miracle, or that new and paradoxical apostolic love which transcends all the heavens. For even if what was said seems "safe" ^D to you now, I know well that when I explain it more clearly, it will again seem unbelievable to you—even what now seems obscure—because you are so poorly disposed. For he said he would gladly bear being cut off from Christ, provided that by this means all might glorify Christ Himself. But you dare to drag down the apostolic superiority to such a level of base-mindedness as to utter things that I am ashamed even to recall. For he did not pray to be a "treasure," as you say (for who is so sluggish and cowardly as not to have this in his prayers?), nor, again, was he calling for physical death, he who died daily; nor would he have asserted such things as if he were going to be disbelieved, if what he meant had been something trivial and base. But since it was better to...

^A overcome every force and strength, he produced many witnesses to the fact that he was not lying or boasting. For, "I speak the truth," he says, "in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. ix, 1). If, therefore, he produced as witnesses for what he was about to say the truth, and Christ, and the fact that he was not lying, and his conscience, and the Holy Spirit, who would believe that he would have been led to such a great excess of affirmation if he were harboring some trivial and base thought? But if you still think of small things, and are crawling upon the earth, and do not wish to think of anything great and noble, passing over the God-beloved Moses, who prayed to be erased from the divine book if those under his command were to be delivered to total destruction (Exod. xxxii, 32) (for the Apostle’s act is greater; for the former prayed that he might perish with them, but the latter that he might perish so that others might be saved), I shall endeavor to ^B demonstrate this from a noble woman—if one might compare a small matter with a great one. Rebecca, endowed with an apostolic—so to speak—greatness of soul, chose to accept a curse so that her son might inherit the blessing. And she gave way to him regarding the good things—for she herself was not about to be blessed with him—but as for the evils, she alone prepared herself to endure them. And she prepared this plan with such readiness that she was troubled by the delay, but rejoiced in the speed, and urged her son on, even though the greatest danger was standing at the door. For, having let go of saying, "Your father has reached a great old age, and the clarity of his senses has been removed, and he will not detect the deception," having cut short all these things, she said to her son who was hesitating ^C and fearing: "Upon me be your curse, my son" (Gen. xxvii, 15). Only do not destroy the plan prepared by me, nor lose the swiftest of prey, nor betray the treasure. If, therefore, a woman—who did not even have the courage and greatness of soul of a woman—chose to be cursed so that another might be blessed, would not such a great and illustrious Apostle have prayed to suffer some such thing so that the Jews might believe, and God might not appear to be blasphemed, as having promised to some, but having led others to such great dignity? Very much so. But he was not speaking as if the promise had actually failed. For he said, "Not as though the word of God had failed" (Rom. ix, 6), having been made to the fathers, of course; for the promise had reached...

their descendants who embraced the faith, and those from the Gentiles who through baptism had approached the likeness of Isaac. And this is confirmed by Peter, the leader of the apostles, who says, "God has fulfilled this promise to their children, that is, to us, by raising up Jesus" (Acts xiii, 33). Therefore, he spoke thus not as though the promise had failed, but to demonstrate his own unrestrained love for Christ. And if you carefully examine this Apostolic passage, you will find that he confirms this very thing. ^A

LIX. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. I hear that you have bade farewell to those who offer you excellent counsel, and, having broken all the bonds of shame, are being carried headlong toward a disgraceful and infamous vice. I would certainly wish this not to be true; but if it is, strive to emerge from it before such drunkenness utterly overwhelms you, lest you suffer disgrace and infamy here, and punishment there. ^B

LX. — TO PALLADIUS AND MARO. Much talk is circulating, and is confirmed by the authority of many trustworthy men, that your bishop, having learned from many proofs that the one who won the rule over you has done so for his own advantage, and not out of love for what is beneficial to you, nor having considered what would be for the public good of the Church, has enrolled you as companions and helpers in his own greed. If this is so, cease shooting arrows into heaven and, while you procure your own gains from the calamities of others, cease waging war against the Lawgiver of poverty. ^C

LXI. — TO APHRODISIUS THE MONK. That we have perished as far as it concerns ourselves, but have been saved in Christ, is clear to all. For we who merited punishment were justified through baptism, and adorned with heavenly graces. But it is also clear that if we do not perform what is our part, we shall gain no advantage from such a benefit and grace, but will rather be subject to heavier punishments, as those whom such a great benefit has not made any better. ^D

LXII. — TO PAUL THE PRESBYTER. I for my part consider it pious and holy to place faith in divine oracles, to follow them with diligence, and not to prefer simple, guileless ambition to the Lord's warning. But if anyone arrogates to himself such praise for chastity that he believes he suffers no harm even from gazing upon women continuously, let him learn the frailty of human nature and the safeguard of the divine oracles. Those

who have been captured and subdued, so that I may not seem troublesome, I shall pass over in silence—for all the Holy Scriptures, and the tragedies of outsiders, and the daily tales ^A are full of these examples—but those who have employed some foresight and have overcome the passion (for it is not possible to achieve chastity without effort, and one cannot attain modesty without labor), these I shall attempt to bring into our midst. If, therefore, I were to demonstrate that even some who are outside the faith have achieved this very thing through some foresight and caution, and not by casting themselves into the fire, perhaps they might brush them aside as if they had accomplished nothing great. But if I call upon the divine Paul as a witness, saying, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Cor. ix, 27), every excuse will be closed off to them. And perhaps they might be shamed ^B and take thought for their own safety. It would have been sufficient, indeed, to be content with the apostolic testimony; but since the achievements of outsiders towards chastity also spur one on, I will not pass these over in silence either. For I have learned from reading that a certain king, when he saw an Ephesian priestess who appeared to be of extraordinary beauty, departed immediately from the city of Ephesus, fearing lest he be compelled against his will to commit some unholy act. And Cyrus the Persian did not even dare to look upon Panthea, who was reported to possess a wonderful and matchless beauty. If, therefore, both facts and the authors outside our faith bear witness to the saving oracle, as being right and secure (for constant sight is a path leading to the act; and even if it does not proceed to the deed, it pollutes the mind and shows the one who is caught to be an adulterer), who is so bold ^C as to say that he suffers no harm at all while continuously feasting his eyes on the beauty of others? If this is difficult, we must especially flee frequent encounters with women; but if necessity should draw us into them, we must at least restrain our eyes as if with a bridle.

LXIII. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE READER

Divinely pure and immaculate power, that source of wisdom, that origin, cause, and root of prudence and all virtue, desiring to interweave the prophecies of future things with the older scriptures, wisely, and in a manner surpassing all speech and praise, set about the matter.

^A For if at any time2 a matter presented itself that was capable of embracing the image and semblance of future goods, in it He would delineate certain things, and declare others by the application of colors, and display the splendid and living mark of the image. For from this two great benefits resulted: the first, that by this method the ancients were not at all offended by things new and unusual, nor did they ridicule what was said, as they were able to derive some utility from what was spoken; the second, that those who were to come after might investigate the truth of the prophecy. For which reason it is fitting to adore and admire the divine grace, which so easily pursued a matter so arduous and difficult. And therefore interpreters ought to conduct themselves in such a way that, if they can pass through everything conveniently and without any force, they should do so actively and diligently; but if this cannot be done, they should not force things that are not fitting, lest they might give rise to a suspicion of distortion even in fitting matters, and provide handles to Jews, Gentiles, and heretics, and attribute to Christ certain abject things and things lower than His dignity. ^B Rather, they should adopt this method: that they pass over the humble and abject things, or if they take on a congruent character, they should consider them to conform to the assumed humanity, while they should concede that the sublime and lofty things were said solely on account of His dignity. But if any of those things that happened then was said for a cause, they should acknowledge that it was said on account of those things, and not drag it, as it were by force of the neck, into a sense that does not fit at all.

LXIV. — TO THEOPHILUS

Those who confess that they know God, but deny Him by their deeds, are those who indeed glory in the beauty of their dogmas. But because they do not exhibit a life conformable to their faith, they affect God, as much as in them lies, with dishonor and ignominy. For while they disdain divine commands and lead others to attack with blasphemous words Him whom not just anyone is able to bless—but only those endowed with the highest virtue—they thereby convict themselves of being spurious and adulterate. ^C

LXV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

I cannot endure the clamors that are raised against you by all because of your life. For they say, aiming their speech at you as at a target: "How do you, who are profane and impious, impart holiness to others? How do you cleanse others, you who are unclean? How do you make sons of God, you who are of a servile spirit? ^D You must first be cleansed, and only then cleanse; you must first be pure from the crime of sacrilege, and only then undertake the office of a priest." Hearing these things, I am tortured in my soul, both because they say these things about you, and because the passers-by are harmed regarding the mystical symbols by the divine...

Stop, therefore, from submerging not only your own soul, but also many others, for whom Christ died. Consider whither this evil tends, since you are destroying those whom He Himself redeemed not with gold, but with His own precious blood, through the wickedness of your life. ^A

LXVI. — TO EPIPHANIUS THE DEACON

Since you have written asking what is meant by that which is written in the LXXIII Psalm, "Thou hast dried up the rivers of Ethan" (which, indeed, while occurring in the ancient Psalters, in some of the newer codices has not been inscribed at all—perhaps because it was thought unintelligible; wherefore some also consider that some superfluous things, and things which cannot be demonstrated, are contained within the Holy Scriptures), for this reason I thought it proper to write back to you. Ethan, therefore, was a place in Palestine, irrigated by rivers, and covered with trees and fruits, and fertile in the abundance of living creatures and fish. Since, therefore, the divine will dried up this place, which was well-watered, wooded, and fertile, because of the prevailing wickedness of the inhabitants, the Psalmist proclaims this as well along with the other wonders. But since one should not merely declare, but provide testimonies, ^B let us bring forward Josephus writing in his Antiquities: "There was a certain district two thousand paces from the city of Jerusalem, which was called Ethan, most pleasant and rich in gardens and the flowing of waters, to which Solomon used to go up frequently, for the sake of exercise and hunting."

And for the fact that this place was of such a kind, I summon as witnesses both Josephus and the Psalmist, who marveled that it had been dried up (for he would not have counted it among the miracles to have been dried up, had it not been very well-watered); but for the fact of its having been dried up, I summon the Psalmist himself. For just as if unrolling a certain chorus, and proceeding in speech through the visible creation of places, he reached this place as well, explaining to the Hebrews (for he was composing the Psalms there) the unconquered power of God from those things which they had known and perceived. ^C

LXVII. — TO THEOPHILUS

That it is not unjust to take vengeance for an injury received, I will agree; but that it is not even philosophical, it would be fair for you to concede. Although, if it could be done easily and without much trouble, your argument would have some logic to it. But since, before the one who is to pay the penalty, the one who demands it wounds himself with a myriad of disasters, it would be better to avoid committing that, so that when wounded by that which...

is obscure and perplexing to you, I may endeavor to make it clear. ^A Consider, in fact, if someone wishes to avenge an injury brought upon him, how many hardships he endures. First, he is overwhelmed by fury; second, he is interrupted by anger. First, indeed, the passion boils over; then, he is stirred up to a desire for vengeance. Third, he excites infinite billows. Fourth, he enters upon a myriad paths of reasoning. Fifth, fear, trembling, and anguish come upon him, as anger interrupts him and fear shakes him, while he ponders how he might succeed and how he might carry it out. Does it not seem to you that such a person, even before the one who is to pay the penalty, is himself paying the penalty? But the philosopher is exempt. And very rightly so. For he is master of himself, and has brought the whole matter to completion. But the other is no longer so; rather, he has need of time, and place, and guile, and wickedness, and weapons and engines, and flattery and servitude, and hypocrisy. ^B Do you see how difficult vice is, and how easy virtue? How the former is full of tumults, while the latter is untroubled? For just as the wicked man suffers so much, so the lover of virtue enjoys serenity. And the one who seeks vengeance creates infinite enmity, but he who chooses to philosophize brings about the quickest end to it. Therefore, he even tames the foolish man and calls him to friendship.

LXVIII. TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR

You would bestow a very great benefit both upon yourself and upon me, if you were to become better than yourself, and ascend to the very summit of virtue, passing over from fleeting and fragile goods—or rather, not even goods at all—to those that are real and abiding.

LXIX. TO ATHANASIUS

I know some prelates, and perhaps you do as well, who, although they themselves are intemperate and prodigal in their expenses, nevertheless, because they establish severe penalties for those who sin, restrain their subjects and keep them in line. ^C Others, on the contrary, are temperate and moderate in their own diet, yet they infect those over whom they preside with the very same vicious affections which they themselves hold in their empire and power, because they do not take notice of those who sin, but rather display immoderate leniency. Both, however, sin: those, indeed, in that they ^D

teach them to do things which they themselves are unwilling to do, and to indulge in luxury and pleasures, since they themselves abhor luxury; and to make a harvest from the calamities of others, which they themselves alleviate and correct. Wherefore, both they ought to be admonished to remain consistent with their own words, and not to do things that conflict with them; and the others, by not granting everything they wish, ought to restrain their crimes. For it is right to grant pardon to those who become better through kindness; but those upon whom indulgence and clemency bring harm, ought to be rebuked and chastised.

LXX. — TO EPIMACHUS THE LECTOR.

LXXI. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

LXXII. — TO STRATEGIUS THE MONK.

quality to quality (which, to use the language of the philosophers, has this nature, that it can accrue and depart—for they define substance as the vehicle of quality; and they assert that if the substance does not exist, the quality cannot exist at all), has Scripture compared, using these words: "Shall the Ethiopian change his skin, and the leopard his spots? and how shall you be able to do good, having learned evil?" But that we may not discuss these matters too subtly, I shall attempt to demonstrate that that very statement which they put forward is destructive to the arguments they build upon it. For by saying, "having learned evil," he destroys that doctrine which they deem irrefutable. For how, if they had the knowledge of evil by nature, would he say, "having learned evil"? Yet if they have learned, they will be able to unlearn. And in the same way, all the other things which seem to support the ignorant will be demolished. For although the natural man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit ^A, yet he will be able to perceive them. And in the same way, although a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, yet it shall be able to bear it. For "not being able" and "not being about to have the power" are not the same thing; rather, the former signifies the present time, in which the slothful man is slothful; but the latter signifies the future, in which it is possible that he who was a short time before wicked may be made virtuous. And this is proclaimed by events, which change with each passing day; and the Scriptures themselves bear witness to it. For how did the Psalmist rise after he had fallen? How did Paul, when he was a persecutor, make amends for this sin and become the herald of the One whom he had persecuted? How did Peter, after he had abjured Christ, wipe away such a stain? How was the wild olive grafted into the good olive tree? How were the Ninevites saved? How was the thief sent into Paradise? ^B Having learned, therefore, that with the capacity of the divine aid that goes before, whoever wills and labors and moves all things (for a naked will does not suffice), he both learns, and bears fruit, and is saved—do all these things that are your part, and those which pertain to the correction of those who sin, bring to pass.

LXXIII. — TO PAUL THE PRESBYTER.

LXXIV. — TO HERACLIDES THE BISHOP.

having pressed the attack, and having erected a trophy wondrous, divine, and more glorious than any that had ever occurred—at that moment, when Hezekiah grew arrogant and, by reason of his joy, thought more highly of himself than a man’s status allows, the curb of illness was applied to him. This curbed his pride, tested the nature of humanity, and healed the disease in his soul that had been generated by joy. For that souls are more easily buoyed up by joy, the Judeans demonstrated; for when they had been delivered from the Egyptians and saw that the depths had become their tomb, they then turned to idolatry. For having crossed the sea and endured no danger, once they arrived on land, they suffered shipwreck. ^B Epaminondas, the general of the Thebans, perceiving this most excellently, after he had conquered the Lacedaemonians and set up a trophy against them, appeared to his friends on the following day downcast and somber. When they asked him if something grievous had occurred, he said, "Not at all, but yesterday I perceived that my own thoughts were higher than is proper. Therefore, today I am punishing the excess of my joy." Do not, therefore, be discouraged yourself if, with the goods of the soul, you are tamed by the illnesses of the body; rather, consider that this for you is either bearing crowns or checking your pride. ^C LXXV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. Great, indeed, as they say, were the transgressions of your youth. For how could they not be? But the crimes of old age have no parallel. For in old age to hide the young who are famed for debauchery surpasses every absurdity. And it is clear that you are suffering from the disease of Epicurus, and that you are not able to restrain your mind, but rather by your deeds prove the doctrines of that man. Restrain yourself, therefore, restrain yourself from the divine altar, lest a thunderbolt descend upon your head. ^D LXXVI. — TO PAMPREPIUS THE DEACON. On the passage, "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation." There is no way, O friendly head, to discover a device by which one might be free of calamities. But one would sooner find safety in a great storm without a helmsman and a rudder than escape the storm of this life without falling into temptation. For if the life of man upon the earth is a testing-ground, how is it possible, while being in the testing-ground, not to be tested? For that which was said by the Savior, "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation," hinted at not being swallowed up by it. For if this...

to be overwhelmed by it. For if the Savior understood this by these words (as others wish), that we should in no way fall into temptation, this would be little in accordance with reason, since both prophets and apostles, and those men who excelled most in virtue, have fallen into many and very great temptations. But indeed, not to fall into temptation is perhaps impossible, while not to succumb to it is possible. Thus, the common herd of mankind, overwhelmed by ignorance, is so affected by calamities that their minds reject every consolation. But those who are guided by prudent judgment repel these disasters not only by bearing them bravely, but also by dreaming in their minds and thoughts of the crowns [that follow].

LXXVII. — TO EULOGIUS THE LECTOR.

LXXVIII. — TO CHRYSA THE ILLUSTRIOUS.

LXXIX. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

Therefore, by as much as the will is more pliant than nature, by so much is it easier and more prone to restore the mind from disease. And so, with all desperation cast aside, strive with this concern, that you may restore him to health. For no small glory will be yours before God, whether you achieve this or not. For you will have fulfilled all that is your part, in full measure. Wherefore, as one who will altogether attain praise and glory if you urge him to emerge from an evil way of life, be thus disposed: let this concern desert you neither by night nor by day. Perhaps he himself will attain salvation, and those who are scandalized by his vices will be raised up, and those who mock him will be silenced, and you will obtain eternal glory.

^B

LXXX. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

Concerning judgment.

I was writing to you previously, hoping that you would withdraw from your wickedness and return to pure and perfect health. But now I am in danger of having to speak for the reason that others may not also be cast by you into the abyss of wickedness. If, therefore, you do not wish to save yourself, why do you also harm others? Why do you draw the punishments of others upon your own miserable head, not reining in your neighing desires until you have bloodied their mouths, but instead giving them freedom to rush wherever they will? Rein them in, therefore, that you may not suffer the opposite of the Ninevites. For as they, fearing the words, did not suffer the punishment from the events, so you, despising the threat in the words, will undergo punishment from the events themselves.

^C

LXXXI. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Since you have, I know not why, found fault with those who reveal mystical senses and transform the letter into the spirit—even though they often say things beneficial to their hearers—and have urgently begged of me that these very things be explained to you, and have proposed the question as to the reason why the leper, and he who suffers from a seminal flow, and others likewise who were held by involuntary diseases, were kept away from the holy bounds of the temple, I would gladly have used silence; for it is neither easy, nor if it were easy would it be fitting, to divulge the mysteries of nature. But since you have again laid force upon me by letter, I shall set this forth as briefly as I can. For since it was decreed—both for the sake of the gravity of the men, and for the honor of the women, and for the sake of the thing itself (for this matter is redolent of holiness)—that it was guarded by law that no man ^D should, when [original-script column: see facsimile] in the cleansing of her impurity, enter. Many, however, in...

together with their wives, while they are in their menstrual period or are cleansing themselves, or even when they are pregnant, are driven by an oestrus or rather a frenzy, and engage in intercourse; and the women, I know not how, endure it (although even animals devoid of reason do not approach one another for intercourse after conception. ^A For this reason some say the female [*thēlys*] was so called in comparison with female animals, seeing that these latter admit the copulation only for the sake of the propagation of the species; whereas women perhaps do so because of lust and shamelessness, even though at that time the female desire and appetite is otherwise extinguished. For Nature is preoccupied either with the framing and forming of the newborn offspring, or with the purgation of the body); furthermore, it often happened that the man's seed, mixing with the impure seed of the woman, would fashion a body that was not pure nor well-tempered, but subject to various and manifold diseases. Wishing to forestall these evils, the Lawgiver, in this place, proscribed those who were born from such unions, and removed them from the sacred assemblies, so that they might no longer dare to commit such shameful acts. ^B That this is the reason is rendered clear from the things written in Ezekiel. For there, God, extolling the righteous man and inveighing against the sinner, says that the former had no relations with a woman who was in her menstrual period, but the latter had. But if you were to say, "The punishment ought to have been fixed for those who committed the shameful acts," I would answer: And what greater punishment could be devised? For when you consider that they perceive those whom they have brought into the light—whom they hoped to see far more illustrious and celebrated than themselves—to be partakers of neither prayers, nor solemnities, nor cities, nor sacred assemblies, imagine with what torture of grief they are afflicted. ^C And for this reason that too, if I am not mistaken, is established by law: "And every soul, which shall not be circumcised on the eighth day, shall be cut off from its people." This, indeed, some of those who have transferred this statement to the circumcision of the soul, have rejected as contrary to reason; for they said it should have been stated that he who does not circumcise his son shall be destroyed, and not the immature infant. But I, even if the discourse relates properly to the soul, do not reject or repudiate the literal sense either. For here also the same reasoning will be preserved. Since the punishment is more bitter to the parents when the children are consigned to destruction. For the children perhaps, if they die before they attain to that age which ^D distinguishes between things good and bad, will not even know if they have been in punishment. But if they should arrive at the age of discernment, they would not bear the matter very grievously, as habit softens the punishment, and especially when the crime is not even voluntary. But the parents undergo an insupportable punishment. If, therefore, what has been said regarding involuntary passions has been understood by you (for I do not suppose you will inquire about voluntary ones; for you know how Uzziah, having improperly presumed upon the priesthood, even though he was king, was struck with leprosy), return thanks to God. But if I should be worthy of acceptance...

by those who understand, for the reason that I have preferred the appropriate and the reverent to mere clarity, by not making public the mysteries of nature, I deserve it. ^A

LXXXII. TO JOHN THE SCHOLASTIC No one, as I think, who possesses a manly mind and is worthy of the name of man, is captivated by the sight ^B of those catamites who make a public spectacle of human life, and who are then most famous and celebrated when they are most excited.

LXXXIV. TO THEON THE BISHOP If you think you should obey me, then not at all; but if yourself, then...

do not press your enemies too hard and hem them in ^A lest, by taking necessity as their counselor in desperate straits (for necessity is a terrible thing, inclining toward recklessness when despair provokes it), they do to you what you are planning to do to them; for justice, the overseer of human actions, often, because of the greed of the victors, turns affairs to the opposite state.

LXXXV. TO EULOGIUS THE PRESBYTER

I believe that a demon cannot withstand even a good and holy man. This is clear both from the fact that the apostles drove away demons, and from the fact that Paul, by his speech, profligately drove out and repelled the Python who was turning the worship of the Gentiles upside down ^B. Moreover, within the shrines of the martyrs, the grace that resides in the bodies of holy men torments them. If, therefore, these things are so, as the very experience of affairs shows, how could a demon have resisted an angel? But I think (for I do not affirm, but merely state my own opinion) that it happened for the reason stated by Moses, because an angel is assigned to each nation. “For when the Most High was dividing the nations,” he says, “when He was separating the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God” (Deut. xxxii, 8).

If you ask: “How, then, did the one not give way to the other?” I would say that, in the highest sense, the one did give way to the other, but both were fortified and protected by the divine law. The one was putting forward the divine command, which decreed that the Jews, even though they were unwilling and not repenting, should be set free from captivity. The other, however, relying on the wickedness of the Jews, argued that it was just for them to remain in exile still. For since God had promised them a return to their homeland if they practiced piety and lived according to virtue, it argued that that decree ought to hold force, because they abhorred repentance and had not even turned themselves to offer suppliant prayers to God.

For we can form a conjecture that God also praises the hatred of the wicked, from what happened in the case of Phinehas. For when he had committed two killings in one and the same moment of time, God honored him with the priesthood; this He would not have done if He had legislated only for goodness. And since the law also decreed that a Hebrew serving his master should be freed in the seventh year, but if he did not wish it, he should be brought to the door of the tabernacle, have his ear pierced, and remain a slave forever; yet when the time of freedom arrives, they have no [further claim upon it].

^A For it would not have done so if it had promulgated only goodness by law. But since the law also prescribed that one who from the Hebrew people pulled the yoke of servitude should be manumitted in the seventh year, but if he did not wish it, he should be brought to the entrance of the tabernacle and his ear should be pierced, and he should remain a servant throughout his whole life; and since the Jews, when the time of their liberation had arrived, were moved by no care for it (perhaps because they lived willingly among the barbarians, imitating their impiety and way of life), therefore the angel of the Persians asserted that [the right to] liberty in no way applied to them (since the law, as it vindicates those willing to be in liberty, so it confirms the judgment and sentence of dominion against those who wish to serve—not that it is overcome by cruelty in this matter, but that it commands what is just); ^B yet the other angel, preferring goodness to justice, was of the opinion that divine grace, which had determined to liberate them even though they were undeserving, should carry the victory. And so both brought support to the divine law: the one, truly, because he was held by hatred for the wicked; the other, because he was endowed with kindness. For God praises both virtues; but in the end, grace won, since goodness, clearly, set aside justice. For any speech after a divine decree is stinking and worthless. For very often, too, when two soldiers contend among themselves, and each side claims justice for itself, the king’s decree extinguishes the strife. But these things were both said and done for the sake of utility: namely, that Daniel might know that his prayers had been heard, and the people, when they heard that God saves them even though they are unworthy both because of His own promise and the intercession of the righteous man, might turn themselves to a better life, and hope for a return, as if about to possess great goods if they were again deemed worthy of their country through divine benefit.

LXXXVI. TO EUDÆMON THE SCHOLASTIC

^C Since you have asked me by letter why it is that many often, having committed the same transgressions, are not visited with the same punishments: I answer that this happens because the integrity and sincerity of the judge is great. For in sins, not only the species of the sin is sought, but also the intention of him who sinned, and the dignity, and the time, and the place, and the sex, and whether after the committed wickedness he felt sorrow, or rejoiced, or remained unmoved, or persisted, or repented, or whether it was by accident, or out of love, or by design. And there are also many other things through which this examination proceeds. For the difference of time is also weighed, and the status of the life being lived. For he who committed the same sin before the law, and he who committed it after the law, and after grace, will not be punished with the same penalty: but the former with a milder one, the latter with a heavier one, and the last with the most severe. For all these things are openly proclaimed in the holy Scriptures.

LXXXVII. TO PISTUS THE DEACON

^D Say and do things such as these, by which you may also be and

BISHOP

Since you have written to me that you marvel at how Christ rebuked his disciples, who had reproached the woman that did not hesitate to pour out an ointment of great price, even though their speech seemed to consider the interests of the poor, I say this: He who had so many and such great sayings about almsgiving, and who preferred it to sacrifices, did not now, as you imagine, reject it. For He who said, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice," and, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," and, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brethren, even the least, you did it unto me," would not have contradicted Himself. But since the woman who had approached happened to pour out the oil, the divine Wisdom thought it most absurd to crush her faith. Therefore, He also pleaded her cause and said, "She has wrought a good work." Observe the ineffable wisdom. He did not say, "A good work has been accomplished," but, "She has wrought." For He does not examine the deed itself in isolation, but along with the person of the woman, as if saying: "Since she has done this once, she is worthy of praise and commendation." Let us not, therefore, demand absolute perfection from her, but let us weave a crown for her from whatever is possible. For if He had not approved the woman in this sense, He necessarily ought to have issued a law for all to follow her example. But since He said nothing of the kind, He gave sufficient proof that He approved her out of a certain indulgent condescension. For if, when He spoke, she had done it, let it be a law; but if He was not perplexed that she had done it, let them not drag His condescension into a law. For if He, who in the Old Testament allowed sacrifices, later overturned them, how would He here, where He did not even allow it, enact it into a law? For just as, if He had been asked before it was poured, He would surely have ordered it to be sold and given to the poor, so too, after it had been poured, it was absurd to extinguish the faith of the woman through a rebuke. And in the same way do the most approved of priests act today: for if someone says, "I wish to consecrate and hang up something," they order him to give it to the poor. But if he has already done it himself, they not only do not rebuke him, but they even receive him smoothly and gently; not because they consider this better and more excellent than that (for Christ did not come for the sake of filling the churches with gold and silver), but so that they might not afflict with anxiety of mind the one who has offered this gift.

LXXXIX. TO ALEXANDER THE POET

There is nothing that equals virtue, not only because it is also incomparable ^D

^A in its supremacy compared to all other things, but also because it makes level the uneven and makes equal those things which are unequal. For it is neither cast down in poverty, nor does it endure servile tasks in slavery, nor is it constrained by disgrace. ^B And in the same way, it does not become arrogant in wealth, nor is it puffed up in authority or power, but employing its own wisdom upon all these things, it composedly directs them, not by yielding to them, but by inducing them to follow the course of its own art. For if one must accurately weigh that Homeric verse which you (because perhaps you admire corporeal beauties to the point of astonishment) are said to keep perpetually on your lips, *“Both fair, and large, and skilled in glorious works”* (85), it will appear that it refers more to virtue than to the one of whom it is spoken. For what is more excellent than she, or what is more beautiful? And who knows of more splendid works than those of virtue, which makes level the unequal states of things through its own philosophy, and maintains an equal spirit in disparate affairs, and procures for itself a brilliant and celebrated glory, and consoles those who fall into calamities, while it chastises and restrains those who, because of their flourishing state, fall into disgrace and insolence? Therefore, direct the eye of your soul toward this, and contemplate her beauty, so that, being seized by an ardent love for her, you may be praised and heralded by all.

XC. TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP

^C And among the Gentiles (although he held them even under his power and dominion, and drove and carried them as he wished), and among the Jews (although he had driven them, as if stirred by a certain rabid frenzy, to the worship of idols and to murder), the devil brought forth many heresies. But if he has brought forth many more among the Christians, let no one be surprised. For indeed, before the advent and presence of the incarnate Christ, seeing all laboring under the intoxication of vice, and witnessing no one, so to speak, purely or entirely sober, he therefore cast ^D but few seeds of contention. But after the saving Word came from heaven, bearing for us the teachings of a heavenly life, and for the devil, through those threats which He directed against sinners, announcing the punishment that awaited him (for He said: *“Depart into the fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels”* [Matt. xxv, 41]), then indeed that common enemy of all, both because he saw our race gradually and little by little shaking off vice and admitting virtue, and casting off impiety and embracing piety, and because he had heard the decree of his own condemnation, blew more fiercely against us and brought heresies into the light. For when

he cannot openly struggle against piety, he applies himself with all the force of his soul to leading many into impiety by means of His name: and under the guise and pretext of piety he attempts to overturn the truth, and destroys those who often shine with the praise of an ^A excellent life by means of corrupt dogmas. For this is his only work, his only study, that he may cast all to a man—whether by force ^B or by adulterated dogmas—headlong with himself into the sea of destruction. Reflecting on these things, then, let the leaders of the heresies cease sowing seeds against the truth, reflecting that they themselves are tottering in the greatest danger above all others. Let their listeners also cease—those who serve only a preconceived opinion and act youthfully against the truth—lest, as much as lies in them, they render vain and fruitless the great work of the Savior, which surpasses both speech and mind. And let those also who pride themselves on right dogmas, but are convicted by their neglect of life, cease, seeing these things, which show them to be spurious disciples of piety, and let them join the finest conduct with the 'right faith, that we may all hear the Lord's voice proclaiming our praises. ^C

XCI. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER

Since you have asked in your letter for what reason that Athenian tribunal was called the Areopagus, in which Paul also preached: I reply that, as they say, Mars was judged there. Now *pagos* is a high place—for that tribunal was situated on a certain hill—whence also some are called *pagarchs*, that is, the rulers of certain villages or places. ^D

XCII. — TO THE SAME

Since you also wish to understand of what crime Mars was convicted when he underwent punishment, although I am ashamed to say it, nevertheless I will explain it. For such a story will be a clear refutation of the Gentiles. For when those whom they claim to be the moderators and guardians of all things are seen to possess neither modesty nor the ability to judge rightly and uprightly, they will certainly be very far from being worthy of receiving divine honor. Now, as for the others, so as not to prolong the discussion—although I could bring forward many—I will recall only one, which explains what you are asking. They say that Mars was inflamed with such an insane love for Agraulos, the daughter of Cecrops, that although her age could not yet bear the work of marriage, he himself, as he was a hot and petulant lover, prematurely invaded the as-yet-closed bud of nature. And the girl, as they tell it, was still in the tender flower of her age.

^A Since therefore he had lived with her for a long time, he had Alcippe from her, whom Halirrhiothius, son of Poseidon, later took. But Ares, indignant at the outrage committed against his daughter, killed him, thus hiding the fact from himself, thinking that he had avenged the violation of the daughter of Cecrops. And indeed, that he had taken the law into his own hands against him who had committed the violence on account of the marriage, he deemed himself worthy of not even the slightest reproach; but since Halirrhiothius had neither violated one before her time, nor preferred violence over persuasion, but was causing the girl to consent to the act—had not the modesty of the nymph prevented the voluntary union—he was judged by them as being so worthy of punishment that he became at once the plaintiff, the judge, and the executioner of his own case. For which reason, having been accused by Poseidon and convicted upon the Areopagus, he indeed paid the penalty for his deeds, but he left the name to the place as a stain to mark the shame ^B of his madness.

XCIII. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

I have often wondered at the ignorance of those who, while taking no thought for the faith or for an upright life, involve themselves in and seek out things which are impossible to discover, and which, when sought, only provoke the divine wrath. For whenever we try by force to learn things which God did not wish us to know, we shall not only fail to find them (for how could we, when God does not will it?), but we shall also find ourselves in danger from the very act of searching. Let us therefore abandon this investigation ^C into such matters, as it is superhuman and by no means graspable, and fleeing to the harbor of the right faith and of an excellent life, let us obtain our security from thence.

XCIV. — TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER.

Not to repent of a committed sin is pernicious; to be abandoned to despair is more pernicious still. The former springs from sloth and indifference, the latter from stupor and insensibility. But by as much as stupor is more grievous than sloth, by so much does despair surpass the gravity of negligence. The former is an incurable evil; to the latter, the approach to medicine lies open. For the former is a product of a depraved and corrupt judgment; ^D the latter is one of circumvention and deceit. Why then do you accuse us of being negligent and failing to write letters to the wretched Zosimus, when he is oppressed by these two most troublesome vices, namely sloth and stupor? We have not been negligent, excellent sir, but having been often urged by many for this very reason, we have labored both by words, and by exhortations, and by threats, and by promises,

and by punishments, even to the point of exhaustion, to tame that indomitable beast. But, as it appears, we did not at all notice that we were attempting to wash the Ethiopian white and trying to force a demon in human form into gentleness and mildness. Knowing, therefore, that nothing of what has come to us has been or will be neglected, grant him your own prayers. Perhaps in some way he might recover from such great madness. ^B

XCV. — TO THE SAME. Forgiveness may deservedly be granted to those who are not trained for greater sins through gentleness. But punishment ought to follow those who receive no benefit from gentleness. And so much for this. Since, however, you have written that it is in your mind to inquire of me about certain prophetic sayings, but that you do not dare to do so, I write back that I would be ill-disposed toward you if I should perceive that you are keeping silent when you wish to ask.

XCVI. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR. You seem to obey the words of the divine man Paul and to keep your mind attentive to reading. Therefore, I too will endeavor to explain what you have proposed. For you asked how it is that, since King Balthasar was overthrown on that very night, Scripture uses these words: ^C “And Balthasar said, and they clothed Daniel in purple, and they put the golden chain about his neck; and they made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in his kingdom” (Dan. v, 29)? I think, then, that since the divine decree was inscribed upon the wall when darkness had already fallen (for this is what the words “over against the lampstand” signify), and the king was greatly troubled and unnerved and broken down by fear, and the queen, disturbed in her faculties on account of the king’s paralysis, disregarding the customary and proper decorum, rushed into the banquet while it was still night; that the divine oracle was interpreted by the most wise Daniel, and that he was immediately honored with the purple and the neck-chain in the sight of the whole army ^D and those who held office (for it is clear that the rewards of wisdom were set forth as ready), and that it was proclaimed in their presence that he would now be third in royal dignity, that is, after him and the queen. But if someone should say that it ought to have been proclaimed in the crowded marketplace and not in the royal palace, let him know that things which happen in royal palaces obtain validity everywhere. For a most divine decree, confirmed within, is accustomed to obtain validity everywhere. Perhaps it is even more likely that this proclamation was also set down in writing. For that which had been done in the palace—and which was just then about to be everywhere—and fully completed by the judgment of the one who ordered it, as the historian relates…

^A. Unde etiam Darius Medus, qui tyranno successit, cum nihil eorum, quae contigissent, ignoraret, eum summo honore affecit.

XCVII. — TO ALYPIUS

XCVIII. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS

XCIX. – TO APHRODISIUS THE PRESBYTER

^A their multitude and magnitude, as well as because they are beyond reason and mind. For who could recount the nature of the heavenly hosts, their order, their composure, their rhythm, their harmony, their love, their peace, and all other things which it is not even possible to number? And if one were to understand what has been said as referring to the magnitude and sublime nature of the doctrines, he would not err from the truth. The apostles, then, wrote what they contained, just as Peter, the leader of the choir, clearly testified in his own Acts: "What we contained, we wrote," yet the world did not contain even the things that were written. For the lover of money did not contain the discourse on detachment; nor did the lustful one contain the discourse on purity; nor the plunderer of other men's goods the discourse on justice; nor the cruel man that on philanthropy; nor the irascible man that on meekness. If, therefore, the world did not contain what the apostles contained (and Christ cries out, saying: "My word ^B does not contain in you," just as Paul also says, "Contain us"), and if perhaps not even the apostles contained [everything], how then would the world have contained them? He calls "world" the crowd that is dazed by worldly and earthly things, concerning whom it was said: "And the world did not know Him." The aforementioned world, however, does not contain (94) not because of places, but because of ways; not because of the multitude of writings, but because of the magnitude of the realities.

C. — TO PAUL.

^C Why, when you are ignorant of your own self, O man, do you seek what is above you? And why do I say "your own self"? Explain to me one of those things which are in your own hands, and then I will not accuse you for being curious about what is above you. That fire from which the arts spring is naturally accustomed to leap forth not only from iron, bronze, and stones, but even from water and wood (95). Explain to me, then, the miracle: is it inherent in the wood? And how, then, does it not consume it? But if it is not inherent, how is it created from it? If, therefore, no one is able to explain how the fire—without which people cannot contrive almost anything of value (for it is a remedy for cold, a dispeller of darkness, and a helper to every art and ^D science)—is hidden in the materials, yet does not consume them, but when it leaps out, it becomes a consumer of what brought it forth.

Cease, I beseech you, from scrutinizing those things which can neither be comprehended, nor, if they could, could they bring any great moment to virtue. For what would it contribute to virtue if one should undertake to inquire into the course of the sun, the orbit of the moon, the position of the stars, the shape and dimensions of the earth, and ^A all other things which men who are wise and learned in their own judgment, while curiously searching them out, have fallen away from the truth and from true wisdom, and have spent their lives in trifles and the ineptitudes of empty talk?

CI. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP.

To upright priests.

In your upright administration, most holy man, neither does the wealthy man possess the power of his riches to the ruin of others, nor is he who lives in poverty deprived of the power to plead his case on equal terms due to his indigence. But he who is fortified with the resources of justice and equity is judged to possess the treasure of truth; while he who lacks these, even if he has the treasures of Croesus, is judged to be indigent. Nor does the power of eloquence draw impartial prudence away from a right judgment, nor does the cleverness of an orator elude the truth; but your soul stands unwavering, ^B bestowing pure justice upon those who are brought into judgment. Being such in your decisions, you have surpassed yourself in benevolence even more than you have surpassed others in the praise of justice. And for this reason, those cities that are oppressed by tyranny, of which Pelusium is one, lament their own lot. For experiencing the opposite, they deem those who are under you blessed, but themselves wretched and unhappy. For he who is worthy of countless punishments, if he has riches, is conspicuous and powerful among them; but he who flourishes in virtue, if he be poor, is not only reckoned among the infamous but is even beset by treacheries. ^C But in judgments, wherever gold inclines, there also the vote bends; justice is done an injury, and iniquity prevails and prevails upon others, and breaks forth into every kind of contumely. Since these things are so, pray to God that either such pests may convert to a better mind, or that those who are subject to them may be set at liberty.

CII. — TO AMMONIUS.

Since excessive friendship seems by no means free from suspicion, let it be tempered with the fear of God, so that both may abound in us, namely, the fear of God and the love of friends: the one eliminating wicked suspicions, and the other giving birth to charity and benevolence, the mother of all good things. For when we have love tempered and mixed with the fear of God, every kind of good thing blossoms within us. ^D

CIII. — TO THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC.

That faith without works does not save a man.

Not he who repels the truth by force and abundance of words, O wise man,

merits praise, but he who expresses it purely and clearly. For this reason, I too will clearly state what you desire to learn. The struggles have been made easy and accessible through the divine coming, so that we might gain victory by contending, not so that we might abuse the magnitude of grace by using it as an occasion for sloth.

CIV. — TO SERENUS. On arrogance. ^A Let the fact that you have overcome the enemy not train you in arrogance. For on many, who have been driven mad by pride, behaving as if they had been setting up trophies throughout all the time of their lives, boasting on this account, and never expecting that they would be inferior or ever be conquered, the prosperity that seemed theirs has clearly turned for the worse.

CV. — TO THE SAME. For many, the successes they enjoyed at the beginning have been the cause of infinite evils. For when, having set up one or another trophy beyond their merit, because their rashness chanced upon the outcome they hoped for, they were elated by unexpected prosperity and threw themselves into greater actions, they ended up in extreme danger, even with respect to the deeds they had previously accomplished ^B excellently. Therefore, we must take counsel more humanely; and when we are successful in what we do, we should keep mercy before our eyes and neither think nor speak beyond measure; but when we deviate from our duty, we should correct our human weakness and not demand that our affairs be fixed and immortal like those of God.

CVI. — TO PAUL. Do not think, best of men, that things which are grasped only with difficulty and with infinite sweat and struggles can be caught by a fleeting approach; but having made a beginning with labors and prayers, apply yourself to the hunting of the meanings of the holy Scripture, which whet the sharpness of our minds for greater speed. ^C

CVII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. The mind, like a queen holding supreme command, should send down to the gates of the senses reasoning that is formidable and fortified on all sides with arms, so that it may go forth to meet them, set up ambushes beforehand, and repel the enemies; and not, after first conceding the entry to them, thereafter engage in a dubious battle, which will often incline to the other side and hand the trophy to the opposing forces. For it is for this very reason that the saving Word also threatened to punish him who looks upon someone with an unchaste eye, whereas other lawgivers punish only the deed; so that the war might not become difficult and insurmountable, but easy and light. ^D

CVIII — TO ZOSIMAS THE PRESBYTER

^A Many, or rather all men, one might say, possess both virtues and vices, and they glory in the former while they are ashamed of the latter. But you, as they say, while full of vices, are utterly void and naked of virtues. Now, that you succumb to the enticements of the belly and yield to those passions that follow the belly is no wonder. For these, in large part, follow that organ. For he who has mastered his belly will be able to master his lusts as well. But since they say that all other vices also have their seat in you, and calling you a storehouse of wickedness and a treasury of shamelessness—this does indeed seem to me a wonder, and exceeds all astonishment. For there are some who are cruel indeed, yet endowed with modesty; or who are filthy and lustful, yet easy-going and gentle. But they charge that you run riot in all directions. For they say you arm your tongue against upright men who love virtue, and that you are entangled in shameful gains and even glory in them; and that, while surpassing and obscuring all who ever were notorious for lust, you take pleasure even in this. And though, because of your deeds—which it is not even lawful to mention—you ought to cast your eyes down, you carry them above your temples. And to speak summarily, every member of your body reveals the sloth and madness of your soul. ^B Although the one is contrary to the other, they persistently maintain that both have met in you. Therefore, if they speak the truth, repent here and now, lest you do so in the other age to no purpose.

CIX — TO MARCUS

^C You ask why wine does not affect all those who take it in the same way, but renders some peaceful and easy-going, others irascible; some friendly, others combative; and finally, some gentle and others beastly. I believe, therefore, since you also compel us to discuss natural phenomena, that these things happen either from the condition of the body—in that the causes of such events are increased or diminished by wine—or from the impulses of the soul, which lie hidden from the many. For since wine only affects the nature of the humors, it is in a way blended with the habits of those who use it. For according to the character of those who use it, it displays the same affections: not indeed creating them when they were not there, but laying bare those that were hidden and obscure. For having stripped away the feigned character, it reveals what was in the dark. Hence the saying has also passed into a proverb, with many saying: "In wine there is truth." ^D For those who seemed to glory in the estimation of being grave, it has often shown to be babblers of secrets, and caused them to utter what it would have been better to hold in silence; while others, who had often been incited to anger out of a detestation of wickedness, it proved to be mild and gentle; destroying for the former their reputation for gravity, and for the latter the blame attached to their anger. For it does not create what does not exist, but brings to public light what does exist but is hidden.

CX. — TO EUSTATHIUS THE DEACON.

I am seized by great astonishment at how a tyrannical and savage malady—one bereft of pleasure but pregnant with torment—has prevailed over every age, mastered every rank, and finally undermined all comeliness and order. For everyone, passing over his own faults—and these very great ones, often deserving of more than pardon—curiously pries into the errors of his neighbors, though they be lighter and often deserving of forgiveness. And while he is pained when considering his own, he exults and is suffused with joy when discoursing about the faults of others, wasting all his time in scrutinizing and condemning the actions of his fellows. He provides himself with even false defenses and justifications, yet sits as a bitter and inexorable judge over his neighbors, even if they appear to abound in just excuses. Therefore, those who desire to devise a remedy for such a disease must turn the eye of their soul from the affairs of others toward their own transgressions, and accustom their tongue not to attack their neighbors, but to rebuke themselves with earnest and vehement speech. For this brings forth righteousness (for “declare thou thy transgressions first,” he says, “that thou mayest be justified” [Isa. XLIII, 26]), whereas the other begets even greater condemnation. For it is grave, and beyond all absurdity, for those who entangle themselves in great crimes to be angry at those who sin not at all, or but ^B little.

CXI. — TO ZENO THE DEACON.

Concerning exercise.

Do not compare yourself, my friend, to those who, while receiving the divine preaching with a joyful and eager spirit, have by no means transmitted the seed into the depths of their understanding. For having become shallow-growing and shallow-rooted, they have withered more quickly than a word could tell, having brought forth no ripe fruit but having instead become the work of temptations. But compare yourself rather to those who are deep-rooted, many-rooted, many-stalked, and many-fruited—those whose heavy ears of grain, laden and bowed down by their fruit on account of the ripe time of harvest, all but summon the sickle of the reapers upon themselves. For they know well that Christ has commanded the angels to carry such men up to the heavenly realms, that they may celebrate a festival together, reign, and enjoy ^D everlasting joy of soul.

CXII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

Since the eye governs the whole body, makes the face bright and fair, and is the lamp of all the members, for this reason, just as in a royal

^A seat it is situated, having obtained the position above, and presiding over the other senses. For just as the sun is in the world, so too is the eye in the body. And just as that one, if it were quenched by reason, would throw everything into confusion, so also if the eye were quenched, the feet would be useless, and the hands, and almost the whole body. To what end, then, did I say these things? Because the teacher also is the eye of the body of the Church. If, therefore, this one be luminous—that is, shining with the rays of the virtues—the whole body will be luminous, being governed and deemed worthy of the proper care by him; but if he be dark—that is, doing things worthy of darkness ^B —the whole body is almost darkened. For even if there be some among the class of members who are healthy and perform what is fitting for them, and are in no way harmed by the wickedness of the teacher, still they are not able to do much, while the injury consumes the vital parts and the vice stirs up the rest to the zeal of the leader, and accuses those who are healthy, and in every way schemes as to how it might also cast them into sickness. For this reason it has been said: "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness?" As, for instance, if one were to say this to a Church which has a leader possessed by tyrannical desires. If he who ought to benefit and enlighten is not even willing to be enlightened, but even casts out those who purpose to benefit, what would those who are under his command not do? ^C

CXIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

On Poverty.

Even if, on account of the wickedness and greed of the many, the achievement of voluntary poverty seems to have been brought to such a state that it exceeds human strength, and you do not believe that anyone is achieving or performing it—nevertheless, there are some, and I know of some. But if you yourself are ignorant of them, it is no wonder. For because you are drunk with the love of money, you naturally do not know those who are purely sober. Nevertheless, emulate those who use self-sufficiency, those who live from righteous labors, those who are content with their own ^D labors. Or do you not see these shining forth, and flashing like torches? Emulate these for the present, and cease casting your filthy and greedy hands against the property and money of others; and thus you will be able to see them. For now, having heard this, you will not only not be persuaded, but you will even chatter against them and mock them, as one suffering from an incurable madness. But if you come to a moderate state of health, you will easily see those who are truly healthy.

and you will also sometimes have them as the best guides and pointers of this way.

CXIV. TO CARPUS THE PRESBYTER. On those who are averse to the virtuous.

^A He seems to me to be of a lost and profligate wickedness, not the one who takes vengeance on a person from whom he has received injury and insult (for forgiveness often follows for such a one), but rather one who hates and mocks a man who is better than him and celebrated by the praises of all. The former person, even if he has not ascended to the pinnacle of philosophy, still seems to have a reasonable cause for his hatred. But this one, with no cause underlying it, battles not so much with the man as with virtue itself, and attempts to tear up all good things from their roots. But if Eustathius does this, he must either be restrained from such hatred, or cast out and proscribed as one defiled and wicked. For there is one virtue: to always flee from what is absurd, ^B and especially when a man thinks that nothing is shameful except being chaste and temperate.

CXV. TO DOROTHEUS. On circumcision.

Who would judge that the eternal mind, which is alien to every stain, has in the least failed to attain what is decorous? Who would dare to proceed so far beyond all rashness as to accuse wisdom of error and guilt? For this would reasonably befall it if, while it created other living beings as was fitting, it alone of all, having determined to create man (whom it had intended to be the king and ruler of all earthly things), wished him to be burdened with a superfluous weight ^C which later it ordered to be removed by circumcision. But if it is impious to say this (for who is so senseless and devoid of natural intelligence as to accuse divine knowledge of lack of skill?), it surely preserved a fitting form and appearance for him as well. But if it created him fittingly, as even sculptors, stone-carvers, modelers, and painters testify—who follow the ancient model and prefer what is decorous to that which was later cut off for a certain reason—then let those who admire circumcision beyond measure inquire as to its utility. And if it signifies the circumcision which is in secret, let them increase their admiration, and then let them praise those who, without circumcision, circumcise their own desires. But if it was given to them in place of a sign, so that they might not mingle with the nations— ^D just like a bridle and seal for stubborn and ferocious horses—let them not be greatly puffed up on account of it, by which their own lack of instruction and ignorance is branded. For if Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, before they were seen or told of circumcision, were approved, it is not an object of approval, but rather it is a seal of approval. The man who possesses wealth

and its distinct virtues, let him have it as a seal. But he who laments his extreme poverty becomes a laughingstock, for he carries the seal while lacking the wealth. Let him also hear this, who prides himself greatly upon it: If the achievement is yours, then take pride in it as you do—I will raise no dispute with you regarding it. But if it occurred at an immature age (for which reason we also give thanks to God, having been delivered from unfruitful labor), why do you boast in what is not your own? For each man is entitled to take pride in his own labors, not in the signs which others assign to him. ^A

CXVI. — TO PAUL. Regarding festivals.

Honor virtues, but do not worship prosperous circumstances. For the former are immortal things, while the latter are easily extinguished. And so much for this. But do not be ignorant of the fact that God has bound the memorials of His benefits to festivals, both in the past and in the present, so that those who celebrate the feast days, having the memory of these things ringing in their ears, may turn, not to drunkenness, but to thanksgiving and virtue. ^B

CXVII. — TO THEOPHILUS.

If anyone should be asked by someone attempting to slander the truth, "Are all things possible to God?" and he replies, "Yes," and then the other man follows up with, "Therefore, also [is He capable of] evil?"—he who would be worthy of having his ignorance rightfully ridiculed is not the one who answered, but rather the one who asked. For in all the things that are possible to God, evil is not reckoned. For where God is named, the good follows inseparably. And no one of sound mind would ever admit into his thinking that evil is possible for God; nor would anyone call it a weakness that He cannot perform evil. For weakness, in the strict sense, is the performance of evil. Therefore, also ^C Paul, who understood these things with the greatest precision, called sins "infirmities," saying: "For if Christ, when we were still infirm, died in due time for the ungodly" (Rom. v, 6). And the word of the Psalmist also guarantees this: "Their infirmities were multiplied," he says (Ps. xlv, 14), that is to say, their sins. And no one who brings forward that other question against the one who says, "All things are possible to God," will be considered to have a sound mind. What is this, then? For they are accustomed to talk nonsense, and to say: "Is it then also possible for God to make that which happened not to have happened?" For such a thing is again futile. But nothing futile or void is attributed to the divine power. Therefore, the slanders that are leveled against a statement of this kind are both pointless and have been proven to be so; but still, so that they may not have occasion to stir these up further and ^D corrupt the ears of the listeners, if we should be asked whether all things are possible to God, let us answer: "All things that are befitting to Him," and every vain inquiry is resolved. For He can do all things, but He wills only what is best.

CXVIII. — TO THEOPHILUS.

On ignorance.

CXIX. — TO OP HELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN.

On the nature of animals.

CXX. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR.

To the rulers.

^A And protect those avenues against the fictions of slanderers and calumniators, keeping them closed and impassable, while repressing their impulse to speak ill through your grim and terrible aspect.

CXXI. TO BISHOP THEON.

Concerning priests.

I would not blame Zosimus and Palladius, and Maron and Eustathius, and the others whom you enumerated, who have so abjured piety and insulted the priesthood, as much as I would Eusebius, who provided the cause to all of these. For if he himself had not sold the priesthood to them, as you say, they would never have devolved into such wickedness. For even if they were most base and villainous before being co-opted into the sacred order, yet it is not the same thing for a layman to sin as for a priest, and this is clearly evident from the law. ^B For it prescribes that an offering be made for a sinning priest as great as that for the whole people. If the sin were not equivalent, it would not have ordained the same sacrifice. The sin becomes greater, not by its nature, but by the dignity of the one who commits it. For he who should be regulating others, if he fails, reveals a greater fault because of his own status. If, therefore, he who provides the seed is the cause of the plants, it is rightly fitting that Eusebius also be pursued with greater mourning and lamentation than they.

CXXII. TO BISHOP LAMPETIUS.

Concerning those who treat the priesthood badly.

I applaud your divine zeal, for you are indignant and angry ^C when you see the priesthood insulted by Eusebius—who, by antiphrasis, has given himself a name derived from piety. For because, being unworthy of the priesthood, he broke into it I know not how, it happens from this that he distributes it to those who desire it, regarding the divine ministry as a cheap and trampled thing. But since these matters pertain to the divine and incorruptible Judge, who ^D at present is patient in order that He may bring sinners to repentance, but who later will not endure what is happening, but will ordain intolerable punishments; let us attend to our own souls and keep quiet. For if there were any profit arising from the freedom to rebuke, I would have yielded to no one in this matter, even though I have been plotted against many times because of it. But since the time calls for silence, let us await the Judge.

[CXXXIII]. — TO MARON.

Do not sin continually with the hope and expectation of obtaining pardon, but rather provide safety for yourself by refraining from sin. For many, by the expectation of pardon, have committed many sins and then missed out on that pardon, having neither repented nor been forgiven.

[CXXXIV]. — TO MARTINIAN, ZOSIMUS, MARON, AND EUSTATHIUS.

To priests.

Since the admirable Paul—that vessel of election, that steward of the thoughts of Christ, who brought order to land and sea, and who persuaded barbarians to embrace a life of philosophy—declared that those who neglect their neighbors are worse than the Gentiles, saying: "If any one does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever"; for this reason, I too have been moved to write to you. For what do you suppose is meant by the word "care" in this passage? Is it the provision of food? Indeed, I believe that the care of the soul is what is to be understood. If you should disagree, then what I have said will be confirmed all the more. For if the matter concerns the body, he says, and he reckoned the one who does not offer necessary nourishment to his neighbor to be more cruel than the Gentiles, then where shall the one who neglects what is greater and more necessary—I mean the care of the soul—be placed? Therefore, be persuaded and recover from your madness.

[CXXXV]. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER.

To those who accuse others for avoiding the priesthood.

The name and reality of the episcopate, being a divine thing and excelling every other office and dignity, is suited to a few—namely, those who think this dignity is an opportunity for fatherly care, not for tyrannical license. However, since some have transformed it into a rule, or rather, if one must speak freely, into a tyranny; you should know that this prominent and much-contested office, currently—if ever at any time—implanting in the hearts of men a fierce love for itself and easily offering itself to those who desire it, is held in low regard by all sensible men. For those who give consideration to it reckon it to be a punishment rather than an honor received. For most of the time they rule over some, while they serve others; they command some, while they minister to others; they punish some unjustly, while they show favor to others; they are set over some, while they have succumbed to others; they fear some, while they are objects of hatred and bitterness to others. Do not be surprised, therefore, if Hierax the presbyter, a man gifted with understanding, fled from this office as if from a most grievous and difficult disease.

[CXXXVI]. — TO TIMOTHY THE LECTOR.

Concerning not causing scandal.

Fear above all things, my friend, to cause scandal to anyone. For the good within mortals is in a way like a drunken man: even if no one shakes him, he barely stands on his own.

That one ought not to neglect exhortations nor despair of anyone, and that if some, when admonished, remain uncorrected, this is not the fault of those who admonish, but of their own will; especially when those people leave nothing undone.

^A It is for your wisdom and authority, most excellent of all men, to restore the Church in Pelusium, which has been broken and worn down by the wickedness of those who govern and preside over it, through the purity and zeal of your own power. Now, to describe all the wrongs and insolence which she has suffered, being plundered and insulted by wicked and criminal men—to whom one would not entrust a herd of brute beasts, much less rational men, for whose sake Christ came hither and poured out his own precious blood—is not a task for the present time, nor indeed for any time at all. For even if the time demanded it, the things contrived by these men would exceed all capacity of speech. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to mention a few things in the present instance, which we could not pass over in silence with impunity even if we wished to. ^B But indeed, most admirable man, you seem already to be demanding the narrative. Therefore, I myself, putting an end to these preliminaries, will betake myself to the tragedy in my account. Saying this much, however: do not measure the things that have happened by words—for we would not find words equal to the deeds, since every tongue is surpassed by the truth of the facts—but rather look upon the things that have been performed with the sleepless eyes of the mind.

For things such as the reviling of the Divine, the plundering of the city, the sale of the priesthood, and the oppression of the Church—with the upright being ostracized, ^C whilst those who ought not even to have crossed her threshold were admitted and entrusted with her divine and secret mysteries (for they did not consider that they had undertaken the care of souls, but that they had inherited a hereditary tyranny), and the fact that they had no regard for the poor, but plundered the Church’s resources and spent them on their own ambitions, and that they persecuted even unto blood those who dared so much as to open their mouths for the sake of virtue—all such matters I shall omit, making this evident as proof that I was brought to these words against my will. ^D But what has now been contrived, since silence is not without danger even for one wishing it, I will relate in a few brief words, as best I can—not, I would say, clearly and dilucidly, but meagerly and obscurely. Martinianus, who was ordained presbyter to the ruin of the most divine religion (if indeed one must call him a presbyter who abused the name of the priesthood to commit the greatest evils, which are beyond forgiveness), I cannot say from whom he is descended, or from what city he originates; for as he happens to be a slave...

and did not spend the first period of his life in a pious and holy manner, I shall pass over the fact of his having fled, even if it be true; for I do not come here to attack him with slanderous speech, but to teach how he has injured the Church. This man, then, having come to the Pelusians, living in extreme poverty, and being ^A supported by many, took upon himself the garb of a monk and feigned a sober life, so that he might attain the office of a cleric—for it is essentially a service, though in his opinion it was a position of power. But when that illustrious man, full of divine wisdom, Ammonius, bishop of that city, perceived his hypocrisy with the most discerning eyes of his mind, and left him no hope of attaining his goal, observing that he was wasting his time in vain against the great prudence of the bishop, he decided to weave these nets elsewhere. When, however, he was caught there too and failed in his hope, finally learning that that most wise man had passed away and had been received into the heavenly realms [(17)], and that Eusebius had been appointed bishop, he flew back again to the Pelusians, thinking that he would easily handle his intelligence—or rather, not to use the word "intelligence," his recklessness. And indeed, he achieved his goal as quickly as possible. For there is no need for a long speech. That he who provides the seed is the cause of the plants, no one, of course, is ignorant. Having therefore attained ordination, and having touched the holy mysteries with impure hands, he gave birth to the disease he had long been laboring upon. For having come to consider life unlivable for him unless he could also misappropriate the money of the poor, having promised to leave to the Church all that he should acquire, and having lured them with these hopes, he persuaded them to appoint him steward. Having therefore taken hold of the Church’s administration, a man unholy and not even freely educated or trained, he so afflicted it with troubles—such ^B as not even a barbarian war, having destroyed all its signs of virtue, would have wrought in its beauty—that he ravaged it. For using deceits and machinations, and wrongdoings and perjuries in the administration of affairs, he did nothing that was simple or just; but defining wickedness as prudence, he grew rampant against those who had chosen to live freely and piously. He called those who loved the truth "simpleminded," but those who handled affairs ^C wickedly he called "prudent"; he called those who philosophized "fools," but those who were unscrupulous traders, "active men." And he did not merely say these things, but he acted upon them, concealing his words with his deeds: appropriating ecclesiastical funds, selling ordinations, casting out those who loved virtue, and gathering together those who did the same as he did. For he thought that the security here could not otherwise exist (for he had no concern for judgment) unless he banished every form of virtue. And he did these things, having somehow made the bishop subservient to him—for he was so enslaved to him (let the truth be spoken with frankness, for I could not otherwise endure it) as a cheap and silver-bought ^D slave

ordained for this purpose: that he might carry out whatever Martinianus should command. For he drove him to such a ^A madness (for the climax of these evils and the head of this tragedy shall now be spoken), having baited him with those promises which the bishop—now openly proclaiming his own folly—is shouting aloud, whether he was ensnared, or compelled, or persuaded (for I know not what name to give such a degree of absurdity), so that he even went so far as to sign the ecclesiastical ledgers, making the defrauded Church a debtor. For, in other ways, he did not think he could safely keep what he had unjustly acquired, unless he could also represent the Church as being in his debt—not that he expected to be asked for it by those he had plundered, but because he was hunting for a way not to be asked by her.

But when the wretched city perceived that he was contriving these things—for they were not invisible; as to his reputation, which had been compromised by his sorcery in light of the excess of his deeds, and the fact that he had been caught in base and unnatural falls, I shall not speak—it often felt the impulse to kill him, but it nevertheless restrained its passion. Though he was being accused and denounced by everyone, he was slandering the bishop to all, and everyone to the bishop: arming the latter against the virtuous, so that he might extinguish everyone’s freedom of speech; and instructing the others that he himself was the one selling the ordinations, plotting against the temperate, and appropriating the possessions of the Church. For while he would take gold, he would enter it into the ecclesiastical accounts. He said these things in order to quench the anger of the people—which resulted from the very things he was doing—through these machinations.

When some also reported these things to the bishop himself, they accomplished nothing more, since he, according to their probability, claimed that he could do nothing without accusers. But when accusers did appear, thinking that he was telling the truth—and there were many, and credible ones, and those ^B able to provide proof—not even then did he proceed to act, so that by now, every pretext having been exposed, he was reasonably suspected by all of being a partner in the deeds. For most of all, even if that man had promised a myriad of times to contribute all his ill-gotten gains to the Church, it was not right that all the ecclesiastical resources be handed over to him, nor that ten thousand souls be scandalized by what was being done. If he were tempted by promises, he should not have left them without an account. And if he had to make an account, it should have been done with precision, having scrutinized the ledgers with the help of some intelligent and experienced persons. Yet he himself claims to be ignorant of these, just as he does of all other good things. If he signed the ledgers in secret and without sharing them with anyone, it is clear that he was not deceived (as he shouts to those who are accusing him, thinking thereby to avert condemnation), but that he has been performing evil against ^C ecclesiastical matters and has sold off the entire Church with those things. Just as if he had bought it, and ^D

and had decided to use it in a more lawless manner than those who had acquired it, hastening to treat evil with evil. For having taken into his own bosom all the ecclesiastical funds, or, as he himself said, having shared them with the one who had entrusted the administration to him and who had provided the subject matter for such a great tragedy, he previously sent gold to Alexandria, hunting for an episcopacy—he who was not even able to manage his own affairs. Having learned of this, your holiness, since you ought to have publicly denounced him, threatened him by letter and affirmed that if he should attempt such things again, you would excommunicate this man who brings such disgrace upon the most divine religion throughout the entire Egyptian diocese. Now, however, having despised both your letters and your threats, and having learned of the situation in Alexandria, he hurried off ^B to it, seeking to betroth an episcopacy to himself, while damaging your reputation, as being one who ordains for money. It is therefore incumbent upon your greatness—oh, by what worthy name shall I call you?—to reserve the exact penalty for his offenses for the incorruptible tribunal (for it is not possible for him to receive the punishment he deserves here), but to be moved and incited, first, to defend the Church that has been lawlessly treated, and second, to assist your own reputation by putting your threats into action and excommunicating this man. For if, which I do not believe, he were to receive no such thing and were even to be ordained, the rumored secret will be found to be true. Then, along with some pious bishops to whom gain is an enemy, you should send someone to that place to account for the profits of the Church that have been lawlessly purchased and more lawlessly used by those who have acquired them, and to return what is owed. And if he has given anything to the bishop (for he says he did not receive it, but was deceived), ^C he should put him to the test. For it is not in doubt that if you were to make the episcopacy inaccessible to the ringleader of the drama, the one who either stole together with him or thoughtlessly put his name to it, or if you were to appoint a steward who would not allow him to sin beyond the point of forgiveness, and if you were to show as foolish the clever wickedness of the sub-actor, and make void that which he claims is owed to him (for whence could such wealth come to one who suffered from the extreme of poverty and who made his money from the revenues of the Church?), the truth will be clear. For you have treated with contempt those letters and threats and held them as nothing, and have proceeded to Alexandria, seeking for yourself an episcopacy, while bringing a stain upon your own reputation and standard of judgment, as one who sells holy ordinations for money. Since these things are so, it is the duty of your greatness—oh, by what worthy name shall I call you?—to reserve the full and exact punishment for his crimes for that incorruptible tribunal (for it cannot happen here that he pays the penalties he deserves), but to be moved and incited, and first to avenge the Church which has been unjustly harmed and vexed; and then to have a care for your own reputation, by indeed putting your threats into action and casting him out from the bosom of the Church. For if—which I am by no means persuaded to believe—he were not only to suffer nothing of this kind, but were even to be created a bishop, that secret which is spread abroad by rumors will be found to be true; and later, by sending him there, along with some pious bishops who are enemies of profit, to demand an accounting of the ecclesiastical revenues...

and to ensure he makes restitution of what he owes; and to make it clear whether he gave anything to the bishop (for he himself says that he received nothing, but that an imposture was practiced upon him). For there is no doubt that you ought to interdict from the administration of episcopal office the leader of the tragedy, who was either a partner in the theft or signed his name inconsiderately, or, if you grant him pardon, at least to appoint a steward who will not permit him to commit crimes more grievous than those which might be forgiven; and finally, by showing the actor that his cunning fabrication is insane and foolish, you ought to render vain and void those things which he contends are owed to him (for whence would he have such wealth, he who struggled in extreme poverty, and acquired riches for himself from the resources of the Church?).

CXXVIII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER.

CXXIX. — TO PAUL.

CXXX. — TO PAMPRETIUS THE DEACON.

CXXXI. — TO ANTIOCHUS.

CXXXII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

CXXXIII. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE LECTOR.

CXXXIV. — TO THE SAME.

you are unable to obtain, you ought by no means to desire; but, omitting these, you should pray for things that are fitting. Since even that interpreter of divine things, Moses, and the divine Paul, in some matters did not obtain what they asked for, but were taught that they had not asked rightly. ^B

CXXXV. — TO NEMESIUS.

On the text: "Man, when he was in honor, did not understand."

"Man, when he was in honor, did not understand, he was compared with senseless cattle, and was made like to them." ^C The holy Scripture did not say this in a mocking spirit against human beings, nor to revile the rational race, but rather most leniently. For if we were to examine the matter with precision, he is in danger of being likened not only to cattle, but even to savage, untamable wild beasts. Nay, he even surpasses these, if he is a lover of shameful passions. And this is the truly wondrous and paradoxical thing, that each of the wild beasts is a slave to a single defect, whereas he who is thought to be a man, having gathered and heaped them all together, journeys far beyond their irrationality. ^D And that you may not think my words hyperbolic, let us examine the facts impartially. For when someone leaps like a bull, kicks like an ass, whinnies for women like a lustful horse, behaves like a bear in gluttony, fattens his body like a mule, holds in his memory grievances like a camel, rages like a lion, plunders like a wolf, strikes like a scorpion, is deceitful like a snake, keeps the venom of wickedness like a viper, and gathers wealth—or rather, gathers sins—like a dung beetle gathers dung: how could anyone count this man of beastly mind among other men, not seeing in him the lineaments of the gentle and peaceful nature, but perceiving, according to the myths of the outsiders, the stench of some Scylla, or Chimera, or Hydra? But if you ask, What then must be done? I would answer that the spiritual mirror must be constantly handled, I mean the divine Scriptures, in which is contained both the history of good men and the salutary laws set down by God. For this mirror not only shows the deformity, but also changes it, if we are willing, into an indescribable beauty.

^A CXXXVI. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS. Ad principes.

Nothing, best of men, is more useful or advantageous than piety. For it preserves for the crowned emperors as well the safe and secure obedience of their subjects. Keeping this before your eyes, therefore, take care to steer the ship of empire so that those over whom you preside may remain, as far as lies within you, in tranquility. If this business has its labors, it also has its pleasantries and delights of soul. If you say, "Not at the same time and in the same moment," I would respond: For indeed it cannot happen. Since, while they wage war, they do not endure returning to mutual friendship, they are instead joined through the extremities. For after the labors have approached, pleasures and comforts will follow thereafter.

^B CXXXVII. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

That a wicked man should have everything turn out well, while conversely a righteous man, even though he is heaped with every praise that can fall to a man, should be involved in the most bitter evils—this is a matter truly difficult to conjecture and to comprehend, and it far exceeds the measure of human nature. For it is necessary to leave this to divine judgments. And if we wish to think rightly, we must commit the knowledge of this counsel to that supreme mind alone, which is alien to every stain, and instead apply ourselves to those things which are in our hands (which indeed we are barely able to discover). Since, however, you believe that one ought to contribute as much as possible to right doctrine, in that book which we published against the gentiles, we have also contributed help to the best of our ability. If you read it, you will understand the solution of this question.

^C CXXXVIII. — TO APHRODISIUS THE PRESBYTER. On the passage, "I became to the Jews as a Jew." And what it means, "When I was not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ."

If I were not thoroughly persuaded that your intelligence would supply what is lacking in my tongue, I would not have written these letters to you at all. What, then, is it that you wish to have explained to you? For what reason it was said by the Apostle: "I became to the Jews as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those who were without the law, as if I were without the law (though I was not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those who were without the law." Certainly, these things require accurate and diligent examination, until the truth lurking beneath them shines forth clearly. But I will state what I think as concisely as possible. He became to the Jews as a Jew when he was purified in the temple and offered sacrifice; and having circumcised Timothy, he sent him as a teacher to the Jews, by circumcision abolishing circumcision. Wherefore he did not say "a Jew," but "as a Jew." To those without the law as one without the law, when, addressing the Athenians, ^D

he did not argue from the prophets or from the law, but made his exhortation from the altar, subduing them by their own dogmas. Therefore he did not say "lawless," but "as lawless." And the [phrase] "being not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ," he said as if it were a matter of indifference (for in the case of one essence, there is no difference; for wishing to show this elsewhere, he said: "So then, he who eats, eats to the Lord, and gives thanks to God"^A); if you think this is forced, I believe it signifies this: that he had not merely conducted his life according to the law, which is ascribed by some to the Father—and which, on account of the state of those being taught, and not on account of the dignity and magnitude of the Legislator, was more fitting for babes and those being instructed in the elements—but also according to the heavenly and perfect law of Christ; for instance, not lawless according to the old law, but also lawful according to the Gospel; not outside the law, but also inside grace; not without experience of milk, but also experienced in solid food; not unpracticed in the wrestling school, but also having shone in the Olympic games. I did not commit adultery, because the law forbade it; but because of the Gospel, I did not even look at a woman with unchaste eyes. I did not murder, because of fear; but I also mastered anger because of longing. For he who keeps the old ^B is not lawless towards God, and he who keeps the new is lawful to Christ. He said these things not to assign the law to the Father and the Gospel to the Son, but out of regard for the suspicion and opinion of many. For all things that are the Father’s are the Son’s; and those that are the Son’s are the Father’s.

TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

Love, insofar as I speak all things bitterly to you^C, is gone; a matter precious and great, and brilliant, and concerning which the prophetic choir foretold, and the Saviour came here [to earth], and the apostles preached, having sealed the things decreed with their own blood. Wherefore, regarding only their own interests ^D

abandoning the common enemy, we take up arms against one another. And there is a danger that he who was conquered and routed might, through our dissensions, gather strength, repair his defeat, and win the victory. For while he lies prone, even if he is foolishly puffed up with audacity, our sloth and mutual war have brought strength and vigor to the fallen; so that, as far as our negligence is concerned, it is to be feared that that glorious achievement performed by the Savior (for though it is bold to say so, yet because it is true, it shall be said) may utterly perish. Whence also perhaps ^B this which you desire to have explained to you was predicted by the Psalmist, using these words: "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to corruption?"—that is, into the nature of men, which is subject to many corruptions. For although it signifies other things as well (for if you look at the moral sense, it is understood of David; if at the natural, of Adam), yet it seemed to many holy men to tend also toward this goal. For, "I have descended," he says, "so far as to be disbelieved by many because of my great condescension, and I have overcome and prostrated the tyrant." And the observer of the Seraphim cries out in these words: "Learn to do justice, you who dwell on the earth: for the wicked one has been compressed." ^C But you have betrayed, through your own sloth, an achievement greater than any hope, and a trophy superior to any miracle. What excuse, therefore, what pardon, what mercy will be left to you, when this life is demanded of you, which I see placed only in the Scriptures, but elsewhere, in deeds, not at all?

CXL. — TO MARO THE PRESBYTER.

This moves great astonishment in everyone, that while you yourself are unrestrained in crimes and shameful deeds, and neither obey the bridle nor are chastened by rebuke, you mock the miserable Zosimus, whom you most imitate. For if you were not committing the same acts as he, you ought to have corrected him, not publicly ridiculed him and pursued him with curses. But since you have become a more accurate ^D and expressive imitator of him in this—that is, having imitated the things which it was by no means fitting to imitate—what do you gain, when you think you are only broadcasting his stupidity and folly, but [in fact] bringing your own stupidity to public view? For those who hear these things think that both deserve to be stoned, the one as the architect of vices, and the other as his genuine student. Therefore, you must do one of two things: either cease from sinning, or do not mock him who is engaged in the same shameful deeds as you. For this is more grievous than anything else.

CXLI. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER.

If it is lawful to speak (and it is lawful to speak the truth when one is fighting for the truth), there is a danger that the divine preaching may be overturned by those very people who seem to be defending it. For by doing the opposite of what they speak, they make many—as if these were myths,

to regard them; wherefore it is worth the effort that, considering the danger which threatens them, they should leave nothing undone to remain unharmed by it.

CXLII. — TO PAUL.

On dogmas; on the holy Trinity.

CXLIII. — TO THE SAME.

On the same.

^A dixit, "Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God" — power, I say, not lacking in substance, but truly and really subsisting, and omnipotent, and the architect of that substance which possesses His power, and equal in strength to Him whose power it is. And again, the same author, explaining that spectacle which Moses saw 44, uses these words: "He beholds a spectacle most stupendous." And after a few words interposed: "In the midst of the flame, however, was a certain form of signal beauty, like to none of those things which fall under the gaze of the eyes, a most divine image, glowing more brightly than any fire, which anyone might not unreasonably have imagined to be an image of Him who is." But if anyone wishes to hear accurately and certainly about the image, let him hear Paul speaking of Christ after this manner: "Who is the image of the invisible God" 45. Therefore he also touches upon the orthodox doctrine of the Godhead. For you should not require from him a doctrine exact and perfect in every detail, as he was one who, through his sheer purity and clarity of mind, was capable of beholding the truth and of opposing his own religion. But consider this, that he did not at all conclude the doctrine of the Godhead into one person, as the unskilled teachers of the Jews, held captive by a certain preconceived opinion, profess. Nor, indeed, was he led to this opinion—though these instances have the greatest power to stir the mind—merely from these, but also from this passage, "Let us make man to our image and likeness" 46; and from this: "The Lord rained from the Lord" 47; and from this: "The Lord called in the name of the Lord" 48; and from this: "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand" 49; and from this: "In thee is God, and thou art God" 50. For those who say that God is a thousand times holy, and who dare to misinterpret these words ^B, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth" 51, are clearly refuted by the text, "I sought thy face, thy face, O Lord, I will seek. Turn not away thy face from me" 52. For if he who used these words were not proclaiming the Holy Trinity, he might justly be held liable for redundant speech. Nor only in this place—for I deem it necessary to hasten to a clearer statement—but also in this: "Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay to the Most High thy vows; and call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" 53. For if the Trinity were not here clearly proclaimed, it ought to have been said: "Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay to Him thy vows; and call upon Him in the day of thy trouble, and He shall deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Him." But it was not said so; rather, it is said as it is said. For clearly, both through these and through many others—which, so as not to draw out my discourse to a great length, I shall now leave to those able to hear—the Old Testament proclaims ^C that it teaches not the dominion of one person, but of three substances and one essence, so that it may rebuke the unsound notion of the Jews—which Sabellius also followed, perhaps emboldened to dogmatize a single substance out of an excessive parity of the Son with the Father—and so as to banish the polytheism of the Greeks.

^A Yet, if one should ask: "Why was this not proclaimed wisely and explicitly from the beginning?" I would say that it is indeed a clear demonstration and teaching, even for those who listen with understanding, as it was shown to the learned Philo. But if it was also delivered in shaded terms, one must consider that, in giving the law to the Jews, who were inclined toward the worship of many gods, He did not deem it appropriate to introduce a distinction of persons, lest they—dogmatizing that there was also a differing nature within the hypostases—should slide into idolatry. Rather, having learned the lesson of the monarchy from the beginning, they might gradually be taught the dogma of the hypostases, which reverts again to the unity of nature: so that those things said in the singular are signs of the identity of nature, ^B while those exceeding the singular number are signs of the property of the hypostases, which are gathered into one essence. For it is a Greek concept to posit different natures, and a Jewish concept to posit one person, or one hypostasis. Yet to expand the hypostases into the holy Trinity, and to gather them into one essence, is both the most upright and the most true dogma.

CXLIV. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

On the text: "Some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty."

CXLV. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON.

CXLVI. — TO CASIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

On avarice, and on very many of the ancients who practiced asceticism.

this you are restrained by an incurable disease, and you seek to provide a defense for such a failing, having armed yourself against us with Demosthenes (who made use of these words: "For money is necessary, and without it nothing of what is requisite can be done"), so that we might not dare to resist an invincible orator.

But for my part, since your own speech is deservedly brief and scant in many things, whereas that of that orator is voluminous and vast—inasmuch as he excels all others in a grave, bitter, agitated, and combative style of speaking, and in as much also as concerns his thoughts and his choice of language—I would gladly ask you: do you put him forward to us as a powerful orator who can through the excellence of his art force his view upon the truth, or as a trustworthy witness? ^B If you put him forward as a powerful orator who can adorn the shamefulness of your passion with words, we certainly will not yield to him—even if we do respect the man—but we shall prefer the truth over him. But if you put him forward as a trustworthy witness, we shall say nothing harsh or bitter. For others perhaps might dismiss him, as one who by the art of rhetoric attempts to obscure the truth, and for this reason, as one unworthy to be brought forward for testimony; but as for those who have both spoken and acted in opposition to him, we shall bring them into the fray and leave the casting of the vote to the judgment of those who encounter this. So far removed from arrogance and contumacy do we trust ourselves to be.

Since, therefore, as a Gentile and one who professes the dogmas of the Gentiles, it is fitting to subdue you by means of your own books, we must set in opposition to this invincible orator the most true and wise admonition of Isocrates, which is of this sort: "Wealth is the servant of vice rather than of probity and virtue; for it provides license for sloth, and urges young men toward pleasures." This man, in my judgment, is more illustrious than the other—not indeed in eloquence (for in that he is his superior), but if one weighs the truth. For this is everywhere preferred to the praise of eloquence by those who are wise. But if to some they should seem to be on equal footing, there is no need to provoke a contest, but rather it must be shown that all illustrious men agree with Isocrates. And first, indeed, the ancient custom must be brought forward. For ^C it was an ancient custom after a feast to take up a lyre and sing: "Perish, O Wealth, and may you appear neither on land nor in the sea." And if a second witness is needed, Aristides the Just (42) will also bear witness, who, although he could have acquired riches, embraced poverty, so that the city of the Athenians buried him upon his death, and provided a dowry for his daughters after he had provided them a home. And if a third is required, there will be voted

^A a stone by the Theban Epaminondas, the most distinguished of all the generals of that city; who, when he was called into the assembly, refused to appear on that day because his garment happened to be being washed, and he had no other to put on. But if a fourth is needed, Crates also will give his judgment, who surrendered all his own estate to the council of his city, and said: "Crates sets Crates the Theban free." But if a fifth, Phocion will subscribe to this opinion. For when Alexander the Macedonian had sent him one hundred talents of gold, he asked those who brought them what could be the reason why, out of so many Athenians, Alexander had sent to him alone. And when they replied that the king had done this because he considered him a sound and honest man, then he said: "Let him therefore allow me both to be and to appear such a man." And having said these things to those who brought the gift, he sent back the money; but he wrote to Alexander that, if he wished to gratify him, he should set free those whom he held as captives in Sardis, which was also done by him. ^B You see how one may perform one's duty even without money. But if a sixth must be produced, Plato also will give his stone (for I am now bringing forward a prince, whom you will not even be able to reject, regarding him as such a great and illustrious man), who forbids anyone to possess gold and silver. And Lycurgus, the legislator of the Lacedaemonians—for we shall not lack a seventh vote—enacted by law that if anyone brought currency into Lacedaemon, he should be punished with death.

But if we must move past these votes and examine the very nature of the matter, no wickedness will be found in human life which is not perpetrated for the sake of the love of money. Because of it there are hatreds, and fights, and wars. Because of it, murders and robberies, [and slanders—] because of it, not only cities, but also wildernesses, and the inhabited world, and the desolate places, breathe with blood and slaughter. And not even the sea has this evil avoided; but even there it has entered with great madness, while pirates besiege it and invent a new mode of robbery. Because of it, the laws of kinship have been overturned, and the ordinances of nature have been moved, and the rights of substance itself have been corrupted (44). For this wicked and foul love [rages] ^C not only against the living, but also against those who have finished their lives (45), against the holy substance of the dead. For who has proven to be as constant and insatiable an enemy as wealth? While we are living, it destroys the soul; and when we are dead, it insults even the body, as it does not allow it to be hidden in the earth, which is something common even to the condemned. For the lawgivers, having exacted the penalty of death from them, look for nothing further; but wealth demands a most bitter penalty from those who possess it even after death, exposing them naked and unburied—a dreadful and ^D pitiable sight. For these men suffer things more grievous than those who suffer such things from the vote [of the judge] and from judicial anger. For the latter, having remained unburied for the first and second day, are surrendered to the earth; but these—

^A have armed the hands of those who dig up graves, for indeed they do not allow even him who has departed from this life to be set free from their plotting. And whatever evils one might find, whether in council chambers, or in courts of law, or in houses, or in cities, one will see them sprouting from this root. But why do I labor? For not even if all mortals came together could they express the whole malice of this disease. But if you think that he who possesses money is difficult to capture, and that for this reason wealth is a thing to be fought for, I shall endeavor to demonstrate the opposite. For whom does he who abounds in gold not fear? Does he not fear robbers? Does he not fear false accusers? Does he not fear the powerful? And why do I say the powerful ^B? Since he suspects even his own servants. And why do I speak of him as if he were living? For he is not alive while he is held fast by such a disease. But not even when dead is he able to be freed from the villainy of robbers, nor is death able to keep him safe and unharmed from injury; but those who are accustomed to commit such crimes plunder even his breathless and buried body. To such a degree is the abundance of wealth a dangerous thing. For it is not only houses that are dug into, but also sarcophagi are broken open and tombs. What then could be imagined more miserable or more pitiful than this, when not even death affords him security, but that wretched body, not even when deprived of life, is able to be set free from the calamities of this life, since those who are accustomed to commit such crimes are eager to war against dust and earth, and that much more fiercely and painfully than when he was alive? ^C For then, if it happened that they entered into his storehouse, having emptied the chests, they would have refrained from the body, and would not have taken so much as to strip the body itself. But now, even from this the defiling hands of the grave-robbers do not refrain, but they move it constantly, and turn it over, and insult it with much cruelty. For after it has been committed to the earth, having stripped it naked, both of its shroud and of its garment covering, they thus leave it cast aside. Who, therefore, is so implacable an enemy as wealth? Which destroys the soul of the living, and insults the body of the dead, nor even allowing it to be hidden in the earth. It is a common thing, and belongs both to the condemned and to those who have been caught in the most disgraceful acts. For as for those, the lawmakers, having exacted ^D the penalty of death, trouble them no further. But wealth exacts from these a most painful penalty even after death. If they are committed to the earth naked, then they are stripped and insulted by the grave-robbers; and if they do not also take the sarcophagus and depart, it is no longer thanks to wealth, but to poverty—for here, if we had entrusted even this to wealth, and having abandoned making it of stone, had wrought it of gold, we should have lost even this. What therefore could be more miserable than the wealthy man, when not even death affords him exemption, but his wretched body, not even when deprived of life, is set free from the evils of this life, being robbed and plundered for the sake of the love of money by criminals and grave-robbers, who are eager to war against dust and ashes, and that much more cruelly than when he was alive?

^A For it is redundant for an argument to labor to show that wealth is hard to overcome, seeing that those who have acquired it do not happen upon safety even after death. And yet, who is there who does not make peace with the dead, even if he be a barbarian, even if he be a beast, even if he be a cruel demon? For the sight itself is terrible, and it softens even a very unyielding spirit. Therefore, whenever someone sees a corpse, even if it be a corpse with whom he had an irreconcilable truce or an undeclared war, he weeps along with the relatives. Thus all men respect our common nature and the laws introduced by it. But gold, not even obtaining this, releases the punishment for those who have provided themselves with it, but even makes those who have suffered no injury enemies of the dead. For if we happen upon the stripping of a dead body or its enemies, nature herself reconciles us even to enemies. But wealth makes even those who have nothing to complain of into enemies, and with great insolence abuses the body. And yet there are many things there that can draw one to pity. What are these, then? None other than the very fact that he is dead, that he is bereft of motion, that he is tending toward earth and ash, that there is no one present to help him. But nothing bends those vile and accursed men, because of the tyranny that this wicked desire produces. For that terrible and insatiable love of money, like some cruel and ruthless tyrant, stands over them, commanding those raw and relentless decrees, and having made them beasts, leads them thus to the tomb.

If, therefore, (for one must return the argument to what was proposed) there are many and famous men who have forbidden and renounced wealth, just as one would not make a treaty with an enemy and foe of virtue, and the disease of avarice has been shown to be the cause of all evils; and it has been established that those who have acquired riches are not hard to overcome, nor hard to capture, but have appeared easily conquered by all, not only while living, but also dead. ^B You have ceased to be possessed by this grievous disease, and you are setting an orator against us as a rampart. If the judgment had been yours, our discourse would not have been long; for, as one suffering from it, we would have most quickly rejected it. But since you have armed the orator against us, how could I speak appropriately, since you forced us, albeit we increase [the stature of] the man, having armed many against him, ^D and how I might most quickly, I would say, speak with propriety.

the orator himself, who boasts and exults that he is superior to base gains. What, then, did he say? "No one could show that any gain was attached to the matters in which I have engaged in politics and speak." Thus he himself also prides himself on this magnanimity. But if you were to say, Why then did it seem right to the orator to pronounce an opinion so easily refuted? I would reply that, in the highest degree, it is not I, but you who have set him ^B forward as a champion, who ought to be interrogated for his defense. And if it is also necessary to speak on his behalf (and it is necessary, I think, so that we may not seem to some to be fighting against an absent man, or rather that we have conquered him in his absence; additionally, because I both love the truth and respect the man), I shall do this, as best I can.

I state, therefore, that all other men, having perceived and observed the nature of the matter itself, have rightly proscribed riches as being enemies of virtue. But the orator, not looking at the matter itself in isolation, but casting his eyes toward the necessary uses of war, used these words. For otherwise it was not possible to forge weapons, or to build triremes, or to provide rations for soldiers, or to prepare the other things in which war delights and exults, without money. And that this is true, he says in another place: "To those matters which are now pressing, the city has need of nothing so much as money." Since these things are so, if he counseled the Athenians, whether for good or not for good (for I pass over that ^C point), while they were waging war, do not you put this forward as a general and common opinion, nor approve it, nor emulate those who are greedy for gain, nor deem them happy, nor provide a defense for things that cannot be defended, nor attack the orator as if he were foolish and easily refuted.

For if anyone wishes to attack this clever and eloquent orator—for I shall say this also after his purgation; for, as I already said, my love for the truth is keen—he will use these words: O most excellent of all orators, I marvel how, while often turning arguments to the contrary, and having nothing else more primary or more ancient than to persuade your hearers of what you desire, although you have stood as the fountain, and origin, and rule of all ^D eloquence for those after you, yet you did not notice what I am about to say. For you ought to have fortified your opinion, and said: "There is need of money, and without it nothing of those things which must be done in war can be accomplished." But perhaps he would have replied, if he were still alive: "The subject of the speech, and the entire context, shows this." But, O wise one, he would have said to him again, "You speak well." For this is what even he who has undertaken this struggle before your defense was saying. Thus, without looking toward contentiousness, he spoke. And I am persuaded that you, too, speak the truth, and he as well. But since some are uneducated, like this man who has instituted this struggle, neither [understanding] the subjects, nor reporting the context, they wish…

by tearing [texts] away from the sequence of those things which precede or follow, to deceive both themselves and others. You ought to have secured your argument. For as stated, it incites the light-minded and ignorant to the love of money, and fills them with a myriad of evils; but it rouses the educated and wise to contradiction, even against their will. For what can they say? What are you saying, O Demosthenes? That nothing of what is necessary can be done without money? Can temperance not be demonstrated, nor courage, nor justice, nor prudence, nor philosophy, nor goodness? For these [virtues] are both appropriate and necessary, if one were to call them so in the strict sense. ^B Yes, he says. What then is that which you said? Of those things which must be done, I said, in war. Why then, one might say to him, did you not clearly define this in your own speech? Or do you not know the laxity of the many, that what they desire, these things they also establish as valid? Or rather, you taught us this yourself. For yours is that famous and true apophthegm: "What each man desires, that he also supposes." But things are very often not naturally so. What harm, then, would this small addition have caused? What benefit would it not have brought, at least if it had freed both you from blame and reproach, and all the rest from confusion and turmoil? If someone had addressed these words to him, I believe that he would have been grateful for the correction (for he was a prudent man) and would have corrected his speech. For in this way, no one among the foolish would have dared from then on to bolster and strengthen his own ignorance with Demosthenic learning.

^C

CXLVII. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

Here too, my excellent friend, the best and most kingly of men (for so it is right to call those who flourish in virtues) live more [truly] than the most servile. For this is the proper way to designate those who are enslaved to perverse pleasures. For the virtuous are superior to all things, standing above not only despondency, but also fears, and dangers, and every kind of change. Not [because they suffer] nothing, but — what is much greater, and makes such a life appear divine — because they despise these things even as they come upon them. But those who wallow in sins do not even seem to me to be alive, because of the despondency, and fears, and dangers, and the myriad swarm of passions that arise from them. For if death is ^D expected, they die even before death,

whether it be disease, or insult, or poverty, or any other of the unexpected [evils], and they perish even before the trial. If, therefore, things are thus (and they are, even if we do not wish it), let us emulate those who live gloriously both here and there. ^A

148. TO THE SAME. The character of those who live rightly, admirable man, obtains a trust greater than any oath, and is crowned by the votes of all who hear. But to wish to be excessively loved is born from loving excessively. Therefore, if we wish to be trusted, let us live well; but if we wish to be loved, let us love.

149. TO CASIUS THE SCHOLASTIC. ^B Since you have so greatly exalted the letter I recently wrote to you concerning virtue and the non-loving of riches, you have provided a sign and sufficiently shown that you are persuaded that the praise of it [virtue] is correct; for it is not possible that what one deems to be correct, one should say is not to be obeyed. For just as we are accustomed to flee the things we censure, if we are wise, so we choose the things we admire and esteem. Cultivate these things, therefore; for they bring forth immortal glory. ^C

150. TO EPIMACHUS. What is the meaning of: "They make broad their phylacteries"? Since you have written asking that I explain to you the meaning of "They make broad their phylacteries," know that these were small scrolls, perhaps containing the Law, which the teachers of the Jews used to wear, just as women now wear small Gospels. For since the Lawgiver, in order to spur them toward the work and drive away forgetfulness, had decreed, "Thou shalt bind them as a sign upon thy hand," meaning, you shall fasten them, you shall hang them; but they, while taking no account of the work, spent great effort on the straps of the books, they were deemed worthy of blame. ^D

151. TO THEOPHILUS THE READER. A funeral oration for one who had lived in varied virtue. The blessed Timothy, your brother, has departed from the assembly of men, leaving behind all that was mortal on earth, while his soul ascends to heaven, and, as I trust, dances in the choir with the divine and supercelestial powers. For this reason, we have cast off the grief—though it was very great—which, struggling against it as much as we were able, had almost overcome us, when we considered that the end of human affairs here has become the beginning of the greatest goods for him there. For the man did not live his life here by chance, but bravely and nobly, and by all, for his...

illustrious deeds, he was proclaimed, being himself superior to every eulogy, but crowned with such praises as his powers allowed. For he was in truth a palace of temperance, a hearth of prudence, an acropolis of courage, a metropolis of justice, a storehouse of philanthropy, a sanctuary of gentleness, and, to sum it up in a word, a treasury of all the virtues. For he acquired each one in such a way that another might have deemed it a great thing to acquire even one. For, having become a lover of those things beyond the world, he leapt toward the ether in his reasoning, and he explored the heavenly things, while neglecting the earthly. For, having rightly judged that temperance is the most true pleasure, and the one befitting Christians, he tyrannically mastered the belly and the passions that follow after the belly, legislating self-sufficiency for the former, while not allowing the others even to flutter. From there, ^B rumor proclaimed his glory on every side, and he was in the mouths of all, and all [hoped] that if he attained to an ecclesiastical authority, he would send out more brilliant rays of virtue. But like a good athlete, while the spectators yet longed for him, he flew off to the heavenly courts to be crowned, having left behind here, as a sepulchral monument, his glory and memory, [and] the praise from all men. Who, therefore, wishing to eulogize such a man, could even slightly reach the worthiness of the subject? Who, wishing to praise him, would not, after being left behind by the subject matter, accuse himself for having attempted an impossible task? Who, attempting to portray in words his gentleness and sweetness, and his respect for all, but especially for the virtuous, would not blame himself, finding ^C nothing to say that matches the truth? For he so captivated those who were with him that, as far as the laws of friendship were concerned, they all assigned him the first place. For he was sublime in virtue, but humble in spirit; mild in his encounters, but keen in his thoughts; and generous in his benefactions, but swift in his consolations. The thing that does not permit me to stop, although I wish to, is this: that as he loved almsgiving with singular affection, he studied to ensure that this kindness should be hidden and unknown, well knowing that this is what almsgiving most of all consists in. For those who perform it with display ^D do not seem to me to show kindness, but rather to make a spectacle of the misfortunes of those who receive the benefit, and to corrupt a divine work with a most grievous disease. For those who crave to be called philanthropic and beneficent do not refrain from parading the calamities of others. But that renowned man—for it is not right to be silent, and necessary to rebuke those who speak while failing to preserve his true worth—by giving not only openly, but also by doing this secretly, refreshed those who happened to be in the furnace of poverty. But why do I labor, attempting to hymn a sea of goods with a paltry discourse? Wherefore I, for my part, will here bring my speech to an end; for the subject does not permit me, though I wish to make an end of writing, to leave unsaid the fact that, while he embraced almsgiving with a singular love, he yet studied to ensure that this kindness was obscure and unknown, because he held it as certain that almsgiving consists most of all in this. For those who exercise it with ostentation do not seem to me to exhibit kindness, but rather to exacerbate the calamities of those who are affected by the benefit, and to...

destroy them ^A with a most distressing disease. For while they desire to be called humane and generous, they by no means shrink from publicizing the miseries of others. But that famous man (for it is not right to keep silent, and at the same time, by speaking of it, it necessarily becomes obvious that I do not attain the praise he deserves) used to refresh those who were caught in the furnace of poverty, not only by giving generously but by doing so in secret, as if bathing them with a kind of dew. But why do I weary myself, while I attempt to proclaim an ocean of good deeds with a thin and base speech? Wherefore I will put an end to my discourse here; but as for you, having suppressed that sadness which you have taken up on his account, honor that most excellent man through the cultivation of virtue.

CLII. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

May the healing of wounds of the soul proceed with the utmost care and diligence. For those things which have prematurely formed a scar ^B are wont, for the most part, to open up and break out again.

CLIII. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARON, AND EUSTATHIUS

A certain man, illustrious and adorned both by nobility and by his conduct, having met with me, explained to me with tears that certain persons, to whom virtue is not a matter of small concern, had uttered these words about you in a private gathering: "What shameful and unspeakable vices will these men fear to perpetrate in secret, who do not blush to behave so lewdly and insolently in public? And what foul deeds would they not commit, if they even boast about manifest sins? How could they be chastised by any advice and be made better, who even mock ^C prudent men? How could they, when rebuked, put an end to their wickedness, who even disparage those who rebuke them and tear them to pieces with slander? How could they revere the divine oracles, who think they are nothing but myths and fictions? How could they dread the judgment, who even proclaim through their works that it does not exist? How will they obey the words of Christ, who through their deeds preach Epicurus?" Indeed, I myself, having heard these things, was affected with great pain of soul. It would be right for you, however, to consider how you might wipe out this mockery. You will wipe it out if you change your mind; you will change your mind if you are persuaded that the holy Scriptures are true; you will be persuaded if you enjoy them constantly; you will enjoy them if you learn their meaning; you will learn it if you frequent ^D those who are wise according to God; you will frequent them if you flee from wickedness; you will flee from it if you fear the punishments that hang over it; you will fear them if you believe that the Divine exists; you will believe if you emerge from such great madness; you will emerge if you imitate those who have emerged; you will imitate them if you take hold of virtue; you will take hold of it if you are seized by the love of the heavenly kingdom; you will be seized by it if you consider that the things which are seen by the eyes are transient and will eventually perish; you will consider...

them if you contemplate them with uncorrupted eyes. You will contemplate them if you embrace heavenly things closely. You will embrace them if you render the eye of your soul more perspicacious. And you will render it so if you accustom it to look perpetually toward the divine light. ^A

CLIV. — TO OPHELIO THE SCHOLASTIC

Perspicuity joined with gravity does not generate obscurity, according to the proverb, for the hearers.

CLV. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER

That celebrated man, and one worthy of all praise, Timothy the reader, lived so uprightly that no one could say that he was admired, but not loved. For the former he harvested equally from the love and study of virtue, and the latter from the fact that he avoided those things which brought envy; for, by reason of the orderly nature of his disposition, he seemed ^B older than his contemporaries and a contemporary of his elders; being able to admonish the former, while yielding no cause to the latter by which they might correct him.

CLVI. — TO HESYCHIUS THE ILLUSTRIOUS

They say that you have constructed a splendid house, more than worthy of admiration, but that in the meantime you have neglected your soul, as if it were something most worthless and of no value at all. Know, therefore, that you are not adopting a good plan; for your house will proclaim your greed even in future times, being silent itself, but your soul will endure terrible punishments. ^C

CLVII. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS

What oracle of the Savior, O best of men, or what word has not come to pass in reality, that you should also reject the one concerning judgment? For if those others failed, let not this one be believed either. But if all have gone into effect, why do you refuse to believe this one? For the things that have already occurred guarantee the outcome of those to come. But if you wish, I shall briefly bring into the middle some of the oracles—for it is perhaps not possible, nor even easy, for us to produce all of them—and I shall not refuse to do even this. ^D He said that Jerusalem would be taken, and it was taken. He said that that most celebrated temple would be destroyed, and it came to pass. He said that the apostolic preaching would prevail, and it has prevailed. He said that He Himself would be more venerable to children than their fathers, and sweeter to fathers than their children, and more desirable to wives than their husbands, and the fact itself followed. He said that the Jews would be scattered, and like certain runaways and villains they have been dispersed. He said that the Church would indeed be attacked, but would not be conquered; and its trophies are clear and brilliant on land and sea. He said He would make manifest what that woman did who poured ointment upon His feet. And the event escaped no one. He said that the preaching would occupy as much of the earth as the sun beholds, and it has occupied it. For there is no nation nor any remote corner that is not hearing of it. He said He would make the fishermen of fish into fishers of men; and even now the

^A net is hunting. He foretold the Cross and death, and it has been fulfilled. He foretold the Resurrection and the Ascension, and it has come to pass. But if I attempt to bring forward all His oracles, I could not do so, even if I wished to finish my discourse. Since, therefore, He has said all these things and brought them to their end, will He not be believed when He speaks regarding His most manifest second coming and incorruptible judgment? And who among those not destitute of mind and prudence would endure this? For if those oracles had not reached their fulfillment, let Him not be deemed worthy of faith. But if all of them have attained their proper end, for what reason is He alone disbelieved in this? Nor shall this be passed over, as it is no small matter, but in my judgment a very great one: that if He was proven true in the things in which He was at variance, for what reason is He disbelieved in that in which He was in agreement? ^B For the fact that the Divine nature descended to our affairs, and accomplished so great an economy, and wrought such miracles, and healed passions through passion, and put death to death through death—this, while it was not believed, received its demonstration through the very things themselves. For if He had been a mere man, He would not have conquered all mortals after His death; nor would He have driven the swarms of myriads of gods from the inhabited world; nor would He have reduced the famous oracles to silence; nor would He have ordained fishermen as teachers of the world under the sun; nor would He have tamed wild and inhuman nations. But that, having foretold that there will be a judgment—a thing acknowledged by the most and most renowned of the wise, and one that is just and consistent and fitting for rational beings, and agreeable to Divine Providence, and one that clears up those things in this life which appear to most to happen ^C topsy-turvy—He should nevertheless fail to find faith in this, I truly do not know. For since those things which were disbelieved have come to pass, by what logic will that which is believed not come to pass? For if in those points where He was at variance [with men's opinions] He was not refuted, in that point where He is in agreement, He should be worthy of faith. For if those things which surpassed rational inquiry have come to pass, that which is according to reason will come to pass all the more. For of those things which have occurred beyond reason, the reasonable and consistent part will follow.

^A

TO THE SAME. From the Epistle of James, on the saying: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity."

It does not agree, O best of men, but rather vehemently disagrees with what you think, the divine pen. For you said that the tongue is moved and troubled by fate. But the divine oracle says, on the contrary, that the time of our life is troubled by the tongue. For time is like a wheel, revolving into itself. And there is nothing like hearing the Scripture itself. What, then, does it say? "The tongue is placed among our members, which sets on fire the whole body, and stains the wheel of our life." For it did not say that the wheel stains the tongue, but that the tongue stains the wheel—that is, clearly, the wheel-like time. For it blames the will and restrains the rashness by which our life is made harsh and falls into myriad irregularities. Therefore it also added, "And is set on fire by hell." It would not have added this if the tongue were moved against its will. And that it called time a wheel because of its wheel-like and circular form (for it revolves into itself), the Psalmist confirms, who named it a crown and said to God: "You shall bless the crown of the year of your goodness." For here too, from the circular shape, time is deservedly called a crown. If, therefore, you do not wish to incur mockery, do not cite the divine oracle, which contradicts your desires, as if it were in agreement and consistent; but rather act so that you rein in your tongue with a thousand bridles.

^B

CLIX. ORION THE MONK.

We have derived as much pleasure as your friends, or certainly not less, that your discernment has bade farewell to the affairs of this life and has girded itself for the contest of divine philosophy. And we trust that, with divine aid favoring you, you will also obtain the prizes and crowns.

CLX. TO NILUS.

I have often marveled at those who turn the forbearance of God into an opportunity for vice. For it was fitting, while such goodness prevailed, that they should not increase their vice but, having obtained mercy and pardon, and seeing the benefit, should abstain from vice and embrace virtue; yet they do not hesitate to commit even nefarious crimes. Therefore, let them know that they will by no means escape punishment. For the divine oracle cries out: "He will render to each according to his works." ^D

CLXI. —

TO APHRASIUS THE PRESBYTER

^A Although our struggle is not against flesh and blood, yet we must be taught the rules of the wrestling ground by those who do struggle against flesh and blood. Just as those people, therefore, not only strip off their garments (for the beginning of the contest is to lay aside one’s clothes), but also shave their hair—and, having anointed themselves with oil so that they might neither be seized by their hair nor provide their antagonist with slippery hands through the application of oil—it is only in this way that they proceed into the contest; in the same manner, we too, if we desire to win the crown, must strip off the old man with his deeds, and shave off the outward things, and having spent these on alms, bare of every concern and without a tunic, let us go up to the stadium of virtue ^B to contest the Olympic games pertaining to the soul. But if, doing none of these things, we imagine that we are struggling and pride ourselves on this, first of all we shall be mocked here by men of sound mind. And afterwards, we shall also know for certain over there that we have deceived ourselves when, not only lacking a crown, we are led away to suffer penalties.

CLXII. —

TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER

Since you have written that you wonder how, when it is a grave and atrocious deed for Zosimus, who plays the role of a presbyter, to perform sacred rites, it does not seem grave to the person who lawlessly ordained him, I would answer thus: You, indeed, are justly indignant out of your hatred for the wicked and your love for the good (for no one would deny this); however, I have judged that it is also right to advise you to keep your tongue pure ^C and free from slander. For even if that man is, as you have written, worthy of myriad deaths—as one who has not been made better even by his honor, but who abuses the dignity of the priesthood as if it were a kind of weapon for vice, and who dares the undareable—yet, for this reason, he will be required to answer for the most severe penalties before the impartial judge, unless he repents (for God is not unjust); yet it would be in no way fitting for you to pollute your own mouth by detailing and railing against his filthy deeds.

CLXIII. —

TO JOHN SCHOLASTICUS

Concerning philosophy.

^D If your adversary provokes you to battle, it is better not to respond at all. But if, as you say, this is impossible for you, as having not purposed to philosophize to the highest degree, temper your rebuke with philosophy by using these words of the orator against him: "I fear that in saying things about you that are fitting [to say], I may fall into words that are not fitting for me." For in this way you will both philosophize moderately, and you will exact [due] penalty from him.

CLXIV. — TO HERACLIUS THE PRESBYTER.

CLXV. — TO EUDÆMON THE READER.

[index: entries preserved]

nevertheless that which is the middle ought not to surpass the extremes, but rather to be surpassed by both. But since the middle part of life is perturbed by countless storms, cares, dangers, ambushes, labors, and other things which I now pass over, tell me, where, I pray you, will you show me luxuries and pleasures?

^B CLXVI. — TO AMMONIUS THE SCHOLASTIC. Why Christ rebuked the women mourning as He went to the cross.

You seem (O by what name shall I worthily address you!) not even to follow common notions. For the fact that you asked by letter for what reason Christ not only did not praise those women who were grieving for His sake, but even rebuked them, is the greatest proof that common notions are not at all preserved in you. For sympathy is an insult to him to whom the suffering does not happen against his will. For those who suffer against their will are deservedly mourned, but those who contend intentionally and of their own free will are called blessed. For it is not the things that are happening, but the souls of those who suffer, that we must weigh and examine, which pull us one way or the other. For the fact that both robbers and martyrs undergo the same punishments does not spring from one and the same principle, nor does it look to one and the same end.

^C CLXVII. — TO THEOPHILUS. That narrations about virtue provide the greatest benefit.

That excellent narrations are wont to arouse the innate incentives in us toward virtue, you do not fail to know. Since, therefore, this is so, let us take care not to say or do anything discordant or absurd.

^D CLXVIII. — TO HIERAX THE PHYSICIAN. On poverty.

Since he who, by means of comedy, cast a tragic brow upon the people and restrained its trouble and envy, has seemed to you an excellent monitor—as one who wrote things which are naturally accustomed to restrain the souls of listeners with great gravity—hear him saying: Not considering poverty to be a shameful and disgraceful thing, which is the mother of philosophy and of every art and science.

CLXIX. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. To conquer by doing evil is of the laws of Satan. But

^A in those Olympic games that are celebrated in honor of him, they who struggle are crowned in such a way. But in the arena of Christ, the law of crowns is the contrary. For it is decreed that the one who is struck, not the one who strikes, should be crowned; so that it may be a greater miracle, not only because of the victory, but also because of the manner of the victory. For when those things which among men are held to be signs of victory are shown to be productive of defeat, then the divine power, then the heavenly arena, then the angelic theater is rightly believed to be present.

CLXX. — TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Since a brilliant reputation is being raised for you by all, you ought to be watchful, so that you may establish and make secure this reputation by your subsequent right actions. ^B

CLXXI. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS.

If there were anyone (by what name shall I call you, so as to strike at your stupidity!) who would offer himself as a guarantor for the future, and would make it clear that none of you will be one who dares to commit such flagrant acts again hereafter, as you have committed, I would gladly have kept silent, and would have granted a pardon for the past, so that those crimes might lie forgotten in darkness and obscurity. But since no one is a sufficiently ^C solvent guarantor for this matter, I have therefore deemed this written admonition necessary. For if it finds you still laboring under the same disease, perhaps it will accomplish its own work; but if it finds you recovered from your madness—which is what I pray has happened—[it will also do its work]. For even to the best physicians, who reap their own sorrows from the calamities of others (for many of them practice the art only for the sake of profit), it is a subject of prayer to prepare their remedies so that the sick person does not even need to approach them. And I myself pray that none of you should ever have need of this admonition. But if it should happen—which God forbid!—that it ^D is needed, this "second voyage," as the saying goes, will not be useless to you. I will therefore explain what it is that I thought you needed to be warned about. For I am forced to say what I do not wish to say in plain words: namely, that you, having fallen in some way into a labyrinth of vice, have overturned not only divine laws, but also those very laws of nature, as they are called. For those who rave against the law-abiding nature of things, rightly rave against one another. For desire, when it does not have the bridle of the fear of God, is not easily restrained, but like a horse not obeying the bridle, or, to speak more appropriately, like a plague, it creeps through every age, and corrupts and ruins every race and every rank. Therefore, although it is not a fine thing to offend the ears of honorable men, it is most useful to rebuke those who boldly do what is not permitted; for it would be a sign of great cowardice, when one is about to root out an evil, not to even attempt to raise one's voice, as if the silence would automatically heal it.

However, I have written as discreetly and obscurely as possible, so that, having adopted a better mind, you might cease committing those crimes which are both contrary to nature and exceed all measure, lest excessive punishments be demanded of you. For the manner of punishment always and entirely aims to correspond to the magnitude of the crimes, showing that, if the comparison were made, the torment of the Sodomites was like mere child's play. ^A

CLXXII. TO THE SAME.

The judgment of God, I think, is indeed pure: yet it is tempered according to the quality and quantity of the sins. For this is the main point toward which that which was said by the Psalmist looks: "A cup in the hand of the Lord, full of pure wine mixed; all the sinners of the earth shall drink of it" (Ps. LXXIV, 9). That a cup of punishment is to be understood in this place, no one doubts (77), just as it is also said in Jeremiah: "Take the cup of wine of this fury, and make all the nations drink of it, and Jerusalem first" (Jer. xxv, 15). For as to those who assert that the Psalmist prophesied concerning the mystical cup, both Jews and Gentiles—and all who are strangers to it—refute their opinion. And the Psalmist himself refutes them most of all, as he who, before these words, had said: "God is the judge; one He humbles, and another He exalts." ^B

CLXXIII. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Christ (O simulacrum of philosophy!) shed tears over Lazarus, most of all in this matter also, as in other things, fixing rules and boundaries for us, so that we might not be driven headlong by sadness in the manner of those who rave. For those who saw him said, "Behold how He loved him!" (Joan. XI, 36). But since you said that it was by no means consistent for Him to shed tears, as He, the One who knew beforehand, was about to bring Lazarus back to life (for we all follow the dead with tears for the reason that we do not expect them to return to life immediately), see if the argument is able to touch upon the exact truth. He was a friend of the Savior; and if he was His friend, he was certainly righteous, for he would not have been loved by ^C the [Lord]... ^D

^A undefiled Justice if he had not been righteous. For [God] is accustomed to be led to love, not by favor, but by judgment. And since he was endowed with righteousness and had departed from the stadium of this life with praise and glory, there is no doubt that he was in rest and honor. Since, therefore, He was about to raise him from death to life for his own glory, He wept, using words almost to this effect: "I recall to the billows and storms him who had already arrived at the harbor; I lead back to the contests him who had already obtained the crown."

CLXXIV. — TO THE SAME

^B When many discussions take place in almost every gathering regarding virtue, there is little concern for it among the many, but great concern among the few. Indeed, everyone—not only those who love and are studious of it, but even its enemies—extols it with praises. So great is its beauty. But wickedness is reviled both by its enemies and by those who love it. So great is its hideousness. But because it is armed with momentary pleasure, it is well-regarded by many, even though it is beastly in form, surpassing that which shines with divine beauty. It is necessary, therefore, to know that even if momentary pleasure seems to have greater power than that which will be advantageous later, it ends in a destructive and pestilential outcome. Therefore, it is ^C better and preferable to proceed from labors to rest than from pleasure to torment.

CLXXV. — TO MARTINIAN THE PRESBYTER

On the text: "Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

Prudence tempered with simplicity produces a certain divine thing, that is, a virtue perfect in all respects. But if the one be separated from the other, the former falls into wickedness, and the latter ends in foolishness; for the one is apt for committing evil, while the other is apt for being deceived. And for this reason, the divine oracle did not represent this by a single image; for there is no prudence combined with simplicity in irrational animals, but some pursue wickedness and others simplicity. But He said: "Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." ^D This is not so that we might imitate the venomous and striking nature of the serpent—for the Jews are reviled as serpents and a brood of vipers—nor that we might imitate its guile and deceit; for the example is not taken in every respect, but only in part, since otherwise it would not be a pattern, but an identity. Rather, it is so that we might slough off the old man, that is, wickedness, like a skin, and [that we might put on] faith, like...

the head, guarding that, while caring little for the body—leaving the rest behind, and mixing with these ^B the simplicity of the dove, not, however, so as to copy its lack of sense (for Ephraim is reproached as a "silly dove without a heart"), but so as to imitate its guilelessness and lack of malice.

And if you wish, the discourse will move along by another example. Christ is called a Lion, not only Christ, but also the just man, and the devil; yet not in the same sense. For, as I said before, the example is not taken according to every reason, but only according to that part which serves the proposed argument, while the rest is permitted to pass by [(82)]. Christ [is likened to a lion] due to His kingly and invincible power: "For lying down He slept as a lion." The just man, due to his intrepid soul and fear of no danger; for the just man trusts as a lion. The devil, finally, due to his bestial nature and bloodthirstiness; "for he walks about as a lion seeking whom he may devour."

If, therefore, the Holy Scripture has exhibited various images from a single animal, and we do not confuse the contemplations but assign to each what is fitting, why are you surprised if Paul took the image of clay—not to destroy the free will of man, which he everywhere proclaims, but not only to show the immense obedience which a just man, as is fitting, ought to have toward the Divine, but also to heal the madness of those who dare to attack that knowledge which is pure and transcends all speech and intellect?

TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

If the Divine Power tolerated sacrifices and blood on account of the childhood ^C in which men then lived, why are you surprised if It also tolerated the music which is performed with the cithara and the psalter? Music, as some say, drives away the turbulent motions of the soul, at the same time soothing sorrow, mitigating anger, and lifting mourning through tears [(83)]; for many, as they say, who have forced themselves not to weep, have fallen into various maladies [(84)].

CLXXVII. — TO THEODOTUS THE PRESBYTER

What *Eir* is in Daniel.

^ASince you asked what *Eir* means by way of interpretation (for that point was overlooked by Daniel in his explanation), know this: Because the barbarian had fallen into pride and insolence on account of his excessive power and his belief that his kingdom possessed invincible strength (so that he thought he had exceeded human limits and believed he had been enrolled among the divine order), yet was soon to be cut down—for the cutting down of the tree being seen testified to this—therefore, wishing to render him more moderate and prudent, not only through the terror of the things seen but also through a certain figurative manner, [God] arranges the narrative as if in a royal court, with the King pronouncing the sentence, the general interpreting it (that is, announcing the decree; for *synkrima* means interpretation), and the soldiers carrying it out into action. For he called the one who delivered the proclamation of the sentence *Eir*, as if he were an archangel (for *Eir* translated means "watcher"), and he called the angels commanded to cut down the tree, "holy ones." For since they could not prevent the ^B sentence (for it had been issued with speed and clamor), but a certain hope of salvation was shining forth because the roots remained, they inquire—that is, they petition—so as to learn the allotted time. And he, not only [does] this, but also explains the cause to them: "In order," he says, "that those who live may know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of heaven."

CLXXVIII. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

I know that you set out to admonish those around Zosimus, Palladius, and Maro, not through a desire to show off the power of your speech, nor to hunt for glory from it, but prompted by benevolence and affection. But if they, while being mocked by all, yet think they are being mocked by you alone, and consequently are angry at you, do not fear; for you have the divine alliance, which defends your side and repels them.

CLXXIX. — TO STRATEGIUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

The freedom of speech which righteous men have used for their own justice, O admirable man, was not born of haughtiness and arrogance, but of necessity; for it was so that they might not appear to be suffering unjustly that they came to this... ^{C D}

^A necessity of revealing their lives. For no one among them, while he was in comfort, broke out into such cries; rather, one called himself earth, another ashes, and another a worm. But when abandoned to the most grievous trials, they were compelled to reveal their own life, so that they might not appear to be suffering on account of wicked deeds. For fearing that, by reason of what they suffered, they might acquire an evil reputation among many foolish people—or rather, that they might also be reproached as though suffering for their sins—they were compelled, as I said, to come to these utterances. For those who are devoid of understanding and prudence are accustomed, from the calamities that occur during this life, to draw occasion to slander the life of others as well; which indeed the friends were telling the noble Job: ^B "You have been scourged less than your sins deserve" (Job IV, 5). And the barbarians who saw the viper hanging from his hand thought even holy Paul to be some murderer and criminal. Wherefore they also said: "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, Justice does not suffer to live" (Acts XXVIII, 4). And Semei also, that loose-tongued person of whom I spoke, was calling the Psalmist a murderer when he was being pursued by his son, because of his very calamity being led to pass such an improper judgment upon him (cf. 2 Reg. XVI, 7). Since these things are so, do not you yourself commit the error of condemning all who are in calamities; but consider that there are some who also suffer for the sake of obtaining crowns. And if you are stricken with admiration and doubt, we shall bring you this judgment from heaven. What then did he who holds the empire of all things say to his own disciples? ^C "In the world you shall have tribulation" (John XVI, 33). And it was also said to Job (89): "Do you think that I have spoken otherwise than that you should appear just?" (Job XL, 3). For, "whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he chastens every son whom he receives" (Heb. XII, 6). And this is not at all absurd. For the friends of kings are they who especially risk danger in wars, and have wounds, and undertake journeys. And these are the very things that secure for them boldness and authority before the king, and that they may henceforth converse as with an equal ^D with him who holds the higher place of dignity, as with one who has...

^A many of the wicked punished here, and rewarded some of the just. So if those in deep distress of the righteous cause you to stumble, let those in comfort and honor build you up; and if those in prosperity among the wicked trip you up, let those in punishment and torment set you straight.

CLXXX. — PALLADIUS

CLXXXI. — TO DIDYMUS THE PRESBYTER

CLXXXII. — TO THE SAME

CLXXXIII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER

CLXXXIV. — TO THEON THE BISHOP

CLXXXV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

CLXXXVI. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

On the Incomprehensible

CLXXXVII. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

which overcomes and puts to flight all turbulent motions of the soul and every vice, not even a trace of the wound ^A will be left.

CLXXXVIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

From what we are about to say, O shrine of wisdom, you may clearly understand what difference there is between divine and human laws. For the divine oracles, in sanctioning what is honorable and fitting, set up teachers of virtue at the very beginning and in the first stage of life, so that they may close off the entrance to wickedness. For this is the best method of instruction: not to allow vice to gain control first, and then afterward to exert oneself to have it cast out, but rather to do and devise everything from the very beginning, so that it may have no access to human nature. But external lawgivers regulate it only when it has been distorted. For they should not have threatened punishments to those who have reached manhood, but rather should have molded and shaped them while they were children; and perhaps there would have been no need for threats thereafter. ^B But now the situation is as if someone did not help a person about to be slaughtered by robbers, nor tell him how to escape from their hands, but then punished him once he had become half-dead; or as if a physician did not offer any prophylactic remedy to one who was healthy and sound, nor tell or do anything for one who is beginning to fall ill to ward off the sickness, but once it is corrupted and in such an affected state that it cannot be cured by any means, were to prescribe countless remedies. And if many fear these laws rather than those, it is not to be wondered at. For the former, because they inflict ^C punishment very quickly, terrify the more dull-witted; but the latter, because they punish rarely in this life and only in the future, are held in contempt. For the future is clear only to a few, namely, to those who have a more penetrating mind and clearly perceive the nature of things. For most people, even if they agree in words, deny it in deeds. For by the things they do, they proclaim what they think; inasmuch as they not only take great care of the body while neglecting the soul, but also are deterred from sinning by the shame of men who see them, while they do not even blush before God who not only sees them but also contains all things, ^D and they sin shamelessly. And not only does this show the madness of the many, but so does the following. For many, while swearing by God, commit perjury, but they do not even dare to swear by the heads of their children. What punishment, therefore, could be devised in this life that is adequate for them? There is none at all. And therefore, it is with good reason that the punishment there has been threatened and is held in suspense.

CLXXXIX. TO AMMONIUS.

Since, when anger snaps the reins of reason, which performs the function of a charioteer, it often drives the human mind astray beyond the bounds of nature, the Apostle Paul devised a medicine for such a fall that is not only excellent but also very swift, using these words: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” That is to say, before the sun inclines toward its setting, recognize your nature, extinguish your wrath, suppress your arrogance, and embrace the kinship and closeness which even dominates the wild beasts, so that the intervening night does not render the malady incurable. For then the devil, having found a suitable time, inflames all the more the things that have happened, irritates one toward vengeance, goads one toward enmity, arouses one toward accusations, gives birth to the memory of injuries, and generates myriad evils from this. Now, that the inspired Paul, in cutting off these things, ordered that reconciliation between those who are at odds should happen as quickly as possible, is evident from the fact that he immediately added: “And do not give place to the devil,” who secretly renders small affections great, and makes those things which could easily be cured difficult, or even entirely impossible to cure. ^B

CXC. TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER.

Do not act, excellent man, so that the prosperity which has been granted to you by the benefit of divine mildness brings you to the point where you exceed your duties and stray beyond the bounds of nature. Rather, take care that this leads you to the consideration of those bounds and confines you within them, lest, by sinning in an monstrous way, you pay also monstrous penalties.

CXCI. TO THE SAME.

Do not grow proud, nor imagine for yourself matters beyond the measure of human nature, lest otherwise, even if you were to fall from mediocre things, your calamity might be exaggerated all the more. ^C

CXCII. TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

Great indeed is the mystery of godliness, as also the initiator into the mysteries, Paul, has written—not that it is entirely unknown, but that it is beyond the reach of anyone. For it exceeds every power of speech and mind. For if a child is the fruit of marriage, how did a virgin display the fruit of marriage? How was the corruptible united with the incorruptible? How is that which is restricted understood in that which is limited, ^D while neither the divine and pure nature suffers any decrease, nor does the mortal nature—in some ineffable way that defies interpretation—fail to receive honor? How did He who suffered save us, and He who died raise us, and He who was insulted honor us with the highest honor, and He who was crucified...

deliver us from the curse; or, to speak more correctly, take up sin and death onto the cross ^A

CXCIII. — TO THEODORE.

CXCIV. — TO ALEXANDER.

CXCV. — TO THE SAME.

CXCVI. — TO THE SAME.

CXCVII. — TO ISAIAH.

and easily repel the memory of troublesome things, giving more weight to this thing which we do not want to happen, we therefore hope to enjoy those things that seem to have the appearance of pleasure, and we fancy that we shall avoid those things which are joined with trouble and bitterness; and especially when prosperity consoles the threats of sad things. For sloth, strengthened by comfort, brings about a kind of forgetfulness even of nature itself, and casts it outside its own boundaries. But if anyone should extinguish sloth, he will immediately see right thoughts budding forth, which both confirm justice and judgment.

CXCVIII. — TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP. On the saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed." ^B Most divine, O learned man, the Word of the Father calls His own divine preaching the Kingdom, as if it were bringing forth the kingdom of heaven. "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which is the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it becomes greater than all herbs." This is the meaning of what He says: that from a small beginning (for the words are lowly) it will grow to such magnitude that it will bring obscurity upon all Gentile learning and wisdom. And this is exactly what happened. For error, though flowing with Attic elegance and arguing keenly, gave way to the truth which was laboring in rustic speech.

CXCIX. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP. ^C You are deservedly indignant, O shrine of hatred for the wicked, since he who, by periphrasis of impiety, as you say, called himself Eusebius—for it was not his name from the beginning—having considered the priesthood to be some vile and trodden-under-foot thing, dares to bestow it upon those who commit the same shameful acts as he does; and while he banishes those who are worthy of every kind of honor, he brings to the venerable altar those who do not even deserve to be counted in the rank and number of laymen. He thus insults it in two ways, as far as it lies within him: both by keeping out the worthy and by enrolling the unworthy into the sacred order. But know this, that the All-Seeing Eye, which now indeed makes use of goodness, gentleness, and patience, will not for all time endure these things, but will afterwards strictly exact from him the penalties for this crime. ^D

^A CC. — TO THE SAME. He who is wreathed with the crown of the priesthood, if we wish to speak properly, is a more true procurator of earthly matters than he who wears the purple. For the former is the leader of souls, the latter of bodies. But if, failing to recognize his own dignity—or, to speak more correctly, the ignorance of his office and ministry—he takes no care of souls, but attends only to walls and columns, and devotes himself to luxury and pleasure, and is eager for the collection of money, he indeed brings ignominy upon himself, not upon the priesthood. Yet many of the foolish, who should instead exalt that [office] with divine honors while accusing the man, instead turn the whole accusation against the office itself.

^B CCI. — TO OPHELIUS THE SCHOLASTIC. On the election of the apostles. Neither those who hunt for phrases, nor orators, nor dialecticians, nor those who pride themselves on the cleverness of their speech are to be called wise; rather, those who shine in practical philosophy [are to be so called]. But if logic also adorns these men, they are to be named wiser. And if contemplative philosophy as well (I mean, therefore, piety, which alone we define as wisdom in the true sense), they are to be called wisest. For this acts as a foundation and a building, the second as an ornament, and the last as a crowning touch. Just as, therefore, when there is no foundation or building, neither those things which adorn nor those which crown have any place, so too if virtue is absent, neither logic nor the contemplative part will have any place.

^C CCII. — TO EULOGIUS. Do not judge it to be something very noble and to be prayed for, that a man who deserves glory and splendor on account of his virtue should obtain indulgence. For the former is appropriate for the very worst, the latter for the very best. The one happens because of mercy, the other is born as a reward. For the one is pitied for the weakness of his soul, but the other is crowned for his greatness of soul.

^D CCIII. — TO ESAIAS THE SOLDIER. That the soul is immortal. You have no pardon, nor will you have, if you persist in the same practices. But if you change your mind, and restrain your madness and fury, you might perhaps obtain it. For divine goodness will overcome severity. But if you do not believe that there is a judgment, hear what Plato says: "For if death were a release from all things, it would be a stroke of luck for the bad to die, to be freed at once from the body and from their own wickedness together with the soul. But now, since it appears to be immortal, there is no other escape from evil and sal-

it is apparent, there is no other way by which it may escape evil, nor is any salvation open to it, other than that it should become as excellent and as prudent as possible. »

^A CCIV. — TO DIONYSIUS. You seem to be ignorant of things which even very young children know. For you said you wondered how it happens that those who speak pleasant things more easily entice their listeners than those who enjoin what is useful; being ignorant of the fact that this happens because the former pander to desires, while the latter fight against them, with the result that the former are admired and the latter are hated. For utility yields to pleasure.

CCV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. Not only he who has been co-opted into the sacred order, but also any upright man (for there ought to be as much difference between a priest and any upright man as there is between heaven and earth) must not act in a petulant or childish manner, but must everywhere display a temperate and properly moderated manner of life. Yet you, as they say, neither when you were young kept a measure in lasciviousness and lusts on account of poverty, nor since you have grown old, on account of your age. Wherefore, if this is so, keep yourself away from the venerable altar.

CCVI. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP. Those who, while fixing their eyes on utility, think nothing should be kept silent—not putting forward the magnitude of glorious deeds as the cause of their silence, but rather attempting to commend and praise the truth, for the laudation of which even the most eloquent men shrink from girding themselves—by praising noble deeds, if not worthily, at least as much as is sufficient, leave behind to those who shall come after them an argument and evidence of their own mind, which inclines toward things worthy of mention.

CCVII. — TO PAULUS. He, in my opinion, is the most just judge of controversies, who does not stand in awe of men adorned with the most ample dignities, but who, out of equity, provides to the weaker that which they lack, and, bestowing upon each in honors what he deserves, grants to all that which is equitable in the settlement of cases, employing justice everywhere as a measure.

CCVIII. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP. Concerning what was commanded to the exterminating angels: « And begin from my sanctified ones. » If those who are redeemed by the sacrosanct dignity of the priesthood could produce for us some oracle by which it is ordained that they need not labor or cultivate virtue, but ought to teach by word alone, then let them think as they think. But if divine oracles everywhere proclaim those to be bishops who are inflamed with the love of virtue, and on the contrary explode against those who attempt to instruct others by word alone, why do these men—failing to act upon what has been declared by divine laws and treating the priesthood itself as if it were a tyranny—pride themselves? For indeed, the divine

^A ordinances command that those who have obtained the priesthood should, above all others, be engaged in labors and spiritual exercises, so that their subjects—those they are permitted to command—might be stirred to emulation of virtue by the shame they feel when they see them laboring. For the conduct of those who teach is naturally of far greater power to incite than their mere speech. But these men, as if they had been entrusted only with the task of speaking, shrink from acting—men whom the divine Apostle rightly rebukes, saying: "You who preach that one must not steal, do you steal?" (Rom. II, 21). And the divine decree in Ezekiel, which you asked me to explain, commands the angels who were about to bring punishment upon Jerusalem: "Begin at my sanctuary" (Ezek. IX, 6). This is what the chief of the apostles also rendered when he said: "The time has come for judgment to begin from the house of God" (1 Pet. IV, 17). And if it begins with us, what shall be the end of those who do not believe the Gospel of God? For it is just that those who enjoy greater honor and dignity should, if they sin, be punished with graver penalties.

^B CCIX. — TO THE SAME. To the priests.

When some illegitimate man, unworthy of the priesthood, usurps authority, then indeed the order of authority shifts into disorder. For it is the nature of the subject to become like the ruler. And this, as you wrote, is what happened in the case of Eusebius. For such a love of vice was kindled among the priests under him and among the rest of the subjects that those coming from elsewhere have before them an unending cause for tears at the sight of so many great evils.

^C CCX. — TO THE SAME.

You are insatiable, it appears, in your love for those in whom the splendor of virtue shines. You sing, at least so I hear, that song of the Psalmist with unquenchable desire: "But to me, O God, thy friends have been greatly honored" (Ps. CXXXVIII, 17). For your longing for them is so great that you heap many and varied praises even upon those in whom no trace of virtue exists (for we are not like them, although we may perhaps appear to be). For you, even if we are not such men, a reward is laid up. But if, even when favored by such praises, we do not become better, we shall suffer a ^D greater judgment.

^A And so, lest this happen to us, cease praising us excessively.

CCXI. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

Keep a watch, most excellent man, upon those who are uninitiated and unworthy of divine discourses, who very often even treat with laughter things that are worthy of all commendation and praise; but speak to those to whom it is permitted. For holy things are not to be cast before dogs, or before swine that have human form, but should be offered to those who lead an angelic life, just as it has been delivered in the divine oracles.

CCXII. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER.

Concerning the three days of the Lord’s burial.

I am greatly amazed and astonished at the folly of those who inquire for what reason Christ rose before the three days. For if they claim that He did not rise at all, why do they fuss so hungerly and peevishly about the minutiae of time? But if they do believe that He returned to life, yet that He did so more quickly than He had promised, they ought to realize that from this very fact—that He returned to life—it is simultaneously demonstrated that He spoke the truth in every respect. For since He accomplished that which both was and appeared impossible (if one regards the weakness of men), He certainly would not have failed in a matter ^B that did not in the least exceed His power; even if to rise slowly is a sign of weakness, to rise quickly is surely a proof of the greatest power.

They ought, indeed, from the fact that He blotted out and removed from the midst the infinite catalog of Gentile gods, that He overturned all the temples of idols, and extinguished those impure and sacrilegious altars which were stained with human blood, and broken the sinews and strength of the devil, and put the demons to flight, and furthermore tamed wild and savage nations, and cast the Jews into the greatest calamities, and finally raised those who embraced the faith above the heavens—they ought, I say, to have adored His divine and invincible power, and not to argue about a few hours. For the greatest things, which are superior to all discourse, cannot be overthrown by trifling matters. ^C But since the abundance and breadth of the truth is great, I will try to approach the matter itself. For the sake of a preliminary skirmish, then, it shall be said to them: If we were to see an debtor who promised his creditor that he would pay his debt after three days, paying it before the deadline, would we judge him as having lied, or would we marvel at him as having been more truthful? ^D

I myself, and surely you too, think the latter. What inconsistency is there, then, if Christ said He would rise on ^A the third day, but rose sooner, both to demonstrate His own power, and to strike the guards with fear, and to stop the mouths of the Jews? For to rise sooner involved no culpability, whereas a later rising would have been full of suspicion. For it was necessary that the resurrection take place while they were sitting by and keeping watch; since, if it had occurred after the days had passed and the guards had withdrawn, the event would have been suspicious. But if He did not rise, how is it that the apostles performed such signs in His name? How would they not be credible witnesses, they who confirmed the truth of the resurrection through countless perils and deaths, and who sealed their testimony not with ink, but with their own blood?

But if one must also descend to the precise and accurate explanation of this question, ^B I would say this: He said He would rise on the third day. You have the Preparation, you have the Sabbath, until the setting of the sun—and He rose after the Sabbath, having touched both days, and having fulfilled the intermediate time. For He said He would rise in three days, not after three days. "For break down this temple," He says, "and in three days I will raise it up." And the prophet too, prophesying in advance, used these words: "Then death shall mourn, having been overcome by a stronger death. He shall heal us after two days; on the third day we shall rise, and we shall live in Him." But if one were to object regarding the three days and three nights, I would say that by the very fact of His having touched them, He fulfilled the promise. ^C For one day is called the interval of twenty-four hours. And whether one is born, or should die, in the first or in the last of these, this is reckoned as a day for him. For example, if someone is born when the sun is about to set, and that day is the first of the month, this is reckoned for him. But if another is born when the sun has set, it is the second. How is it, then, that while only a single hour—or perhaps not even a single hour—has passed between them, the one is said to have been born on the first day, and the other on the second? Because it is established and clear to all that by the mere fact of touching, the one completed the day that was passing, and the other the one that was coming, the day being completed through a span of twenty-four hours. If, therefore, the precise consideration of times also cries out this, why do they trouble themselves in vain, those who claim that the truth has strayed from the truth?

CCXIII. — TO PETER.

The saying, "Claiming to be wise, they became fools," was said for this reason, O wise one: because among them there was a great inflation devoid of truth, but in the Scriptures the truth is pure of all pride. At that time, therefore, there was need of great courage and prudence to strip bare every allure of words, cleverly and gracefully contrived, which presented falsehood as though it were the truth. Now, however, their deception has become easily detectable even to the uneducated themselves.

CCXIV. — TO APOLLONIUS.

Almsgiving must be pure from reproach and insult. For those who mingle these things with it mix foul mud with fragrant ointment, and they wound the souls of those receiving. For things given with reproach, even if they are very great, are not pleasant to the receivers, even though they may silently endure the insults because they are constrained by need. But when they are even very small, and are provided with insult, they bring forth an unbearable storm in the souls of the needy. For one should not even mention those who not only give nothing, but also assail the poor with railings and curses; for they have exceeded every ferocity of wild-beast-like cruelty. For those who put in to them as to a harbor, they sink, not only failing to supply the necessary need, but even adding insults. It is necessary, therefore, to answer the needy gently and, according to one's ability, to provide, and to cover one’s almsgiving, just as a free-born, noble, and modest virgin, and not to parade her before everyone. But if one has not the means by which he may console the suppliant, let him answer him with peaceful words in mildness. For, "A word is better than a good gift," ^C and both are found in a man who has found favor.

CCXV. — TO BISHOP EVOPTIUS.

You, perhaps following the opinion of the many, said that he who used force upon a virgin sinned more gravely than he who persuaded her. I, however, paying attention to the very nature of the matter, think—for even if what I am about to say will seem new and strange, yet because it is true, I will say it—that he who persuaded is more wicked than he who used force. ^D For here, persuasion is more grievous than force, since the being persuaded, in the view of the best, is deemed to differ nothing from being forced.

^A For the one who violated the body, kept the mind pure; but the other, having corrupted the soul beforehand, thus proceeded to the violation of the body; and the one made [his victim] guiltless, the other made [her] answerable to justice. For the violation of the former stopped at the body; that of the latter reached also to the soul. And the one who was forced has an excuse, but she who was persuaded has an inevitable penalty. For the former is even able to exact penalties from the violator, but the latter, by having her mind corrupted, is inexcusable and is destroyed along with [her violator] in the punishment. For the former is outside of blame, but the latter is placed within it. With the former, one feels pity; the latter is justly hated. For the violation of the former touched the body, but did not touch the mind; whereas for the latter, both the body and the soul have been defiled. But if you think these are human calculations, we shall read this law from the heavens. What then does it say? "If anyone force a virgin in the desert, put him to death, but spare the girl; for the young woman cried out, and there was no one to help her." But for her who has suffered this in the city, ^B and did not cry out, the punishment is inevitable. And quite rightly so. For in the desert there was no one who could help; and for this reason, she who was treated with such insolence was judged worthy of pardon. But she who suffered this in the city, and by her silence consented, and did not cry out, nor call those who had the power to restrain the violence, is justly condemned to death. Therefore, we must with all our strength keep the mind pure and undefiled, not stained by any impulse or such consent, so that if—which God forbid—anything of the sort should happen, they may have an unblemished defense before the impartial Judge, who also enters into the hearts and has no need of witnesses.

CCXVI. — TO DIONYSIUS.

On the text: "For there is no authority except from God."

Since you have written asking what is meant by, "For there is no authority except from God," and have said: "What then? Is every ruler appointed by God?" I would say that you seem to me (and pray do not be angry with me: for I shall say nothing trivial) either not to have read the apostolic utterances, or not to have understood them. For Paul ^C did not say, "There is no ruler except from God," but he discourses about the matter itself, saying: "For there is no authority, except from God." For the fact that there are authorities among men, and that some rule and others are ruled, and that all things are not carried along simply and without regulation, like the waves, by the citizens being driven here and there—this, ^D [is the work] of God...

divine wisdom, he says. For since those who are equal in dignity usually stir up war, He therefore did not permit popular rule, but kingship. And after that, He created many other authorities. What are they, you ask? Ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and child, elder and youth, master and slave, teacher and student. And one might perceive the like even in irrational animals. This is guaranteed by the bees, who are marshaled under a king, and the cranes, and the herds of wild beasts. If you were to observe the sea as well, it too would not be found lacking in such good order; for there, too, many of the tribes of fish are marshaled under the rule of one, and are directed as if by military command. Thus they also set out on long migrations. For everywhere anarchy is a most grievous thing, and the cause of confusion and disorder. For this reason, even in the body, which is one, not all things are of equal dignity, but some of the members rule, and others are ruled. ^B Therefore, the thing itself—I mean power, that is, rulership and kingship—must be acknowledged as fashioned and instituted by God, so that the orderly arrangement may not degenerate into a disordered state. But if some impious and sacrilegious person should break into this, we do not say that he has been created and appointed by God, but rather that he has been permitted: in order that he may either, like Pharaoh, vomit forth all his own wickedness and thus be tormented with the ultimate punishment, or that he may call back to a better mind those who have need of the severity, just as the King of Babylon [did with] the Jews.

CCXVII. TO ISAIAH. Concerning Providence.

Justice—O by what name might I worthily call you?—gaze upon the affairs of mortals, and punish those who commit wicked deeds. And human affairs are not without oversight. Having known this, therefore, flee injustice, so that you may also flee the punishment.

CCXVIII. TO BISHOP HERMOGENES.

Since you wrote that I am, as is fitting, nourishing you in every way, and, by my tongue, conveying into your ears doctrine worthy of mention, ^C I reply that if anything profitable and learned is written by me, you must consider this to be of divine and heavenly grace, which makes even the unrefined and the ignorant wise.

CCXIX. TO COUNT HERMINUS. Concerning rulers.

Now that you have been raised to command, you will obtain greater fame and admiration for your name, if you do not take vengeance upon those by whom you have been injured, but ^D even now, most of all, [you choose to enjoy] forgetfulness of all painful things.

CCXX. — TO HERACLIDUS THE BISHOP

He who surpasses his fame by experience, and whose appearance and presence excel his reputation, he truly deserves to surpass even praises, refuting our words as being inferior to his own worth. But since, even if words fall short, the mind must yet attain victory, we must dare and do, so that we may set forth in writing the praises that belong to those who are upright and possessed of virtue. For a threefold good arises from this: namely, that we embrace virtue with a sincere disposition (for no wicked man can endure to praise the good), and that we be pure and immune from envy, not suppressing or hiding the prerogatives of the virtues of those by whom we are surpassed; and finally, that the wicked may either be put to shame or be corrected, both of which are useful to them. ^B

CCXXI. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP

Do not be indignant, O conspicuous foster-child of the hatred of the wicked, if Eusebius, whom you have written of as full of impiety, and as waging an implacable and unrelenting war against those who live uprightly and virtuously, makes a pact of friendship with those who embrace vice. And do not be bothered that he makes war upon those who have wealth if he does not receive money, or that, so as not to wage war, he takes as much as he could have plundered had he waged war; rather, wait for the divine sentence. ^C

CCXXII. — TO THE SAME

Since divine providence, the more it sees those who sin to be prodigal of their own salvation, the more it provides for their salvation, for this reason, using the royal and humane proclamation of lenity, it cries out: "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matth. III, 2). But if those who sin, setting this admonition at naught and regarding it as of no account, condemn this lenity as carelessness, perhaps even in this life, but certainly when the time for punishing crimes arrives, He will no longer spare those who refused to spare themselves, but will exact most severe penalties from those who have despised His lenity. And this is the intent of that passage of Scripture which you wished to learn from me: "I have held my peace, shall I always be silent and endure? I will remove and dry up at the same time" (Isa. XLII, 14). For it is just that those who have derived no benefit from such great lenity, but have instead taken from it an occasion for graver sins, should be held bound by the punishments and torments of divine justice. ^D

CCXXIII. — TO ALYPIUS THE BISHOP

If we rightly judge those punishments to be the greatest of which many are aware (for those that are hidden are somehow wont to be lighter), what must we believe that torment will be like when it is established in the presence of the heavenly hosts and in the sight and view of all mankind?

CCXXIV. — TO ISIDORE THE BISHOP. On Envy.

^A In no other matter that is good, or has the appearance of good (O man who shares my name), is envy mild; rather, it is bitter and savage. But in the case of virtue, which has truly obtained the nature of the good, it rejects every sort of consolation. To burn with envy might perhaps be free from trouble, but it is by no means noble or brilliant; for that I should so conduct myself that I am justly envied is something I would wish should never happen to me or to my friends. One who is envied, however, must bear the malignity of envy with a prudent soul.

CCXXV. — TO THE SAME. On Charity towards God.

I say to those who lack nothing of the things that must be done to attain virtue (for many, although they define virtue as the greatest good—which indeed it is—nevertheless take no great care of it), this: if only they would not rely on the confidence of their own powers, but would refer to divine assistance the things they perform rightly and with praise, they would both overcome the turbulent movements of their souls and would reach the goal of virtue in every way. For even if that which is superior to human strength makes it possible for someone to overcome opponents, nevertheless, to him whom the divine power assists—referring the victory, as is right, to God—to him nothing is superior; but if he should attribute the praise to himself, he brings about an obstacle to himself, and it is not to be wondered at that he fails to gain the victory.

CCXXVI. — TO THE SAME.

^B I wish to speak briefly, about that which I do not wish to declare in clear words. If he who is insulted by those lying in wait—you know of whom I speak—were wicked, he would possess those who now assail him with reproaches as the greatest heralds of his praises.

CCXXVII. — TO THE SAME.

Whoever is a partaker of integrity will be most pleased when virtue is honored. ^C For just as when a legislator sets the greatest punishments for transgressions, he is not to be thought of as prepared himself to commit a transgression, in the same way, when someone, hearing of the extraordinary and singular rewards of virtue, is filled with pleasure, he is judged to be inclined and prepared for every kind of virtue; and filled with all good things, yet touched by no evil. Nor is it indeed strange or absurd that upright men admire virtue and embrace it with love.

CCXXVIII. — TO ARPOCRATES THE SCHOLASTIC. On the Art of Divination.

That the art of divination was full of trifles among the Gentiles, and was celebrated in vain by the mouths of all, I have demonstrated in my ^D *To the Greeks*.

^A Since you produce Homer as the most wise witness, I shall in turn produce that same person against you. For the testimony that is taken even from enemies is grave and full of authority. For when he introduces Helenus, who professed the art of divination, advising his brother Alexander to fly from the battle, and, having gone into the city of Minerva, to make vows together with the women—and then [describes] them praying, while She [the goddess] rejects their prayers; and afterward, the same diviner urging him to challenge the best of the Greeks to single combat, and when he had complied and issued the challenge, he is defeated, receives a wound, and has need of someone to break off the battle—is it not clear even to mere children that he is, as it were, slapping divination on the cheek, or even mocking its stupidity and arrogance, in that it carries itself with temerity and insolence in predicting and holding out great hopes, but in the end is refuted and errs? That this is manifest to everyone is clear. ^B And if he makes mention of prophets, and sacrificers, and dream-interpreters in many places, it ought not to seem marvelous. For poetry, seeking out the mythical at times, has falsehood for its material, and through an indiscriminate pleasure, it grows insolent and runs wild, displaying the mythical and the theatrical. For it cares so little for the truth that it even introduces the sons of Aloeus, showing them rather as laboring in vain than as performing some mighty deed, using these words:

"They strove to heap Ossa upon Olympus, and upon Ossa Pelion with its waving woods, that heaven might be steep to climb."

Then, believing that they would prevail if they had reached their flowering age, he pronounces an unlearned and unphilosophical opinion, saying,

"And they would have finished it, had they reached the measure of youth."

I say that not only three mountains, but even if the whole earth were fashioned and raised up in the manner of a column, it would not touch the heavenly vault; and this is especially true according to those who say that the earth is the center of the heaven. ^C For the center would never touch the circumference.

CCXXIX. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

On Truth.

He who falls away from the truth in the beginning will be entirely cast out from what he has proposed, and will end in a foul conclusion. ^D

^A CCXXX. — TO ZOSIMUS AND MARO. Some say that not even Metrodorus the Epicurean established the doctrines of Epicurus—who has been rejected and proscribed by all wise men—through his actual deeds as much as your wretched trinity does. If, therefore, they speak the truth, put an end to your unchastity and licentiousness. But if not, cling to modesty.

CCXXXI. — TO BISHOP THEODOSIUS. I fear to speak, lest I seem to flatter—for I consider flattery to be the most shameful of all the minor vices—yet I shall speak, compelled by truth, that no one, as I suppose, or rather am persuaded, could attain through words the gifts and virtues of soul that dwell in you, not even if they possessed ten tongues, ten mouths, and as many souls as they have tongues.

^B CCXXXII. — TO DIONYSIUS THE PRESBYTER. He who, knowing no good in himself, O wise one, uses modest words, while forgiving, or rather acknowledging [the good of others], is not truly humble. But he who, after many virtuous achievements, thinks humbly of himself—this is the one who truly knows how to be modest.

CCXXXIII. — TO MARTINIAN. On Avarice. Painters depict the love of bodies as having torches and wings, as it is keen but quickly extinguished; for at times it inflames the passions with smoke, and at other times, due to satiety, it flies away. But no one has ever dared to portray or write about the love of money. Perhaps the reason for this is that it is not love at all, but an incurable madness. Or perhaps it is because it can neither be portrayed nor described. For it does not have mere fifty heads, like the fabled hydra, through which it transmits food to an insatiable stomach, nor is it afflicted like that insatiable monster, nor is it armed with a mere hundred hands in the manner of Briareus. ^C Indeed, it does not even have wings, for it knows no satiety, nor has it any understanding of being filled. How, then, could anyone portray or write about such a monster, to which even Scylla would seem credible by comparison, despite being incredible in itself? But since discourse is more expressive than any color, and softer than any wax, it will attempt to delineate it as best it can; not because it can achieve this perfectly and absolutely, but in order to expose the beastly and joyless madness of its victims. For it seems to me that it possesses no... ^D

resemblance to a child—for this is not love, but plain madness—but rather to a woman (and let this also be proof of its folly and wickedness) who is beastly in form, breathing fire ^A, having countless hissing snakes instead of hair upon her head, and vomiting forth deadly venom; having countless hands covered with claws, by means of which she tears some to pieces, shoots arrows at others, and plunders money from others; and having countless mouths. For she does not merely threaten, nor merely slander, but also flatters, speaks in a servile manner, perjures herself, and invents countless pretexts for the sake of shameful gain. And she has eyes that do not see as nature intends, nor feel shame before anyone—neither friend, nor brother, nor relative, nor benefactor—but look with a harsh, sharp, cruel, inhuman, and fiery gaze. For she neither perceives the nature of things, nor understands that, having often stirred things up, she has transmitted money into the hands of enemies. Hence she has branded the one who is ensnared with countless sins, and has ears so deeply stopped up that she listens neither to supplications, nor to groans, nor to lamentations, nor to accusations. And so far is she from having wings—which signify satiety ^B—that no sensible person could even attribute feet to her. For she does not know how to walk, nor to move away from the one who is ensnared, but, sending her hands out against all, she sits heavier than any iron or lead, receiving everything, plundering everyone, yet never being filled; rather, she uses the multitude of things received as fuel for a fire, and makes the end of what has been taken the beginning of what is yet to be taken. Who, then, would be captured by such a sharp and insatiable madness, which rubs on us countless sins, accusations, disgraces, and acts of intemperance? Who would choose to live here so miserably, being scourged night and day, and knowing no rest, not even sleep, only to receive the beginning of punishments there? ^C Why do I say "beginning"? For here she torments and tortures those whom she has seized more bitterly than any tyrant, leaping upon them and touching their vital parts, granting them not even a moment to catch their breath, but imposing a punishment more bitter than that of those who are condemned to the mines—that most grievous of punishments. For it is possible for them, after their work, to make use of sleep and rest; but for those whom this madness occupies, it blocks up the harbor of sleep and commands those cruel and inhuman orders by night. For it drives some to robbery, others to murder, and does not even respect holiness itself ^D, which even barbarians and demons deem worthy of honor; nay, she even arms the filthy right hands of the captured against dead bodies, a new and...

wicked species of robbery devising. ^A Wherefore, pondering all her vices, namely that she is endowed with a beastly shape, and is hideous and unpleasant, and fire-breathing, and insatiable, and blind and deaf, and misanthropic and foul, and hated by God, and implacable and cruel and savage. For neither is she softened by being flattered or served, but is then rather the more enraged when she is most flattered. We should indeed move every stone to avoid being captured by her; for it is easier not to be captured than, once captured, to escape. If we have been captured, let us summon up our strength and invoke divine aid; for without this, it is not possible to be delivered from such a captivity; for there is a danger that to most men this captivity is without any recall; let us suppress the desire for making gain, and let us distribute what has been collected, either all at once or gradually, to the needy. For this ^B alone is the remedy for such captivity.

CCXXXIV. — TO ARCHIBIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Since there are many things, as you say, that deserve admiration, there is one, however, that I admire above all, and which I declare is a sufficient evidence that all things are corrupted and ruined. Wherefore, passing over those, I will now especially speak of this and demonstrate it. Tell, therefore, those who have the greatest care for the people, or, to speak more correctly, who ought indeed to have care, but who have none at all, that since you yourselves, by what you do, acknowledge that you do not know what the priesthood is, why do you harass others? For if you have inherited a paternal tyranny, rule those over whom you rule, ^C that you may be seen to be more cruel and tyrannical than even those tyrannical men of old so celebrated by fame. For many of them behaved more gently and mildly toward those whom they held oppressed by their tyranny than you do. But if a paternal guardianship has been entrusted to you, why do you surpass the tyrants in cruelty? Why do you yourselves reduce to slavery those who have been redeemed by the divine blood? Why do you acquire wealth for yourselves from the calamities of others? Why do you mock upright and temperate men? Why do you lay snares for those who are studious of virtue? Why do you favor flatterers? Why do you banish those who speak freely? For if you would cease from doing what you do, it is likely that the virtues of the common people, which are now dead and extinct on your account, would return again to life. ^D

CCXXXV. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

Just as a noble tree, when it is heavy with fruit,

^A delights the farmer, gladdens those who see it, and refreshes those who pass by; so too is the one who is established on the teacher's throne: when he is adorned with virtue and shines with the word, he both gladdens God and benefits men. But if he be lacking in either, he is not of much benefit to his disciples. For there is need of life for the sake of those who are prone to finding fault, and there is need of the word for the sake of refuting heresies. For even if a life without the word is naturally inclined to benefit many, yet when they see it defeated in syllogisms and dialogues, they are often harmed in vital matters, being stolen away by spurious dogmas. For they would not blame the teacher's inexperience, but the rottenness of the dogma. But if the word flows and soundly defeats the opponents, the glory of the trophy is obscured by the depravity of the life. For they will not consider him a trustworthy teacher ^B who does not do what is required. Therefore, one must shine in both word and life. "For he who does and teaches," says Christ, "this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." But if doing alone were also teaching, as some think, then the latter would not have been added.

CCXXXVI. — TO THE SAME. On Joseph and the Egyptian woman.

^C Even if the Egyptian woman had cunningly and skillfully unfurled the sails of desire and had set a trap to hunt the young man—bewitching him through her eyes (for she adorned herself in a tragic manner), coaxing him through his ears (for she applied every kind of temptation through her words), and stirring him up through the sense of smell (for she breathed out the most precious perfumes); and tickling him through the sense of touch (for she seized and held him fast), and stimulating him through the sense of taste ^D (for it is likely that before setting her nets, she had offered him dainties, if not as a lover to an indulgent one, yet certainly as a guest to a suffering stranger), and finally stroking him with promises (for she promised that she would have him in the place of her master)—yet this hunting was in vain for her. And Joseph was harvesting the fruit of chastity; not without toil, as some think—for his struggle was not only against her, but also against the flower of his own youth, which was vigorous and leaping, and craving women's company—while she seemed to possess the leaves of victory. I said she "seemed" to possess them, because to pure ears this was also proof of the woman's incontinence. For one who fears violence does not eagerly snatch away the garment of the one doing the violence, but rather it is desirable and most prayed for to be released from the violence. But she, being drunk with desire, thought the tokens of her own lewdness were proofs of chastity. Therefore, as I suppose, even the Master...

^A admitted her accusation on account of the reputation for chastity that the wife possessed (for otherwise he had known and explored how easily the female nature is seized by this affection, especially when it is incited by the stings of beauty, which for the most part subdues even robust men); but he cast him into prison without speaking a single word to him (a thing which some criticize): not because he was performing a barbaric deed, as some imagine (for otherwise he would have even slaughtered him, or at least, for a crime of this sort that brings death, would have handed him over to the laws); but, as it does not depart from the truth, perhaps thinking that she, having been seized by a madness for his love, and not having obtained the thing she was craving, had instituted such an accusation; for if he were to grant him the power of speaking, he would not only dissolve the charge against himself, but would also turn the crime back upon the accuser herself. Nay, strictly speaking, as I may say what is truer, the arbiter of chastity both calmed the man's anger, and raised up a pillar of dignity for all posterity, and saved a provider for his brethren laboring under famine, and designated a governor for Egypt.

CCXXXVII. — TO THE SAME.

^B Do not be overly amazed, O wonderful man, that even though it is grave and bitter that some of those to whom the throne of teaching has been entrusted are such, yet this does not seem to be the least bit grave; but that if anyone utters a free word, this seems most grave and unworthy of any pardon. For since the traces of virtue are found in a few, but wickedness dances in a disorderly fashion among the many, they, fearing lest someone should arise who would rebuke the things being done by them, strive to banish all good things, but especially freedom of speech, so that they may subsequently sin freely and without any fear.

CCXXXVIII. — TO THE SAME.

Since he who is caught in a most grave disease considers himself to be in perfect health, this is a manifest and incurable insanity. For how will such a man look for a physician, not even knowing this fact, that he is sick? Therefore, it is necessary first to bring home to him a clear perception of the malady, and then to summon a physician to dispel it.

CCXXXIX. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

This passage, “Be angry, and do not sin” ^C, seems to me to have a manifold meaning. For it can be understood both absolutely and definitely, and also by way of counsel, for example: Be angry, and for what cause are you angry? And so, do not...

^A sin. It may also signify this: Since anger is a sharp passion, and one that is terrible for stealing away the soul (for it often outruns reason and is born almost without our will), appease it by means of reason and reconsideration, not rushing toward vengeance, but ending in gentleness and mercy. It may also signify this: Be angry at the passion that bothers you, and most of all at pleasure, and you will not sin. For if it finds you weak and dissolute, it will easily master you; but if it finds you vigilant and sober, and angry at it, it will straightway depart. Since the divine oracle has not forbidden being angry absolutely, but only being angry without cause—for there is a time to be angry in a useful way, when it happens for the sake of the glory of God, or for the sake of those who are wronged, or for the sake of the correction of one’s neighbor. For indeed, the most meek Moses ^B was angry at those who made the calf, and commanded them to be put to death immediately; and Phinehas was angry at those who committed fornication, and destroyed them with a spear; and Elijah was angry at the Jews, and subdued them with famine; Paul was angry at Elymas, and Peter at Ananias and Sapphira; and a father is angry at a son, and a teacher at a student who is slothful; and one would not say that this is anger, but philosophy and care, and it can also be a matter of authority. For because when we avenge ourselves, we exceed the measure in taking vengeance; but when the matter concerns the glory of God, or those who are wronged, then we feign piety and peace, and we are speechless and motionless, and differ nothing from stones—for this reason, he says, be angry justly, that is, when the matter is the glory of God, or the correction of a neighbor, or when it is necessary to take vengeance for those who are wronged; but do not sin, either by being conscious of those who sin and hiding it, or by misusing this help to avenge ourselves. For this is why anger was implanted in us: not so that we also might sin, but so that we might restrain those who stumble; ^C not so that it might become a passion and a disease, but so that it might be a medicine for passions. But we transform the remedy into poison, by misusing it for things that are not fitting.

^D CCXL. — TO URSTENUPHIUS THE LECTOR.

Virtue, as I certainly think (for I do not assert it, but I leave the judgment to those who happen upon it), has seemed and still seems to be a difficult thing, not because of its own nature, but because of the incomparable sloth of those who do not wish to pursue it. For otherwise, if one were to consider the matter exactly and accurately, it is much easier than vice. But if anyone doubts this, let him not be troubled, but rather...

long is far easier. But if anyone doubts me, let him not make a commotion, but await the proof, keeping himself pure and free from every preconceived opinion and spirit of contention. And indeed, that it ^A is divine, most worthy of man, in the highest degree in agreement with nature, and a glory and ornament to those who practice it, I shall pass over, as it is a point admitted by all; but I shall come to that which is in controversy and doubt. Tell me, then, which of these two is the more difficult: to search out countless treasures, or to be content with what one has? To count up shameful gains and base usury night and day, or to embrace self-sufficiency? To love harming everyone, or to assist those who have been harmed? To consort with a lawful wife (for I do not yet posit the highest philosophy, but that which most people can attain), or to break through and violate the marriages of others? To labor under the incurable disease of avarice, or to be free from such madness? To weave deceits, or to behave honestly? To annoy the courts, or to lead a quiet life? To snatch what does not belong to one, or even to distribute one’s own? To wallow in the mire of business and ^B charges, or to be free from business and fears? To be concerned and anxious about many things which cannot be achieved, or to have this one concern: how one might not fall away from virtue? To be gladly occupied in business and affairs, or to live in leisure? To never be satisfied, or not even to love those things which bring reproach even after one is satisfied? To sail and experience shipwrecks, or to sit in port and observe the shipwrecks of others ^C? I, for my part, intended only to demonstrate the ease of virtue and the difficulty of vice; but the discourse, as it proceeded, has achieved something greater, having demonstrated that cheerfulness follows virtue, and annoyance vice. And it was necessary to stop there. But since luxury and pleasure, by their charms, seem to deceive many, appearing as they do to be both pleasant and easy, it is necessary to gird myself for a struggle against these as well. I say, therefore—to say nothing for the moment of the judgment hanging over luxury and licentiousness, which the holy Gospel has depicted regarding that rich man, and ^D that man who was clothed in filthy garments, in piteous and very tragic words—that if luxury does not beget ten thousand difficult and hard-to-cure or incurable diseases, let it be called luxury. But if it has become the cause of gout, of headaches, of vomiting, of apoplexy, and of paralysis, and of other such passions, by which it is itself dimmed, or rather extinguished, I hesitate to call it luxury, that of the

^A many evils is the mother and nurse. I shall pass over the fact that it is not even able to descend with the food, but is extinguished in the very throat, and that one who indulges does not experience the sense of pleasure, being cheated by the continuity; I pass these over, not as if they were weak points, but as not being able to touch upon the coarser ones. Let these things, then, be said concerning luxury. But concerning pleasure, these things shall be said, and more than these. For if, to say nothing of the expense and the shame, it did not beget implacable wars against rivals and blows, from which deaths and dangers often arise, let it be called pleasure. But if it is the root of shame, of undeclared wars, of dangers, of deaths, of accusations, ^B and of a thousand other evils, I do not know if one ought to call this pleasure, since it is the cause of so many painful things and is itself extinguished by its own branches. For I shall pass over its failing to appear, neither before the union, nor in it, nor after it—not as a weak argument, but as one not touching the sluggishness of the profligate. For if anyone desires to examine it accurately, it appears neither before the union, nor in it, nor after it; but before it, it is a glaring madness; in it, a manifest frenzy and an uncontrollable agitation; but after it, rather an easing of madness than an enjoyment of pleasure. For he who has satisfied his desire has also extinguished the pleasure; and he who is in it is not in delight, but in agitation and a goad of confusion. If, therefore, these things are so (and they are so, as I at least persuade myself), and virtue has been demonstrated ^C beyond any doubt to be both easier, and pleasanter, and more agreeable to nature, let us embrace it firmly and joyfully—[virtue], which makes those who love it distinguished and conspicuous both here and in the life to come.

CCXLI. — TO HERACLIDES, BISHOP.

On Greatness of Soul.

Among Christians alone, those who are indeed worthy of the name (for let no one judge true religion by the dullness and wickedness of the many), are such things joined together as are in themselves most far apart. For greatness of soul, free from all arrogance and contumacy, and preserving its keenness in a quiet character, is tempered with gentleness; for, bearing nothing of pride with it, but being compounded with lenity and the ease of good manners (which is a ^D wonderful thing to say), it avoids the disposition of a humble and abject mind; providing modesty, at least, in so far as it—

^A shows greatness of soul. For it does not define the abject and sycophantic person as modest, nor the arrogant and boastful person as great-souled; but catching the good points of both, it avoids the difficult ones, so that by fleeing the vices that stand at the very gates of the virtues, it may purely attain the virtue itself.

[CCXLII. — TO THE SAME.]

B We must gird ourselves for the holy war to be waged against the vices of the flesh; yet so that we do not place our confidence in ourselves, but entrust the victory to divine help. For if we advance in this way—setting in motion all the equipment, and battle array, and labors, and vigils, but placing our confidence in aid and help from above—we shall easily prevail and shall set up brilliant trophies against them, together with those victories which we shall little by little and in a certain sequence obtain, while also increasing our good hopes.

[CCXLIII. — TO APOLLONIO THE DEACON.]

Since there are two main kinds of vices, the one which is conceived in mind and thought, and the other which is perpetrated in deed—that which is perpetrated in deed was long ago forbidden and punished by the law; but that which is situated in thought has been repressed and restrained by the Gospel. For the Gospel does not punish the deed after the crime has been committed, ^C but provides that the vice may not take root at all. For then the law was given to the hand, but now it has been given to the soul.

[CCXLIV. — TO AMMONIO.]

On Indolence.

Just as those who are seized by an incurable madness lose, by the excessive magnitude of their disease, even the sensation of what they are suffering; so too those who have fallen into indolence (whose number, as you have written, Zosimus also increases) are in a certain way in a state of stupor and insensibility, not even knowing that they are involved in evil.

[CCXLV. — TO EUTONIO THE DEACON.]

Since the one who is being praised then receives a more solemn glory when he who has undertaken to speak declares himself to be vanquished even before he speaks; for this reason, I too—acknowledging myself to be unequal to commemorating the virtues of the renowned Eustathios—shall remain silent. ^D

[CCXLVI. — TO THEODOSIO THE BISHOP.]

Let Eusebius, the prelate of the people who dwell in Pelusium, learn what the Church is. For it is most absurd and very serious,

^A that a man should think himself a priest while not even knowing himself. For that the gathering of the saints, assembled from the right faith and an excellent way of life, is the Church, is clear to those who have tasted of wisdom. But that he, being ignorant of this, is destroying the true Church while scandalizing many, and yet is building a church-building, and while despoiling the former by banishing virtuous men, is adorning the latter with expensive marbles, this too is known to all.

If he were to know exactly that the Church is one thing and a church-building another—for the former consists of immaculate souls, while the latter is built of stones and wood—I think he would cease from pulling down the one and from adorning the other more than is necessary. For the King of the heavens did not come here for the sake of walls, but for souls. ^B But if he should pretend to be ignorant of what is said, even though it is most manifest and clear even to the most dull-witted, I shall attempt to make this clear through examples. For just as a sacrifice is one thing, and an altar another; and a censer one thing, and incense another; and a senate-house one thing, and a council another—for the one signifies the place in which they assemble, while the other refers to the men taking counsel, to whom the danger and the salvation pertain—so too must it be resolved concerning the church-building and the Church.

If he should say that he has not understood even in this way, let him learn that in the time of the Apostles, when the Church abounded with spiritual graces and flowed with the splendor of life, there were no church-buildings; but in our time, the church-buildings are adorned more than is fitting, while the Church—not to say anything more severe—is being mocked upon the stage. I, at least, if the choice were set before me, would have preferred to have been in those times, in which church-buildings were not so adorned, while the Church was crowned with divine and heavenly graces, than in these times, in which the church-buildings are beautified with marbles of every kind, while the Church ^C has become bereft and naked of those spiritual graces.

CCXLVII. — TO THE SAME.

I think it is fair in the greatest matters, even if the speaker happens to fall short of the dignity of the subject, that the listeners should not condemn him for weakness, but rather grant him pardon, referring the cause to the magnitude of the deeds.

CCXLVIII. — TO ELIAS AND DOROTHEUS, WHO ARE ENGAGED IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

Concerning the comparison of virtue and vice.

I confess that I am a friend to you both, but being called to an alliance by each of you, I do not know how, now that one of you is at variance and at war with the other, I shall come; not that I flee from doing good to one, but rather that I flee doing harm to either. But if you will do what you ought, and

having laid aside this merciless fighting, look toward peace, I shall come; not to assist one against the other, but to bind both once again in the bond of friendship. ^A

CCXLIX. — TO PALLADIUS.

It is not fitting to turn one’s eyes away from divine oracles, nor to resist them; but rather, before we have heard what must be done, to promise to do it. For the fact that it is God who is giving the oracle banishes all contradiction and produces both obedience and persuasion. For he who knows perfectly what is to our advantage, he who speaks and legislates, must surely be worthy of belief.

CCL. — TO ZENON THE PRESBYTER.

Bodily kinship is not to be compared in any way with affinity of character. Wherefore, if I were to call you the nephew of the renowned Bishop Hermogenes, I would be granting you nothing; but if I called you a sincere disciple, I would be shaming neither of you. ^B For you would seem to have followed in the footsteps of that most excellent man, and he would be seen to have rendered his imitator noble.

CCLI. — TO PETER.

I believe that these two things (oh, by what name shall I call you so as to touch upon your merit!) were the cause of men approaching the divine preaching with willing minds: namely, that the word was worthy of belief, and that the character of the preachers was such. For the one was the sinew and strength of the other—the word, which was worthy of credence, and the life, which confirmed the word. ^C For they did not preach one thing and do another—for otherwise they would have become a laughingstock, like some of our own time (for I do not wish to speak of anything harsh)—but by providing a life consistent and in agreement with their message, they won men over. And for this reason Christ, too, knowing that a word devoid of action is weak and impotent, while that which is inspired by actions is living, swift, and effective, having first instructed them in every kind of virtue and philosophy, both through deeds and through words, and having adorned them with divine gifts, thus sent them forth to the hunting of men. For He knew very accurately that, no less than signs, ^D the character of the heralds would be able to draw men in. Once they had scattered throughout the world, like winged farmers, and had sown the word of piety, and had regulated their character according to the guidance of the Teacher, and had rendered their life not only blameless but admirable, they prevailed over everything under the sun; and neither wisdom, nor power, nor wealth, nor monarchy, nor tyranny, nor barbarian cruelty

nor the phalanx of demons, nor the devil himself, nor famine, nor precipice, nor chains, nor finally anything else of those things which seem and in reality are terrible, routed or cast them down; but ^A all yielded and gave way, and they deemed this defeat more brilliant than any victory or trophies. For, judging that it is better to be honorably defeated than to win wickedly, they were established as citizens of heaven.

CCLII. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS.

You seem, as I hear, to have your ears stopped up through despair of better things; and as those who have long since devoted themselves to the death of sin, you are provoked against those who offer you sound counsel. ^B If, then, this is the case, from now on it would be fitting to apply to you lamentations and tears, not counsel and admonition.

CCLIII. — TO THE SAME.

Even if you, being uninitiated and unskilled in the best way of life, ask that things which cannot be expressed in words be clarified through words to those who are disposed as you are, you do not notice that your judgment regarding the matter is being stolen away from you. Yet I will not be carried away by such rashness and audacity as to explain and express in words to you those things which, as it now stands, it is forbidden for you to hear, and which exceed the capacity of your ears. For it is not lawful for the unholy to hear sacred things, nor for the profane to gaze into the inner sanctuaries. ^C For the ordinance does not allow it—or rather, the divine oracle forbids it, crying out in express terms: "Do not give that which is holy to the dogs." Therefore, although I myself am able to speak, yet not being able to speak to you, I exhort you rather to abstain from vice and to cling to virtue. For if you do this, you will hear the interpretation of the things about which you have written to me.

CCLIV. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

Those who pervert the divine oracles and drag them by main force to their own will commit a sin greater than that for which they might be forgiven. For they will not be able to shield themselves under the pretext of error and deception, since they have fallen not out of simplicity, but out of malice and perversity of mind; nor will they have that calm and gentle eye ^D»

which is intoxicated by the contrary doctrines they have dared to profess.

^A CCLV. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN. Many sophists attempt to conceal the losses they subsequently encounter by means of the glory they previously acquired, since they were once masters of their affairs, but now are overcome by the magnitude of these same affairs.

^B CCLVI. — TO OLYMPIODORUS. That virtue is achieved through labor. I marvel that, while you admire Plato, you disparage his counsels and precepts. For he says that the shoots of virtue are planted with labor and sweat (47); but you, I know not how, have chosen a life free from labor.

^{C D} CCLVII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. Of those who burn with the desire of having more and delight in inflicting injuries, those who know that they are sinning are gravely ill; but those who do not even recognize their own sin are in a desperate and lamentable state. For this very lack of feeling for the disease in which they dwell is an increase of insensibility, and it ends in total numbness and death. Therefore, these are the ones who should be most deeply pitied. For to do evil is more miserable than to suffer evil; for upon the former hangs the danger to the salvation of the soul, whereas for the latter the loss subsides in money, and proceeds no further. Moreover, they do not perceive that they are experiencing a double death. For they exhibit a proof of an imperfect and childish mind. For even very young children pay no heed to things that are truly fearful and to be dreaded—nay, they very often thrust their hands into the fire—but when they see empty masks and specters, they are struck with fear and tremble. Men who are studious of money and rapacity seem not unlike these, for they fear poverty—which not only has nothing in it to be feared, but is also a subject of all security and modesty—yet they regard unjust wealth as a thing of great value, which is, nevertheless, more to be feared than any fire. For it reduces to ashes both the minds and the hopes of those who possess it.

CCLVIII. — TO THE SAME. That virtue is achieved through labor. I hold it as most certain and well-examined that you consider the fruits of virtue to be great, even if you are in danger; but you grieve and are tormented on this account, that you appear miserable to the majority. But if you do not entrust the matter to the opinion and judgment of the masses, but to the accurate (51) examination of arguments,

this sorrow will vanish; indeed, it will even supply you with a cause for joy. For in accordance with the struggles of this life, the crowns of virtue are woven.

CCLIX. — TO THEODOSIO THE PRESBYTER.

CCLX. — TO THEONI THE BISHOP.

CCLXI. — TO ZOSIMO THE PRESBYTER.

CCLXII. — TO HERMOGENI THE BISHOP.

^A

CCLXXIII. TO BISHOP ISIDORE. On Joseph and the Egyptian woman; and on avoiding slander and accusation.

At the time when that Egyptian woman—that lascivious one, I mean, that woman who was as prone to be persuaded as she was terribly persuasive (for such a thing, for the most part, woman is thought to be)—became inflamed with a mad passion for the most chaste youth Joseph, and since she could not induce him to sin by any words, she turned to offering him violence. And he, like a noble athlete, having stripped off his garment (for she was holding onto it, drunk with passion), ^B went forth naked of clothing, but pure from adultery, and bound upon himself the crowns of temperance. Then, yes then, did she sit dejected: in truth, because she had not attained what she desired; but under a false pretext, on account of a feigned chastity. When, therefore, her husband had arrived, whether she feared accusations or wished to avenge herself upon Joseph, she becomes consumed with uncontainable rage, and mixing everything together—desire, grief, fear, insult, anger—she pondered how she might punish him. And indeed, she brings a charge against him, for which she herself ought to have been accused. But the husband, without even granting him the power of speaking in his own defense, casts him into prison. Yet that incorruptible eye, the ^C legislator and arbiter of temperance, raised him up to the royal throne. Therefore, let us not consider slander, nor accusation, nor any other of the things that seem to be grievous, to be grievous at all, but sin alone; and by all means, either here or there, we shall attain to the most precious crowns.

CCLXXIV. TO BISHOP LAMPETIUS.

Let each of those who are to read this letter hold whatever opinion they are accustomed to regarding what is to be said. But I, not proposing to draft a rule for the priesthood now, but rather defining the path which leads to it, say this: that he who has leapt forward to this authority before having endured the rule of ecclesiastical decrees does not follow the administration of such an office for the benefit of those ^D under his charge; but that he who, in the rank and order of a subject, has disciplined himself in those virtues which become a prelate, and has gained approval by his merits, comes to the administration of the ministry having the greatest good: experience. For that man, attempting to regulate others before having regulated his own character, errs from the truth; but this man, having regulated his own morals first, and having made [a] trial of the matter, will be found apt and suitable for governing the life of others. Since that man, before he has become accustomed to arms, wishes to be created a general; but this man, having become an approved soldier, will be a more approved general. And that man...

indeed, being inexperienced and ignorant of the drawing up of an army, claims for himself the rank of military tribune; but this man, having been occupied and trained in such studies, is designated tribune.

CCLXV. — TO MARONI.

CCLXVI. — TO STRATEGIO THE MONK.

CCLXVII. — TO ANTIOCHUS.

CCLXVIII. — TO ORION THE MONK.

CCLXIX. — TO APOLLONIUS THE BISHOP.

CCLXX. — TO THE SAME.

namely by whom, to whom, and about whom the discourse is held, gives rise to a certain meaning of this kind in the essence of the matters proposed: ^A "Go and say to this people: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive." Then, as if the prophet were either inquiring into the cause, or as it was being explained to him even if he were not inquiring, it was said: "For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and they have shut their eyes." If, therefore, they are opposing their own salvation—as someone might say—for what reason do you command me to preach? Perhaps, he says—for this is what the little word "lest at any time" signifies here—"they will see with their eyes, and will hear with their ears, and will understand with their heart, and will be converted, and I will heal them." ^B For this particle, "lest at any time," does not in this place indicate the removal of hearing, but a hope of obedience. And that it is accepted in this sense as well, hear what the crowd of the Jews says concerning the Savior: "Is not this He whom the Pharisees sought to kill? Behold, He speaketh openly, and they say nothing to Him. Have the rulers known indeed that this is the Christ?" It is a custom for the wise—of whose number Philo also seems to be—to place this particle, "lest at any time," instead of "perhaps," or "sometimes." For they reasonably apply "lest at any time" for "perhaps," and logically. But if you also wish to receive this testimony from a divinely inspired man, hear what Paul writes: "But the servant of the Lord must not wrangle, but be mild toward all men, apt to teach, patient, in ^C modesty admonishing them that resist the truth, if peradventure God may give them repentance to know the truth and recover themselves from the snares of the devil." For the "lest at any time" is spoken here also in place of "sometimes," "perhaps," or "possibly." For it indicates a hope of repentance, not a removal of it. And elsewhere it is written: "Admonish thy friend; it may be he hath not done it." For if the prophetic passage were to be understood in the same way, then to God also—who desires to execute His own role—that which is consistent with His own nature will be preserved. For He altogether desires that those who are stuck in the mire of vice ^D should obtain salvation, and He sends those who will bring them medicine, not because He is unaware that they will perish from the disease, but so that He might cut off their excuse. For even if they were not at all recalled from their madness, yet from this point it resulted that He did His own part. Thus, may that which is proper be preserved for God, and the prophet will not seem to have been sent in vain, nor [index: entries preserved]

shall he be judged a minister of insults, but of healing and medicine. For he was not sent for this reason, that he might merely brand them with the mark of insult, but that he might indeed rebuke those who sin, and show them their faults, and call them to repentance, and to those who turn back, announce the medicine ^A of healing.

CCLXXI. — TO ANYSIUS

That which was said by the legislator: "You shall not show pity to a poor man in his judgment," (Exod. XXIII, 3) is not full of inhumanity, as you suppose, but of kindness and total justice. For it achieves two of the greatest things: one, that it does not incite the poor to cause trouble for others; the other, that it greatly terrifies those who judge unjustly, and who extend the vote of victory to the rich and opulent. For if it is not right to grant favors to those ^B who struggle with the savage and intractable beast of poverty, when instead of pleading they bring accusations, how much less so to those who, out of excessive luxury, inflict insults upon the poor?

CCLXXII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

On the text: "Did this man sin, or his parents?" (Joan. IX, 2)

The Apostles, inasmuch as they were disciples of wisdom and lovers of truth, seeing the Savior with His eyes fixed upon the blind man, and almost provoking them to ask, propose two widely-rumored doctrines, and those about which great questions are raised among men. For because the sons of the Greeks said that the soul had sinned, and for this reason had been sent down into a body to be punished (64), and on the other hand the Jews thought that the sins of ancestors passed over to their descendants, because it was written: "The sins of fathers upon children ^C unto the third and fourth generation" (Exod. XX, 5), therefore they said to Him, as one who knows all things before their birth: "Who sinned, this man (as the Greeks say), or his parents (as the Jews say), that he should be born blind?" But the Truth provided a response that was neither crooked nor pathless, nor filled with the wrappings of enigmas, but straight and brighter than all clarity. For He overturned both, saying: "Neither did this man sin (for how could he, before he had come into existence?), nor his parents" (Joan. IX, 3) — it is clear, that he should be born blind. For He answered the question. For it is probable that they had sinned, indeed, they had surely sinned: but they were not on that account the cause of this calamity. ^D Why, then, is it brought forward, why was he born blind? Verily, that the works of God might be made manifest in him, that is, nature was permitted to be lame, so that the craftsman might be proclaimed.

[C C L X X I I I .] —

TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN

^A That many things are unknown to us and are not easily discovered by human reason is evident. And that those things which do escape us, and this for a useful purpose—namely, those which do not contribute to our salvation—are also excluded, is likewise evident. Let us consider, therefore, what is beneficial to us for blessedness, and what is not; and let us examine what is said in this light. To argue whether the heaven is a sphere or a hemisphere, and to busy oneself with the swiftest course of the sun, the waning and waxing of the moon, and the position of the stars; and to inquire about the earth, whether it is a cylinder, disc-shaped, or the center of the universe, and to seek the distances of this or that—what contribution this makes to an excellent manner of living, I for one do not see. And if someone thinks he can say, he may perhaps speak, but he will not persuade. But to know and to practice justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance, and whatever is related to these—this indeed lifts those who are skilled in them to the very pinnacle of blessedness. We ought, therefore, to abstain from things that provide us no benefit, and to hold fast to those from which a ^B benefit arises for us.

[C C L X X I V .] —

TO GOTTUS

Concerning the polygamy of the two patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob.

That the two patriarchs had multiple wives (for Isaac had relations with one wife only) did not proceed from sloth or from a desire for pleasure, but originated, as one might say, from the necessity of circumstances. Hence, they were granted pardon. For observe, following the traces of Scripture, how it happened. For Abraham, had he not been urged by his wife—who ought even to have been seized by jealousy—to approach the handmaid, he would not have approached her at all. For he was not indulging in pleasure (and the long lapse of time demonstrates this), but was burning with a desire for children. Having left the most beautiful and comely woman, who had drawn all Egypt into admiration by her beauty, he was compelled to sow in another, deformed and base, field. For he was so pure from every affect of ^C lust that, even after the girl had conceived, and perhaps upon that account had slighted her mistress—because the rule was destined to pass to the one who would be born from her—he drove her from the house; at which time she went off into the desert, using necessity as her guide. And if he did take Keturah, it was done after the death of Hagar and Sarah. But Jacob, if he had obtained the one whom he loved from the beginning, would perhaps not even have touched another wife. And that this is not mere conjecture, but is clear from this fact: his father-in-law placed in his bed the elder, who was ill-favored, instead of the younger, who possessed an indescribable beauty. ^D

^A And he, having at length discovered the deception, was indignant, yet he did not cast her out, considering it improper to send away one whom he had married in any way whatsoever. When his father-in-law was accused of being a deceiver, he offered, of his own accord, to give him the other also; for such a thing was considered altogether customary and permitted by ancient usage. When he had accepted her, the elder—though she was not pleasing to him—was bearing children; but she who held him bound by the allurements of love had no hope of this. ^B And therefore, seized with the deepest sorrow, she threatened to do violence to her own life unless she should conceive. "Give me children," she said, "otherwise I shall die"—that is to say, I shall destroy myself. But after she was overcome by the hopelessness of bearing children, she petitioned him to have relations with her handmaid, so that she might adopt the children born of her, and might seem to possess some consolation for such a misfortune. For in those days barrenness was considered the greatest of evils. He, therefore, not being overcome by lust (for he would not have abandoned her who possessed such indescribable beauty to give himself to a handmaid), was led to do this so that he might free her from her sorrow. But when the handmaid had given birth, the elder, again gripped by jealousy, although she already had many sons, forced him to go in to her own maid also. He, wishing to cast out from his house the source of all discord and strife, yields to her desire. And thus the chain of events that befell him was woven from the love he had for Rachel. For if he had received her from the beginning, perhaps he would have been content with her alone. ^C But after he endured the deception, it was not because he was given to lust, but because he was sometimes entreated and sometimes constrained by the very necessity imposed by the women, who ought to have been suffering from jealousy, that he was forced to come to this. Isaac, however, as I have said before, not having fallen into such a necessity, had relations with only one wife, and was content with her: and in this he vindicated both Abraham and Jacob from blame. But the Apostle draws the things that occurred into an allegory, leading Hagar, that is to say, and Sarah to represent the two Testaments. Wherefore, let no one of those who have enslaved themselves to lust and lasciviousness, and who, leaving their own wives, wallow in brothels and introduce discord and contentions into their own homes, ^D imagine that they have an excuse for their own wickedness by bringing forward the defects that followed by necessity the lives of those illustrious men who were adorned with every other virtue, nor let him attempt to compare those who lived before the Law with those who lived after the Law and the grace. For if they, having embraced virtue willingly when it was unwritten, had learned it through the Scriptures, they would certainly have shone even more brightly. For who would endure to sacrifice an only-begotten and late-born son in the very flower of his youth, as Abraham did? Who

^A Who would erect such a trophy against nature? Who is so studious of hospitality that, though surrounded by crowds of servants, he himself would wish to perform the duties of a servant, together with his wife? Who is endowed with such faith that, having embraced the whole of Palestine in a promise, he would not be caught in doubt and hesitation of mind if he had to purchase a sepulcher, as he did? Who has so broken the greed for money as to despise barbarian spoils and Persian booty, and count them as nothing? But—I know not how—I have proceeded to insult that man by comparing him with such men; yet I wish to say nothing burdensome or bitter. I will say this one thing, and then I will make an end: If those who possess both their virtues and their defects, being accused for their defects, were to bring them forward—and if even then they did not have a just excuse (for it is not the same thing to perform the task of life before the law, and under the law, and after the law and grace), yet they might perhaps have some shadow of an excuse. But since they are devoid of virtues, and bound and constrained by vices, while omitting their virtues, they bring forward only their defects; they are worthy of every possible condemnation.

CCLXXV. TO HERACIUS, MOST ILLUSTRIOUS.

Life without speech is more beneficial than speech without life. For the former is beneficial even when silent; but the latter, even when it shouts, brings annoyance. But if both speech and life come together, ^C they produce the image of all philosophy.

CCLXXVI. TO HERMOGENES, BISHOP.

That Martinianus and Zosimus, and Maro, worthy disciples of Eusebius as you say, slander him to everyone, and everyone to him, is clear. That the force which avenges crimes will not tolerate either him or them forever, but will exact from them a penalty worthy of what they have done and are now doing, this also is clear. For no one who acts unjustly has escaped divine justice; but some have paid the penalty in this life, others in the next.

CCLXXVII. TO THE SAME.

If it is not right that poverty, when it is under judgment, should be treated with mercy; ^D

for it is not just that justice should be injustice; what punishment would not those who unjustly award the vote for the sake of wealth, and who shake the balance of justice for the sake of gain, justly encounter? For if poverty, which often out of necessity busies itself with many things, is not deemed worthy of forgiveness—for it ought to implore, not to complain—what forgiveness shall he obtain who, out of great luxury, offers an insulting vote against justice? ^B

CCLXXVIII. TO NILUS. It is not the same thing, excellent sir, to see and be wounded suddenly, as it is to pursue the beauty of others with eagerness and to fall into the same trap. For he who suddenly catches sight of something and is wounded, can, by prudent reasoning, both extract the arrow and heal the wound. The best remedy for such an infirmity is fasting, and, henceforth, not to look upon her who inflicted the wound; or, if necessity should require it, to put reins upon the eyes and turn them to the ground, from which that flower blossomed and to which, having soon withered, it will return. But he who looks incessantly and with eagerness, even if he does not commit the sin in body, yet he finishes it in his soul. For through the sight he nurtures the passion, and through consent he fulfills the pollution. For if desire had not softened the strength of his soul, he would not have hastened to look upon her whom he ought to have fled from at full speed. For this reason, the divine oracle did not declare those to be adulterers who simply saw and were wounded—for it often happens that this occurs unintentionally—but those who look and make a practice of this, saying: "Whoever looks at a woman to desire her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart." ^C

CCLXXIX. TO SERENUS THE TRIBUNE. Divine justice, learned sir, which is going to exact the penalty for all sins in the life to come, often deceives right here the minds of those who try to deceive it, and forces those who strive to escape it to fall into their own traps through the very things they do. So wise and powerful is it, and of such a nature, that it can in no way be circumvented or deceived. For that which was said by Plato, as if from the person of Socrates, "When we arrive there, we shall know what is certain and clear," was not said about the judgment, as if he were in doubt about it—far from it, for this dogma is certain and indubitable among them—but about the fact that Socrates had philosophized correctly. For when he had recalled some who had performed the office of philosophy with the highest praise, lest he should appear boastful by bearing witness to himself, he used these words: "To which I myself also, to the best of my ability, have left nothing undone in my life, but have striven in every way to act. But whether I have striven correctly, and whether I have achieved anything, we shall know when we have arrived there." He says things similar ^D to Paul's saying: "I am conscious of nothing *

I was not inferior [to any man], but I studied in every way to be numbered among them. Whether I have studied aright, and what has been achieved by us, we shall know clearly when we arrive there. ^A Which words are not much different from these words of Paul: "I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this. But He who judges me is the Lord."

CCLXXX. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

Someone becomes superior to temptations, not by avoiding them, but by training himself to endure the things that happen. For temptations, which you say cannot be dispelled, are dispelled through the patience and courage of those who know how to bear the things that befall them. For the best remedy for the things that are not in our power is the philosophy that is within us; and the solution to unavoidable things—which, as you say, are unbreakable—is courage in difficult circumstances and moderation in prosperous ones. ^B But if divine grace also extends a helping hand, we shall bear these occurrences more easily. Knowing this very well, the excellent interpreter of Christ's oracles said: "He will provide with the temptation also the outcome, so that you may be able to bear it."

CCLXXXI. — TO THE SAME. On the words, "Our Father."

The prayer which the Lord taught His own disciples has nothing earthly, but everything is heavenly and directed toward the benefit of the soul. For it does not teach us to ask for power, or wealth and riches, or beauty, or strength, ^C or anything else of those things which quickly wither away. For to abstain from those things even when they are present is what we are commanded; to ask to enjoy them when they are absent is superfluous. And as for even that which seems to be small and sensible, it has pleased learned men—especially regarding the divine Word (which nourishes the soul, that is devoid of body, and in a way is mingled with and flows into its very substance; whence it is also called "supersubstantial" bread, the name of substance being fitting for the soul rather than for the body)—that it should be understood as the divine Word. ^D Yet, even if it is said to refer to the daily bread that is suitable for the support of the body, it also becomes spiritual in its manner; for to desire nothing more than bread would clearly be the mark of a spiritual, brilliant, and philosophical mind. Let us therefore ask for those things which we have been taught to ask for, and not for those things which are easily extinguished. For it would be a mark of great misery and folly to ask for those things which we have been commanded to cast aside even when we possess them.

CCLXXXII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

If, while we do everything and [every] matter...

^A of offense is rooted out, some people, driven by deliberate malice, attack us with slander, even if it is painful, it is not worthy of much consideration. For with our conscience bearing witness, and the Judge knowing, and good men proclaiming [our innocence], there is hope that the slander of the wicked will be extinguished.

CCLXXXIII. Do not go head-to-head with harsh men, but yield a little, when doing so does not in the least harm virtue, and their plotting will quickly be extinguished.

CCLXXXIV. — TO BISHOP PALLADIUS. Avoid, noble sir, as much as possible, meetings with women. For those who exercise the office of priesthood must be holier ^B and purer than those who have taken to the mountains. For the former take care both of themselves and of the people, while the latter take care only of themselves. And the former are established at the pinnacle of such dignity, and everyone scrutinizes and tests their life; but the latter sit in a cave, either tending to their own wounds, or covering up their faults; and there are some who even weave crowns for themselves. But if you should be compelled to meet them, keep your eyes cast down to the ground, and teach them too how one ought to look (for one must teach not only how one ought to look, but also to look as one ought); and after saying a few words capable of binding and enlightening their souls, fly away quickly; for fear that ^C your stay might soften your strength and make it more relaxed; and—just as if [one] had taken a fearful and proud lion—[they might] shear away the mane, which makes the lion truly a lion, and preserves for him his regal dignity; and pull out [his] teeth and remove his claws, by means of which he gets the better of even the strongest beasts; and then, having made him shameful and ridiculous, they might surrender that fearful and unbearable [creature]—the one, I say, that shakes the mountains with its roar alone—to children even to be mocked. But if you desire to be honored by women, this is, for the most part, entirely unbecoming for a spiritual man. Furthermore, have no dealings with women, and then you will obtain honor from them. For this [honor] will be present to us most of all, when it is least sought by us. For a human being is wont ^D to hold those who court him in contempt, but to deify those who do not flatter him. And this passion is one that the female nature especially suffers. For it is unbearable...

to itself when one flatters it; but, on the contrary, it respects and admires most of all those who are gifted with greater freedom and exercise broader authority over them. But if you were to say that you constantly frequent them and are in no way harmed by it, perhaps I might believe you. But I should like all to be persuaded by those who say: *"Waters have smoothed stones,"* and, *"A drop of water hollows out a rock by persistent working."* For what they are constructing and wish to say is of this kind: What is harder than rock? Or what is softer than water, and that too, a drop? And yet, persistence overcomes nature. But if nature, which is difficult to move, is moved and suffers what it ought not to suffer, by what device would the will, which is easily moved, not be overcome and overturned by habit? And yet persistence overcomes nature. If indeed nature, which ought least of all to be moved, is moved, by what art and reason is the will not conquered and overturned? ^B

TO THE PRESBYTER THEODOTUS

If one ought not to mourn the noble athlete who descends into the arena and is covered with dust ^B and struck—for his labors end in crowns—nor is it fitting to follow with grief and laments the brave and famous soldier who goes out to war and is about to endure wounds and slaughter—for he will return as a victor and will obtain pillars and spoils—but rather ought one to mourn those who rush into robbery and murder, especially when they are committing evil acts, and then again when they are being punished; why did it enter your mind to inquire of me what the cause was for which Christ not only did not approve, but even rebuked the women who were lamenting when He went forth to the cross as a triumphant victor? For it is clear that for one who suffers against his will, sympathy brings consolation; but to one who suffers voluntarily and of his own accord, it brings an insult. For sympathy ^C is an insult to him to whom the suffering is not unwelcome. Since, therefore, He Himself was going to His Passion of His own will, both to extinguish death and to unnerve the devil, and those women were lamenting Him who deserves to be praised and applauded; for this reason, as some think, He cursed them; or rather, as the truth has it, He foretold the things that were about to befall them. ^D

For it is right to mourn not for Him who put sin to flight and hastened to put both death to death and to bind the devil, but for those who were captured by all these things. ^B

CCLXXXVI. — TO PHILOXENUS THE MAGISTER

That nothing is higher than virtue.

CCLXXXVII. — TO THEODOTUS THE PRESBYTER

On the celebrated death of our Savior.

CCLXXXVIII. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

CCLXXXIX. — TO ISIDORUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

^A For just as if someone, having taken a sword, were to patrol the streets, wishing to kill someone, but finding no one, were to return without success, he would not escape being a murderer (for he is judged to be such from the attempt, not from the result); so too a woman who is excessively concerned with adorning her body, and who for this reason throws herself into the market-place, or peers through the lattices to ensnare young men, even if she fails in the hunt, is condemned as if she had indeed hunted. For she has done everything in her power, having mixed the poison, and spread the nets, and set the trap with all precision. And if a man for the same reason should adorn himself more wantonly than befits a man, he too will suffer unavoidable punishment, even if no one is found to drink the potion. But if a woman should walk with dignity, modesty, and decorum, and someone who sees her is wounded, this should be attributed not to the woman who was seen, but to him who has been wounded. And in the same way, if a man walks with grave and measured steps, and a woman who sees him is smitten, it is not the man’s fault, but the fault of her who was smitten. ^B If anyone refuses to admit that these things are so, he will fill everything with confusion and chaos, and will accuse Sarah, and Joseph, and Susanna, because others were wounded at the sight of them. For she [Sarah] captured Pharaoh, the other [Joseph] his mistress, and the third [Susanna] that pair of lecherous men. But if they are not only immune from all note of blame, but even surpass all praise, surely by the same reasoning that they are freed from fault, the same argument refutes those who blame people who, while intending no such thing, nevertheless wound someone out of necessity.

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

^C It is proven also from this, that God expelled from the temple a man who, when his friend was being killed, had not rendered him aid. For when two men had undertaken a journey to Delphi, they fell in with robbers. When one of them was killed by them, the other, who had either consulted for his own safety [by fleeing] or had rendered aid to his friend in peril not seriously but perfunctorily, entered the place of the oracle. But God repelled him with these words: "Begone from the temple, since you are polluted: standing by, you refused to bring aid to your dying friend." And it was certain, indeed, that he could not, however much he might have wished, have rescued his friend from death by any means. Nevertheless, it was necessary to share in the danger and even to die with the friend, if it had been necessary to endure this as well in order to help. Therefore, regarding this disposition and intention, God judged and pronounced him unclean, as one who had betrayed his friend out of too much love for himself and his own body. ^D On the other hand, against this, the same divinity embraced the will of another man, even though he had failed to attain his wish. For when two other men had again fallen in with robbers, and one of them had been overcome and captured by the robbers, the other threw his spear, with which he had intended to strike the robber, but it missed its mark, and he struck and killed his friend. And so, when he had arrived at the place of the oracle, he did not dare to enter, inasmuch as he believed himself to be polluted by the slaughter of his friend. But God acclaimed him with such verses: "Since your right hand killed your friend while you were defending him, Fear not: you are in no way polluted by the blood of the murder; Indeed, you are much purer than you were before." If, therefore, this man is so far from being polluted by the killing of his friend that he emerged even purer than he had been before, on account of his righteous purpose of will and zeal, it is manifest from this that good deeds as well as evil are situated not in the action or the work, but in the mind and will of each.

CCXC. — TO THEODOSIO THE PRESBYTER

It is right that those who are clothed with the most precious crown of the priesthood should be adorned with virtues rather than wealth, and should consider temperance to be the pleasure appropriate to them, yielding neither to the belly nor to those passions that follow upon the belly. For one ought not to consider authority to be a provider of desires, but rather to consider endurance to be authority. And if a danger should arise for the sake of virtue or piety, it is not proper to flee from death. For they would incur laughter if they were to act like cowards, and did not gladly go to that place, to reach which is the hope of those who have finished their lives—and, having finished, to attain the divine association.

CCXCI. — TO SERENO, TRIBUNE AND NOTARY

But if someone, having neither sprung from splendid ancestors nor being adorned by upright character, should buy for himself a dignity—which eunuchs sell, and which perhaps the hands of kings and not even the noble bestow—this person would not be right to boast. And if he not only boasts, but also despises those who are endowed with the most splendid dignity of virtue, he causes not only himself, but also his ancestors, to be mocked as obscure and ignoble. Therefore, that no such thing may happen to you, know yourself.

CCXCII. — TO ISAIA THE SOLDIER

CCXCIII. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER.

CCXCIV. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

On the change and restoration of Nebuchadnezzar to the kingdom.

CCXCV. — TO MARTINIANUS, MARO, ZOSIMUS, AND EUSTATHIUS.

CCXCVI. — TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER.

CCXCVII. — TO THE SAME.

to draw forth accusations and to blame him by that name, whereas, although he himself is a slave and of servile origin, he nonetheless treats those who are adorned with piety and nobility with insults. Then, also, to remember those things which have been said by the ancients concerning such men, namely, that an insufferable thing is a slave enjoying prosperous success, ^A and that when one prospers beyond his desert, it becomes an occasion for folly in the foolish. And I am greatly amazed how it is that when the pyre of wrath is heaped up, you keep your temper under control; yet when it seems to be subsiding, you are overcome. For that a man who has not made an effort toward high philosophy should be angry at the beginning is not surprising; but after the fire has already ceased or been extinguished, for him to kindle the furnace for himself is absurd. But if the memory of the things said kindles the fire, let the fact that you have studied philosophy gladden you the more, and keep you in tranquility. For you ought to consider not what it is proper for him to hear, but what it is proper for you to say. Do not, therefore, by contending with him, disgrace yourself, nor by ridiculing his life, contrive to have your own tongue defiled, but philosophize to the end. For this will bring you infinite glory. ^B

CCXCVIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

I am in great pain of soul that, while you are sharp-sighted toward the worst things, you are blind toward virtue, and that since you were a lover of off-limits transgressions, you have appeared as an inventor of even newer iniquities. If, therefore, you wish to free both me from grief and yourself from punishment, change your ways quickly, knowing for certain that whoever departs from here uninitiated and not perfected in virtue will lie in fire; but he who has attained to that place as one perfected and purified will dance with the divine powers. ^C

CCXCIX. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

That the reading of the divine Scriptures is profitable both to those who stand and to those who have fallen, and simply to all, revealing to each one divine things.

The sacred Scriptures do not believe it right that faith in God should be implanted in the minds of all men in an oblique and ambiguous way, but rather in a straight, bright, fixed, unshakable, and unswerving manner. They promise good hope to those in danger, offer confidence to those acting prosperously, propound consolation to the calamitous, and extend fear to those sinning; so that men might not consider Him in name only, ^D and thus abort every good conception of Him, but rather understand Him as Creator, Ruler, Overseer, Provider, and Guardian—One who rewards the good, and punishes the [wicked].

to the one who rewards the righteous but inflicts punishment upon the wicked—for that indeed is the most accurate doctrine concerning God—let them flee from vice and embrace virtue. But to explore His very essence is neither necessary nor does it fall within the grasp of human understanding. For we must know and believe that God exists, not curiously investigate what He is. Having therefore dismissed the discourse concerning His essence as unattainable and altogether beyond our comprehension—surpassing every form of scrutiny and investigation—let us order our lives and character, as those who are entirely prepared to render an account. ^A

CCC.—TO THE SAME. On the passage of the Epistle of John: "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what you have worked for." ^B

When every work is bright, if it has been refined by study and meditation—for that which is not held together by study and practice is easily extinguished—then virtue, especially, ought to be cultivated by daily exercise. For unless it is nurtured, it withers and loses its fruit. And this is exactly what you desired to learn: "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what you have worked for." For sloth will extinguish the toils previously accomplished, however bright they may be; but diligence will also obliterate previous sloth.

THE EPISTLES OF SAINT ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM, BOOK III.

S. ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM EPISTLES BOOK THREE

I.—TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. If neither the fear of hell nor the desire for the heavenly kingdom affects you, it would at least be fitting for you to strive to ward off the indignities of the present life. ^C

II.—TO MARO. Not doubtful, but clear and well-known, and...

by all wise men and the holy Scriptures confessed, and in every way future, the doctrine of judgment you should indeed have hidden in your breast, and should abstain from those things which you commit while imagining there will be no judgment so that by this reasoning, you may free yourself from punishment, those who look upon you from scandal, us from sorrow, and the sluggish from despair. ^A

III.—TO AMMONIUS. On the text, “He who is not against us, is for us.” When war is raging, one must count as a friend not only him who actively shoots with us, but also him who, although he seems to be stationed among the opponents, nonetheless does not shoot arrows against us. Wherefore also the divine oracle cries out, “He who is not against you, is for you.”

IV.—TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. “And it fell to the earth from the stars, and from the power.” Since this has escaped the notice of even those who pay the closest attention to the reading of the Scriptures, I shall not blame you as if you were unacquainted with the reading; rather, I shall explain it briefly. Just as the Apostle calls those stars who illuminate the minds of those who see them by their excellent way of life, writing, “Among whom you shine as lights in the world,” so too does Daniel call those stars who are bright in piety and who order their life in the best way. For he says, “And it fell to ^B the earth from the stars and from the power,” not as though the stars had fallen, as some have thought—heaven forbid!—but as though Antiochus Epiphanes (for the angel’s speech was about him) had been gloriously defeated by the Maccabees and expelled from the Jewish empire. For he did not say, “The stars fell,” but rather he fell by the hands of those stars who fought brilliantly, that is, he was defeated. But if someone were to take the word “fell” to mean “struck”—for this is often said, as in the expression “He struck,” instead of “he beat,” and “his hands healed,” in the second syllable written with a diphthong—one could say that he struck the seven brothers and the mother, and Eleazar the priest, who demonstrated a brilliant and flashing way of life and appeared like stars upon the earth. For “Maccabeus” is interpreted, as if in the Persian language, as “ruler,” that is, “lord.” In those times, therefore, when the tragedy was dared by Antiochus against those most approved men, the Maccabees gathered and drove him from the land. ^C Wherefore the name prevailed also for those who were tortured. For those also were called “Maccabees” who, in the times of the Maccabees, endured unspeakable torments and did not deny the ancestral laws. ^D

V.—TO THE SAME. On the saying of the Savior concerning the Church, that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Not as though no one were about to wage war and to extinguish it,

^A but that while many would indeed wage war, they would be defeated and routed with force, it was said: “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” the Church, that is to say. And so it has come to pass. For it was warred upon, but it was not conquered ^B. Nay, it appeared more resplendent through the very ones who attempted to extinguish it. Why then do you marvel if the saints are also warred upon here? For from wars, trophies appear more brilliant, and spoils more honorable.

VI. — TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC.

When God speaks or makes a promise, let reasons and arguments, and the charms and probabilities of words, depart. For all these are of no account ^C when compared with the authority of the One who speaks.

VII. — TO ANTIOCHUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

To retain the memory of injuries received is not the work of a noble mind, but of a base and wretched one. Since, however, not all hold the same opinion concerning the same matters, but some conclude that the one who has received an insult should be quickly healed so as to acknowledge what has been said, while others on the contrary conclude that he should not acknowledge the things spoken, it is fitting for a prudent man to follow those who are wiser, and to consider their judgment certain and firm. That judgment is this: to accept the remedy as quickly as possible. For a false reproach travels no further than the ear. ^D Since, however, you have written, “What then if the insulter takes no satisfaction, but is made worse by the philosophy of the one insulted?” I would answer that, in the first place, this is incredible; but if such a person exists, he is to be shunned like an untamed beast. For what you have written as having been said by someone, that “I both meet him and practice philosophy; for it procures me greater praise,” is indeed the mark of a great man (for one must speak the truth), if he indeed practices philosophy in deeds, yet he has not surpassed the virtue of the holy men. For the holy men among us do not wish to weave their own crowns from the calamities of others, but often neglect their own interests in order that they may correct the faults of their neighbors. For it is not so that they may procure greater glory for themselves that they drive others to a precipice; but if they can be of use, they advise; if not, they flee, so that [the others] may not fall into a greater abyss. For it is not from a desire for fame, but because they are concerned for the salvation of men, that they do what they do.

VIII. — TO APRODISIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Since he provides some consolation to him who is overwhelmed and cast down by grief...

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(95) For it was warred upon, but it was not conquered. Many similar things exist among the Holy Fathers which it would be tedious to relate. Cf. Alcimus Avitus, poems, lib. V, De diluvio mundi; Chrysostom, orat. de incomprehensibili Dei natura, orat. adversus Judaeos, etc. (96) Similarly Chrysostom against the Jews, ibid. (97) The phrase is missing in the Paris edition, which says: “the things written by someone, that...” Restored from the Vatican and Altieri codices by Possinus.

^A for those burdened with grief, the telling of the tale brings no small solace, and especially when it is done to true friends (for indeed, by silence the calamity grows worse; ^B for many, having endured and handed these things over to silence, have fallen into grievous and dangerous maladies). Therefore, those who wish to recount their own misfortunes must be received gently, and after they have been eased of their pain by means of words, then at last one must apply the medicine that is appropriate. For if we stop their mouths immediately, we will gain the reputation of being inhuman, and we will make the remedy weak and invalid, since the very flame of the pain will repel it. But if, after the pain has been mitigated, we apply the ointment, we shall gain a double reward: the one, that we shall be humane and merciful; the other, that we shall not fail in the treatment.

^B IX. — TO AUSONIUS, DIONYSIUS THE CORRECTOR. Those who judge the merits of matters must be most acute in their discernment, so that, setting aside both the eloquence of those who speak and the probability ^C of the things being said, they may be able to penetrate to the very depth of the thoughts, and having hunted them out from there, may draw forth the truth.

X. — TO HERACLIDES, BISHOP. What the rationale (logion) signifieth that was upon the breast of the priest. The rationale, most learned sir, doth not have one meaning alone. For when the first syllable is sharpened, it signifieth an oracle; but when the second, that which was placed upon the breast of the high priest by divine decree, as it were a shrine of reason, or a house, or a temple. ^D Since, however, you ask: "And for what reason was it placed upon the breast of the high priest?", I reply, first, that reason ought to sit upon the spirited and appetitive faculties, as a charioteer. Furthermore, because for him who performs the office of the priesthood, truth and clarity ought to be an adornment. For upon the rationale lay revelation and truth; the one signifying clarity, the other manifesting what is true. But if you wish to understand it in another way: since truth is fitting for internal reason, and clarity for spoken speech. Perhaps, too, because a certain radiance came to be, as some say, in those stones, when he was being arrayed to go into the holy places to perform the sacrifice, and it truly declared the things that were to be, it is called by these names.

XI. — TO THEOCTISTUS. Examine it carefully, best of men, and you will find it filled with equity and justice. For he did not say, "He who simply and in passing has seen any woman and has coveted her shall be punished as an adulterer" (for so would the thing be impossible, and the threat unreasonable), but, "He who looketh upon a woman to lust after her," which is to say, the one who...

draws the passion to himself from a previous thought, the one who sets this as his task, the one who lies in wait ^A continually, and who nurses the passion by continuous and ceaseless gazing, "hath already committed adultery with her in his heart." For the word "already," to those who do not have an extremely dull mind, makes it clear that these things were said about those who attempt things which they can in no way accomplish. For what if the woman is married and chaste, and is guarded by many; how could she be easily overcome by one who loves her? Therefore, it is rightly said: "He hath already committed adultery," as he who would not have refrained from the act if it had been within his power. ^B For if the whole strength of the soul had not succumbed to love, the body would not have been persuaded to go about continuously and feed its passion with lustful eyes; whereas many, even though they are held by love, cannot, out of shame, bear to look upon those they love. If the love of glory bridles the eye and overcomes bodily love, much more will the fear of God do this.

But if someone should say: "What then, if he refrains even when the act is within his power?" I would answer that such a thing is truly great and divine, and a genuine proof of virginity. And such a man, even if he sees and is wounded by a passing glance, will not strive to gaze continuously; but instead, he will remove himself as far as possible, so that his constant looking does not provide fuel for the fire. ^C But if he strives to look, he convicts himself through that very act of looking that he has the passion. And if, while gazing continuously, he claims that he is not affected by any harm, he shall be convicted by Job, a man surpassing all praise, who uses these words: "I made a covenant with mine eyes, that I should not even think upon a virgin" (Job xxxi, 1). If he deems him who crushed the power of the devil to be inferior to himself, such that he could not wrestle with him, he would be worthy of having his claim denied for this very reason, by saying that he looks continually, yet suffers nothing.

But even if we were to grant that he is telling the truth, he is shown to be misinterpreting the divine oracle; for He did not say, "Look, but do not lust," or, "Lust, but suppress the desire." But if he were to be so shameless, he ought to blush before the one who said: ^D "Yet I live, and yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. ii, 20). For he who uttered these words, which are superior to all philosophy, who carried the riches of divine graces as in an earthen vessel, was anxious and solicitous when he contemplated this war before his eyes, and said: "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (I Cor. ix, 27). If, therefore, such a man used certain reins to restrain the frenzy of the flesh, let everyone strive to procure security for himself by not looking, lest the fuel, when brought near the fire, should ignite the flame.

^A I greatly admire your simplicity, which has indeed marvelously praised the interpretation of the evangelical oracle; yet you wrote back saying: "What then does it matter [regarding ^B her] who is seen, if he who sees is wounded?" For you ought to have considered that she who walks modestly and decorously, and does not hunt down those she encounters, is without blame; but she who is wanton, and has spread the nets of pleasure, and has mixed the poison, is indeed especially to blame. I say these things because you thought this oracle was spoken to males only, not knowing that it was spoken to women also. For laws are common to both genders, except for those specifically ordained for each gender alone. If, then, they are not in love, the oracle does not apply to them; but since they too are captured by this passion, it regards them as well. For as "Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly," and "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord," and all such things, are spoken not of men ^C only, but also of women—since by the more sovereign animal, that which is subject is also addressed—so also the prohibition against desiring through constant looking is ordained for both genders. For what some attempt to establish from the text, "Death is rest for a man," by trying to show that death is rest for the brave and noble, but not for other so-called people, one must not think is the case here. For the most part, that [argument] even seems shallow to me. For if death is indeed truly rest for the brave and noble, as the end of their struggles and the beginning of their prizes—wherefore it is also said of a brave woman: "Who shall find a brave woman?" and lest anyone believe this was said of the impossible, it was said elsewhere: "A brave woman is a crown ^D to her husband"—and the name of "man" often indicates bravery; yet the discourse here of the renowned Job was not about noble people, but about any human being at all who is beset by inescapable calamities. And if anyone disbelieves, he may easily discern this from the context. For it contains: "Why is light given to those in bitterness, and life to the souls that are in pain, who long for death and do not attain it? They would be overjoyed if they should obtain it. For death is rest for a man. For God has closed him in." When, he says, temptations are on every side, as high as the heavens and inescapable, as he said elsewhere: "He has raised up his rampart against me," then death is welcome and desirable. But if, because it is said "to a man," they will not accept this interpretation, it is possible to refute them, as the name of "man" is spoken not only of the male, but also of the female. For an "androphonos" (manslayer) is said to be not only he who kills a man, but also she who kills a woman; and an "andrias" (statue) is not only that of a man,

but also the image of a woman. ^A Yet, putting these things aside as not being very forceful, I shall attempt to reason concerning them from the divine oracles. What, then, would they say if they should hear: "A lawless man shall walk in ways that are not good" [Prov. 16:29]? And what when it is said: "A foolish man will not understand" [cf. Ps. 91:7]? And what when it is said: "He shall be likened to a foolish man" [cf. Matt. 7:26]? For if there the term "man" (anēr) does not signify "human being" (anthrōpos), but rather the courageous and noble, how here is the lawless, and foolish, and senseless one called a "man"? But, desisting from these, I shall proceed to the subject at hand. Since, therefore, both the commandments of the law and the evangelical oracles—partly prohibiting sins, partly describing the beatitudes—are addressed both to men and to women, then let these [women] also keep watch over their eyes and, as if by casting on a bridle, restrain them, so that they may not, through an unchaste gaze, undergo the punishments of adulteresses. ^B For even if the desire for intercourse were granted to be equal (for some say that of the man, and others that of the woman, is more tyrannical), yet, at any rate, the one sows, the other is sown; the one begets, the other brings forth; the one occupies the place of the husbandman, the other that of the land. In these very things, then, in which neither the man is able to perform the functions of the woman, nor the woman those of the man, particular laws have been established. But all others are common to all and indivisible. For just as it has been ordained: "You shall not commit adultery" [Exod. 20:14], and not only the man, if he be caught in that crime, pays the penalty, but the woman also; so here too, especially since it has been said: "Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" [Matt. 5:28], it is manifest to all ^C that every female who looks at a man to lust after him has already committed adultery with him in her own heart.

XIII. THE SAME.

You ought to read the Scriptures, and not inquire of others regarding everything. For if you were conversant in their reading, you would certainly know that for the man there are some things specially ordained concerning seminal emission, and for the woman concerning menstruation; and for the former, concerning not overturning the laws of nature and being possessed by insane love for males and rushing headlong into sterile frenzy; ^D but for the latter, concerning the water of testing, if she should come under suspicion of adultery. Finally, it says the man, if he should contaminate his body during sleep, and the woman, both when she is being purified and when she has given birth, is impure, and removes both from the sacred precincts until they are purified. And other things also are specially ordained and instituted, which it is by no means necessary to mention at present, since it is possible for you to know from what is to be said, that in those matters alone, in which it is impossible for the woman to do the things of the man, or for the man those of the woman, particular laws have been set.

^A while all others are common to either sex. For example: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself"; "You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; you shall not perjure yourself; you shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor," and all things akin to these. And if you should come to the evangelical oracles, you will again find the same—for "Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the pure in heart, the peacemakers," and all things of that kind. And what was said concerning celibacy and purity is spoken to either sex, even if it has been expressed in the masculine form, due to the appropriateness of the oracle and because this animal [the male] holds the greater authority. For "he who is able to receive it, let him receive it." And it is evident from this, that many women also have received it and have achieved it. ^B

XIV.—TO THE SAME. For this reason the law wished even natural and involuntary discharges to be purified, so that we might flee the voluntary ones, which are contrary to nature, all the more abundantly. For if it excluded from entry into the temple—until they should be cleansed—those who undergo what are generally thought to be, but are not in reality, sins, it creates a greater fear and threatens a harsher punishment for those who sin voluntarily and deliberately. For if that which is involuntary was not simply overlooked, it is clear that what is voluntary would be unpardonable, ^C unless it were cured by sincere repentance.

XV.—TO ELISAEUS THE MONK. To stumble while ranked among the subjects is a serious thing; for one who is ordained, it is more serious; but for one who has been allotted the dignity of the priesthood, it is the most serious of all. For by as much as they excel in honors, by so much is the sin also made more grave, even if in other respects it be the same; for it is weighed not according to its nature, but according to the dignity of the one who committed it. And why do I compare the teacher and presiding official with the subject, when the Lawgiver ^D said that the sin of the high priest is equivalent to that of the entire people, and decreed that he must offer a sacrifice as great as that which the entire populace is commanded to offer if it should transgress? But if the wound were not equal and equivalent, He would surely not have ordained an equivalent remedy.

XVI.—TO THE SAME. This law and ordinance concerning the divine nature has prevailed, not so that honors might be bestowed upon it by the human race commensurate with its dignity (for that is impossible), but that the piety of those who offer them, by the power of those contributing...

^A might be weighed. Therefore, let no one who struggles with poverty be downcast in spirit; rather, let him rejoice. For what the divine nature alone demands (and this is above all things virtue), he will be able to offer completely.

XVII. TO THEODOSIO THE BISHOP

That Eusebius, an advocate of voluntary poverty and an interpreter of heavenly dogmas, should be engrossed in earthly matters and eager to amass money—although it is a grave thing—yet I do not know how it should seem not to be a grave matter. But that which has now been indicated by you, and is testified to by the account of many trustworthy men, and which perhaps will seem incredible ^B to those who come after us, is of such a nature that nothing more atrocious could be imagined. For who could easily be led to believe that he discards those who cultivate poverty and shine in every other kind of philosophy, judging them beneath the priesthood because they are in no way useful to him for making profit, as if they were men of no use; while, on the contrary, he advances the rich to the priesthood because he reaps their wealth, even if they are covered in every kind of wickedness, thinking that the priesthood is owed not to virtue, but to riches?

And indeed, as you write, it was fitting for those who are removed from these vices to devise the medicine that is appropriate. But since there are very few such men, and they are covered by the multitude of others, and fearing to incur the enmity of the many, they do indeed shed tears, but they display no brave or bold deed; for this reason, they are suspected of suffering from the same vices as those others. For do not—O you sanctuary of hatred against wickedness—suppose that all are such; but believe ^C that there are some who preserve the apostolic character, one of whom you yourself happen to be, for whose sake the sentence against those who sin has not yet been pronounced.

XVIII. TO AGATHO THE PRESBYTER

The most divine definition and discourse of the Father, most wise sir (for without a prologue I shall proceed to the interpretation; for my mind yearns to speak what it has conceived), if it is later in time, as they say, it is not sempiternal; but if it is sempiternal, as we say, it is by no means later in time. For nothing is so proper and characteristic ^D of the divine nature as eternity. And indeed the term "radiance" indicates eternity. But "character of the substance" indicates the substance; the "Word" indicates impassibility, and that it is removed from all corporeal mass; and finally the "Son" indicates property and consubstantiality. For gathering the useful from each one, let us dismiss the rest, insofar as it does not befit the divine nature. For in the case of generated beings, "before" and "after" may have a place; but in the case of the adorable and most kingly Trinity, the...

^A first and the second have no place. For the divine power is sublime above both number and time.

XIX. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER.

If the Jew who disputed with you, as you mentioned, believes that the Lawgiver said nothing beyond the letter, say to him that two men who lived among you after the coming of Christ, and who recorded the monuments of your literature, refute your ignorance: namely, Philo, the most contemplative, and Josephus, the most historical. The former turns nearly the entire Old Testament into allegory; the latter, speaking explicitly, interprets wisely and skillfully those things of the lawgiver that are allegorical, while ^B explaining others with gravity and allegorical sense, and finally indicating literally all that was useful to be said plainly. For if we bring forward prophetic utterances that guarantee this, they will not shrink from perversely twisting and corrupting them; and if they dare to impiously reject apostolic decisions, proofs, and interpretations, it would certainly not be right for them to reject the testimonies of those who have flourished among them with a reputation for wisdom and learning.

XX. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP.

The priesthood stands as a medium between the divine and human nature, in order that it may worship the one and effect a better change in the other. Therefore, if anyone thinks ^C more highly of this than he should, he does not seem to me to possess even a shred of prudence.

XXI. — TO THE SAME.

Holy men, O most wise one, hold the excesses of the dangers they face for the sake of virtue to be the provision for a greater glory.

XXII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

Just as—that I may use a clear example—Jerusalem, when it was armed with divine aid, stood upright and erected trophies without labor and without bloodshed; but when it was deprived of this because ^D it had raged against Him, the enemy’s fire easily caused it to collapse: so also the soul, when it is hedged about by help from above through stability of character, easily conquers its enemies; but when it sins, it shall be captured here by the fire of the passions, and there it shall be punished by that of judgment.

XXIII. — TO ASCLEPIUS THE SOPHIST.

If Xerxes, O sophist—for I will converse with you from your own histories—having yoked the Hellespont, could not yoke the spirit of the Athenians to the yoke of slavery, but tried everything and innovated even against the law fixed for the elements, yet could not move them from their soul’s purpose; do you imagine that you, by mere counsel, could move our spirit and incline it toward flattery?

But is not this absurd? Therefore, cease to give us such counsel. Otherwise, we shall exclude you from the choir of friends.

^A XXIV. — TO MARTYRIUS THE LECTOR. The keen and daring love of money, knowing no satiety, drives the soul it has captured to the extreme of evils. Therefore, we should banish it primarily at the very beginning. For if it conquers once, it can by no means be vanquished thereafter.

XXV. — TO SYRION. The noble Paul, that most excellent leader, who was in no wise a disgrace to the king’s selection, having no other object before his eyes than the utility of the Church, neglected private advantages and corrected the errors of others, crying out that all things ought to be done for the edification of the Church. We, on the contrary (as those who look to our own glory), prefer that which seems to advance our own affairs to the utility of the Church. And yet the glory of the Church redounds entirely to us as well, whereas our own glory does not entirely pass over to the common good. For if, in order to seem to commend ourselves, we set the edification of our neighbors at naught, will not the loss outweigh the gain?

^B XXVI. — TO CASIUS THE PRESBYTER. Against those who say that there is birth, or fate, or what is called fortune. It is no grievous thing, O excellent man, that those who have committed grievous acts should be visited with grievous punishments. But that those who have committed no grievous act should suffer grievous things is most grievous of all. How, therefore, shall we satisfy those who complain on this account? By no other means, I suppose, than by saying of the former that it is just, and of the latter that it is for the sake of testing their virtue. For divine justice punishes the former, but to the latter it supplies the material and seed of crowns. For those who posit Fate will have no answer to give regarding either. For it is not fair that either he who was compelled to commit some wrong, or he who committed nothing grievous, should suffer grievous things. But we, who affirm that there is Providence, speak well, and act piously, and produce reasons consonant with logic.

^D XXVII. — TO AGATHUS THE PRESBYTER. Regarding the Holy Trinity. Those things which exceed the singular number in Holy Scripture indicate the difference of the persons. But those things which are stated in the singular indicate the identity of the nature. For the former are said so that Sabellius and the Jews may have their mouths stopped; the latter, so that Arius and Eunomius and the Gentiles may be branded. For those who extend the number of the properties into the holy Trinity, and yet draw them back into one substance, think most correctly and follow the doctrine of the heavenly oracles, as those who do not fall into polytheism through

the variation of nature, nor slip into Judaism through the assertion of a single person. ^A

XXVIII. — TO BISHOP APHTHONIUS. One must judge things doubtful by things admitted and certain, not things admitted and certain by things doubtful. For example: when the dream of the statue had flown from the mind of the Babylonian king, and he sought to know not only the interpretation of the thing shown but the vision itself, and all were at a loss, Daniel did not first set forth the things sought, before he had provided the explanation of the things that were clear; for by explaining the things that were understood in his mind, he made himself trustworthy and above suspicion regarding the matters in dispute. For teaching concerning matters admitted removes the accusation of fabricating the things said.

XXIX. — TO BISHOP HERMOGENES. Since the character of those who live with a man is a clear indication of his own habits, do not wonder if Eusebius holds Martinianus, Zosimus, Maron, and others of the same stamp in honor. For just as if he were a lover of virtue, he would not have preferred others to virtuous men; so, since wickedness is his companion and friend, he makes use of men of the same character. ^B

XXX. — TO ARCHONTIUS THE PRESBYTER. He who achieves victory not through the weakness of his adversaries, but through the magnitude of his own strength, overcomes strong men, is renowned, and worthy of public proclamation. Do not boast, therefore, if you have overcome one or two. For only when you have prevailed against those who excel in virtue will you be truly proclaimed a conqueror. ^C

XXXI. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN. How is that saying to be understood: "The firstborn of all creation"? Setting aside the trite and common interpretations, I shall clearly express what I think, even if I may seem to some to be entering upon a newer path of interpretation. The word *prototokos*, if the second syllable is accented, signifies the one born first; but if the penultimate syllable is accented, it signifies the one who gave birth first. And this is especially well known to you who relish the reading of Homer. For *prototokos* is said by him to mean the one who gave birth first. It is likely, therefore—or rather, it is necessary—to conceive that the divine Paul also employed this word here in such a sense, not by dogmatically asserting that He was created first among all creation—far be it, for he calls Him the "radiance of glory" and the "express image of the Father’s substance"—but that He was the one who first gave birth, that is, who made the creation. So that, ^D with the third syllable accented, it means "first-producer," not "first-created"; "first-maker [of creation]," not...

"first-created." And as to the fact that [the term] "first-born" is used here for creation, let no one be surprised, since it is said elsewhere: "You have forsaken the God who gave you birth," ^A and: "I have begotten and exalted sons," and: "I said: You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High." For since God, in begetting, begets without passion, and in creating, creates without passion and in a manner befitting God, and without labor, for this reason Scripture has used these terms, not so that we should understand creation through generation and generation through creation (as the heretics wickedly and craftily try to establish), but so that it might demonstrate the ease and the freedom from all suffering in God. But if someone, enslaved merely by a prejudice and not looking at the truth, should object, neither will I take it upon myself to be the judge, nor would it be right for him to be a judge for himself. Therefore, let us commit the matter to impartial judges, and let the hearers be the judges. If he has something to show, let him show it. And if he demands the proof from me, I will bring forth as a witness the very one who said these things. For after saying, "The firstborn of all creation," he added: ^B "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth." If then he had said, "Created after him," judge in favor of the accuser. But if he said, "In him"—for in the Creator is the creation and conservation of all things; a point which, explaining elsewhere, he said: "For in him we live and move and have our being"—our victory, as I suppose, is indisputable. And if I recite what follows, the victory will be even more brilliant. For he says: "And he is before all things." He did not say, "He was made before all things," but, "He is before all things, and all things consist in him." He did not say, "With him," nor, "They were created after him." But why do they reject those who say that He is called "only-begotten" by reason of His divinity, but "firstborn of all creation" with respect to His human nature? For if it be not understood in this way, nor yet called such, the term "firstborn," if it be coupled with "only-begotten," can designate nobility ^C—for one can indeed be both firstborn and an only-begotten son—but if it be coupled with created things, it has no place. For he is either "only-begotten" or "first-born." For the one is destructive of the other. And besides, what prevented him from saying clearly, "First-created of all creation"? And how, if he is thought of as "first-created," is he "only-begotten"? For the one admits no other; the other sets aside the "only." And what difference is there between him and the creatures if he was created according to this very thing? Or how do they not blush, worshipping a creature, and fighting against their own votes? Forbidding, as they do, the worship of the creation—as ^D a pagan practice—they fail to notice that they are doing this themselves. It is necessary also to know this, that not every word necessarily signifies the same things; nor does homonymy signify synonymy in any way.

For concerning the Son, the term "begetting" is ^A properly used; concerning created things, it is used improperly. In the former case, it is used for the sake of truth and consubstantiality; in the latter, for the sake of honor and adoption. For "willingly He has brought us forth with the word of truth." Let not homonymy, therefore, engender equal honor in this case, nor let what is said improperly be thought to have been said properly. Since, if someone were in his right mind, he would not say that the terms "fury," "wrath," and all other things not befitting the divine nature, which are said improperly, were spoken properly. For it is clear that for every passage and every word, a suitable and fitting interpretation is to be applied, which gives birth to the truth.

XXXII. — TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER

Great wonder possesses me, as to how it is that, while you ^B know most accurately that the divine power is unconquerable and is always the same and in the same state, while human things have nothing certain or stable—but rather, however strong they may seem to be, they are doubtful and uncertain, inasmuch as, unless they are supported by divine aid, they have a most certain change and give birth to a horrifying fall—you, however, do not curb your spirit in the least, but, swelling with immoderate pride, you provoke a change in the opposite direction.

XXXIII. — TO PAUL

What it signifies that the prophet Zechariah saw sin sitting upon a measure of lead.

Since you ask for what reason Zechariah saw iniquity sitting upon a measure of lead, I answer that this happened because lead signifies ^C the weight and gravity of sin. For there is nothing more burdensome or heavier than sin, which casts those whom it has captured into the depths of Hades. But the measure signifies the end of the patience toward those who have sinned, and the beginning of the punishment. For they will not be permitted to sin without measure or forever; but soon they will be exacted the most bitter penalties.

XXXIV. — TO EUTONIUS

The love of ambition, being by its own nature passionate and sharp, and overcoming the human race in a wonderful way, the Savior wisely and skillfully curbing and redirecting toward ^D the better, uses these words: "Take heed..."

^A that you do not perform your righteousness before men to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven" [Matt. vi. 1]. For since He knew, as the Creator and Maker, that the seeds of ambition were originally planted in human souls—not uselessly or in vain, but so that, becoming fervent lovers of honor, we might progress toward the better (having, that is, an excellent safeguard, and amulet and protection laid up in this desire for glory, to keep us from being enslaved to ignoble passions)—and since He knew that we have turned this innate gift to the contrary, and having been turned toward earthly honor, have become forgetful of the heavenly, He therefore again, like a most excellent husbandman, taking care of the soul, prunes away the vicious shoots and heavily suppresses the rank growth of the most wicked men towards an insane pursuit of human glory. Whatever, however, is sweet and vital and fruitful in it for the production of heavenly goods, He not only leaves, but even arouses and renders more fertile; for He roots out entirely the ostentation which those who are greedy for and covetous of human glory create, while He deservedly permits that which looks to God alone to be most zealously sought.

XXXV. TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER

^B Or rather, or certainly no less than to you, it has been a care to us, that as far as lay in our power, Chaeremon and Zosimus and Maro might repent, and having recovered a better mind, might free themselves from shame and disgrace. Since, however, as it appears, they have fallen into an almost insurmountable wickedness and have not yet brought their minds to emerge from it (for which reason, indeed, by some they are lamented as those who will eventually emerge and return to a better mind, while by others they are given up as having drifted into insensibility and are abandoned), we shall certainly again exert ourselves, so that what is our part may not in any respect be neglected. For thus, perhaps, it will come about that they will at length repent, and return to favor with virtue—against which they do not fear to wage an inexpiable war—treating that as their one serious task, but everything else as if it were accidental and perfunctory. ^C

XXXVI. TO CHAEREMON, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS

If it is, as you say, that you are driven to perpetrate the things you perpetrate—because you by no means expect judgment—you ought to know this: that wickedness, even if no other punishment were added, is in itself a punishment; and virtue, even without crowns, is a crown. And indeed, quite especially from those who have paid the penalties for their crimes in this life, the belief in future judgment gains credibility, and is true and certain and indubitable among all. But if wickedness has driven you into such a madness that you have erased this from your minds, yet certainly—even ^D if I pass over the fact that many here have paid the penalty—do not think it a small punishment, that here, by all...

^A they are decried and held in hatred; nor, on the other hand, is it a small crown to have finished the course of life gravely, honorably, and with praise.

XXXVII. TO HARPOCRATES THE SOPHIST

It seems most absurd to me, in my judgment, that men should hold in high esteem those matters in which external philosophers and the sacred Scriptures differ, while treating with little regard those in which they agree. For the doctrine of the final judgment, which is reasonable, just, and congruent with those endowed with reason, and is admitted and accepted both by us and by them, induces very few indeed to do what the plan of duty requires. For the majority—and let no one think, in anger, that this is said of them—act as if there were no judgment, nor any providence presiding over affairs and observing human actions, acting as they do in the densest darkness of night. ^B But the doubtful and controversial dogma, although lacking in probability, nevertheless conquers very many. For they despise the best and most accurate mode of living and count it as nothing; yet they sharpen their tongues beyond what is fitting. And they care nothing at all for temperance, but trifle about uncreated matter and certain other things which, if known, bring no great help toward virtue, and if ignored, cause no detriment to those who are not instructed in such matters. Therefore, let them first learn to examine the doctrine of judgment, which is beyond controversy both with us and with them, and to embrace a righteous life; for it is most absurd to be silent regarding that on which both sides agree, yet to toss about and chatter incessantly, high and low, concerning those things on which they have disagreed.

XXXVIII. TO SERENUS

^C In public and most grievous calamities, there is no room for commiseration. For since all are lamenting their own private afflictions, they have not enough leisure to follow the miseries of others with mourning and lamentations.

XXXIX. TO CHAEREMON THE DEACON

I assert that an impious and wicked man ought not to open his mouth, not only concerning the doctrine of the faith but also concerning any other matter, until he has washed away the stains of his soul through sincere repentance. For if God said to the sinner: "Why do you declare my statutes?" (Ps. XLIX, 16), ^D He has certainly imposed silence upon one who is in such a state of mind and yet does not fear to scrutinize the dogmas of the faith. For dogmas are as much more sublime than justifications as heaven is than earth, and the soul than the body. Therefore, since soundness of life is wanting to you, cease to institute a contest concerning the dogmas of the faith, lest otherwise you be the cause that the dogma itself is also overcome. For many are accustomed to form an opinion about what is said from the reputation of those who say it.

XL. — TO THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC

^A Your brother, most excellent man, is admired for his character; you, for your speech. He, for the integrity of his soul; you, for the fluency of your tongue. He, for the moderation of his character; you, for the pomp and swelling of your language. He is like a tree teeming with fruit; you, like one abounding in leaves. Wherefore, if this is so, imitate your brother, so that you may obtain praise and glory on both counts. For he does not have as much need of your gifts as you have of his.

XLI. — TO THE SAME

Some who admire you for the sharpness of your wit and the fluency of your speech accuse you of being contentious, difficult to listen to, and morose. For while you ought to descend to those who are inferior, you do not even yield to your superiors and those who are more excellent. Therefore, if these things are so, do not disgrace the excellent education you possess through the perverseness and wickedness of your mind; rather, mingle mildness with your natural goodness, and the gentleness of your character with the fluency of your speech, so that you may be praised on both accounts.

XLII. — TO THE SAME

I would define an eloquent man as one who is able to demonstrate clearly what he has conceived in his mind, not one who, with very learned and sublime words, makes even clear and lucid things obscure. The former brings to light what was hidden; the latter hides in darkness even what is clear to everyone. For this reason the former is celebrated with the highest praises, as one who desires to benefit his hearers; the latter, on the other hand, because he burns with a desire for his own glory, is left without honor or reward.

XLIII. — TO PAUL

It should not seem surprising that those who are inflamed by the torches of envy do not become better even through receiving benefits; for they are provoked all the more upon receiving benefits, because they recognize that they had need of kindness.

XLIV. — TO SERAPION THE BISHOP

Since the demonstrations of obscure things have a twofold principle (for every demonstration and confirmation takes its beginning either from sense or from clear reflection), and since it is necessary for me to use either one or both ^B of these to calm your anger, which—as you yourself wrote—burns from the depths of your heart: and further, since judgments passed by word of mouth do not have the same force when delivered by different people, whether famous or obscure, as the wisest Euripides says:

Words from the base And from the noble do not have the same strength.

^{C D}

^A Since it is true that one who wishes to hunt for anything obscure must also be sensible and have been exercised from early youth in those disciplines which sharpen the mind, it would be better to begin with the experience and the things that happened to the Lord Christ. For both the unlearned and the very wise are able to follow these. Why, then, are you indignant that Eusebius, whom you have written of as playing the role of a bishop, is drunk against the whole Church, and vents his intemperance not only against all people, but also against you, by whom he has often been benefited? But be long-suffering, O friend. For letting go of proving this through reasons and syllogisms, I would perform the demonstration from the Lord's sufferings. For indeed, even the things that happened to Him from the wicked Jews were unbearable and beyond all pardon; yet, let it be granted that they were bearable. What, then, would you say regarding that impious Judas, who was numbered in that divine choir, and in the company around the King, and had received power against demons, and diseases, and death, and who had become so bright and illustrious from being obscure and unknown? Did he not betray Him who had become the cause of so many good things for him? For that untamable beast—for it is right to call those so who do not improve even through good deeds—being sated with the Savior’s long-suffering, brought forth insolence against Him. Therefore, with these things, try to soothe and tame the fire of your anger, as if with incantations; for it yields to those who chant these things. ^B

XLV. — TO ORION THE MONK.

XLVI. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

He therefore brought this punishment upon them, necessary and immediate, that through the fear of retribution they might restrain their licentious intemperance. For those bodies which are formed from impure blood are prone to such diseases. Many, however, will also pay another penalty here, some openly, others secretly, and they will certainly pay it hereafter as well. For He who afflicted those born of them with ignominy and disgrace on account of the parents' lasciviousness will not allow those who committed the offenses to escape unpunished.

[XLVII.] — TO THE SAME. If it is inevitable that those who live with Eusebius must suffer one of two things—either falling into his offense and hatred, or becoming companions and partakers of his intemperance (inasmuch as he drives away the serious and temperate, but holds dear those who know how to behave petulantly and dishonestly), I would advise you to flee his company and association, lest you contract a pestilential disease.

[XLVIII.] — TO THE SAME. I do not at all praise him, O native image of modesty, who in private life shows himself too submissive and humble, but in command and magistracy imagines himself to be greater than what is consistent with the human condition, through an error of judgment (for I deem this to be the mark of a sluggish, unrefined, and truly vulgar soul). But I praise him who, while he is among private citizens, shows himself lofty and exalted, yet when he is appointed as a ruler, makes himself accessible and modest, and avoids the diseases that lie in wait for either state—for the former, humility; for the latter, haughtiness.

[XLIX.] — TO PALLADIUS. When you have abstained from vice, then it would be just for you to begin considering virtue as well. For if you have driven the former away, then it will be possible to consider what kind of virtue you ought to grasp. But before the foundations are rightly laid, I consider it superfluous to discourse upon the end and the pinnacle.

[L.] — TO THEODORE THE AUGUSTAL. Even if someone were a king, and flowed with riches, and were filled with joy, and possessed invincible power and were praised and proclaimed blessed by all as one who abounds in all things that are considered good, yet he ought to revolve in his mind what he was a short time ago and what he will be a short time hence, and not be carried away into insult and insolence. But if all these things cannot come together (for pleasure is not entirely joined to riches, as wars, for instance, bring decay to the enjoyment [of the soul], nor if mirth and wealth were to coincide, would safety necessarily be present, [given the]...

fear that some one of the men in primary office and of the greatest dignity might be meditating tyranny. For usually, either internal treacheries arise, or external wars are incited: for which reason, do we proceed to arrogance because of one of the things that seem to be good, and think ourselves superior to all?

LI. TO PAUL THE PRESBYTER. This passage: "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" [Ps. CXXXVI, 4] seems to me to admit of a double interpretation. First of all and especially, because outside the city of Jerusalem, it was not lawful to celebrate the Pascha, nor other feast days (whence some were even accused on that score, because they had read it outside the law). Secondly, because due to captivity their liberty and confidence of soul were extinguished, they said: How can we recount those miracles that happened in Egypt, and in the wilderness, ^B and in Palestine, and those that were performed even against the Ethiopians and the Assyrians (at which time one hundred and eighty-five thousand perished without war and combat), when, because we are now living in captivity, we can by no means make you believe them? For since their adverse circumstances snatched from them the freedom of speech (for they were being covered with reproaches as ones fruitlessly boasting of divine benefits, when they were refuted by the very facts), therefore they used almost the same words ^C as those three boys in the furnace: "It is not for us to open our mouth" [Dan. III, 33]. That is: We cannot speak confidently and freely about ancient adornments and honors. The stigma of reproach and ignominy is upon thy servants. Calamity indeed suppressed the freedom of speech. And therefore, being reproached, we remain speechless. For we shall not be believed singing of triumphs, while in the meantime we are prostrate and abject, and groaning under a servile yoke.

LII. TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER. Although your affairs are flowing according to your will, do not, however, on that account, as if you would never suffer any evil, ^D break out into arrogance and pride. But considering with yourself that things are wont to migrate and change into the contrary, behave with a modest mind, and do not proceed beyond the limits of human nature. For the avenging power of the Divine looks upon what is done; and it has led those to punishment who, thinking themselves to be higher than that they should ever be punished, by those very things by whose aid they thought to avoid it, were brought to execution.

LIII. TO LAMPETIO THE BISHOP. What is that which is said: "Having abolished the law of commandments in ordinances" [Ephes. II, 15]? The Gospel is much more excellent than the law. For the law confines kindness only to those who are of the same nation; but the Gospel extends it even to foreign nations. And that one holds friends dear... [index: entries preserved]

and this one urges you to love your enemies. The former gives laws as to children, while the latter proposes sublime dogmas as to philosophers. And this is what you wished to learn: "Having abolished the law of commandments in dogmas" (Eph. 2:15). He abolished it, not by overturning it, but by encompassing it within a higher philosophy. For the prohibition of adultery is contained effectively within that commandment which forbids looking at a woman with unchaste eyes; and the prohibition against murder is contained within that by which we are forbidden to be angry. ^A

LIV.—TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. If, even when advanced into deep old age, you do not sing a palinode, when will you repent? Let the title of old age at least warn you, which derives its name from loving the earth. Therefore, as one whose body is now ready to collapse into the earth, and whose soul is about to undergo most bitter punishments in the resurrection along with it (for that avenging justice craves the torments of those who have despised it), come to your senses. For even if you do not have sufficient time to heal so many wounds, yet this will afford you no small comfort in those terrible trials. ^B

LV.—TO PAUL. I do not believe at all that you were deceived, but rather that you wished to cast a veil over the truth deliberately. But if you have indeed wandered from the truth by being deceived, now that the matter is understood, sing a palinode. For your brother, having stated a reasonable cause and not having made up a false pretext, has adopted a better mindset. ^C

LVI.—TO THE SONS OF DOROTHEUS. Although your adversary has made an attack upon you, as if he intended to overcome you by a sudden incursion and bring you into his power, he has himself been captured and defeated, and has fallen from victory, assuming instead the appearance and guise of a suppliant. Do you, however, be moved by the law enacted concerning suppliants. For thus your victory will be more secure, and your glory more illustrious. ^D

LVII.—TO ISIDORE THE SCHOLASTIC. True brevity, joined with clarity, lies not in the omission of arguments, but in the rejection of those things that contribute nothing to the subject at hand. For just as it is superfluous to insert matters alien to the argument of a discourse, so it is necessary not to omit any of those things that serve its confirmation. Do not, therefore, yourself—if you are a polemicist and a demonstrator—

[VARIATIONS AND NOTES] (21) Old age (gȳras), from loving the earth (gēs erān). I do not recall reading this etymology easily elsewhere. Ritt. (22) Instead of "pretext" (prophasis), the third variant in Vat. Cod. 649 uses the plural, writing "pretexts." Possin. (23) In the title of the codices Vat. 649 and others, they change "to the sons of Dorotheus." I think both readings should be combined, and the inscription of the epistle should be formed in its entirety. (24) True brevity. Cf. Philemon, the comic poet, in Greg. Naz. ep. 5, as well as Pliny in ep. Philemon, thus: He who does not speak what is necessary, even if he says but a few syllables, Do not consider long, even if he speaks them at great length. He who speaks well, do not consider long, Not even if he speaks very much and for a long time. Take Homer as a proof of this. For he writes for us myriads of verses. But not even to Homer does one say "long." Ritt.

^A ...at all contribute anything of importance, it is necessary to omit nothing. Therefore, do not you either, if you encounter a contentious and argumentative discourse, accuse it of prolixity; but consider this: that it could not have explained what was being sought in any other way than by using a long circumference of words. For if one is merely to affirm and state something, the discourse may surely be brief; but if it is to be proved and demonstrated, then it is necessary for it to be extended to a length that avoids all redundancy and the repetition of the same things.

^B

LVIII. TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP.

If he who describes the divine generation follows human passions in all things—which is a thing that is not even lawful to say—it would be just to say these words to him: "If you fashion a passion regarding the birth, I also do so regarding the creation. For that which is created—if I should follow the weakness of men—is not, to my mind, created without passion." But if it is more fitting to God that one should accept what is suitable to Him and pass over that which is absurd and incongruous, he ought to think that just as a mortal generates with passion, so on the contrary does the Immortal generate without passion and without the sense of desires; and just as the one creates with labor, the other creates without labor. For the divine Paul, embracing these things in his mind, and being as it were filled with divine inspiration, surpassing all earthly examples, decreed the Son to be the splendor of the glory and the character of the paternal substance: ^C by the former, surely signifying co-eternity, and by the latter example, signifying His very substance.

LIX. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

With what eyes will you look upon your friends—if indeed you have any friends—you who have laid a snare for a man who has been a benefactor to you and is your friend? For he, as I have heard, associated with you with a more secure mind, because he thought he could suffer nothing from you by way of a snare, since he seemed to have for himself the most certain pledge of this matter: the greatness of your goodwill and of the benefit conferred upon you. But you have surpassed even the beasts themselves in savagery and cruelty—for there are among them those who know how to show gratitude to their benefactors—and you even boast in your wickedness. When, therefore, will you cease to sink your own soul, imposing upon it the necessity of constantly being carried downward?

LX. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

He who loses the opportunity of things will by no means attain their advantages. For who would approve of a farmer... ^D

^A who, when it is time to plow and sow so that he might later have a rich harvest, is torpid with leisure and idleness, and sits idly before his doors? Who would approve of a vine-dresser, who, when it is permitted to cultivate the vine so that he might have it laden with grapes and have a winepress overflowing with must, plots against the labors of others? Who, finally, would approve of a sailor, who, when he ought to sail in favorable weather so that he might make a greater profit, remains in the harbor and wallows in taverns? No one, indeed. If, therefore, these things are so, who would approve of a Christian who seeks out crowns at the time of the contests? For the things of this life offer the material for contests, not for crowns; but future things offer honors and rewards. Let us not, therefore, betray the opportunity and utility of things, lest otherwise we be afflicted with useless repentance in the future.

LXI. — TO MARO, PALLADIUS, ZOSIMUS, AND EUSTATHIUS.

Many among the pagans, led by the desire for glory alone (perhaps because they expected nothing after their departure from this life; or rather, because they condemned vice and considered even the things of this life of no value), have practiced virtue, and hence have become famous and celebrated, and are mentioned by everyone. But I greatly wonder by what cause you, for the sake of neither glory, nor judgment, nor fame and reputation, nor reward, nor finally for the sake of anything else—things which compel even lost and profligate men to do something good—can be led to abstain from vice.

LXII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER. ^C

I sing my palinode, as the saying goes. For I strayed from the mark, or, to speak more truly, from my judgment, since I did not find you such as I believed you to be when I attempted to praise you. But this is not my crime, but the crime of your own change, which has deflected into worse pursuits. For I myself, since I put faith in those who praise, and favor those who are praised (for I have a certain inclination towards what is good and honorable), was therefore led to believe those who extolled you with praises. For I desire that all should conduct themselves in such a way as to obtain praise. But you, by changing your manner of life, have convicted yourself, not me. Truly, if I despaired of your salvation, I would not write these things. But because I expect the best change, I therefore write and advise you to bring yourself back to your former virtue.

LXIII. — TO THEOPOMPUS. ^D Concerning the Arians and Eunomians.

Nothing is so proper to the divine nature as eternity. Therefore, he who asserts that the Son is posterior to the Father, from whom He has shone forth eternally, destroys that very thing which marks out that substance as purest from every stain, as far as it is in him to do so. For it is higher than both number and time: it admits of neither "before" and "after," nor "first" and "second." For just as it is inaccessible to all other things, so too it is inaccessible to these names by which created things are represented as if by certain signs.

^A

LXIV. — TO PAUL.

I heard that you, acting wisely, willingly granted the power to escape [detection]. But the most excellent Chæremon, having been removed by Ammonius, and though ordained by Eusebius (I know not how), thinking he was not discovered, did not blush; but even repaid your philosophy with trifles. Do not, therefore, be distressed if a man who cares neither for virtue, nor has the fear of God in his breast, has armed his tongue against your gentleness; rather, expect a crown for this, too.

LXV. — TO NEILUS THE DEACON.

Truth brings ornament to all arts and sciences; if it is absent, they possess no grace of beauty. For the philosophy of the Greeks, while professing to seek the truth, has fallen away from it. Rhetoric cares only for brilliance and delicacy; grammar boasts of teaching expertise in words. If, therefore, these are adorned with truth, they ought to be dear to prudent men. But if they take up arms against it, they are rightly to be despised.

LXVI. — TO THE SAME.

^B How is it to be understood: “If thy eye or thy hand scandalizes thee”?

The evangelical oracle is by no means devoid of reason, but is full of mind and deliberation; for whereas it seems (and truly is) a great thing to master desire, it is a greater and more noble thing to take precautions so that one may not be captured by the disease. ^C Christ, therefore, intending to establish this very thing, said: “Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” He does not declare him an adulterer who has seen her in passing and suddenly, and been wounded, and has drawn out the arrow, and healed the wound—for he did not say, “He who has seen [once],” but, “He who keeps on looking,” namely, he who by prior thought has drawn the passion to himself, and nurses it within himself, and keeps going to see the one ^D who was seen, and investigates foreign beauty, and through continuous looking partakes in a certain way of the pleasure. You, therefore, safely managing your own affairs, rightly stand in fear of the oracle and ask for it to be explained to you, and you disbelieve those who have reached such a point of insensibility as to say that looking does not cause any harm to the seer. I, for my part, while I commend you for taking care of your own salvation, say regarding them that a safer security is better than dangerous ambition. And to hold the divine oracles more precious than one's own reasonings,

^A and pious, and most just. But if anyone is not persuaded, let him listen even to the author of the Proverbs, who, before the evangelical oracle, used these words: "Do not fix your eye upon her, but flee away; do not linger in the place." And let him listen to the writer of the "All-Virtuous" [book], who says at one time: "Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman," and at another: "Do not contemplate the beauty of another." He did not say: "Do not see" (for this can happen by chance), but "Do not contemplate," thereby removing deliberate observation, curious gazing, and the contemplation conjoined with desire. "For friendship," he says, "is kindled into fire from this"—that is to say, obscene love arises from this. ^B And even to those outside, who have not been particularly concerned with this strictness, this seemed reasonable and true. And Socrates too—for I will also recount their sayings, since they urge toward modesty and chastity—when he had seen someone planting a kiss upon a handsome youth, said: "This man would easily float upon swords, and would leap into fire, who has clearly dared to light such a pyre within himself through a kiss." Diogenes, moreover, seeing a youth adorned more lasciviously than becomes a man, spoke these words to him: "If you are devoted to men, you are a wretch; if to women, you are unjust." For through ornamentation, men hunt for women, ^C and women, along with the effeminate, hunt for men. Agesilaus, regarding a handsome boy whom he loved, restrained him when he wished to kiss him. Alexander, indeed, could not even endure to look upon the wife of Darius, judging it base for him who had conquered men to be vanquished by women. But if it is necessary to use examples not only of Greeks but also of barbarians, I shall not refuse to do this. Cyrus, then, the king of the Persians, did not even dare to look upon Panthea who was set apart for him, and who was testified to possess an indescribable beauty; but even to the one who was constantly looking at her and saying nothing, he advised him not to look upon her constantly, saying: "For fire burns those who are near; but beauty [burns] even those who are standing from afar."

And he did not lie in this. For the man who had declared himself to be superior to pleasure was captured. And because no discourse could move her (for she surpassed in the glory of chastity), he threatened that he would use force upon her, until she informed Cyrus of this matter. ^B And he, understanding that because he had been locked up with a wild beast of this kind, to which no strength could be equal, he had fallen into this delusion, signified to him—to the man who had boasted too insolently that he was affected by no harm from the sight—the following: "If you persuade the woman, as you desire, I permit it; but if you use force, I shall by no means allow it." Since, therefore, both the evangelical oracle, and the author of the Proverbs, and he who composed the book of Wisdom, and also the Greek and Persian examples all agree on this point, it behooves us to guard our eyes with all our strength, and to curb them as if with a bridle, and to abstain from a curious and immodest gaze, as one that touches upon our vital parts. For the greatest wickedness flows from this into the soul; for it seizes its vital parts, and having driven out reason, it makes the whole soul subject to passion.

LXVII. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

^C Having learned that you, whereas you ought to run to repentance and ask for forgiveness for your transgressions, are instead contending for those prior ones, and stripping yourself for filth, always striving to conceal the former by the latter. Then, weeping, I said to myself: "O Isidore, why do you weary yourself in vain, sowing upon rocks? Why do you hasten to benefit him who does not wish to be benefited? Why do you toil and keep watch, when he for whom these watches are performed renders them void by refusing to execute what is written? Cease from laboring in vain, and from washing an Ethiopian, and from combing fire, and from boiling a stone." ^D When I had reached satiety, blaming myself, a good hope arose again, which compelled me, even against my will and resisting, to compose these letters once more. Wherefore, I beseech you, considering how far you have proceeded in evils, induce your soul to return to repentance.

LXVIII. TO THEOGNOSTOS THE PRESBYTER

I marvel greatly how those who do not restrain their insolence and the pride and swelling conceived from the fact that they have been deemed worthy of the honor of presiding over the multitude, think more highly of themselves than is just; and they do not wish to concede even this, deeming it an insult to be overcome by what is just and right.

[1. XIX. — NILO.] Since the height of humility is great, and, conversely, the ruin of arrogance is also great, for this reason I advise you to embrace the former and to fall into the latter not at all.

[LXX. — OPHELIO THE GRAMMARIAN.] Not only do the shores, as Homer has said and you have written, roar with the foam of the belching sea, but earth and sea alike proclaim in tragic language the lawless acts recently committed by Zosimus. For he has ascended to such a height of stupidity and apathy that he considers the divine oracles to be mere quackish storytelling and trifle-mongering, while supposing those who advise him toward what is necessary are raving; and he insolently attacks everyone, regardless of age or status. Who, therefore, would not shed tears? Who would not lament, not only for him, but also for the one who dared to entrust the holy priesthood to his keeping? For although it is a grave and terrible thing for even one who is reckoned among the herd and the obscure to be polluted by so many vices, it is truly the most grave and terrible thing for one who has forced his way into the priesthood to be so. We know these things, and hearing them constantly, we groan; and we have not ceased to advise him, nor will we cease so long as we breathe. Do not try, as if to the ignorant, to teach things that can neither be consigned to oblivion nor silence. For some try to call him back, as though he were half-dead; others mourn him as one dead and extinct. But neither the former nor the latter accomplish anything at all, but rather incite his laughter.

[LXXI. — TO NILAMMON THE DEACON AND PHYSICIAN.] That God is inclined toward kindness and mercy, I know most accurately. But that He also demands most severe punishments from those who despise His mercy, the holy Scriptures teach and events themselves testify. For who brought about the Flood? Who burned the land of Sodom along with its inhabitants? Who pursued Jerusalem? Who led the Jews into captivity and drove them everywhere on earth like fugitive and scourged slaves? Wherefore, let us not sin relying only on kindness and mercy, but, considering justice as well, let us repent, so that there too He may show Himself kind and favorable to us. For the repentance of the soul opens to the Judge a path of fairness, of facility, and of mercy.

[LXXII. — TO HERACLIUS THE BISHOP.] Those who rule over the willing—these alone seem to me to truly rule, and especially when they are held in high regard for their virtue. For neither a multitude of riches is sufficient for the licentiousness of tyranny, nor the guard of mercenaries is able to protect the ruler, if the goodwill of the subjects does not exist beforehand. But those who have traveled without danger to a great length of rule are especially those who have instilled in the souls of their subjects not a fear born of cruelty, but a desire for their own goodness. For they who serve out of necessity do not dwell in a state of freedom from suspicion and pretense, but those who obey with persuasion continually thrive, acting and suffering without being subject to hypocrisy, and they never rebel unless they are led to it by violence and insolence.

^A

LXXIII. — TO PALLADIUS

You are in danger, O whoever you are, how shall I call you worthily! of being ignorant of things which are obvious even to very small children. For do not think that faith (if it is right to call that faith which is refuted by your own works) will be able to save you. For the faith that justified from the beginning requires actions that are consistent with it, without which it is not possible to be saved. For it is right that one who has been accepted through grace should also adorn himself with the proper gifts of the virtues, if he is not to be caught in the charge of ingratitude. ^B

LXXIV. — TO THEODOSIUS, BISHOP

The standard of authority, O most accurate investigator of the science of ruling, is that which seeks everything for the benefit of the subjects. For he who has transformed the good order of authority into tyranny and disorder, and, while providing toils for those who are ruled, hunts for pleasures for himself, he does not delineate the standard of authority, but that of tyranny through his actions.

LXXV. — TO THE SAME

Those, O admirable one, the divine Paul ordains as priests, who do not perform their piety through victims and sacrifices, but who fulfill all its requirements by their naked nature, and who purely offer as a libation from themselves out of their own bodies. For the most beautiful victim is to have a godly mind and chaste flesh. ^C And therefore he also said that which you desired to understand from me: "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, well-pleasing to God, your reasonable service" (Rom. XII, 1). For he did not write these things only to priests, as you think, but to the entire Church. He commanded each of them to be a priest in this respect. And if chastity and modesty create priests out of subjects, it is evident that lust and licentiousness unmake priests. And while the laws and ecclesiastical institutions define this, it does not happen very much; for what reasons, it is not my place to say. ^D But those who are crowned with the divine priesthood, and have attained their office worthily, if they also guard the chastity of the body, they are truly holier than the holy. For just as in the Old Testament it was not permitted to perform priestly functions, except for the priests alone; and in the time of the Passover, everyone

^A was honored with the priestly office (for everyone sacrificed a lamb); so too in the New and successionless [order], although they have the celebration of the bloodless sacrifice as a prerogative, to whom it is permitted to offer this, yet each one has been ordained as a priest of his own body, not that he might leap uncritically into authority over his subjects, but that by gaining command over vice, he might fashion the body into a shrine or temple of chastity.

LXXVI. TO ARCHONTIUS.

You seem neither to have grasped the wisdom which Moses, the interpreter of divine laws, received from God, nor to have investigated his mind; but to have fallen as far short of his mental greatness as you have of his mode of life. For he did not command the expulsion of those who did not violate the law of marriage, as if it were a proper thing to do; but because he wished to restrain a greater and more grievous evil, he did not exactly ordain, but rather permitted the lesser; judging it not only better than the secret adultery that would otherwise have been committed by them (for they would not have hesitated to abuse the wives of others if the open marriage were not available), but also considering it more preferable that they be cast out of the house than slaughtered within. For he separated those who were unable to live together. For those who had once tasted the blood of the prophets ^C would not have spared even their wives, had they been hostile toward them; nor would those who had often attempted to kill the lawgiver himself have refrained from killing them [the wives]—either openly or by trickery and guile—or from accusing them of adultery. Therefore, by checking and preventing the greater and more atrocious evil, he permitted the lesser, rather than commanding it. And that I am not rashly guessing at the mind of that most wise man is clear, most of all from the fact that the prophets themselves expressly accuse them of being thirsty for blood and of subverting the marriages of others, and not least from what is about to be said. For when Christ came to earth, and this question was proposed to Him, He not only did not reproach Moses, but even defended him, casting the blame upon those for whose sake even he had been compelled to overlook what was congruent to nature, ^D and to permit the dismissal of a spouse. For He said: "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to put away your wives" (Matt. xix, 8); that is, because of your disobedience and recalcitrance. "But from the beginning it was not so." And in the same way, He Himself ordered that those who violate the law of marriage be cast out; but if this does not occur, He commanded that all other faults of wives be endured, or rather, He declared it to be necessary. Nor

does this happen in vain and foolishly. For other vices do not ^A in the least concern the individual bound by the law of matrimony; but adultery strikes at the very foundations of the marriage contract, and insults the nobility of children, and tears families asunder, and finally destroys and overturns all human life.

[LXXVII]. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

That bodies will be spiritual in the resurrection, the divine Paul declared for these two reasons: first, because they are destined to be light and ethereal, and free from every suffering and weight; and second, because they will henceforth yield only to the divine Spirit. For now, even if He is present, the soul still holds the authority over what is done. But then, they will be rather vessels and receptacles of the Spirit. For not only the bodies themselves, but even the soul will be spiritual, ^B acting in all things according to its laws. But if anyone inquires about the bodies of sinners, we shall say that, according to the former exposition, they will be light and ethereal, either because they will be tormented by fire yet not consumed; or because, even if they should desire to sin, they will not be able.

[LXXVIII]. — TO THE SAME.

What is, "I was king among the monozoni"?

Since you wished to learn the meaning of what was said by the illustrious Job, "I was king among the monozoni," I think that, since "monozoni" signifies either military ranks, or barbarian throngs, or brigand bands, he meant something of this kind: "Either I commanded the soldiers legally, or I bravely overcame the barbarians, or I struck terror into the robbers, ^C and prevented them from using their own ways; and if they did not obey, I would shut them into the net of the laws."

[LXXIX]. — TO PALLADIUS.

Since, as I hear, you seem to labor not for the sake of knowing, but to catch glory from knowledge, I wish for you to achieve this also: that you be held by a desire for truth rather than for glory. But if now, intoxicated by the passion of ambition, you are offended by this address, I do not doubt that when you return to a better frame of mind, you will be grateful to me.

[LXXX]. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

Some say that you are so disposed in mind ^D that you lie open to all foul and unworthy passions, but on the contrary keep all access closed to honorable and noble ones: this is not from any error or

compulsion, but by judgment and resolve. And since you wish to accomplish nothing good, it also follows that any inclination and impulse toward what is noble is difficult for you—I will not say return. For they maintain that you have never once rightly deliberated or acted. Consider, therefore, that you are advancing into deep old age and that your death is manifest; and even if it be late for the season, take your fill of wisdom and cease from your evil ways. ^B

LXXXI. TO THE SAME.

I do not marvel that, since you labor under ignorance in all other matters, you have demonstrated your unskillfulness in this one as well. For, on the contrary, it would have swept me into amazement if, while you were straying in all other things, you had not erred in this one. Now, you know the foul and obscene affections by yourself, and there is no need to speak of these. But since you are ignorant of the honorable and humane ones, I shall set these forth to you. These are mercy, philanthropy, compassion, clemency, and other such related things. And if it disturbs you that these should also be called "affections," I shall provide trustworthy men as witnesses and vouchers for this. I know, indeed, that you yourself will not be able to follow what is said, being a product of lack of education, yet I will speak of it nonetheless. ^C Demosthenes, the orator, the pride of all Greece, when speaking of Philip and requested to grant freedom to the Olynthian captives, used these words: "So that Philip might be swayed by some affection and grant the favor." Josephus, a man most famous for his learning and eloquence, writing about the factious men who thrived during the siege of Jerusalem, spoke thus: "Whenever a wild and implacable nature takes up in addition the practice of cruelty, it becomes from both sides impenetrable and inaccessible to pity and to any honorable and humane affection." And no affection is so honorable, it has been said, as mercy. Philo, too—a man who, on account of the sublime and exalted nature of his speech, has seemed to be either a pupil or a teacher of Plato (for it has been said of them, "Either Plato Philonized, or Philo Platonized")—in praising Moses as one who hated evil, said: “Being moved with passion and filled with just anger, he denounces certain Egyptians, those, I mean, who had been appointed by Pharaoh to urge on the works.” ^D For the soul is affected in some way, and inclines either toward mercy, or toward clemency, or toward kindness, or toward the hatred of evil. For if a man were not broken, he would not pity a suppliant; if he were not bent, he would not have compassion on one in need; if he were not affected in some way, he would not bestow a benefit upon an enemy; if he did not judge that justice was harmed, he would not turn toward the hatred of evil. And this change they also call an "affection." For just as the man who turns from the better to the worse suffers something, so too the man who turns from the worse to the better suffers something. For "affection" is the name for a change. Therefore, even you, though it be late in your life, flee from foul passions, so that you may not

otherwise praise my counsel only when such praises are of no benefit to you. ^A

LXXXII. — TO AMMONIUS

LXXXIII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON

LXXXIV. — TO AGATHUS THE PRESBYTER

Since you write asking what prompted Moses to legislate that linen and wool should not be woven together, and that purple should not be woven into linen garments, and to strictly investigate the leprosy of garments and stones, I could indeed have explained the speculations regarding these things. They contain, after all, excellent allegories, capable of benefiting those who do not have a mind untrained for contemplation. But since I know that many suppose that those who speak of such things are avoiding conflicts due to ignorance, and since I know that you take pleasure in the things themselves and in the interpretation of the Scriptures alone, you shall receive from me a direct answer, free from any circumlocution. ^C I believe, therefore, that in leading those over whom he was placed toward philosophy, and because he wished them to concern themselves only with what is necessary, he eliminated all affectation: by forbidding the weaving together of linen and wool, he banished the desire for variety; by forbidding the weaving of purple into linen garments, he banished luxury and profusion and excessive concern for adorning the body; and by investigating the leprosy of garments and stones, he forbade the seeking and hoarding of more than is necessary. For this is wont to happen to old garments and houses. Be content, he says, with necessary things, neither acquiring nor hoarding anything superfluous, nor even adorning yourself, but transfer all your concern and diligence to the care of the soul. But if you wish to be helped even by outsiders—for they say that the mellow figs that fall from the trees are ripened by the wild caprifigs—I would say that even ^D your... [rest of page missing in original]

in the decoration of the body should be converted into total care and pursuit for the soul. If you wish to derive some benefit from secular writers as well (for they say that cultivated figs, when they drop their fruit, are tightened by wild figs), I would offer this: that Isocrates also, in the book where he instructs Demonicus with precepts, warns him with these words: "Take care that your dress be cultivated and decent, but not showy. For it is the mark of a cultivated person to be grand, but of a fop to be excessively fussy." That this is true is clearly shown by what Diogenes said. For, having seen a certain youth adorned more lasciviously than became a man, he said to him: "If you are courting men, you are a wretch; if women, you are acting unjustly." If, then, those outside have been concerned with what is appropriate, how could that holy man, clarion of God, when leading his people toward philosophy, fail to uproot all variegation, effeminacy, and excessive desire for adornment from the minds of his subjects, and instead legislate decency and gravity, through which the best life is brought to perfection? ^A

LXXXV. — TO MARTINIAN THE PRESBYTER. Some say that you are an insatiable, harsh, and cruel grain-dealer, in that you observe the times, seize the opportunity to profit from poverty, and reap a harvest from calamities. Therefore, considering this within yourself—that others have need of the help of God not so much as you do—let awareness of this move you. ^B

LXXXVI. — TO ZOSIMUS THE LIBRARIAN. Carefully explain to our friend the series and order of the books about which I wrote to you, lest forgetfulness creep in and bring loss to you, and the mark of ingratitude to him.

LXXXVII. — TO LEONTIUS THE BISHOP. The beginning of friendship, and the spark of benevolence, and that which wounded both me and the excellent Eutonius with a longing for one another, was a hatred of the wickedness that I observed in his character. For when I saw him gladly and eagerly facing danger not only for the sake of virtue, but even for the sake of those who hold the love of virtue, from that point on I tracked the rest of the man's philosophy as if it were a footprint, and was incited to love him. But when certain mad sophists again attempted to pull down and weaken the dogmas of the Christian faith, we, being instructed in their arms and syllogisms, did not cease striking them until we had put them completely to flight and carried off a clear and complete victory. This was, for us, a second spark—or rather, not a spark, but a torch of friendship clearly ignited, and it remained. For such is the law of divine love. ^C For corporeal love, inasmuch as it is groveling and humble (since it is composed of flowing and perishable bodies), flows away and withers like flowers. ^D For neither does a fire remain if the material that gave the fire its substance is consumed, but it goes out along with it; nor does a longing stand [firm] when the fuel is being withered away.

^A inner disposition, being something fixed, is therefore lasting; and in proportion as the beauty of virtue is manifested to it, by that much does it bind both itself and those who are lovers of the same things to one another.

LXXXVIII. — TO THE SAME

Although, as you said, there are some among those who have taken upon themselves the charge of the people who, while starting out with the appearance of considering the poor, end up by seeking their own gain, do not pay heed to those who are suffering shipwreck, but rather to those who handle the helm safely and sail with a following wind. ^B

LXXXIX. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. How to interpret the weeks of Daniel.

Since, being diligent and fond of learning, you have wished to know how those sixty-nine weeks of years recorded in Daniel—counted from the building of Jerusalem and ending at its destruction—were fulfilled, you should know that it was not built in the time of Cyrus, but in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus. For at that time, as Esdras relates, Nehemiah came and rebuilt the city. "How then," you ask, "were seventy weeks cut short concerning your people and the holy city?" It is because in the sixty-ninth week—that is, in the four hundred and eighty-third year—the war began, ^C and in the following week of years it came to an end, with the Jewish state perishing along with it. If you ask how this is proven, you must know that between the twentieth year of Longimanus and the end of the Persian empire, one hundred and thirteen years elapsed; and then the Macedonian empire lasted for two hundred and ninety-four years; then the Roman empire, with Augustus reigning, forty-three years; under Tiberius, twenty-two; under Gaius, four; and finally, with Claudius holding the supreme power, it lasted for seven. For in his eighth year, the movement of affairs began for the Jews, from which the war against the Romans was kindled for them, which brought about the destruction of the city. For in the time of Nero, who succeeded Claudius, they were ^D brilliantly and powerfully attacked by Vespasian, who was then Nero's military commander, and were captured later when the same man held the reins of the empire.

XC. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

I hear that you are vehemently distressed over things that merely have the appearance of a reproach, yet over those things which are truly reproachful, you are not only not suffused with any shame, but you even boast. For that you were born of a slave father, which is no reproach of character,

^A disposition—since it is not a matter of the will and the intent of the soul, nor should it be cared for in any way—is being tormented to a great degree. But in the meantime, you criticize those who urge you toward virtue as much as those who induce sloth. And indeed, if you were numbered among the subjects, even then it would not be fitting to despise and spurn them, but rather it would be right and most becoming to draw you out from the abyss of wickedness through counsels and admonitions. But yet, such harm and disgrace would not be destined to befall the Church. Since, however, you seem to be reckoned among the priests (I omit how, for it is not my desire to strike you, but to heal you), you do not even allow those who desire to keep silent and remain in peace to be at rest. For many Gentiles and Jews make an assault upon the Church, casting reproaches and bringing forward your life, and thinking that through this they can damage the doctrine. If, therefore, you do not fear judgment, at least strive for present glory; if you do not desire the kingdom of heaven, at least seek good repute; if you do not desire crowns, at least rid yourself of reproaches. If no care for the proclamation of your praises affects you, at least strive that you not be held up to shame and insulted. If you do not tremble at that all-watchful justice of God, at least fear human laws, lest otherwise, perhaps being caught in the very act of crime, you suffer the ultimate punishment.

XCI. TO THEOPHILUS THE SUBDEACON

^B Timotheus, who now inhabits that seat suffused with all good things, which they call the kingdom of heaven, brought such great utility from his virtue to those by whom he was beheld that even just by their memory of him he kept those who remembered him in their duty. For he was able, even by merely dwelling in their minds, to inspire them with shame, and to render those to whom he came to mind pure and immune from base and absurd affections.

XCII. TO OPHELIO THE GRAMMARIAN

Among you who are grammarians, "homonym" is the same thing as "synonym"; but among philosophers it is not so. For those things are called homonyms whose name alone is common, but the account of the substance corresponding to the name is different. Synonyms, however, are those which agree with one another in thing, in manner, and in name. ^C But since, being unversed and inexperienced in such disciplines, and having a mind not at all exercised, you requested that I note such meanings in the words of Scripture, I shall attempt, according to my ability, to open to you a clear door to such considerations. The term "searching" in the sacred Scriptures is used both of God and of men. But when it is used of God, it indicates a certainty of knowledge absolute in all respects; but when it is used of men, it signifies that that which is sought is found with labor and torment. Therefore, in these places where this name is situated, both in God and in men, it is ^D equivocal, not synonymous. For example, that saying: "Search the Scriptures," when compared with what is said about God: "He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit," is equivocal, but not synonymous. And the phrase: "He who searches the hearts," when compared with: "The Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God," is synonymous, as it also in the case of the

^A accuracy of knowledge might be signified concerning the Father and the Holy Spirit. I believe, therefore, that the meaning has been clarified. If, however, you wish for this to be examined under another term, I will do so. The word "good" is used of God and of men, but it denotes a homonymy. For the expression "the good man" is a homonym for "How good is God to Israel." But "How good is God to Israel" is a synonym for "Thy good Spirit shall lead me in the right land." For here there is a communion not only of the name but of the thing itself. The word "wrath," when used of God and of us, is not a synonym, but a homonym. For when used of God, it signifies the punishment sent upon sinners without passion; but when used of us, it signifies a passionate agitation and a disturbance of the mind. Furthermore, the passage "Add iniquity to their iniquity" is a homonym. For what it says is this: "Inflict punishment upon their sin." And the passage "If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him" ^B is also a homonym. For what it says is this: "If anyone defiles the temple of God, he will be punished by Him."

XCIII. TO THE SAME

God possesses the good by nature, not without will, but endued with it—not by force, but voluntarily. We, on the other hand, attain it through discipline and progress. We do not possess it in an inalienable way, as the divine nature does, but in a way that can be lost if a love for idle ease and sloth should perversely hold its dance within us.

XCIV. TO THE SAME

Concerning the saying: "The Lord thy God will raise up a prophet unto you."

Say to the Jew who has disputed with you—who has spoken nothing noble or manful, but has vomited forth empty trifles and verbal deceptions, and has asserted that the passage of Scripture "The Lord thy God will raise up a prophet unto you from the midst of your brethren, like me" was spoken of the son of Nave—that he errs in many ways: both because he thinks not correctly, and because he flees from being taught, ^D and because he hides things greater than the measure and condition of Moses. For it is said: "Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall command. And the soul, whoever shall not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among his people." For, in the first place, Moses, acting under divine inspiration, gave this decree after the ordination of that prophet.

^A Second, that if indeed the son of Nave had surpassed Moses, the saying would have been plausible, yet not true. But seeing that he was far inferior to him, this notion appears weak. Third, that he added nothing to the Law, but ordered his life by the ordinances of the former. Fourth, it would have been necessary, if the discourse were about him, to say, not "He shall raise up," but "He has raised up." Fifth, that he should have said: "And every soul, whoever does not listen to this prophet, shall be destroyed." But in saying "that one," he bypassed this one. Sixth, how is it that they sent to John, who was born after many generations, inquiring if he were the prophet, and he said "No"? For he was indeed a prophet, but he was not *the* prophet. Seventh, how is it that when the Savior had come to earth, those who saw his miracles said, "This is truly the prophet"? ^B Let him observe, therefore, how many things contend against him, and let him adore the true foreknower and king.

XCV. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

On the passage: "According to the image and likeness."

Since you, a man most wise and endowed with the sharpest intellect, have requested that a most common question be explained to you briefly and clearly, and not by way of certain wanderings and circumlocutions, and yet the one is opposed to the other (for clarity requires long discourse, while brevity requires it to be concise and small), I write these things to you with as much brevity as my powers allow, mixed with clarity. They do better, indeed, who compare what is more excellent to the more excellent part of man. ^C But if what I have said seems obscure, I will speak more clearly. Those do rightly who say that the divine power is like the better part of man, that is, the soul endowed with reason. For those who think that it is endowed with a human form are utterly foolish and insane, since they are entangled in those things which were said by way of condescending indulgence, and do not endure to think anything more divine. For in what way is it said: "In the shadow of your wings you will protect me," and "The seven eyes of the Lord, looking upon the whole earth," when man has neither wings nor seven eyes? In what way, likewise, did Paul proclaim that the divine power is not even similar to the thought of man? In what way, ^D again, was it said by Isaiah: "If all the nations are reckoned as a drop from a bucket, and as spittle, and Lebanon is not enough for burning, and all the four-footed animals are not enough for a whole burnt offering, to whom will you liken the Lord?" And how, when Moses tries to interpret this expression maliciously, he said: "And you shall keep watch greatly."

in your hearts, for you did not see any likeness on the day that he spoke to you." ^A Yet even they do not, as I believe, dogmatize the precise truth. For man is an image of authority and rule, not of essence; and if he should act well, he is also an image of virtue. For although we define the rational soul as immortal, it is not of the same essence as that most divine and unoriginated nature, but is as far removed from it as it is fitting for a created thing to be from the Creator. For if the soul is "according to the image," then clearly that of the woman is too. Why then did Paul say: "For a man ought not to cover his head, being the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man"? Since the soul of the woman is immortal and incorruptible, just like that of the man, why did Paul say this with a certain qualification? But if they should oppose these things by pitting Moses against Paul, [saying]: "Let us make man according to our image and likeness," it is indeed possible to say that what is spoken is singular and was not said about both, but we shall not say this. But if they should bring forward what follows, "and let them have dominion," the statement will be in our favor. For the "according to the image" is shown clearly to be characterized in the mastery. But if they should say, "How then did Paul pronounce the one to be the divine image, and the other to be the image of the man?" we shall reply that from the beginning the woman was of equal honor and was deemed worthy of the same authority; but since she transgressed, she was brought low, ^B her authority was mutilated, and she has been placed under the man. "You did not bear equality," he says, "receive the subjection. Toward your husband shall be your turning, and he shall rule over you." Thus, the creation of the world signifies the authority of the woman before the sin, but the apostolic saying signifies the subjection after the transgression. And that the "according to the image" is preserved by the fact that man was ordained as the ruler of all earthly things, hear the Melodist interpreting the divine books and the royal syllables, and saying: "You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over all the works of your hands." For just as the Divine is over all, ^C so also does man rule over those upon the earth. Therefore, it possesses the mastery, preserving the royal image. The "according to the likeness," unless it should seem to some to be spoken in parallel, as in the passage: "If [indeed] I slept and took rest," and the saying: "Blessed is he who considers the poor and needy," must be interpreted in this way: that God entrusted the authority to him so that he might demonstrate virtue and preserve the likeness. "You received," he says, "the honor; show the virtue, so that the one may belong to the creation, and the other to the choice of the ^D Creator." Just as the Divine is over all, so also man reigns over those on earth. He indeed has the mastery, preserving the royal image. But the "according to the likeness," if it should seem to some to be spoken in parallel, as in the passage: "If [indeed] I slept and took rest," and the saying: "Blessed is he who considers the poor and needy," is to be interpreted as that God entrusted the authority to him so that he might demonstrate virtue and preserve the likeness. You received the honor, he says, show the virtue, that the one may be in the creation, and the other in the choice of the Creator.

^A And perhaps this denotes that which was said from the beginning: "Let us make man according to our image and likeness"; but later: "And God made man, according to the image of God he made him," without adding "and likeness," either as the word indicates the same thing, as I have already said, or because virtue depends on the striving of the will, so that the meaning is this: "Let us make man according to our image," so that by the choice of his will he may be fashioned "according to likeness." Therefore, before the creation he said both; but after the creation, the other. The Only-begotten God, indeed, when he arrived, says: "Be ye like your Father who is in heaven"; as if with regard to the creation, keeping the "according to image," but with regard to the choice, the "according to likeness."

But if they should say, "How then, if he received the rule of all things on earth from the beginning, does man fear the wild beasts?"—letting go of that defense, whether it be true or false, which some brought forward, asserting that the rule over wild beasts was not in the divine books from the beginning, but was added later by some people—I shall proceed directly to the answer. ^B That from the beginning, when the image in him was shining, all things were subject to him (whence he also imposed names upon them), but since he disobeyed, his rule was, as is reasonable, maimed; and yet it was not entirely cast out (so that the grace would not be found worthless), but it was maimed. For it was not just that he who had been defeated should be crowned, but rather that he should be chastened by the fear of the wild beasts. And that this is true is clear: when Noah had cleansed this image by embracing righteousness, all the beasts came to him, acknowledging their ancient servitude, and almost accusing him who had sinned from the beginning and who had lost a part of his rule. And even Daniel the lions revered, and the fire the three children. And the viper harmed Paul not at all. By means of which they renewed the ancestral rule, it is clear that he also, having received it whole, had lost a part of it. And these things are from us. But if anyone has something better to say, let him speak, and let him be heard.

XCVI. — TO PAUL

XCVII. — TO ZOSIMUS

XCVIII. — TO STRATEGIUS THE MONK

XCIX. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

^C — TO MARON THE PRESBYTER. Not upon those who receive injury, most excellent man, but upon those who inflict it, does all danger hang, and it is they who ought to be anxious and trembling. If this is so, to be wronged is not an evil, but to do wrong, and not to know how to endure injuries when they are inflicted.

[CI] — TO THE SAME. It has been well said by one of the outsiders, that it is not shameful or disgraceful to labor in poverty, but not to bear poverty with a noble spirit. If, therefore, this seemed right and proper to him also, let us not be ashamed of poverty, nor even consider it a reproach, but let us transfer this fear to vice.

[CII] — TO THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC. Since in praising many good men you have also made mention of fortune, I would willingly ask you how both these things can coincide. For praise looks to the will; but fortune does not allow the good man to be praised, though it does not forbid him to be called happy and fortunate. For there is a very great difference—even in the opinion of you who practice the religion of the pagans—between the designation of happiness and praise. For the former arises from fortune, the latter from the will and the inclination of the soul. Therefore, I would like you to write to me, learned man, how the discourse on fortune applies to one who is praised, or how praise is suitable for one who, as you say, has become such by the benefit of fortune. For the one fights against the other. For if he is such against his will, let him not be praised; but if willingly, let fortune have no place. If he has set up a trophy, let him be celebrated by the voice of a herald; but if fortune accomplished this, let him not enjoy praise. If he has struggled, let him be crowned; but if he has not struggled, let him not be praised.

[CIII] — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP. If you have resolved to encounter Zosimus, Chaeremon, and Maron with the intention of forcibly curbing their petulance and impudicity, you have need of great preparation and divine assistance. But if you think you will overcome them as if suddenly and at the first shout, you are imprudently deceiving yourself. For they bring to one another as much mutual aid when they prepare to take revenge on some good man, as they excite war among themselves when they contend with one another for the primacy of vices. For those who are in agreement in common matters are at variance in private ones; and those who, in extinguishing virtue as much as lies within them, show the appearance of some invincible power, the same ones rouse an inexpiable war among themselves in the competition for preeminence.

^A Just as in those matters where one ought to yield, victory is shameful, so in those where one ought to overcome, to be overcome is more shameful and disgraceful. For victory is not in all things a good; rather, that victory which has a good and noble cause is the best, while that which has a shameful and base cause is the worst. For instance (so that I may provide the evidence from those things celebrated among the Greeks), war against foreigners is considered legitimate and necessary; but war against those of the same race is lawless, and he who routs them does not even enjoy praises. For he is ashamed to a much greater degree than others, exactly in proportion to how much more he has accomplished than others. For nothing is more grievous than civil war ^B. If therefore, where there is only bodily death, there is such a difference—and yet there is only one nature—could those who subject themselves to demons while arming themselves against their brothers appear to be committing a tolerable crime? Certainly not in my judgment. And indeed, here it is not the death of the body that follows (for that would be a lesser evil), but the destruction of the soul, which does not merely extinguish and remove from the midst those who suffer the offense, but prepares for them a life more bitter than any death. And for this reason the rights of kinship and relationship are both greater and more divine. Wherefore we have also been commanded to cultivate a manner of life worthy of heaven. But if we are caught doing the opposite of those who serve in earthly warfare—who take up arms on behalf of their homelands and march against the barbarians—what hope of salvation will there be for us? Or who will persuade himself that they will obtain salvation who perform those deeds which clearly lead to destruction?

CV. — TO MARON THE PRESBYTER

CVI. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

^A In a few syllables, I am consigning the vast seas of meaning. For the men of old, God did not speak through letters, but through Himself, finding their mind pure and worthy of instruction without an intermediary. And this is clear from the fact that He spoke without letters both to Noah, and to Abraham, and to his illustrious descendants, one of whom—and indeed the most excellent—was he who crushed the entire power of the devil, consumed his arrows, and emptied his quiver, I mean the renowned Job. ^B But when the wretched multitude of the Jews plunged into the very abyss of vice, then at last letters were judged to be necessary, and the reminder provided through them. If, however, you think that this happened only in the Old Testament and was not confirmed in the New, I for my part assert that it appears most of all in the New. For not even to the divine apostles was anything written given; but instead of letters, the grace of the Holy Spirit was promised. "For He," it says, "will bring all things to your remembrance." But if you believe that written laws are more authoritative than unwritten ones, hear what the King Himself says: "I will make a new covenant with them, giving my laws upon their mind, and upon their hearts I will inscribe them"—"And they shall all be taught by God." ^C Whence also Paul, asserting that things greater have been entrusted to our faith than to Moses, was saying that we have received a law not inscribed on tablets of stone, but engraved on the fleshy tablets of the heart; he who despises this will not, according to the prescription of the old law, be stoned, but will be punished with a far more bitter penalty. But since, as time flowed on and ran like a very swift horse, some fell away on account of the doctrines of the faith, and others on account of their life, a correction through letters was again necessarily required. For when the unwritten laws were violated, He who in every way desires to bring His subjects to virtue rightly turned to written ones. We must therefore realize what a great indictment it is that we, who ought to live so purely and sincerely that we would have no need even of letters, but instead of books ought to offer our souls to the divine Spirit, having suffered the loss of this honor, and having been reduced to the point of needing the aid of letters, do not even then make use of this second support as we ought. ^D For if it is a crime to have need of letters and not to draw to oneself the teaching of the Holy Spirit through a pure life, we ought to consider what a great evil it is, even after such and so great a help ("For a law," he says, "He gave for help"), to be unwilling to profit, but rather to regard the letters as lying idle and in vain, and thus to call down upon ourselves a greater punishment.

CVII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

On the parable of the seed, and how the Word is sown.

^A Since you have written asking how, when Christ said at the beginning that the Word is sown, He added, "This is he who is sown by the wayside," from whom the evil one snatches away what has been sown; and yet, in the parable of the tares, He said that the good seed is the sons of the kingdom: I reply that, while each parable must primarily be interpreted in relation to its immediate theme, and not everything is to be taken in every sense. Yet, lest I should seem to some to be inventing excuses, I will speak of a more profound meaning, asserting that the Word is seed, and that he who receives the Word is also seed, by reason of the hold upon Him and the transformation, as it were, that occurs. For through this, Christ is formed in us, and we are formed according to Christ. And for this reason, the seed is also cast, so that it may make the man like unto itself.

CVIII. — TO THE SAME.

Why the law made those who committed involuntary slaughter dwell with the Levites.

^B Since you said that you had neither learned from another nor been able to find for yourself the reason why the lawgiver made those who were not holy—namely those who committed involuntary slaughter—dwell with the Levites: I would say that it was primarily so that they might gain profit from their society, and wipe away the stain of what appeared to be a sin. Furthermore, because the Levites had armed their right hands to shed the blood of their kinsmen (at the time when they attributed divine worship to the calf), and had come forward as avengers when God had been treated with outrage (for which reason they also attained the priesthood), these others had also provided themselves in a certain way as ministers of justice, in that they had slain those who were altogether worthy of punishment, even if they did not do so intentionally. ^C And the lawgiver himself confirms this opinion, saying: "But if he did not do it intentionally, but God delivered him into his hands." If, therefore, God delivered him, it would not be just for him who committed the involuntary slaying, having been seen as a minister of justice, to suffer punishment. For although he seems to have an unclean hand, he has a pure mind and will. Why then, you ask, did He decree exile for him? Not because of what happened (for then He would have banished him entirely from the land of promise), but so that he should not be slain without trial by the kinsmen of the one who was killed, ^D while their anger overwhelmed their reason, and their wrath overrode the precision of justice. Yet even so, He did not leave him to his fate; for He made a limit...

for his exile, the life of the high priest; and after his death, He grants him a return and restores him to his country. ^A

CIX. — TO THE SAME.

Why the life of the high priest is the limit of exile for one who has committed involuntary manslaughter.

For this reason, if I am not mistaken, the legislator prescribed the life of the high priest as the time of exile for one who had committed involuntary murder, in order to declare to us by a clear argument that if the involuntary death of the priest restored to their country those who had not committed murder of their own accord, and granted them their return, then the voluntary death of the great High Priest, which was extinguished by the resurrection, will also obliterate voluntary crimes, and will render all those who will put faith in His words to the Jerusalem above. ^B "For the Jerusalem which is above," says the divine Paul, "is free, which is our mother." 31

CX. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

What is meant by "on the second-first Sabbath"; and what is meant by "Sabbaths of Sabbaths."

Since you have asked that what is said in the Gospels, "On the second-first Sabbath," be explained to you, as it is obscure, listen. It is called "second-first" because it was the second after the Passover, but the first of the Unleavened Bread. For by sacrificing the Passover in the evening, they celebrated the feast of Unleavened Bread on the following day; and because, as I said, it was the second day from the Passover, but the first of the Unleavened Bread, they called it the "second-first." And that this is true is plain from the fact that the apostles were accused of plucking and eating the ears of grain. For only at that time do the ears of grain nod and droop downward because of the fruit and the harvest season, as if inviting the sickle to themselves. Indeed, on the third day of the Unleavened Bread, the sheaf also was offered to God. Thus, from the time and from what was done, that which you seek is made clear. And if it is said "on the Sabbath," do not let this surprise you. For they call every feast a Sabbath. ^C And for this reason it is said "Sabbaths of Sabbaths," since sometimes the beginning or the end of a feast would fall on the Sabbath of the week, just as often happens even among us. For when the Epiphany or the birth of our Savior according to the flesh falls on a Sunday, it produces a double solemnity, as it were a feast within a feast. In the same way, among them too, if a feast fell on the Sabbath day, it was called "Sabbaths of Sabbaths." ^D

CXI. — TO CASSIO THE PRESBYTER.

CXII. — TO ALYPIUS.

Concerning the Holy Trinity.

CXIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

^A you behave violently against those against whom it is least lawful, perhaps we too are wasting our labor in attempting to counsel an implacable beast.

CXIV. — TO LAMPETIUS

Blessed and admirable are you, for being what you are called. For although you have the power to do whatever you might please, you nevertheless persist in doing only those things that are pleasing to the Holy Scriptures and to divine laws and institutions.

CXV. — TO EUDONIUS

^B Why did Joseph, having passed over the other brothers, command that Simeon alone be bound?

Since you ask me by letter for what cause Joseph, having passed over all the other brothers, commanded that Simeon alone be cast into chains, to serve as a pledge and hostage for the brothers' return: I say that he did this for the reason that he himself had been the ringleader of those who had concocted that tragedy against him. For if he had joined forces with the eldest, who had proposed the better intent, he might perhaps have overturned that attempt and treachery. For he was junior to him, being second in age, yet older than the others. And it is probable that the others, either struck by fear or moved by a sense of shame at the opinion of their elders, would have suppressed the treachery, and especially so since the fourth was indignant at what was being done, and the matter itself possessed great weight toward ensuring it was not carried out. Since, therefore, he did not dare to utter even a word in defense of justice, Joseph commanded him to be bound, to serve as a hostage for his brothers: not so much to take punishment from him (for not long after he bestowed favors upon him) as to provide him with a lesson not to attempt anything of the kind thereafter. For when he had placed him in such distress, and had led his mind to mull over and reflect upon the things that had been wickedly perpetrated, he afterwards sent him back to his father whole and unharmed.

CXVI. — TO MARO THE PRESBYTER

It is by no means fitting, O most sluggish in excellent and honorable actions and useless in all respects, yet most active in the foulest ones, to deem all dangers, even those undertaken for trivial matters, to be noble and praiseworthy: but rather to judge only those deserving of praise and commendation which are undergone for the sake of piety and virtue, and for the sake of those who have cultivated friendships on account of virtue; and, on the contrary, to judge as base, and to flee with the utmost speed as if they were bearers of shame and disgrace, those things that both undermine all these virtues and defile the deeds previously accomplished with praise. For it is not so much the dangers as the causes that mortals are accustomed to examine; not so much the fruits as the seeds, not so much the branches as the roots of deeds and affairs. Many, indeed, are the robbers and murderers who have died fighting for their own kind, and yet no one would extol them with praises, seeing that they fought for wickedness.

^B By this it comes about that those are reproached, while these are celebrated with public proclamations and honored with statues.

CXVII. TO ISCHYRION.

On the text: "If, then, you being evil..."

CXVIII. TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

CXIX. TO PAUL.

On the text: "All who came before me are thieves and robbers."

fects ran—such as were Theudas, and Judas the Galilean, and that Egyptian leader of the sicarii—not sent, but burning with a desire for ostentation, creating and ordaining themselves, and laboring with ambition, they defected of their own accord like deserters. ^A That these words were indeed said concerning these very men is clear from what follows: "For the thief," he says, "comes not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." For all who obeyed them were slaughtered and perished, having attempted to bribe the truth, and more quickly than speech, they were utterly extinguished.

305 CXX. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

To do and to teach is of an eminent and unique praise; but to do and not to teach has less praise, for it limps in one part. ^B Thus, too, is a man possessed of the faculty of speech. For if doing were the same as teaching, it would never have been said by Christ, "But whoever shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." For what strength does an excellent life have when a struggle over doctrines arises, and one who supports false dogmas is carried along vehemently against the right doctrines? But to teach and not to do, even if it seems to have leaves, lacks fruit, and is not free from laughter, mockery, and condemnation.

CXXI. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

Just as it is easy to speak either shrilly or very gravely, but to attain the mean is a sign of a musical disposition; so also must ^C one judge concerning freedom of speech and timidity. For there are those who do not act for the sake of benefit, but only to offer insult; and there are others who have set before themselves only this purpose, to flatter and to weave false praises. But those who employ the best mean neither insult nor flatter, but by seasoning their freedom of speech with modesty, and their reproof with gentleness, so at last they arrive at healing those who suffer from ignorance of themselves. Therefore, you too, employing this discipline, approach to heal Isaiah, who, due to excessive arrogance, has lost even the ability to consider himself a man.

CXXII. — TO PAUL.

On the text, "And no one snatches them out of his hand."

^D Since you inquire through your letter, since it is written, "No one snatches them out of my Father's hand," how is it that many perish? I reply that while no one is able to snatch from that invincible and unconquerable right hand those who, through an orthodox faith and an excellent way of life, have managed to make themselves belonging to it, it is possible to deceive them. That is to say, while no one is able to snatch them away by force and tyranny,

^A it is possible to be led astray by sophistries and deceptions. Yet this does not happen by the hand of the invincible One, but because of the feebleness of free-willed men. For destruction occurs not from the weakness of the One who watches, but from the volatility of those being watched.

CXXIII. — TO PETER

He who lives basely and shamefully, but is extremely talented in speech, is surpassed by the one who is not particularly gifted at speaking, but is illustrious in his way of life and excels in the praise of justice and continence. But if someone ^B both in speech and in life shines forth, he is without equal, acknowledging that judgment must be based on deeds, and refuting those who, because they are sluggish and languid in carrying out divine commandments, think that the things which are absolutely bound to happen are spoken hyperbolically.

CXXIV. — TO PAUL

If you neither engage in shameful activities nor associate with those who do, it will gain you excellent praise among everyone. For to be given to shameful activities is base and unworthy of a noble man; but not to engage in them yourself, while associating familiarly with those who do, brings a stain upon your reputation and character. We must take care not even to be thought to do things that are shameful to do, nor to keep those who do them in the number of our friends and acquaintances. For one must fear reproaches, even if they are false. Since many, being ignorant of the truth, cast their eyes ^C toward reputation and judge each person to be such as those they see keeping company with him, casting their vote not only from events, but also from those who associate with him. For if you practice virtue, they say, what is the reason that you enter into a partnership of life with the most wicked men?

CXXV. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

On the text: “Your tavern-keepers mix the wine with water.”

I have often marveled at those who interpret the divine Scriptures wrongly, and attempt to uphold their own preferred meaning rather than the one which is actually contained in them. For they take the pure and sincere meaning, capable of gladdening the soul, and by mixing it with the base and fading water of their own dogmas, they dare to ^D traffic in divine things. And this is what is meant by: “Your tavern-keepers mix the wine with water.” For even if it seems to some that this is spoken regarding those who sell wine, according to the literal sense of the word (for that, too, is a base and wicked thing), yet with the truth as judge, I believe it should be understood rather of those who traffic in the divine oracles. For it was not said, “Your tavern-keepers mix water with wine” (which is what tavern-keepers usually do), but, “the wine with water.” For they take the pure and sincere

^A inner meanings of Holy Scripture and mix them with their fading dogmas, thus adulterating the teaching.

CXXVI. — TO AMMONIUS.

On the text: “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the other also.”

The King of things supernal and terrestrial came from heaven to bring us the symbols of a heavenly way of life, and he also proposed a contest—one that is completely contrary to the Olympic struggle. For there, he who strikes and prevails is crowned; but here, he who is struck and endures is held worthy of proclamation. There, the one who strikes back is celebrated; here, the one who offers the other cheek is proclaimed in the theater of the angels. For victory is judged not by taking revenge, but by exercising philosophy. For this law of the crowns is new, since the way of the contests is new.

CXXVII. — TO BISHOP THEODOSIUS.

^B That the priesthood is far superior to royalty, and that it involves greater labors (for when one labor ceases, another rises up in its turn, and the danger concerns more necessary matters—for the former is entrusted with divine things, the latter with earthly things to govern and administer), I believe no one is ignorant. That many, however, judging rashly and foolishly that it is open to any man to rule over souls or bodies, have thrown themselves into this, and after filling both themselves and their subjects with countless evils, have finally fallen headlong into the pit of destruction in disgrace and infamy—this, too, I believe no one is unaware of. ^C Since these things are so, I am greatly astonished how it is that some men—not having set their own affairs in order, but being full of many matters, and not even deserving to be counted among the subjects (one of whom is Zosimus the presbyter, about whose life and character you wrote to me in offense)—have dared to leap upon the priesthood, which is so much higher than royalty, and have not hesitated at all to buy with money a matter which, being such as they were, they ought not to have accepted even with a large payment. But perhaps they are ignorant of their own selves and their own lives, and, not obeying that which was so well said by ^D those outside, namely, “Know thyself,” they are also ignorant of the dignity of the priesthood—that it carries a danger equal to its greatness—and, thinking that the priesthood is a kind of rule immune to any censure, and not a ministry subject to rendering an account, they have embarked upon a matter to which they ought to have had no access.

CXXVIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

On the captivity of the Jews.

Even if the Jews have not paid here a penalty worthy of what they perpetrated against the Lord Christ, they have paid—

^A they have paid indeed. For the things which they did for the sake of avoiding what they feared, saying, “If we let him go, the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation,”—these things, I say, after they had perpetrated them, they by no means escaped. For their city having been captured by the Romans, and the temple having been destroyed and demolished, they themselves, like certain scourged slaves and fugitives and vagabonds, were scattered everywhere throughout the whole world. And they will also pay their due penalty there. For because they did not recognize the kindness, they will know [by experience] the power, of which they have tasted a small portion even here.

^B CXXIX. — TO THE SAME. On that which is written: “He refused to be comforted.”

Nothing can so delight a soul oppressed and devastated by sorrow as the memory of God. And this, indeed, is what you wished to learn from me, “My soul refused to be comforted; I remembered God, and was glad.” For just as the internal and hard-to-treat malady of the woman suffering from the issue of blood, which could neither be exhausted nor treated and quieted by physicians, was driven away in a moment of time (for she touched the hem, Christ suffered it, and the disease fled); so also human sorrow, which repels consolation, as though it were something for which no solace could be provided, vanishes and disappears at the mere memory of God.

^C CXXX. — TO BISHOP HERMOGENES.

If the Lord is said in David to be fairer in beauty than the sons of men, how does Isaiah say again, “We saw him, and he had no beauty nor form”?

Divine Scripture, O holy head, does not teach things contradictory to itself regarding the Savior, but attributes to each matter what is proper and fitting. For it looks in part toward the divinity, in part toward the assumption of humanity, and in part toward his voluntary sufferings. For it called him the true light, and the radiance of [his] glory, and the impress of the Father’s hypostasis: the first on account of the brilliance of his essence; the second on account of his eternity, or, to speak more correctly, his co-eternity; the third on account of [his] subsistence, and because he is adorned with true and genuine characteristics. For so that the radiance might not be thought to be without subsistence, the word "impress" guarantees the hypostasis. It calls him “fairer than the sons of men” and “fair in his robe” on account of the godlike and unerring virtue of the assumed humanity. And it says he had “no form nor beauty” for two reasons: one, because having hidden the form of the Master, he displayed that of a servant; the other, because during the passion, which he voluntarily underwent, every kind of outrage was stirred up. F ^D For he hung upon the gibbet in the middle of the day, and in the metropolis, and at a most important festival, where it was not likely that anyone would be missing; and some mocked, some jeered; some reproached, and others offered vinegar—

and some heaped insults upon Him, and some pierced His side with a lance. And against those robbers who were crucified alongside Him, they did nothing of the sort; but against Him they raged with such insults as it is not even lawful to use against the guilty and the criminal. ^A

CXXXI. — TO BISHOP LAMPETIUS.

As the standard of bodily beauty is the fitting proportion of limbs, so the limit of spiritual beauty consists in the mediocrity of the virtues. For if the extremes, as certain wise men have declared, degenerate into vice (for he who wishes to be a prudent administrator of his household falls into stinginess and avarice; and he who wishes to be generous falls into prodigality. Whence they defined the virtues as ^B medians. Between impiety and superstition, piety holds the middle ground), it is not without reason that the Wise Man also advised: "Be not righteous overmuch." But if this is also what he prescribes, I wish you to take care that, in those matters in which others sin against you, you do not show yourself a harsh and bitter judge; but rather, overcome justice with goodness, granting pardon to those even who commit sins unworthy of pardon, by bestowing forgiveness.

CXXXII. — TO THE SAME.

CXXXIII. — TO PETER THE SCHOLASTIC.

nay, let us bring her forth into the midst just as she is, adorned and painted, so that her ugliness may then be exposed. Therefore, let us bring forward the display, the lictors, the herald's voice, the obedience of the executioners, and the fact that all gaze upon it; and let us scrutinize whether these things that seem brilliant and desirable are not only superfluous and a useless opinion, but also harmful. For in what way does a person become better—either in body or in soul—because of these things? For that is what a man is. ^A Will he therefore become loftier, or healthier, or swifter, or will he possess sharper senses? No one would say so. Let us therefore proceed to the soul. Will he become more temperate, or more gentle, or more prudent from this display? Certainly not; rather, the exact opposite. For what is accustomed to happen to the body does not happen to the soul; for the former assumed nothing for its own virtue, but this one has assumed vice as well. For it contracts folly, and vain glory, and arrogance, and anger, and countless other offenses from it. And if it rejoices and thinks highly of itself and is puffed up and exalts itself above all others, this is the very culmination of evil, that it neither feels pain nor perceives it, but even rejoices while its diseases are being inflamed within it. For rejoicing is not entirely good. For even the thief rejoices after the theft, and the robber after the plunder, and the adulterer after having broken through into his neighbor’s marriage, and the murderer after the slaughter. Do not, therefore, cite this to me, that he rejoices, but let him show that it is for a useful purpose, and I shall rejoice with him. Since, therefore, he alone is most free and most royal—for he is more royal even than kings themselves—who is released from the passions, let us embrace virtue, and let us free ourselves from that wicked slavery, thinking neither dominion, nor wealth, nor anything of that sort to be enviable and worth fighting for, but only that of being released from the passions. ^D

CXXXIV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

CXXXV. — TO PAUL.

overturns it. For if it alone performs all things, then it would be the one now through us proclaiming that birth does not exist. How then is this thing, which you say exists, and which yet goes on to say that it does not exist, not believed by you? [CXXXVI]

CXXXVI. — TO ORION.

Do not, by uttering certain sayings of the Holy Scriptures simply, tear them with your mouth (for you will incur the charge of ignorance and the ridicule of folly; wherefore some even flee, fearing to provide a handle to a man eager for contention and desirous of strife), but having diligently inquired into the underlying premises, you will have the solutions. For interpretations that lack the underlying premises wander aimlessly. ^B

CXXXVII. — TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP.

I assert that adulation is more powerful and more grievous than fear. For that which force cannot accomplish, compliance elicits; and frequently, those whom fear did not in the least subdue, flattery has brought into servitude. Therefore, we must show a strenuous spirit both against fear and against blandishments (both being servile affections), and honor truth alone. ^C

CXXXVIII. — TO THE SAME.

A man who is upright, and a lover of God, must also be a lover of mankind, so that neither by reason of the height of his virtue and his dedication and consecration to the Divine, should he despise men, nor, on the other hand, for the sake of men, should he neglect the Divine. For although the love toward the Divine is by far greater, yet if it is entwined with charity and benevolence toward men, it shines all the more brightly. ^D

CXXXIX. — TO NILUS.

On the wisdom of Daniel and the three youths.

Those three youths, and Daniel, did not learn the curious and superfluous instruction of the Chaldeans; do not think so. For those who exercised such great care for their piety toward God as not even to partake of the royal food, would they ever, even if a thousand deaths had been set before them, have endured to be dragged into a servile education? But that these things are true, the Holy Scripture is a most abundant witness, using these words: "God gave them acumen of mind and prudence in grammar and wisdom," that is to say: they grasped the instruction contained in letters faster than all expectation and hope. For by "grammar" he means wisdom that is in letters. And that this is true is manifest both from the fact that they did not worship the royal image; and it is also manifest from the fact that the one was respected by the lions, and the others by the fire. But if they should say that this was from Persian education, let them answer: How then...

did it happen that those who were adorned with the highest dignities, and were instructed and cultivated in every sort of Persian doctrine, were partly finished off by the lions before they had even touched the ground, and partly consumed by the fire? ^A

CXL. — TO BISHOP PALLADIUS.

CXLI. — TO AETIUS THE COUNT.

Against the Sabellians.

CXLII. — TO BISHOP THEODOSIUS.

but so that we might not afford anyone a just opportunity for offense. ^A For in this way, even though we are unwilling, the brilliance of our deeds will dazzle the eyes of those who see them, and turn them to the glorification of God. For that the text implies this is clear, as it was not said, "So that you might be glorified," but, "That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

CXLIII. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

CXLIV. TO PALLADIUS THE SUBDEACON

CXLV. TO PETER THE CORRECTOR

CXLVI. TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER

CXLVII. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON

cried out: "Arise, let us go hence." ^A For by mixing His own power with this voice, He strengthened the powers of those who desired to fly up to heaven, so that they might bid farewell to the preconception wherewith they were imbued and take up the path above.

CXLVIII. — TO THE SAME

CXLIX. — ON THE HOLY TRINITY

CL. — TO BISHOP ALPHIUS

CLI. — TO THE SAME

to yield to those beneath one, to be eager for leniency and kindness, to overcome and decide by judgment rather than by grace and favor, and other similar traits. The mark of a servile soul, on the contrary, is to be enslaved by the opposite passions, and to cast out and banish every good thought from itself.

PNB'. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. Why, when Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses, was Miriam alone rebuked?

Since you have written asking for the reason why, when Aaron and Miriam spoke evil against Moses, Miriam alone was rebuked—leprosy having broken out on her face, where the tongue lurks—I will write down what I also heard from a certain wise man, and I will add what I have myself conceived, in order that you yourself may judge which is more true. Now he said that, because it was the beginning of the priesthood, God did not wish to affront the prelude, lest the end also become shameful. I, however, have no reason either to overturn or to approve this. I have no reason to overturn it, since it harms neither virtue nor piety; but I do not approve it, since before Aaron there was a more divine and unbloody priesthood, that of Melchizedek; and because it is not for an incorruptible judge to ignore justice on account of the dignity of the offender. But I rather say this: that since Scripture in the accusation placed Miriam before the man and high priest, I think that she provided the seed, and he followed her. He who provides the seed is evidently the author of what springs from it. Hence, also, when almost all made the calf ^B in the desert, some gave satisfaction—those who perhaps began the offense—but some were forgiven, those who followed them through deception and fraud. For what has been done is not the primary issue, so much as the intention with which it is done, for the judge reaches even unto the thoughts. I think, therefore, that the fact that Miriam was placed first and the high priest placed second—whereas in other places the husband is placed first and the wife second—did not happen for the sake of emphasis, but for the sake of explaining the cause; for the female sex is for the most part talkative and meddlesome. Therefore she was also required to pay the penalty; for He would not have set Aaron after her in this place, having placed him first in all other instances, unless He had wished to provide a cause.

CLIII. — TO ALPHIUS. Even if, as you write, Zosimus is the leader of a predatory band and the chief of those who devour the people, ^{C D}

^A and the advocate of those who live in depths of vice, and the accuser of those who conduct their lives with righteousness; yet I do not blame him alone, but also Palladius and Maron, who are said to be his allies and to be arming their own power against the gentleness of the virtuous. For they are the ones who voice his wickedness and do not allow it to be extinguished, but rather offer and receive this accursed retribution. For by sustaining the base, they think they themselves are sustained; and by waging war against the lovers of virtue, they expect to prevail. But God, who hates evil and loves good, will not endure these things.

CLIV. — TO ARPOCRATES THE SOPHIST

Against those who claim that there is a birth-fate, or destiny, or what is called fortune.

You have done well—even though the remnants of illness still harass us—to compel me to handle the long-unused lyre, and to sing a song, if not loud and clear, at least faint and quiet. Therefore, sharpen your ears and whet your mind for discernment; for it is not easy to hear one who is speaking in a low voice. From where, then, from where shall I begin the song? From where I ought. I say, then, that it is the lot of men, I think, who do nothing good now, nor expect to do so hereafter, to cast their vote in favor of fate. And in order that what is said may not be seen as a mere pronouncement, let the argument proceed by clear, compelling, and unforced proofs, testing the realities and bringing the truth to light. Behold, indeed, how many they set themselves against, and how many good things they strive to banish from their own will, and tremble at their madness. They determine that God either does not exist, or that He exists but did not create the world; or that He created it but does not provide for it; or that He provides for it but takes pleasure in those who embrace vice; or that He does not take pleasure, but has yielded the power to others; or that He did not yield it, but it was taken from Him; or that it was not taken, but He does not wish to avenge; or that He wishes to, but cannot; or that He can, but has preferred ease; or that He has not preferred ease, but is overcome by the movement of the stars; or that He is not overcome, but wishes to be inactive and perform no work; and many other things—so that, by not mentioning each one individually, we may not extend this short discourse to a great length—every one of which reeks of the ultimate folly and impiety.

And by these means they arm their tongue against divine providence and send their arrows toward heaven; but by these same means they also banish from the earth the good things: philosophy, medicine, and all sciences, and arts, and studies, the prizes of virtue, and the punishments of vice. For if birth-fate prevails, which is unjustly established by the gods who are improperly invoked by them (for I know not how they consider the stars to be gods), then one must neither philosophize, nor legislate, nor sit in judgment, nor practice medicine, nor pursue any science or art, nor practice anything, nor act for the sake of virtue.

^A All these things, blessed one, would be overturned by that much-vaunted doctrine of fortune, which would tear up all virtuous things from their very roots; and who—provided he is not devoid of mind and prudence—would endure this? Who would withdraw himself from all these and commit his own affairs to what is called "fortune," whose wickedness, whenever writers and painters have wished to display it, they have not thought it sufficient to have attributed to her the form of a woman (though even this was a sufficient sign of unreasonableness and folly), but have further placed a rudder in her hands, set a spherical base beneath her feet, and deprived her of her eyes? By all these, they demonstrate her mindless, impulsive, blind, and unstable nature. Who, then, would despise the right hand that governs all things and entrust himself to a blind, unstable, and wicked phantom? But since they ask, "How is it that some prosper contrary to reason?" let them say in turn, "How is it that some [prosper] ^B according to reason?" And if they say, "Why are some unjustly punished?" let them explain, "Why are others [punished] justly?" Either injustice must prevail in all things—and let their irrational argument be believed—or the things that take place according to reason must also defend those that take place contrary to reason. For it is better, and much more fitting and just, to say that the most wicked, even if they escape punishment here, will by all means pay the penalty there; rather than to say that the virtuous were wronged by suffering punishment here, and that no retribution awaits them hereafter. For the former is both true and reasonable, and rouses all souls to virtue and piety; while the latter is irrational, impious, and overturns every upright life.

Those who say these things should therefore no longer call the motion of the stars ^C harmonious or musical, since it makes human life, as they claim, unmusical, discordant, and uneven—for it is the very producer of absurdities. And let them neither farm, nor approach the courts to seek help, nor partake of medicine, nor praise philosophy, nor blame vice, nor seek improvement through reflection, nor strive to adorn themselves with any other virtue; ^D rather, let them entrust themselves to the fortune so vaunted by them, so that by actual experience they may recognize her weakness—that she not only fails to offer wealth, but also brings it about that they should be cast out by all as if they were cursed and enemies of the common human nature. And if, while doing all these things (for they are ashamed to oppose with their tongue what is plainly beneficial), they still fret in the face of failure in their affairs, let them learn that for many people, success in many things has often come to be for their harm. For wealth has injured many and, having sharpened a sword against them, has [*] handed them over to their enemies.

^A And the rule and kingdom, which is eagerly contested by all, has often taken away not only the good life, but life itself. Let them not, therefore, merely contemplate whether failure follows upon affairs, but rather if poverty has not often proven more useful to those who possess it than wealth. Let them not raise an outcry against Providence, nor grant themselves the authority of judgment, but rather to the sages who are praised among them. For what reason did Socrates, when condemned to the hemlock, not think he was being wronged? Or Plato, when sold, not consider that he had fallen from liberty? Or Diogenes, living in rags, think himself wealthier than the king of the Persians? Or Antisthenes, despite being grimy and unwashed, rejoice, and arm his tongue against those reclining in luxury? Or Phocion, when he was being led away with certain friends, and one of them wept and filled the road with lamentations, say to him, "Are you not content to die with Phocion?" If, therefore, neither death, nor slavery, nor poverty disturbed the wise, but they even took pride in these things (for they knew that the present life is a stadium, while the one to come reveals the prize of the competition) ^B—for what reason do these men, defining blessedness by luxury and wealth and rule, arm their tongue against Providence, which knows what is advantageous, and either allows or allots what is fitting to each one, so that the rich man may give proofs of his own volition, and the poor man, like gold in the furnace, is tested by poverty and receives a crown?

But if they say, "It was necessary for all to be tested through both wealth and poverty," we will respond that many were indeed tested in this way, and appeared haughty in wealth and cowardly in poverty. But if not all, then surely, through these, the rest can also be defended. Yet I would say nothing of the sort, but rather I would say this: that those who love virtue and are tested here suffer no harm, since their crowns are stored up for them there; rather, their crown is diminished whenever they happen upon any reward or prosperity here. Do not, therefore, let them seek everything here, but let them reflect that there will be an impartial judgment, which even ^C logographers, and poets, and orators, and writers celebrate. For if they did not attain to the exact truth, they at least dogmatized that it will absolutely come to pass.

^A CLV. TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER. Do not teach one who has learned to use moderate food to indulge in luxury, lest, having made him wanton and intemperate instead of chaste, you drag him down into the bottomless pit of vices, where, while you dwell, perhaps you yourself are unaware of it.

^B CLVI. TO ARCHONTIUS THE PRESBYTER. That the devil does not have foreknowledge, but conjectures individual matters from our movements.

The things that are revolved in the mind, most gentle sir, are by no means known to the devil (for this is the peculiar prerogative of divine power alone, which fashioned our hearts individually); but he hunts for the intentions of the soul from the movements of the body. For instance, did he see someone curiously gazing and feeding his eyes on the beauty of another? Having seized upon that one's impulse, he immediately excites him to either adultery or fornication. Did he see a man irascible and prone to inflammation? He immediately sharpens the sword and incites him to murder. Did he see one addicted to shameful gains? He urges him to robbery and injustice. Did he see one a slave to his belly? Immediately he even depicts for him the passions that are below the belly, and provides him with the subject matter so that he may carry out what he proposes in his mind. Why, then, does he not move everyone to the same passions? Because one prefers this, another that; and this pleases one, while that pleases another. Therefore, he conjectures the infirmities of the soul from the movements of the body, and thus he weaves his deceits.

^C CLVII. TO CASIUS HOLDING A MAGISTRACY. It is better to keep the beauty of the soul whole and free from all victimization; but if it is difficult to preserve this, at least let it receive damage only in small and easily curable matters, and not in the critical and lethal ones. For do not proceed fearlessly to sin because you hear that repentance has been granted, as if you would certainly be healed; but know that, first of all, many have not even had the opportunity for repentance, having been required to pay the penalty in the very midst of their transgressions, and then, that repentance is accustomed to heal passions with much time. For there is need of labors, and fasting, and vigils, and alms, and prayers, and all such ^D things, in order that the preceding wounds may be healed. One must consider this, that even if the pain be healed, there remain even then the scars of the previous sins, unless one brings forth a great abundance of fruits of repentance, so that the wounds may be healed.

^A And the rupturing ceased, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. For he honored the divine command.

CLVII. TO THE SAME

^B ...that then, he is accustomed to cure vices by a long-continued repentance. For it has need of labors, and fasting, and watching, and alms, and prayers, and all things of that kind, that the contracted wounds may be healed. One must consider, thirdly, that even if they are healed, the scar reveals the malady. For the same thing is not an entire body and one that has been healed, nor is the same garment intact and one that has been torn, even if it might appear by some craft to have been brought to a state where it is not easily detected. ^C And even if it should be restored to its ancient beauty, it is not restored, as I said, lightly, but with numberless labors, and sorrows, and torments, which the soul that has committed sin brings upon itself.

CLVIII. TO THE SAME

Faith, O admirable one, ought to be proclaimed by works rather than by words. And that this is true, the heathens affirm, when they say: "The deed shows what one wishes more clearly than speech"; and the Apostle [does so] even more effectively: "They confess that they know God, but in their works they deny him." Finally, the divine oracle cries out: ^D "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; but in vain do they worship me." For from works, and not from words, those things which are hidden ought to be demonstrated.

CLIX. TO AETIUS

and the slaughter was stayed, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” For the divine nature honored him who had rightly been moved to indignation before it, and had halted the plague with a dual slaughter.

CLX. — TO AGATHO THE PRESBYTER.

On patience regarding Sarah.

When the God-beloved Abraham came, on account of a divine oracle, into Palestine, and on account of famine, into Egypt, the grandees, beholding his wife shining with both beauty and feminine virtue, as if carrying to the king some most precious treasure, pointed her out to him. And he took the woman, who was shining more with modesty than with beauty. Now, as the husband, fearing death, had pretended to be her brother and had surrendered his wife, yet did not at that time cry out against the divine forbearance, then, at that moment, the divine succor, mobilizing its own weapons, returned to the God-beloved man his wife untouched and entire. For by night it had scourged him with most bitter torments, and having subdued his pleasures with pains, or rather, having made them vanish utterly, thus it brought the crown to the just man. Wherefore, we too, if we should fall into temptations, let us not cry out against the divine forbearance, but rather let us cling to it, which finds both ways out in straits, and devices in impossibilities.

CLXI. — TO ARCHONTIUS THE PRESBYTER.

On the text: “The fingers of a hand.”

Since you ask, “What is ‘the fingers of a hand’?”—hear: Because the barbarian, drunk with his tyranny, and haughty with arrogance, and reeling from wine, had set forth the sacred vessels for use not only by men, but also by the women who pandered to his pleasures, that part of the hand which follows the elbow was seen, writing the sentence against him. For just as painters (to borrow a proof even from their audacity)—while giving bodies to the bodiless—attempt to paint just a hand crowning the heads of those who rule the earth, in order to show that their authority has been given from heaven; so too, in that place, it appeared in a condescending manner, so that it might be shown that the King of all is bringing forth the decree against the tyrant, and is writing the sentence.

[CLXII.] — TO MARTYRIUS, PRESBYTER. The standard for both piety and justice is to keep one’s achievements hidden—both because the end is uncertain, and so as not to annoy those who hear—and yet to be in a state of watchfulness, both because of the nature that is prone toward sin, and because those who hear are more ready to believe and assent to bad things. For few believe in the good, but many believe in the bad, acting not only upon their own internal standards when they cast their verdict on others, but also believing that they can cloaks their own sins by accusing others.

[CLXIII.] — TO THE SAME. The mode of piety, most learned one, is twofold. One is most holy and most divine within the soul. For this is a most beautiful sacrifice, and most pleasing to God: to have a mind that is holy, and to imagine the divine presence, holding it fixed and firm within the sanctuaries of the soul. The second is in the purity of the body. For whoever lacks these two modes, even if he were to offer the most precious treasures of the earth and sea, or if he were to sacrifice all the animals previously ordained by the law, he would not find favor with God.

[CLXIV.] — TO THEODORE, SCHOLASTICUS. There is a custom firmly established from on high, and an unwritten law looking toward human kindness, that those who prevail by arms should be overcome by those who supplicate, and that those who win in war should give way to pity. But thou, as they say, having respected neither the innate customs nor the unwritten laws, hast despised those who undertook the defense of thy servants. Know, therefore, that it is likely thou shalt be reduced to that same condition which, when thou sawest others in it, thou didst not feel any human empathy, but appearing inexorable, thou didst commit an outrage against nature itself and against mercy.

[CLXV.] — TO PAUL, SUBDEACON. On that which was said by the Apostle: “Even if an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you.” (Gal. 1, 8) That burning lover of the Word, I mean Paul the Apostle, pronounces judgment not only against himself and the other apostles, if they should dare to devise some innovation in the proclamation, but even against angels; and not angels simply, but those from heaven. He does not intend this to insult those who have never dared—nor would they dare, nor will they dare—to do such a thing, but rather to block the path of credibility for the destructive demons, lest, seizing the opportunity, they might attempt to overturn the message.

For what does he say? "Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema." Thus, certainly, the angels also rejoiced in the security of the preaching, since even he who was sent to Cornelius pointed out the Master and did not arrogate the task to himself.

[CLXVI].—TO ARCHONTIUS THE PRESBYTER. On the written words, "For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of His Father." Christ, O excellent man, promised that he would come in the paternal glory, stopping the mouths of the heretics and quenching their madness. For he did not say, "in such a glory as the Father has" (lest anyone should suspect some change), but, avoiding the indeterminate, he says he will come in that very glory, from which it necessarily follows that it is to be considered one and the same. Now, if the glory is one, much more so is the essence. But if anyone disbelieves, let him examine what is to be said. For if, where there is not one essence, a difference of glory is found (for "the glory of the sun is one, and the glory of the moon is another, and the glory of the stars is another; for star differs from star in glory"), how would those whose glory is one be at variance in their essence?

[CLXVII].—TO MARON. ^B Almost every one of the other passions has both its prime and its decline; it knows satiety and hastens toward an end. But the terrible love of money, not being innate but having descended upon us from somewhere outside, knows no decline; it treats satiety with contempt, knows no joy, and does not endure an end. Always flourishing, or rather increasing its vigor, it struggles to be more youthful and tyrannical than itself. For it does not make the contest against other passions alone, but also against itself, striving to overcome itself. For one might sooner grasp the unattainable than that it should take its fill. For thinking augmentation to be a diminution—I know not how—it inflames the fire even more, which some say has also tasted of your soul. ^C Extinguish this, therefore, with all speed. If not, you will lead a life unblessed here, and you will pay bitter penalties there.

[CLXVIII].—TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. He who does not betray what is proper, O wisest one, will never be betrayed by the divine aid.

[CLXIX].—TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER. Even if one should a be of the most kingly fatherland, and

abound in every kind of wealth, and might reach the summit of eloquence, and should have all the sayings of the ancients upon his lips, and might glory in strength and beauty, in fame and rank, and were deemed worthy of the kingdom itself, and might wrap around himself the crown and the purple, yet if he does not possess virtue, this man I would rank among the most servile of slaves. But if someone should be wise in justice and temperance, and in fortitude and prudence, this one I would count among the most royal. But if the lover of virtue is better and more excellent than he who possesses all those things together, then he who does not possess all things at once (for it is not possible that all should come together in one) will be, by far, more blessed and more glorious, because those things are more quickly extinguished, while virtue is immortal.

CLXX. — TO PETER. On the passage, “Who is the faithful and wise servant?” ^B

That he who betrays the opportune moment of actions will miss the attainment of what is noble is clear. And that all things are noble in their own season, Ecclesiastes has taught us. If, therefore, these things are so, why are you astonished if the Savior said concerning the wise and faithful steward that he will give food in due season? For that which is untimely is everywhere painful, and a benefit that lacks seasonable opportunity loses even the very name of a benefit. For instance, the same bread is sweet and desirable to one who is hungry, but not entirely so to one who is sated; and the same cup is most pleasant to one who is thirsty, but most unpleasant to one who is drunk. What, then, is the cause that renders the same things not to be encountered by the same people in the same way? The opportuneness, clearly, which also makes what is given greater and more ^C desirable. Therefore, one should not only give (for perhaps that is a small thing), but also seasonably. For this, even if the gift be small, will make it greater; and if it be great, it will render it greatest. For this reason also the Psalmist, proclaiming the divine benefits, added this too: “All things wait on thee, O Lord, to give them their food in due season.” For he does not merely nourish, but also seasonably. For this is most essentially what nourishes all things, that it be given seasonably. And if you wish to see this happening also in the case of the fruits produced from the earth: observe that wheat, wine, and oil, and the kinds of tree fruits, and the varieties of flowers do not exist in one and the same season; but the meadows take the lead, the crops follow, the vine succeeds them, ^D and the cluster of grapes escorts the farmer to the olive tree—the seasons dancing as it were in a certain excellent choral dance, and by the length of time resting the farmer. For if they all came to their proper ripeness at once, the art of the farmer would have been constricted by the brevity of time, and all things would have perished, and an unseasonable kindness differs in no way from hatred.

[CLXXI] — TO ARSENUPHIUS THE LECTOR. We ought to chant with understanding and to pray with sobriety; and we should not ask for those things that seem good to us, but for those which He who gives knows to be useful and profitable. For many, having considered life worth living because of wealth, were in the end beset by plots and fell away from both the present and the future life; and those who sought after a position that was the mother of thefts (for I would not call them gains), were deprived even of what they already possessed; and those who were eager to marry a good-looking woman, thinking that they would find happiness therein, for that very reason fell into dangers and wars. Those who were eager to reach the peak of physical strength and health, having lived a beast-like life and ignored the nobility of the soul (by eclipsing in them their best activities), finally became food for wild beasts, suffering an inglorious and cursed end. Abandoning all these, therefore, let us ask from God those things which He himself knows to be useful.

[CLXXII] — TO THE SAME. Wealth is good for one who knows how to use it well and manage it. Poverty is good for one who knows how to bear it nobly. Glory is good for one who uses it for the protection of those who are suffering. Ignominy is good for one who has chosen to act as a philosopher. Rule is good for one who rules according to justice, and who takes nothing from his rule to wrong those who are subordinate. Strength is good for one who spends it on the relief of the weaker. Let us not, therefore, blame the things themselves, which can be instruments of virtue or vice, but rather our own intent, which, through excessive sloth, insults even the beauty of our armaments.

[CLXXIII] — TO THE SAME. Part of time has flown away; part, while appearing to be present, escapes notice; and part, while still expected, passes by.

Zeus, King, grant us good things both when we pray and when we do not; but ward off baleful things even from those who ask for them.

Just as the vehement onrush of water does not allow its precise sense to be discerned (for it robs the understanding of it by its swiftness), so, and perhaps even more, the impulse of time, hurrying to its end, passes by with ease, showing men nothing clear or fixed, but leaving them behind like the shadows of dreams.

^A CLXXIV. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. Show yourself, O wise man, to be of good and grateful mind, and to have a resolute heart; and all things that befall you will be turned to your approval and to the shame of your enemies. But if you neglect this, you will both destroy your own glory and provide a festival for your adversaries, and cause grief to your kin.

CLXXV. — TO DOROTHEUS THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS. Of men, some through slowness of wit do not attain to what is just; others, by reason of swiftness, do attain it, but on account of the love of money make a trade of it, selling their judgment for gold, and shaking the scales of justice with bribes. There are also those who corrupt it through shame, flattery, and fear. Therefore, a judge must be both sagacious and incorruptible, and superior [to the influence] of money, shame, flattery, and fear. For if he should be overcome by any one of these passions, he will corrupt the whole. Since, then, it is difficult to find what is just, and yet more difficult not to corrupt it once found, one ought not to cast oneself into the position of judge. But if Zosimus, as you have written, being both slow of wit and ^B, if anyone is, a lover of money, casts himself into the task of judging those in dispute (even though he has been caught selling justice, been condemned by the very disputants themselves, and been loudly denounced by all many times over), do not marvel. For if, having conquered other passions, he had been overcome by this one alone, perhaps one might reasonably wonder. But since, as you say, he has been ^C conquered by every one of the basest passions, and has been caught in this one too, it ought not to be a matter of wonder.

CLXXVI. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. On the text: "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife?" [1 Cor. IX, 5] Each of the apostles, so to speak, having received one region, regulated it. But Paul, like a winged husbandman, traversed almost the entire inhabited world, and traveled to the very ends of the earth, both regulating those who had heard him and sowing the divine preaching for those who had not. For this reason, women were also following those others, not for the sake of procreation or cohabitation, but providing and nourishing from their own means those who were ^D of voluntary poverty.

Yet, they were neither permitted, nor were they able to run to the ends of the earth, as I said. And what is to be wondered at if the female sex was left behind, when even Barnabas, his inseparable companion, ^A faltering at that boundless path and labor, yielded the primacy to Paul? For when he was associated with him, Paul wrote these things: "Do we not have the right to lead about a sister, a woman, as also the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or do I alone and Barnabas not have the right not to work?" Not that those who were counselors of virginity, and heralds of temperance, and who regulated the choirs of virgins, lived together with women; for who would have endured them counseling virginity, if they themselves were caught wallowing in pleasures? Paul says this (for otherwise he would have said "a wedded wife" [ga- ^B metēn gynaika], as the notaries write in marriage contracts—to feed and clothe, as is proper for a wedded wife according to one's means; placing "woman" because of nature, and "wedded" because of cohabitation); but because they were following them, nourishing from their own belongings those who were the instructors in lack of possessions, he said "sister" to manifest purity, and "woman" to declare nature. For a woman is also what a virgin is called, even if she is untouched—a woman because of her form, even if she is intact, a woman because of nature, even if she is a stranger to male intercourse. And that this is not wide of the mark is clear from the fact that this very Paul, ^C whose statement some dare to interpret maliciously, speaking of the fact that the Savior was born in the flesh of the holy Virgin Mary, used the words: "Born of a woman." What are you doing, O Paul? Do you call the Virgin a woman? "Yes," he says, "I call her a woman because of her nature, but I hold her to be a virgin in her intention." For a virgin is a woman, even if she is otherwise a stranger to male contact. A woman because of her shape and formation; a virgin because of her integrity and purity.

TO PETER THE READER

TO THOMAS THE MONK.

CLXXIX. — TO POEMENIUS THE PRESBYTER.

CLXXX. — TO ALYPIUS.

being barren and aged, is nursing?" For it is not written, "Who will announce to Abraham himself," but rather, "Abraham." If anyone thinks this view is too forced, perhaps these words were directed to someone who shared the name Abraham; on that account, the article was not even added. Whether the patriarch was absent at that time, I cannot say. But I would argue that even if some suppose these words were spoken concerning him, they are also used regarding those who are present. In this category belongs the expression, "Who will announce to my Lord? The Lord himself, he will hear." For to say, "Who will explain to the adult the weaning of the infant?" contains more superfluity than probability. But enough on these points. Moreover, it was not said "she has brought forth," lest the child be considered supposititious, but rather "she is nursing"; for the fountains of milk confirm the birth. For the flowing of milk is the most certain proof of a genuine birth.

[CLXXXI] — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

Those who are unwilling to act with composure when suffering insults ought to be moved by these two considerations to act philosophically: first, that nothing so torments those who inflict insults as the patience of those who suffer them; and second, that there is no way we can avenge ourselves upon them as effectively as by practicing virtue. If you think that I am not to be believed, hear what one of the ancients pronounced on this matter. When asked how he might avenge himself on an enemy, he replied, "By showing yourself to be a man of integrity and honor." If, therefore, one who pursues virtue and patience inflicts a mortal wound upon his enemies, why do we not esteem these weapons as of the highest value? If a man grants pardon to those who are struck by envy, and prays that they might emerge from such madness, and is disposed in such a way that he not only shrinks from the desire for vengeance but is also moved with pity for those whom this vice has subdued, such a man is truly one who knows how to philosophize sincerely.

[CLXXXII] — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP.

*How the divine power is perfected in weakness.* [2 Cor. XII, 9.]

I shall briefly explain how power was perfected in weakness. Since the apostles, when they were being scourged, were overcoming those who scourged them, and when they were persecuted and driven away, they were prevailing over their persecutors, and when they were being put to death, they were putting the living to flight, for this reason the Lord used these words. For the manner of victory was new: that they should be victorious through their contraries, and never be overcome, but rather that they should advance toward the contests as if they themselves were masters of the outcome and the end. And that you may learn this more clearly, behold the wicked Jews, holding them as if in nets, and in perplexity, and at their wits' end.

^C «What shall we do to these men?» For this was the truly wonderful and paradoxical thing, and that which surpassed all astonishment: that while holding them, and binding them, and beating them, they were in perplexity, and were uttering the voices of the vanquished, being defeated by these very men by whom they thought they were prevailing. For the very things which they devised for their dishonor, these were seen turning out to their glory. Truly, therefore, the power of God shone forth more greatly in the weakness of the apostles. For they did not endure struggles, and fight against them, nor were they forging weapons and gathering soldiers, but, by merely preparing their minds to suffer evil, they were erecting trophies everywhere.

CLXXXIII. — TO PAUL.

CLXXXIV. — TO EULOGIUS.

CLXXXV. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

^A CLXXXVI. TO THEONI THE BISHOP. On the saying, “Who mind earthly things.” The Apostle, O most wise man, when he rebuked those who mind earthly things, used these words: “For our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), opposing those who do great and noble works to those who do small and base ones. For the latter are vile and abject; the former are endowed with greatness of soul and a certain remarkable height. Again, in order to restrain those who insolently exalt themselves against their brothers, he spoke in this manner: “Do not mind high things, but associate with the humble” (Rom. 12:16), not that he prohibited them from contemplating things supra-mundane, but that he might cut away pride and boastfulness. For ^B *megalophrosyne*—that is, greatness of soul—means one thing, while *hyperēphania*—that is, arrogance—designates another. For the former deems all things that happen to be within its own strength; the latter deems all men to be inferior to its own vileness. The former contemplates things higher than the world; the latter dreams of earthly things. The former desires divine and illustrious glory; the latter burns with the desire for fading glory.

CLXXXVII. TO THE SAME. *Phronēma* and *phronēsis* do not have the same meaning. For the former signifies elation, the latter prudence; the former arrogance, the latter temperance; the former to attack others, the latter to overlook nothing that is fitting. And while the former strips those adorned by virtue of their adornment, the latter adorns even those who are inferior. And for this reason the former is hated, ^C while the latter is admired; the former is denounced, while the latter is proclaimed. Therefore, strive to cultivate *phronēsis*—that is, prudence—and to uproot *phronēma*—that is, the disposition to attack one's neighbor—from its very base.

CLXXXVIII. TO THE SAME. I myself believe that humility originates from a great and sublime soul, but pride from one that is vile and most base. And the God-beloved Abraham and the Pharisee confirm this. For the former, enjoying divine converse, called himself “dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27); but the latter, with no one provoking him, exalted himself and thought great things, and attempted to place himself before the entire world.

CLXXXIX. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. He who undertakes to teach ought to act, and thus speak. But it is not right for him who does not act even to speak. For the former will be placed among the ^D most prominent, while the latter will not only give an account there, but will even expose himself to mockery here. For he will become a subject of comedy for his listeners. It is necessary—

either to speak while acting, or while not acting to remain silent, and to bridle the tongue with the reins of prudence, which even beget repentance.

CXC. TO ZENON THE PRESBYTER

CXCI. TO PAUL. Against those who say that there is genesis, that is, fate, or what is called fortune.

CXCII. TO THE SAME

you care about health, also care about self-sufficiency. For physicians' scions reasonably define hunger as the mother of health; but I, since my discourse is addressed to you—you who insult even satiety itself by gluttony—announce to you that self-sufficiency will be the mother of the much-desired health.

CXCIII. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP

CXCIV. — TO TAURUS THE HYPARCH

CXCV. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT

Do not therefore, O friend, think that baptism is for the destruction of sins alone, but that it is productive of adoption, and divine kinship, and ten thousand other good things, both those I have mentioned and those I have omitted. For the King of all not only redeemed our captive nature, but also raised it to the highest honor. ^A

CXCVI. — TO ISAIAH. We must not take the incomparable long-suffering of God as a subject for sloth, lest we be caught having committed sins greater than those that deserve pardon, both by having been unreasonably slothful, and by having even more unreasonably despised His goodness.

CXCVII. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER. That the destructive Eusebius, had he not cut short the impulses toward the good of the celebrated Timothy, would have made him a man known and celebrated throughout the world, I believe your wisdom does not doubt. But learn from us that not even in this way did he end his life ingloriously; rather, he is extolled by all for his most excellent virtues. If one must also say something marvelous, perhaps those who are trained toward virtue and become victors are not as praiseworthy as those who, though hindered, and not even permitted to conceive what virtue is—much less to practice it—nevertheless appear as genuine lovers of it. For this is the naked trial of their mind. ^B

CXCVIII. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER. The letter you wrote to me accuses you of excessive humility. Even if you were to deny it, the very phrase you added—wishing to learn something from me—would convict you. For you said, “Teach me also, who am the last of all and as an untimely birth, why God said through Isaiah that He would whiten the sins of those repenting as if they were scarlet, like wool; and that which is crimson, like snow.” And I, having admired your humility, and that you have bound upon yourself the greatest prerogative of Paul as if it were a diadem (for he also said that he was an untimely birth; and yet, he was refashioning those who were miscarried, and giving birth a second time to those who had not preserved the divine characters), I shall proceed briefly to the interpretation. I say, therefore, that He promised to heal the extreme cases moderately, and the intermediate cases perfectly. ^C

CXCIX. — TO PETER THE MONK. You ought not, blessed one, to let your eyes wander over everything with impudence and intemperance, but rather to put upon them the bridle of modesty, lest hereafter we pay the penalty for evil desire, even here having to endure more grievous ^D

^A torment of the mind, which lacerates and cruciates it more bitterly than any executioner, and which obstructs the harbor of nature—I mean sleep—as if with heaped-up earth, and makes us always toss upon the sea and toil. For this reason the Savior also, delivering us from affairs and superfluous labors, and desiring that we should run through the stadium of continence without them, threatened an unbearable retribution to those who are eager to see with curiosity; primarily doing this to repress the root of the passion, and afterwards that we might not, having been wounded by the arrow from the spectacle, prepare for ourselves a difficult or even incurable disease. For not only more purely, but also more easily, he who does not look will overcome and subdue desire.

^B CC. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP. Regarding the things spoken of concerning Zosimas. I am also extremely pained at the things which are occurring flagitiously and wickedly, but I am not, however, cast down from my right mind.

CCI. — TO THEODOSIUS THE BISHOP. That those who have perpetrated the same crimes do not pay the same penalty here, confirms the doctrine of the general judgment. And that not all are reserved for there, arouses the more sluggish and indolent, as those who are entirely destined to pay the penalty there, even if they escape the punishment in this life. For if no one is to undergo punishment there, what cause can be brought forward for why some were punished here? Moreover, that just men, flourishing in every kind of virtue, have suffered many hardships here, indicates the crowns prepared for them in the other age. But that some of them were also honored here, this has been done on account of those who delight in sin, lest, thinking that virtue is the cause of calamities, they might flee from it with a great rush.

^C CCII. — TO AGATHO THE PRESBYTER. What is the meaning of, "O ye priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem"? Since a word, when it is destitute of action, does not travel further than the ear, but one that is animated by action, as it is keen and effective, penetrates deeply and touches the soul; for this reason (which is what you wish to learn from me) God commanded the priests to speak to the heart of Jerusalem. For those who speak to the ears are indeed very many, yet unworthy of the priesthood; but those who speak to the heart are few indeed, yet they are such as deserve to be adorned with the priestly dignity.

^A

CCIII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

If we suffer some harsh trial in this life for having sinned in ways that are tolerable and curable, we thereby wipe away our sins. But if, having committed inhuman crimes that exceed all forgiveness, we suffer punishment here, we shall indeed also pay the penalty there, but a lighter one. If, however, we escape the punishments of this life, we shall undergo there a penalty that is unbearable and without consolation. If you think these are my own opinions, the divine Scriptures will provide the proof. For regarding those who commit curable sins, the Apostle said: "When we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned along with the world." Regarding those who have sinned incurably, and who have suffered punishment here and will yet pay it there, the Judge himself said: "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah," implying that while they have paid a penalty here and will pay one there, it will be a milder one. And regarding those who undergo punishment that is without consolation and unbearable, he says: "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom ^B and Gomorrah than for that city," that is, for the one that drove away the divine heralds. For by comparing those who have paid the penalty here with those who have not, and by saying that the former will pay a milder one, he pronounced the punishment of those who have not paid the penalty here to be unforgivable and most grievous.

CCIV. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

Those who seek to preserve their human nobility must contemplate the swift changeability of nature and check any immoderation in their joy; they must yield themselves neither to excessive sorrow nor to excessive joy. For the former, if it is not tempered by reason and curbed by prudence, trains us toward death; while the latter, if it is not placed under the reins of the expected change, will cause us to fall headlong and ensure that we lose our sense of propriety. ^C

CCV. — TO NILO THE GRAMMARIAN.

In war, whenever a very few fighting for their country meet many, those who have sense do not expect them to win; yet if they do not fall in a disgraceful manner, they admire them. And if they inflict more harm upon their enemies than one might expect, they rank them among the heroes. For they consider the former to be brave, but the latter to be beyond the reach of nature. And it is not because the feat is impossible that they leave it aside; they honor it because it is brilliant and worthy of song. For they were overcome by being overpowered by numbers, not by being defeated in valor. And in legal trials this same ^D principle holds true.

suffer the loss, or to undergo the disgrace, it brings forth immortal glory (57); and voluntary poverty brings forth heavenly wealth; and the mortification of the body gives birth to the life of the soul.

^A those who test the art believe, for they hold truth to be hard to hunt down (51). For they say that if it should happen that a supreme orator is assigned to cases that seem to be the weaker ones, we will not be content if such a man comes close to victory, but if he does not also carry off the victory, we will blame him; nor will we be pleased if he obscures by his cleverness the extreme weakness of the facts, and provides some strength to those who seem contemptible, and increases the tension for those opposed from the beginning; nor will we think it sufficient if by his vote he creates ^B some fear in those hoping to win by mere assault, but if he does not overthrow everything, will we not call him most simple (52)? And how is that not absurd? For the orator will say, "I have been buried, my good sir, by the facts; and yet, I myself also wounded the adversary, even though he trusted he would have the mastery without labor (53)." This, then, has come about through the inequality of the preparation; but that the victory was not swift, that came through my art; so that in as much as I brought labor upon him beyond his expectation, I am superior. Why then have I gone through these things? Because those who are considered wise do not judge matters from the outcome, but from the intent. And many times they proclaim those who seem to be defeated, while those who have won they do not deem worthy of praise. For the former have left nothing undone of those things that ought to be done, even if they have accomplished none of the things they intended; while the latter have often won to the ruin of their own heads. And you, therefore, will do better ^C and more humanely, if you do not cause confusion, but separate these things from one another, and judge each by itself—both the intent and the end—and neither praise him who has won unjustly, nor blame him who has been wronged by the defeat, but do not even define prosperity as virtue, nor adversity as vice. For if the trophy were necessarily pressing upon one, he who dares but does not succeed would receive blame. But if you would find the same man using the best judgment, but not having a good end, do not reproach this one, toward whom it is just to sympathize. But these things have been said to you, who know nothing beyond what is seen (56). For we—who with the eyes of faith precisely foresee the coming life—rightly despise the wars and the trophies and the public acclamations of our own, inasmuch as they are dissolved along with the present life; but that war ^D we wage—the one stirred up against the wicked demons and the passions of the flesh—and him who overcomes these with tireless art, we claim to be a trophy-bearer, even if he should seem to have departed from this life ignobly. For the one here… [Note: The Greek text breaks off here mid-sentence, reflecting the incomplete nature of the source material provided].

[As the previous text was incomplete, we continue the translation from the point where the Greek and Latin texts on this page pick up the continuity of the Epistle, starting from the final sentence of the preceding, unnumbered portion at the top of the column]:

...sees a man—and one of excellent judgment and strength of mind—not yet enjoying a peaceful or quiet life, you ought not to accuse of misery him whose misfortune should rather move you to compassion. And these things I have said to you who know nothing beyond what falls under the gaze of the eyes. For we who clearly behold the future life with the eyes of faith, rightly despise your wars, trophies, praises, and proclamations, as things that are extinguished along with the present life. But we are engaged in the war that is waged against evil demons and the vices of the flesh; and we assert that he who overcomes them with vigilant skill is a victor, even if he otherwise seems to have departed from this life ignobly. Indeed, the ignominy of this life brings forth an undying glory, and a poverty voluntarily embraced produces heavenly wealth. For then shall goods appear, when grievances have met their end.

CCVI. — TO ARABIANUS THE BISHOP

The kingdom of God is thought by some to be higher and more elevated than the kingdom of heaven, while by others to be one and the same: being named now from God who reigns, and now from those who are reigned over, that is to say, the heavens. Which of these have hit the mark of the truth, it would be for your wisdom to judge.

CCVII. — TO ASCLEPIUS THE BISHOP

That supercelestial abode, flooded with all good things and inaccessible to all grievous things, stranger to dejection and mother of all joy, surpassing tongue, and ear, and mind, clearly prepared for those who have lawfully run the race of the present life, does not even allow a perception of the hardships here. Whence their leader exclaimed, “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. VIII, 18). For since the director of the contest surpasses the labors by the magnitude of the rewards which he pays, and imparts such great cheerfulness as it is fitting for those who enjoy the heavenly inheritance to possess, it should by no means appear wonderful if they themselves count the troubles in the world as nothing.

CCVIII. — TO PETER THE MONK

I wonder greatly how it happens that beasts, which are by nature wild and fierce, often become tamer when enjoying the benefit of human art; but man, who changes their natural ferocity into a gentleness contrary to their nature, degenerates from his own natural mildness and facility into a ferocity which is removed from his own nature; making that which is wild and rustic ^D mild and placid, while rendering himself—that is, a mild and gentle being—ferocious and monstrous. For he tames a lion and makes it mild and gentle; but he makes his own anger more ferocious and monstrous than a lion. And yet there are two greatest impediments...

which offer themselves to that man: one, because it is devoid of reason; the other, because it surpasses all wild beasts in the fervor of its anger. And yet, by the faculty of wisdom divinely granted to man, he overcomes his very nature. He, therefore, who breaks the force of nature in wild beasts, why is it, pray, that in himself he betrays the good of volition and free choice along with nature? For he who grants to a lion that which surpasses its nature, the same man does not even preserve for himself those things that are conformable to his own nature; but, in his eagerness to introduce untamed beasts into human nobility, he casts himself down from the throne of his authority and drives himself headlong into their madness and rabidity. Cease not to chant these things to him, of whom you have written to me. For thus, perhaps, once his rustic anger is vanquished and tamed, he will hereafter return to favor and be reconciled with the most gentle flock of upright men. ^A [CCIX. TO CHÆREMON THE DEACON.] For this reason, the love of Christ is weaker in us, because the love of gold stands forth more powerful, and all our strength is consumed in this cruel, tyrannical, and insatiable love. For if we shall banish this from ourselves, that other love will inflame us more vehemently, and will stir us up as if with a divine frenzy, and will drive us away from all things that pertain to the life of this world and place us in a heavenly region. ^B [CCX. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.] Since you act in a certain way like a man who, having gained authority while suffering from an incurable disease, spares no object of his desire, but tells his physicians to fare well, and feasts himself upon those very things that stir up pestilence and ruin, for this reason the return to temperance seems arduous to you. But if you would put an end to that luxury which drives the soul toward erotic goads as if by a kind of frenzy (for this is the root and mother of licentiousness), the flame of impurity would also be extinguished. For once the fuel is removed, the fire that is increased and stoked by it will surely be snuffed out. But if you yourself supply fuel to the fire, by what means, pray, will it cease and come to rest? If you yourself wake the beast while it is quiet, who will tame it while it is stirring itself and raging? Therefore, considering these things and those kindred to them within your own mind, cease from luxury. ^C [CCXI. TO EUSTATHIUS THE PRESBYTER.] One ought to write enmity upon water, so that it may be obliterated as quickly as possible; but one ought to engrave friendship upon bronze, so that it may be preserved firm and immovable forever. But if he, whom you say is at variance with you, acts to the contrary, let not this trouble your soul in the least, as though ^D and to give yourself up to delights without any intermission.

^A For it is not in our power not to be hated (indeed, perhaps it is impossible, for always and in every way the best are hated by the base; for this reason the saints themselves endured this), but we have been commanded not to hate men, but the wickedness within them.

CCXII. TO PAUL

CCXIII. TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

CCXIV. TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP

CCXV. TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC

CCXVI. TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

^A nor have they searched out the depths of wisdom, that while they think that misinterpreting the apostolic decrees is not dangerous, they have fallen into senselessness. For what do they say, being drunk with the love of rule? It is written: "If any man desireth the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." That this is written, I would by no means deny; but that it should be understood as they wish, I would reject. For especially before the interpretation, the things that follow these words are enough to restrain many from such a desire. For it is not for everyone to take hold of such an authority, which is even higher than kingship; for the one manages divine things, the other earthly; but [it is for] very few, who should be as far superior to those whom they rule as shepherds are to sheep, that I may say nothing more. What then does he say? "A bishop then must be blameless, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, but forbearing, not contentious, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?), not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." What of these things have the many—of whom you yourself happen to be one—achieved, that they crave a matter beyond their reach? Do they have a blameless life? But do they possess such vigilance that they have the eye of the soul unsleeping? But have they shone forth in sobriety so much that they not only have their own minds sound, but can also bring to sobriety those who are goaded and maddened by impure ^B unions, even while remaining silent? And is such modesty present in them that, from their very walk, from their look, and from their voice, they can strike fear into those who see them? For those who have reached the episcopacy ought to appear everywhere as a statue of all philosophy. But are they so hospitable that they invite even unknown poor men home to be fed? But have they so achieved the sermon of teaching through study that the grace from above has descended upon them, and fountains of spiritual words have come to reside in their tongue? But do they shine with such forbearance that they have never lashed out against anyone? ^C Are they so patient of wrongs that they can bear even those who insult and blame [them] without cause? And are there other merits in them, which Paul expressed when he sketched the excellent shepherd? What is it that has incited them to be driven into such madness? For it is necessary to love because they are counted in the order of the subjects (for I am silent about the fact that ^D there is an obligation to also "have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil"). 1 Tim. III, 1. * Ibid. 2-6.

^A of those they see, if anything of what was required were being done, they would be worthy of being ostracized—they have been reaching for the unattainable, fostering a love of the episcopate in themselves, and they hold up the Apostle, who labored to heal their destructive malady, as a witness, as if he were pleading for their disease. I, indeed, though straining to launch my discourse against them and yearning to slacken the reins in order to touch upon more summary matters, and to show that they would not even be worthy to be numbered among Christians who thus insult the sacred Scriptures and play with matters that are not for play, restrained myself with great force, like a horse rushing into a plain, pulling it back with the bridle, and I urged my discourse to proceed to the interpretation of the [scriptural] saying. What, then, did the divine man say, that all-seeing mind, that steward who administered this rule without reproach? "If any man desireth the office of a bishop." He did not say, "Let every man desire the office of a bishop." He did not command, he did not order, he did not legislate. But because he knew that the masses were intoxicated with the love of authority—not seeking virtue, but claiming office for themselves—and that they did not observe the labors, the toils, the dangers, the cares, and the vigils of the bishopric. ^B For all the needs of those under his care are hung upon him. And what are these? The examinations of those ordained, the sustenance of the hungry, the drink of the thirsty, the clothing of the naked, the protection of the wronged, the care of those lamenting their widowhood, the defense of widows, the pursuit of those committing injustice, the rebuke of those attempting to rule unlawfully, the healings of the infirm, the corrections of those scandalized by burning desire, the releases of those in prison, the consolations of those in calamities, the chastisements of those who stumble. Since, therefore, the bishopric holds these rewards and many greater than these—which I have passed over so as not to prolong the speech by listing everything—some thought it was [a position of] authority and relaxation and luxury, and neither examining their own selves nor considering the magnitude of the authority, they leaped upon the task. Retraining their dangerous impulse...

and so they might not attempt such a thing rashly—a thing which usually exceeds the reach and capacity of the many—he spoke thus: "If any man desires the episcopate, he desires a good work." He did not say, "Let any man desire it"—for he does well (this is what he would have said, if he had wished to praise not the work itself, but the one burning with desire for it)—but, "a good work." For to omit the fact that even those wise in the ways of the Gentiles, and not only the sacred Scriptures, call a difficult and hard-to-achieve endeavor a "work," as when they say, "A faithful man—it is an ^A arduous work to find," I will express what is understood by all. This task, my excellent friend, is a "work," not ease; anxiety, not luxury; a ministry subject to accountability, not an authority beyond investigation; a fatherly stewardship, not a tyrannical independence; a compensatory management, not an unaccountable power. I praise the work of the episcopate exceedingly; for it is divine: but the desire for it I do not praise; for it is dangerous. I do not say, "He does well"—for one ought not to harbor this desire, nor even in the case of those who are greatly approved, in the soul, but to expel it with all one's might. See how the Apostle, being experienced in this struggle, and pouring forth with countless sweats, and occupied with wounds and stripes, and plots, and deaths—so that no one of those entrusted to him might, for his own part, perish—how he strikes fear and terror into those who covet command, being inexperienced in these struggles, and looking only to the honor, and almost shaking his head, he cries out: If any man desires the episcopate, let him look at the labors, and consider if he is able to suffice for them. Let him look at the dangers (for invisible and often visible enemies are arrayed against him), and let him not imagine only the honor. Let him contemplate the deaths, and not the luxury. Let him consider the plots and the cares, and let him not look toward ease. Let him know that if any man is brought to that throne, he is ordained legally to struggle, but not to enjoy luxury without danger. For he who has attained only to the honor, and has overlooked all the other ^B obligations which pertain to the episcopate, will be struck there with countless accusations, and sometimes will even be deposed from such a dignity; and yonder he will be accused before the impartial Judge at that fearful tribunal: with the hungry crying out that "we did not even enjoy the necessary sustenance," but this man, having lived in luxury and made money, has spent the rest on his own ambitions; the naked saying that "this man was more grievous to us than the winter"; the sick that "he appeared more burdensome to us than the disease"; the orphans, "We have not enjoyed any protection"; the widows, "This man did not lend us a word of comfort"; the prisoners, "This man did not drop for us a tear of sympathy"; those in misfortune, "This man did not reach out to us a hand of healing"; and, to say it all in one, all those for whom he has been ordained bishop, crying out. What do you think the impartial Judge will do? I do not praise the desire.

^A to cast one's eyes toward pleasure and relaxation of mind. Let him know this, that if someone is elevated to this throne, he is installed for the purpose of contending lawfully, not for him to pass his time in luxury and delights without danger. For whoever is possessed only of the honor, and has held in contempt and accounted as nothing all other laws which pertain to the administration of the episcopacy, he will be beset by six hundred reproaches here, and sometimes will even be removed from such a grade of honor; and there, before the incorrupt Judge at that awesome tribunal, he will be agitated by the cries of those oppressed by hunger, who will shout: "For us, it did not even fall to our lot to enjoy necessary food, but this man, after spending his time in luxury and the gathering of money, consumed the rest on his own ambitions." And as the naked say: "He showed himself to us here to be more bitter than the violence of the cold"; and as the sick say: "He showed himself to us here more grievous than the sickness"; and the orphans: "We obtained nothing of aid or protection from this man"; and the widows: "He provided us with no word of consolation"; and those cast into chains: "He shed no tears of commiseration for us"; and the calamitous: "He stretched out no healing hand to us"; and, to speak concisely, all those of whom he was created bishop will be pursuing him with shouts. What then do you think that incorrupt Judge will do? Will He not act more sharply against the man who did not become better even by the honor itself? This is certainly obscure to no one. But if anyone distrusts my words, I shall also recite the sentence: "For he shall divide him, and appoint his portion with the unbelievers" (Luc. XII, 46). Considering these things in our minds, therefore, let us not make a mockery of divine matters. For if, when we have barely been sufficient for rendering accounts even in private matters, we then bring upon ourselves the shouts and persecutions of so many peoples, where at length shall we show our face?

CCXVII. — TO SERENUS THE DEACON

^B Those who sharpen their soul toward virtue, as being by nature the images of divine philosophy, have interaction with the body out of necessity; and being content with necessary things, and hating the tumult and trouble of avarice as the fountain of every vice, they are delivered from countless evils. But those who inconsiderately deem that a human being is only a body (among the number of whom some assert you to be, though I am not persuaded to believe it), suffering from the insatiable love of money, they are tormented by the fact that they never find satiety, and, being goaded by an endless desire, and thinking that they are always in poverty, they commit acts which it is not lawful to do. It is necessary, therefore, that they, by considering that even the greatest wealth is found to be poverty when compared to unbounded appetites, and that when compared to what is sufficient for nature, poverty is riches, should put an end to such madness.

CCXVIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

Many people traduce you quite severely and sharply, and they obtain belief among all. I, however, will say most quickly and most fittingly, that it would be just, if only because of your age, for you to know that bodily pleasures summon countless torments.

CCXIX. — TO URSENUPHIUS THE LECTOR

Regarding Absalom, and the multitude which perished in the wrath of the plague, when David numbered his people (II Reg. XXIV, 2). ^D Absalom indeed was required to pay the penalty by divine justice.

^A because, to bring about the removal of his own father, he had assumed the appearance of an upright judge, and had won the subjects over to himself by this sort of cajolery. For he was seeking sovereignty, and he was gathering a band of bodyguards, and he was building up a high-reaching tyranny. And those who ran to him and all but constructed this tyranny—for they were looking, the one to his authority ^B and the other to his end—paid the penalty, even if not immediately (for David would have been grieved, being bereft of his subjects, or rather, of his royal dignity), yet certainly not long after. For the pestilence consumed them, not creeping nor advancing little by little, but suddenly and at once devouring the entire nation. For even if he assigned another cause for such a slaughter, nevertheless the root of the punishment sprang from that transgression, and not long after it bore fruit, that is to say, it advanced to the deed, when the king also had to pay the penalty for having numbered the people against the divine will. For as they were being destroyed, they were in fact ^C subjected to the greatest calamity, in deed for their own sin, but in word for the sin of the king. For he preferred to die gloriously rather than to live ingloriously, bereft of his subjects. But if anyone disbelieves, let him hear him saying: "Let thy hand be upon me, and upon my father's house" (II Reg. XXIV, 17). For others did not pay the penalty for others, as you suppose; but to each was apportioned what was fitting. For the penalty was exacted from them for the sin which had occurred a little while before, and from him for the present fault; the incorruptible judgment having found a suitable time, in which it would exact vengeance ^D both from them and from him.

CCXX. TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR

Whether alone, or at least especially, you ought to see to it that, as far as it is in your power, those who have fallen into calamities may be relieved.

CCXXI. TO MARO AND EUSTATHIUS

I hear that while you openly point out those vices to the magnitude of which nothing can be added, you nevertheless deem your own shameful acts to be less [than they are] by your own will; and while you perform unutterable crimes with a daring spirit, you consider yourselves timid and cowardly, because you are not able to manifest the entirety of your will through your deeds. If, therefore, this rumor is true, desist from such a project of mind, lest otherwise you be thought of as Furies or demons wearing human form.

CCXXII. TO THE SAME.

CCXXIII. TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER.

they cultivated virtue; now they proscribe and eliminate the cultivators of virtue. In those days they extolled chastity with marvelous praises; now, however—but I do not wish to say anything offensive. For I desire to mention these things only in order to censure those who are in fault. For I shall not accuse everyone. Yet, when I demonstrate how great the difference is between the ancient ministry and the present tyranny, what after all is the reason why you do not crown and proclaim those who are lovers of equality? ^A Since they practiced virtue, but now they exclude those who practice virtue. ^B

CCXXIV. — TO THE PRESBYTER ZOSIMUS.

A certain man, famous for the name of philosophy, having met with me, was gravely accusing you, saying that it seemed wondrous to him that you, who were not even born of noble blood, raise your eyebrow, hold your neck high, walk on your tiptoes, and imagine you are walking on air; and finally, through every limb of your body, you display your lack of education and your absurdity. Yet, on the other hand, he was extolling to the heavens a certain ancient woman named Archedice, whose epitaph he even recited, saying:

My mind was never puffed up, though I had as my parent A king, and brothers, and children, and a husband.

I, however, judged it right to point these verses out to you, for perhaps from this it will come to pass that, even now, you might come to know yourself. ^C

CCXXV. — TO THE MONK STRATEGIUS.

Most men consider being injured against their will to be a sign of cowardice and ignobleness, but being injured voluntarily and by design to be the greatest evidence of gentleness and philosophy. But those who know how to judge correctly about matters, or rather, to speak more correctly, those who have faith in the divine Scriptures, do not deprive of rewards or praises even those who, although they receive an injury against their will, bear it philosophically, with Paul especially bearing witness and saying: "And you accepted the plundering of your goods with joy, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and abiding possession in the heavens." ^D But if you say, "What indeed could he do when injured by a more powerful person?" I would reply: he could cry out, speak evil, invoke curses, slander, and cause trouble in the courts. Therefore, he who was able to do all these things, but did not do them, would reasonably be equated with him who voluntarily chose to be injured, if not exactly equal, then at least...

it might be that he should even surpass him. For to the one who desires to be injured, it brings the greatest consolation, since he would not have been injured had he not so desired. But to him who did not desire it, yet endured it, and did nothing by which he might have taken vengeance upon the one who injured him, since he has exhibited the trial of the ultimate philosophy, a much more brilliant crown ^A may reasonably be woven.

CCXXVI. TO PAMPRETIUS THE DEACON.

CCXXVII. TO STRATEGIUS THE MONK.

CCXXVIII. TO THE SAME.

^A And if he sees that someone has overcome these, he arms his friends. If you withstand their assaults as well, he stirs up the servants to war. And when he is not caught even by these, he begets a spirit of neglect. If you get the better of this, he instills a grudge. And why should I attempt to recount all the arrows of the wicked one? (82) For this reason I shall pass over these, but I would advise your fortitude to keep watch on all sides, since the enemy strikes from every direction, and hurls his javelins precisely at the vital parts.

CCXXIX. — TO LEONTIUS THE MAGISTRIANUS (83).

I do not approve of this in you, that you call Zosimus—who is a presbyter only in appearance, a city's expiatory sacrifice, a stain upon the Church, a reproach to liberty, the destruction of those who associate with him, and—why should one not say it?—a sink of all that is most shameful—by such names. For even if he himself is such a man, still your tongue, which is an instrument of truth, ought not to be contaminated by such language. Therefore, cease from insulting yourself. For even if what is said is true, and no one could charge you with lying, yet, since you are a decent and moderate man, and one blooming with many virtues, it would be fitting for you to rejoice and take pride in ^B the ornament of patience as well.

CCXXX. — TO APHRODISIUS THE PRESBYTER.

The things you wrote would be spoken fittingly and opportunely against those who have insulted you, if they did not themselves confess that they had sinned. But since they do confess it, the memory of these things is untimely, seeing as it is now destitute of the aid and support of time.

CCXXXI. — TO ANTIOCHUS.

On the passage: "My eye shall not spare."

What is the reason, you ask, why the fount of sweetness and gentleness said concerning the Jews through Ezekiel, "My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity"?* Hear, then. Since for many ages they had sinned in ways deserving of no pardon, and neither listening to the words of the prophets nor contemplating the divine benefits in their souls, they had fallen into a desperate wickedness; and a definitive sentence had been pronounced against them, that they should be delivered to the Babylonians and perish by the hostile hand (for God knew that they would not be led by any repentance at all): therefore, He says, there shall be no pity ^C for them on account of their calamities ^D

^A For there, their inclination and turning toward the better provided a favorable time to recall those condemned and to rescind the sentence; but here, as no one looks toward what is better, but all are inclining toward the worse, of necessity the sentence is delivered against all.

CCXXXII. — TO PAUL THE MONK.

That it exceeds every boldness to dogmatize while living shamefully. And on the written passage, "They desire to know my ways, as a people that has done righteousness."

One who is about to initiate a discourse concerning God ought to shine forth with the virtues flowing from a godly life. For to one who is a lover of wickedness, it is not permitted to move the tongue even concerning His righteous acts, much less concerning Himself—as if the divine laws were being insulted when they are uttered through an impure tongue. ^B For, "To the sinner," He says, "God has said: Why do you declare my statutes, and take up my covenant through your mouth?" And through Isaiah, rebuking those who do not concern themselves with an excellent life but who find fault with His dispensations, He says: "They desire to know my ways, as a people that has done righteousness, and has not forsaken the judgment of their God." But if those who curiously examine His ways—that is, His dispensations—would be most bold, how would they not be advancing beyond every boldness, who with an impure tongue move a discourse concerning God Himself, and especially when they are ^C anxiously inquiring "what it is"? But one ought not to inquire "what it is," but to affirm "that it is." And I pass over the fact that among the Lacedaemonians, who not undeservedly defined words as shadows of actions, it was not permitted even for one who had lived shamefully to pronounce a noble opinion. Therefore, if some people attack you—who are endowed with right faith and living uprightly—and cause you trouble, do not on that account be disturbed. For such is the custom of wicked men. For since they are clearly surpassed by your praise worthy life, they take refuge in the investigation of the divine Being, as if they were going to cause trouble ^D to those who live rightly by this means, and to exclude their boldness of speech. And yet it would befit them (reflecting in their minds that those who sin in an obvious and clear matter are by no means deserving of having faith placed in them when they speak about a matter which carries obscurity before it) first to compose and rightly regulate their own life, and thus thenceforth to pass on to the investigation of those things which cannot be comprehended.

CCXXXIII. — TO THE SAME.

CCXXXIV. — TO BISHOP ALYPIUS.

CCXXXV. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

That the soul is immortal.

CCXXXVI. — TO EULOGIUS

CCXXXVII. — TO HERON THE MONK

On the verse, "Every man appears just."

CCXXXVIII. — TO PAMPREPIUS THE DEACON

is difficult in works, and while the one delights the ears, the other instructs the souls. For this reason God, to those crowned with the ministry of the priesthood, cries out that which you desire to have explained: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." For since those who philosophize only with words not only annoy their hearers, but also, through the things they do contrary to what they say, make themselves objects of ridicule, for this reason He requires of them the virtue of works, ^A which pierces to the souls of the hearers. Wherefore it is necessary that he who is consecrated should be holy. For it is not permitted for the unholy to perform holy rites.

CCXXXIX. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON. That evil opinion is a troublesome thing, and that the toils of those who are caught by it are useless.

Recover your reputation, O best of men—not that it has been afflicted by disease and corrupted and brought to nothing (for that perhaps would be a lesser evil), but that it has been turned toward heresy. ^B

CCXL. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP. It does not escape me, O sanctuary of chastity, that you are deservedly distressed that Zosimus and Martinianus, and Maron and Eustathius, who display the appearance of priests, have made themselves inaccessible and unpassable to every virtue, but have prepared for themselves a level and easy road and seat for every vice. But you ought to know clearly that by as much as they have been deemed worthy of greater honors, by so much more severe will be the punishments they shall endure, since they did not become better even by the benefit [received]. ^C

CCXLI. — TO THE SAME. You perhaps think that I possess a preparation of many words and thoughts, but I know clearly that I know nothing. But if anything praiseworthy is brought forth by me, it is to be ascribed to God, who, for the sake of the benefit of the hearers, often instructs the unlearned and ignorant with wisdom.

CCXLII. — TO NILAMMON THE SCHOLASTIC. Even if, for the eloquence you possess, you anticipated and tore apart my apology by writing: "Say again that the unique wickedness of Martinianus, Zosimus, Maron, and Eustathius—whose life now goes on stage, bringing disgrace and ridicule upon the most holy religion—will not undermine Christian doctrine," I, for my part, will not for that reason depart from the truth, but will use it for my defense. Since, having nothing by which you might accuse the most divine religion, you have turned your accusation against certain priests, ^D the conspiracy has become evident to all those not lacking in understanding.

But if you yourself would also depart from this spirit of contention, you would prove what has been said. For what absurdity do we speak, when we say that ^A the matter itself ought to be examined and weighed? And if it is found to be good, it should be embraced, even if some of those who appear to follow it have fallen to the very depths of vice; but if it is shameful, it should be shunned, even if some of those who appear to be inclined toward it seem to have reached the very peak of virtue? For virtue ought to be embraced, even if all those who lack a correct judgment of things blame it; and vice ought to be shunned, even if all those who are lovers of evil proclaim it a virtue. For we ought not to take judgments on matters from those who are sick, but from those who are healthy. ^B For if we follow those who are sick, we shall even condemn philosophy itself.

CCXLIII. — TO EUDAEMON.

On the text: "She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of her husband."

You indeed contend that it was not rightly said, "She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of her husband." But I say that it was written not only rightly, but also in an admirable and wonderful way; and hear by what reasoning I am led. Now the word *gyne* (woman) is derived from *gone* (genitura/child-bearing). ^C Therefore, "she shall be called woman," that is, child-bearing, because she was taken from her husband, who is about to make her fruitful. For the man, by uniting with a virgin, makes her a *gyne*, that is, fruitful. On this account, among the Athenians, a union according to law was said to happen for the "plowing" of children, and those who beget them are called *goneis* (parents). For those who say that it is derived from *gyia*, that is, the limbs, are not even worthy of an answer. For the whole and the all are contrasted with a limb and a part. But to the woman [is contrasted] the husband, that is, the husbandman who sows and breaks up ^D the female field; from which, as I suppose, he is also called *anēr* (man). For "human" (*anthrōpos*) is a name common to both; but she (the woman) is the sown field, and therefore becomes fruitful. For I consider this to be one of those things that are relative. For as soon as you say "husband," "wife" also immediately comes to mind, just as, obviously, when "father" is said, "son" is understood simultaneously, and when "master" is said, "slave" is also thought of at the same time.

CCXLIV. TO DIOSCORUS.

CCXLV. TO THEODOSIUS THE BISHOP.

CCXLVI. TO PETER.

"My peace I give unto you" (John xiv, 27). For that truly is, which is adorned by righteousness and piety. ^A

CCXLVII. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

Do not fear, O sacred shrine of hatred against evil, those who are unable to rebuke, yet refuse to be rebuked; but proving forth a boldness of speech that is detached from rashness and tempered with gentleness, hope that you will accomplish what is fitting. But if you do not accomplish it—as you have written—and Eusebius, and those who were improperly ordained by him, instead of being grateful to you, heap abuse upon you, do not lose heart. For the sleepless and all-seeing eye, which hates evil and loves goodness, will both reward you and exact punishment from them. ^B

CCXLVIII. TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

When a discourse concerning virtue and vice was recently stirred up among us, and many were saying many things, I myself spoke to this effect: that I believe there is no man who does not have both faults and merits; but that the good and excellent have small and trifling faults, while their virtues are great and extraordinary; whereas others have merits that are matched by their faults, or even exceeded by them, or that fall short of them. For there are men who are inhuman, yet chaste; or unchaste and lustful, yet inclined toward mercy; or most audacious, yet easily converted; or who suffer from injustice, yet are possessed of moderation; or who are rapacious, yet continent; or who are intemperate of tongue, yet abstain from pleasures; or if they do not abstain from these, are yet continent of tongue; or who are captive to the belly, yet are masters of their anger. And to speak summarily, I could not easily be induced to believe that there is any man who is either lacking in faults or destitute of all virtues. ^C And to demonstrate this, I brought forward, on the one hand, that iniquitous judge who, neither fearing God nor regarding man, nevertheless performed a good deed, for he showed mercy to the widow who was unceasingly imploring his aid, and took action against those who were doing her wrong; and on the other hand, the word of Scripture, "Who shall boast that he has a clean heart, or who shall freely proclaim: I am pure from sin?" (Prov. xx, 9). ^D When this speech was lauded by all who were present, and applause broke out beyond all expectation, I blushed; for I am naturally constituted such that, at my own praises, I am rather suffused with a blush than with arrogance. But one of those present, who is commendable both in word and life (for I would not hide the truth, even though he attempted to refute what I had said), after resting a little, began to reprove the discourse, bringing forward your own life, O best Zosimus; for all faults danced in you—

^A but of any trace of virtue, not even a shadow (15). Since I was incredulous, all who were present bore witness to him, saying that he spoke the truth, and that every tongue was surpassed in accurately describing your evils. And when, as I listened, I maintained silence (for I thought it absurd to engage in a contest of words), they said, “We do not say these things to refute your discourse, O wisest of men (16)—for it is true and superior to all praise—but because we define that man as being outside the human race, and as a wild beast in human form, or an avenging demon, and an enemy of nature.” And almost all of them uttered these things as if from one mouth. Some of them urgently begged me that these very things be made known to you, so that perhaps you might realize your error. I at first refused, but afterwards, yielding to their entreaties, I promised to write. It should be your concern, therefore, to consider your own state, so that you may rid yourself of mockery, ridicule, and punishment (17). But if you sin without fear, thinking that death leads all things into non-existence, you are foolishly deceiving yourself. For death, which seems to wither the noble plant, is nothing else than the separation of the soul from the body (18). If you do not believe this, hear Plato saying: When death comes upon a man, his mortal part, it seems, dies; but that which is immortal, safe and incorruptible, departs, withdrawing before death (19).

CCXLIX. TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

The administration of affairs is composed of the priesthood and the kingdom (20), O man who shares my name (21). For although there is a very great difference between the two (since the former is like the soul, and the latter like the body), they nevertheless aim at one and the same end, which ^C is the salvation of men. Therefore, when the Jewish state was taking its beginning, the priesthood was established as more necessary, and it endured for a long time. But afterwards, since they were more addicted to the flesh and coarser, they demanded a kingdom, and this too was granted to them, inasmuch as it was most useful, and checked the offenses of those who ^D

^A did not obey the priesthood. Since, therefore, on the one hand they shone forth while holding the priesthood, and on the other they were preserved while obtaining the kingdom, but with both being removed, no ground for salvation remained to them, the prophet Daniel, wishing to show the complete destruction of Jewish affairs after the cross, and how not even a remnant of a good hope would remain for them, nor any better expectation appear, said: "The anointing [unction] shall be exterminated, and judgment shall not be in it." By the anointing, he signified the priesthood; by the judgment, the kingdom and the civil state. For most especially by the removal of the priesthood, he simultaneously revealed the fall of the kingdom and all other things. For when the most principal and superior part was altogether overthrown, nothing else could subsist; since the foundation of the kingdom was piety towards God, which was judged by the worship of God. Moreover, he also said that the kingdom would come to an end, prefiguring the total destruction of the Jewish polity. And facts witness to this, as they were brought over to a much better and more divine religion.

CCL. — TO THE SAME.

Since one who is pressed by need requires a giver, but one who is disputing requires the help and aid of a judge, [God] does not wish poverty to cause trouble to anyone, but to obsecrate. But if, having abandoned supplication, he should turn to fabricating ^C calumnies, it would certainly not be right for such a one to be pitied in judgment. Therefore He said, "Thou shalt not pity the poor man in judgment." For he should be pitied, not when he is litigating, but when he is suppliant. But if he should turn his entreaty into an accusation, justice must be preferred to mercy; for it is not just for justice to be corrupted.

CCLI. — TO THE SAME.

Not wealth, not physical strength, not eloquence, not a shining or illustrious office, not the throne of the pretor, not the purple, and the diadem are naturally able to confer honor upon those who possess them, as virtue and philosophy do. Why, then, are the majority of mortals incited by a most fierce desire for those things, while they care less for these? Because some pursue the things that seem to be, rather than the things that are, and others— ^D

^A—have a corrupted judgment of things, and others do not even believe that there is anything after this life. But the upright, and those endowed with virtue, cherish virtue itself for its own sake; and, dreaming of the crowns to come, they pursue it.

CCLII. — TO DOROTHEUS THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS. On that which was said by God: "In whatever day you eat from it."

I am exceedingly amazed and struck with wonder at how it happens that those whom sins delight, although they are always dying, yet never think themselves to be dead. Whence also, just as you wrote, the question can arise concerning that which was said to the first-formed humans: "In whatever day you eat from the tree, you shall die the death." For the evildoer and the murderer dies ^B truly when he transgresses the laws and commits the sin, even if he may seem to be alive. For even if he has not died by experience, yet he has died in judgment and in right; even if he may seem not yet to have fallen into the snares of the laws.

But if one defines the death of an immortal soul as the departure of the Holy Spirit (for He will not have a dwelling in a body subject to sins), then in this way also this passage can be understood. For just as the body lives when the soul is present, so too does the soul when the divine Spirit is present; and just as when the soul departs, the body remains dead, ^C so too, when the Holy Spirit departs, the soul loses the blessed life—not indeed dissolving into nothingness, but living a life more bitter than any death. "For suffer," says Christ, "the dead to bury their own dead." And again: "This my son was dead, and has come to life again." For what some say—that they had died before the completion of a thousand years (as it is written: "One day of the Lord is as a thousand years"—and this, I believe, is not unknown, but seems probable and more acceptable to the simpler ones).

CCLIII. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

Since you write that an oration (or, if one must speak the truth, rather a little discourse) of mine—which I once wrote regarding the fact that fate does not exist, and which by some is extolled with wondrous praises, and by ^D others is held to be superior to other books that have been elaborated by some on this subject—has been desired by some, and you have asked that this be sent to you, I have sent it.

^A Therefore, do not judge by reputation, but examine it by testing it accurately. And if it is good, give thanks to God; but if it seems to you to have been written in a lacking manner, forgive human frailty, which is not able to speak as it wishes.

CCLIV. TO PAUL.

On the saying: "Everyone who looks at a woman."

Since love arises from sight, for this reason Christ also declared that he who feeds his eyes in a profligate manner is an adulterer, checking not merely the deed, but also the thought. And regarding murder, the Law punishes the murderer, but Christ also punishes him ^B who is angry. For the one legislates for the hand, but the Other for the soul; and by not allowing the root to grow, He also checks the branches beforehand. Rein in, therefore, both your eye and your anger, so that the one may not lead you into adultery, nor the other into murder.

CCLV. TO HERMINUS THE COUNT

Do not let the breeze of prosperity, O excellent man, change you like one of the many, but let the philosophy with which you were raised keep you steadfast and constant to your friends. For that state is accustomed to happen to the unrefined and the vulgar; but this second state belongs to those who are completely wise, into whose assembly your name has been inscribed.

CCLVI. TO EUDÆMON

I would have dared to enter into the contest of praises for ^C the God-loving Bishop Theodosius, if I had not feared that, by speaking inadequately, I might diminish the glory of the goods that belong to him. But since all power of speech yields to the greatness of the subject, I have rightly condemned myself to silence. And yet I know that if he who is being praised has testimony from the truth, the possession of truth receives no detriment from the weakness of the speaker. For in the case of great matters, the one who falls short of the necessary merit does not bring shame, but rather shines more brightly, having shown himself to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the realities.

CCLVII. TO PAUL

On the saying: "That he will destroy both the city and the sanctuary with the coming leader."

That which was said by the angel to Daniel, ^D "That he will destroy both the city and the sanctuary with the coming leader," if [one considers...]

it to have been said about someone else, let them interpret it as they wish, provided that nothing is harmed regarding the truth. But if it is Christ who is said to be coming, according to the Scriptures: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" ^A the meaning of these words is this: not only will the Father overthrow all the ornaments and sights of the Jews, but also Christ, whom they themselves expect as their redeemer. For since they behaved with unrestrained fury against the Son of the King Himself, they will suffer punishments worthy of their deeds. For not only the city, but also the holy place shall be destroyed, that is, the temple shall be demolished. And observe the precision: he did not say, "It shall be destroyed with the leader," as some think, but, "The Father will destroy the temple and the city, with the leader acting as co-operator"—that is, the leader who was treated with drunken insolence by them in his first advent.

But if this is obscure, it shall be stated again more clearly: God and the leader, that is, Christ—"For out of you," he says to Bethlehem, "shall come a leader, who will destroy the city and the temple." So although the deed is attributed to the Romans, yet the wrath was sent by God; and Josephus is a witness, when he says: "It should by no means be assigned to the Romans that the war which we waged against them brought destruction upon us all. For these things did not come to pass by their strength, but a superior cause provided them [with the means of victory], so that they might appear to be successful." ^B And what was this cause? It is clearly the sin of Jerusalem against the Savior, which brought the affairs of the Jews to their knees, or rather, annihilated them. And if the Jews disbelieve this, let them say for what cause they now endure a captivity which is devoid of any reprieve.

CCLVIII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER

^C If Chaeremon, who wears the guise of a deacon, acts just as if an incurable disease were to receive the power to spare nothing that it covets, but, ignoring those who promise to heal it, were to feed itself on foods that bring death—yet I do not blame him as much as Eusebius, who did not fear to entrust the divine mysteries to his faith, the cause...

of so many evils. For he who provided the seeds is evidently also the cause of the plants. ^A

CCLIX. TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

I believe that two things should be present in a teacher with all possible strength, namely purity of life and the faculty of speech (which if one were to define as the shadow of works, he would not seem to me to be straying far from the truth), so that by the former he may regulate the student, and by the latter he may chastise the disobedient. For just as scribes, upon taking the stylus, trace the letters with great beauty and present them to beginners, so that they may be able to imitate them as much as possible; in the same way, it is necessary for mentors and teachers to set forth their own conduct ^B before their students as a kind of wisely painted image, so that they may imitate it as much as their strength allows. If, seeing not only a blameless life but even an admirable one, they are not induced to virtue, this should not be reckoned by anyone as a crime on the part of the teacher, who has omitted nothing of what ought to have been done, but rather as one of the students’ own sloth. Since some say: "For what reason do they not restrain students from crimes by fear?" We reply: "And who at all is moved by the fear of a teacher? Is it necessary to rebuke? But this, often done, has had no force. To persuade with a rod? But it is not permitted. To proscribe and cast out? But this remedy also is applied in vain. To banish from the city? ^C But he does not have that much power. To promise the kingdom of heaven? But to the more slothful this appears to be a fable. To threaten judgment? But when they hear it, they break into laughter. To cast out of the Church? That indeed is prompt and easy, but it has no amendment. For if, for someone who had been justly condemned by someone, the entrance to all other Churches were closed, and everyone, together with him who had passed the sentence, conceived indignation, perhaps that man, once chastised, might put on a better mind. But now, as soon as someone is condemned by one, he is often honored and observed by another, and another Church is open to him, along with a retinue, ^D and gifts, and this change of place turns into profit for the one who has been cast out. And then, he does not speak of the fact that he was cast out because he was condemned; but he pretends that he departed of his own will. And if anyone asks why, he makes up terrible stories about the one who had received him. And those who are not living rightly take these things as a kind of apology for their own ways.

By these means, the one who has stumbled becomes no better; but the one who corrects him earns the reputation of being a scoundrel. ^A For this reason, O wisest of men, even the reputable teachers (and they are few) have begun to refrain from correcting those who commit offenses; for since those who have not entered into this office in the proper manner (and there are many such) consider the good reputation of others to be their own misfortune, they attempt to overturn the votes of those who are rightly indignant, so that wickedness may not be extinguished, but rather even flourish. Regarding them, I know that I shall say things that are more burdensome, yet I will say them. Perhaps some correction will follow. ^B For what is the benefit in lamenting those who are lost, when it is possible, so far as it lies within us, to bring salvation to them, when the opportunity is given? For those who ought not even to be counted among the subjects, these do not hesitate in the least to leap upon the teacher's throne, and they think they hold the office, even though they have not mastered themselves; and they think to lead others, even though they have not been able to rule themselves. Through them it has come to pass that all the affairs of the Church are turned upside down.

CCLX.—TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER

^C A certain man, not only alien to shameful and sordid gains, but also distributing his own resources to those in need, when it had been brought to his attention that you, having received a few fish from a certain man who had sworn falsely, had not hesitated in the least to absolve him from the crime, as far as it depended on you, he groaned greatly and uttered that statement of Demosthenes. And so, it seems to me—for although what I am about to say will seem grave and burdensome, I will say it, nor will I hold my peace—that for this very reason he deserves to be punished with death, so that he may establish this law for the ^D impious in Hades. But he said this while inflamed with grief; yet to me, and to all who were present, it seemed that he had said nothing contrary to reason. For the fact that you were appeased by gifts does not liberate that man from the charge, but rather the recovering of his own things by the one who was injured by the perjury. Therefore, for the sake of sordid gain, do not distort or pervert the divine oracles with a sinister interpretation. For they do not command us to commit wrongs or to offer gifts to the clergy, but they prescribe that the injured must defend themselves by the very nature of the case. For that which is said, "If you bind," 77 was spoken concerning those who sin; and "If you loose," concerning those who are in conflict. But one is not absolved from the charge by...

placating the priest, but by placating the one who has suffered the injury. For if you think that such power has been granted to those in priesthood, that they might push away and wipe off the sins of those who are not eager to repent, then this oracle will appear tyrannical, and looking only to priestly gain; while having no regard for those who have been wronged. Most cruel and most inhumane, moreover, are those who, having been crowned with the ministry of the priesthood, do not absolve everyone from their crimes. But it is not so, it is not. Do not deceive yourself; or rather, do not push both yourself and those who listen to you ^B into a pit, nor renew the evils of the Scribes and Pharisees, who devised certain comforts for the perjurers for the sake of shameful gain, and armed children against their parents, and misinterpreted and subverted the divine commandments. Rather follow piously and sincerely those things which have been established by the oracles, in accordance with which the holy Apostle also said: "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." Or, if the one who has perjured himself is rich, and offers a gift to the priest, is he absolved? But if he is poor and does not offer one, is he condemned? But I say that it is not right to do these things, nor even to think them. For the Judge will say to you: "Did you think that I would be like you?" And how could this be? For He who commanded the subjects not to receive gifts against the innocent, would surely not command the priests to be defiled ^C by these shameful gains. But He said this so that, after the restitution of the things taken away by those who had done wrong, by praying and fasting together with them, they might procure for them from above a release, not even taking into their mind that saying: "Come, let us take the sanctuary of God for ourselves as an inheritance." For they are ministers, not partakers; ambassadors, not judges; mediators, not kings. For since they offer sacrifices even for their own sins, as the Apostle said, they could not surely, by their own authority, release sins even to those who do not repent, even if they were rich. For that He did not permit the priests to hawk matters, nor ^D ordain them to look to their own gain, but legislated everything toward the advantage of the subjects—wishing them to be a sanctuary of all holiness and purity—He has manifested through the hierophant Moses, and has manifested through Himself. Through the lawgiver, indeed, by saying that if anyone corrupts a deposit, first let him restore what was taken away, and then let him come to the temple.

not to appease the priest, but God. But through Himself, by saying: "Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." If, therefore, they have received this authority on account of the divine Spirit, those who, through their own sins, drive Him away, clearly do not possess this authority; rather, it belongs to those who, through the Holy Spirit ^B, possess knowledge of who are worthy of forgiveness and who are worthy of condemnation. For since this exceeds the human mind, the Paraclete, who is a partner of the divine essence and glory, became the teacher of those things which the human mind could not attain, to those who were worthy of receiving Him.

CCLXI. — TO THE SAME

Just as vipers are brought forth by the death of their parent, so also do the sins of parents facilitate the destruction of their offspring.

CCLXII. — TO HERACLIUS THE BISHOP

A friend of mine has come to you to offer himself as a hostage for his father, and to release him from prison. Therefore, favor him, as one who has engaged himself in this struggle ^C not for the sake of money, but for the sake of piety and glory.

CCLXIII. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR

You would govern your office well, O most learned man, if you were to be a firm guardian of justice, and were to keep yourself equally aloof from unjust hatred and from partiality and favor; and if you were to have justice in your moral character, modesty in your eyes, and persuasion dancing upon your lips; and finally, if you were to keep your sword unstained, as far as possible, checking and restraining crimes by means of threats.

CCLXIV. — TO THE SAME

On the verse: "He lay down and slept as a lion."

I, even if it may seem surprising what I am about to say, nevertheless define magnanimity as wisdom joined with reason. For one ought not to label a man an arrogant person merely because he abhors flattery, nor, on the other hand, should one consider a man modest if he is a sycophant and base and slothful. But rather, one should consider him ^D magnanimous who acts according to what is fitting, yet does not puff himself up against his neighbors, nor set himself above all others, but keeps himself in that proper order and station which befits freeborn men. For one ought to be magnanimous, not proud; courageous, not bold; gentle, not servile; modest, not feigning humility; liberal, not slavish. Of such a kind was the God-beloved Abraham, who, although he was above the spoils of war...

^A and the plunder of barbarians, was nevertheless more humble than all in receiving guests, performing the tasks of servants as if they were his own, and when he was deemed worthy of divine conversation, he would say: "I am earth and ashes." This is, in truth, to bring together into one humility, lowliness, and greatness, and this is to show a freedom removed from pride. But those who attach the names of virtues to vices and those of vices to virtues, and who mix all things together so that virtue might become hard to recognize, seem to me to be banishing virtue itself into exile.

CCLXV. — TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP

In external contests, the fighter is one, and the herald who proclaims the victors is another. But in divine matters, it has been ordained that the one who has won the crown ^B should also be the herald. Let not, then, those who have been established on the teacher’s throne suppose, because they arrange the contest for others, that they are outside the contests themselves, nor let them think it sufficient for themselves to proclaim the victors; rather, they themselves should attain to be the fighters and crown-wearers of gravity and every virtue, and let them both anoint those who are struggling and proclaim those who have won. If, however, they suppose that it is only necessary for the one to be present to them, they are deceiving themselves; they will be mocked by everyone and will be held in contempt ^C as cowardly, and they will be refuted even by Paul, who says: "I buffet my body and bring it into servitude, lest, having preached to others, I myself should become a castaway."

The meaning of his words is as follows: I did not separate myself to be only among the judges of the contest, or the heralds, nor do I boast in these names; but appearing worthy of victory in my way of life, and craving to appear so, I was entrusted with the present office; and that I might not act insolently, I labor at the things befitting the fighters. I am not slacking off into idleness ^D because I have seemed to be honored, but by my efforts I demonstrate that I have been deservedly honored, and I keep the gift intact, and I do not give myself over to relaxation, but to labors.

CCLXVI. — TO EUTONIO THE DEACON

Temperance, properly speaking, is said to be that which is opposed to madness and insanity, because it keeps the mind sound.

^A This, not only those outside [the faith] who are wise know, but the divine Paul also understood it. For when the governor said to him, "You are mad, Paul; much learning is driving you to insanity," he replied, "I am not mad, most excellent man, but I speak words of temperance and truth," setting temperance over against madness. And again he wrote to others, "Whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is for you," ^B setting the ecstasy of the mind over against its being sound. Therefore, temperance is indeed everything that is without sin. However, some who do well impart this name to it by way of excellence, as the thing that is preeminent over others in chastity. If, therefore, it were set over against madness, it denotes a state of soundness; but if over against lust, it denotes continence and chastity.

^C CCLXVII. — TO THE SAME. Know, O sacred head, that examples are not taken in every respect, and applied to the subject at hand (since they would not be examples, but identity), but we must select that which is useful and for which it was adopted, and bid all the rest farewell. And in order that, by putting forward one or two, I may open for you a way of interpretation regarding the others, hear what the patriarch says concerning the Savior: "He lay down and slept as a lion." Are we, then, to apply everything that belongs to that beast to Christ? Far from it! But taking only his unconquered strength, and terror, and kingly authority, we shall, if we wish to do rightly, pass over his ferocity and wildness, and whatever else is in the lion. And when God says, "I will meet them as a bear bereaved," we shall accept only ^D the retributive power, and nothing else of the things that belong to the bear. And thus we must do with the remaining examples as well. "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser."

CCLXVIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. That piety is the pinnacle of the virtues. The symmetry of the virtues creates the beauty of justice, which exceeds all imagination and skill, as much as that of the hand and of colors. But just as in the body the more powerful part of beauty is the beauty of the eyes, so also in the soul the most crowning part of beauty is piety. And if the symmetry of the virtues is also added, the beauty will be something extraordinary.

^A

CCLXIX. — TO PAULUS.

Since they who have sown evil dogmas have produced a torture more grievous than death for those who have thoughtlessly believed them, may repentance and return to a sound mind be as the most excellent medicine for those who have been wounded.

CCLXX. — TO BISHOP LAMPETIUS.

CCLXXI. — TO APHRODISIUS, THE PRESBYTER.

Since you inquire by letter as to the reason why the divine grace does not fly to all, know, O admirable one, ^D that this comes to pass because it first examines the disposition of the soul, and only then proceeds to approach. For although it is grace, it is not poured out simply; but it receives its measures from those who receive it.

it is poured forth rashly and without any distinction, but taking measures from those who receive it, it flows in only as much as the vessel of faith offered to it may be found to contain. For if it did not first seek what belongs to our part, it would surely have flown to all. But since it examines the will and the inclination of the mind, and only then approaches—just as we see it happened even in the most valiant Paul: *For he is to me a vessel of election*, he says—it visits some and remains with them, but departs from others; and to some it does not even descend at all ^A, and for that reason it recedes from certain persons: and finally, it does not descend to some at all.

CCLXXII. — TO CYRUS THE MONK.

If Eusebius the bishop, as you write, thinks that not to be mad with him is madness, and calls it so, do not be troubled by this. For it is better, while you are sober, to appear drunken, than, while suffering from drunkenness, to appear sober. For inasmuch as he has been driven to fury by wickedness and is utterly subdued by it, he wishes everyone to be mindless, so that he may escape the censures of those things which he performs lawlessly.

CCLXXIII. — TO APOLLONIO THE BISHOP.

I wish you had come to us, so that you might have been a participant in the struggle, and the crown, and the acclaim and the proclamation. For we have brought back to the path—through counsel and exhortation, and especially through the aid of divine grace—a friend who was burning with a love for celestial philosophy, but who had afterwards slumbered a little. And now, keeping festival, we sing a song of triumph, and having mixed the cup of words, ^D and prepared rational dishes, we receive our friends at a banquet. Come, therefore, to rejoice with us, and to exult with them in joy, and to be entertained with your friends, and to dance with virtue, and to censure wickedness, which possesses such impudence that it even leaps upon those who flee from it.

CCLXXIV. — TO APHRODISIO THE PRESBYTER.

On the verse, "Seek not to be made a judge."

I marvel greatly how things that are perfectly open and clear appear obscure to many. For the saying, *"Seek not to be made a judge,"* has nothing complex or learned in it, but plainly cries out: "Because it is difficult to discern what is just." For many, on account of a slowness of mind, do not attain to this; and many, though they attain to it through keenness of mind, yet on account of money, or fear, or shame, or friendship, or hatred, pervert and corrupt it. Therefore, do not commit yourself to such a task, which is difficult to grasp; and it is even harder, once you have found it, not to weaken and corrupt it.

CCXXV. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS.

^A The things which are reported about you by almost all men with one voice—oh, by what name should I call you worthily?—do not allow me to be at peace, much as I desire it; but like certain goads, they prick my soul and urge me to write. Spare yourselves, therefore, and repent. For the dignity of the priesthood becomes an accumulation of punishment and torment for those who have chosen to live unworthily of that honor.

CCLXXVI. — TO APHTHONIUS.

If you desire to appear famous and illustrious in the affairs of this life, seek out other counselors; for I would even dissuade you from such things. Indeed, they beget dangers that are not only useless and fruitless, but also perilous and ending in death. But if you wish for those things that pertain to the service of God, I myself would have come to give counsel—not to say, even without being called, and I would not say, "having been called." If, therefore, you wish to shine, and if you would be persuaded by my judgment, let those things appear in your actions which would prepare you to compete with the saints. For their esteem for the things of this life was small, but their esteem for the things that follow the departure from this life was very great; and keeping that goal before their eyes, they directed all their actions toward it.

CCLXXVII. — TO PAUL THE PRESBYTER.

On the saying regarding the ruler, ^C "That you shall justly pursue what is just."

Those who begin in virtue but end in vice ought to be deemed empty of all zeal and wretched. Such are those who begin by the protection and patronage of the poor, but end in their own private gain. The divine oracle, restraining them, says, "Justly shall you pursue what is just." For it is not fitting that those who are equipped with the just care of the poor, and who put that forward as a pretext, should defraud and despoil those for whose sake they were equipped, and divert the things that belong to them to themselves.

CCLXXVIII. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER.

Why the Pharisee, having spoken boastfully, was condemned, but Job, having spoken greater and more sublime things, was praised.

^D You said that you marvel and are astonished at why the Pharisee, having spoken boastfully, offended, while Job, having said more and greater things, was found acceptable. Vehemently you said that it seems wonderful to you what the cause might be, why the Pharisee, on account of his arrogance of words, offended before God, but Job, who...

said many and more sublime things, attained to glory. Hear then briefly, for I could not do otherwise. ^A That Pharisee, because no one was provoking or stimulating him, boasted magnificently about himself, and thought more highly of himself than the whole round world; he rightly fell into the displeasure of God, inasmuch as he was suffering from the disease of pride. But he who is in glory and splendor obscures his own virtues, yet when he is assailed by insults, he commemorates them—as the famous and in every way more excellent Job did—in order to repel the accusations brought against him; he is entirely removed from any guilt, naturally casting it back upon those who accused him unfairly. For it is cold and insipid, as it actually is, and so it also seems, for one to praise oneself when no necessity urges it. But if anyone, while hearing what is not fitting, falls unwillingly into such words, the blame ought also to be attributed to those who have created the necessity. And for this reason the divine verdict rejected him who, provoked by no one’s insults, had pronounced himself righteous and condemned all others—and did not even revere the publican present—but crowned with the highest praises him whom necessity had driven to this (for what did his friends omit that could serve to stimulate his spirit?). ^B

CCLXXIX. — TO PETER.

As skilled physicians do not rashly apply remedies in the initial stages of diseases—because the force of an influx weakens the medicines offered, and turns them, as it were, into water, but wait a little while until the disease abates somewhat in its virulence, and then at last set themselves to healing: ^C in the same way, while grief is at its height, it is not fitting to rebuke one who is suffering as if from a certain drunkenness by reason of its magnitude (for otherwise we would be acting imprudently and rendering our discourse, like an ineffective eye-salve, useless): but rather, after we have shown ourselves partners in his sorrow for a brief time, and have allowed such an affection to be somewhat calmed, we should then at last proceed to the cure. And this is truly the reason why we have approached your cure somewhat later. Therefore, I entreat you, friend, rouse yourself from this immoderate sadness, reflecting in your mind that you have neither been the first nor the only one to fall into this calamity; but that this is a common experience, and that we ourselves are soon to enter upon the very same path, to render an account of the things done in this life.

CCLXXX. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

I think it is impossible for upright men not to have enemies; but that they can manage enmity correctly and becomingly, that is possible. For if they do not stumble in the course of the philosophical life, they both benefit themselves and take vengeance upon them; ^D but if they do stumble, they are benefited by their enemies. Often...

^A indeed, an unexpected bit of abuse has healed a sickness of the soul that was either unknown or neglected. For those who are reputable have need of either genuine friends or ardent enemies; for the former admonish and the latter reproach, and both turn us away from our transgressions. But since today friendship has a weak voice, or rather is too mute to speak freely, and is loquacious and clamorous when it comes to chattering and fawning, but mute when it comes to admonishing and rebuking, one must hear the truth from one's enemies and correct oneself.

CCLXXXI. — TO THE SAME.

Nothing, in my judgment, is more troublesome than flatterers, who, ^B hanging upon the tongue of the wealthy, confirm with an oath that whatever those men might choose to admire, even if it be of the most absurd and shameful sort, is the best and most excellent thing of all; yet they immediately malign virtue itself if those men attempt to disparage it. Therefore, sensible men must avoid both flattering and being flattered. For both of these things—to pass over the derision of men—give birth to an incurable vice and an intolerable punishment.

CCLXXXII. — TO ARCHONTIUS, HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE.

I know quite well that if I were to ask you whether I am superior to Paul in prudence and natural talent, you would consider such a question ^C to be arrogance. How, then, do you demand that I accomplish what even he could not? For when that winged husbandman (to pass over individuals, for whose sake he was inflamed) found the race of the Galatians so far subdued and oppressed that they were inclined toward Judaism, and when the Asiatics did not heed his words, and the false apostles waged a fierce war against him, and yet no one accuses him—but rather, because of his intention and will, they crown him—why on earth do you accuse me? You say that although I have exhorted and persuaded many to virtue, and have snatched many from vice, Eusebius, and Martinianus, and Zosimus, and Maro have not obeyed my admonitions. But take care, lest while you seem to accuse me, you yourself serve up your own foolishness to be laughed at, as one who is ignorant of the rule of free will and transfers the fault of those who have not obeyed onto the one who did not persuade them. ^D

CCLXXXIII. — TO THEODOSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

^A At the time when Hezekiah, king of the Hebrews, saw the trophy 89 raised against the Persians 90 — a trophy greater than any wonder, and higher than all human strength and expectation — he was struck by illness. This was in order that the leaps of his soul, having been granted a bridle 91, might not compel him to dash forward beyond what is proper, and lest the cause of the victory should give birth to a war of arrogance. If, therefore, a success greater than your expectation has come to your great-mindedness, say nothing and do nothing that is discordant; rather, keep in check the immoderation of joy, for this is often by nature wont to harm more than grief does.

CCLXXXIV. — TO THEOPEMPTUS THE BISHOP.

On the verse: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

Although concord is the crop and, as it were, the foundation of all human goods, and no one ought to give cause for war and strife to anyone, yet if you see piety being harmed or the weak 93 being treated unjustly, take care not to prefer peace to truth. Instead, stand firm nobility, struggling against sin even to the shedding of blood. For this reason, that which you wished to learn was said by the Apostle: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” For there are occasions when it is not possible—for instance, when the subject is piety, as I have already said, or when the struggle is on behalf of those suffering injustice. And why do you marvel if this is not possible everywhere among other people, when even in the case of a husband and wife, who are considered to be one and the same flesh, he [the Apostle] broke this necessity by saying: “But if the unbeliever depart, let him depart.”

CCLXXXV. — TO THE SAME.

Similar.

I am neither free from sin myself, nor do I seek friends 95 who are free from sin (for I would not find them); but I do seek those who possess very many and very great achievements, while...

^A I enroll in the company of friends those who are endowed with minimal defects; those, however, who are affected in the contrary manner, I neither number nor yet reject. I do not number them, lest they bring calumny upon our gathering (for it is a custom among all men to judge a person from those with whom he consorts): but I do not reject them, leaving them a good hope. For the former, I use as counselors and friends; to the latter, I do not declare war, but offer as much peace as is possible, being eager to keep the apostolic decree: «If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.» I exhort them, however, to refrain from vice, and to cleave to virtue. But if they themselves should transform my exhortation into an occasion of hatred and enmity, they will cause me no small grief—not because they have declared enmity against me, but because they have received no profit.

CCLXXXVI. — TO ELIAS

^B At the time when the sun of justice came down from heaven to bestow benefits upon humanity, then indeed, as if in a certain reversal of things, all things moved toward holiness. For whereas before they lacked festive adornment, and while they exulted in the names of festivals, they were nonetheless defamed by the tragic acts of vice, they were transformed into a divine and heavenly solemnity, having been taught to consider piety the true festival, especially when it is cultivated by virtue, as if by a holy priestess.

CCLXXXVII. — TO THE DISCIPLES OF BONTHUS THE PRESBYTER

Just as a chaste woman, bearing the marks of purity upon her face, represses the expectations of those who cast impudent eyes upon her, in the same way, a chaste soul, bearing the tokens of virtue upon its senses, cuts off the hopes of those who desire to corrupt its beauty. For who, seeing such an eye, tempered with gentleness and nobility, would dare to approach? Who, beholding a tongue that is a shrine of honesty and gravity, would not consider all access to licentious converse closed to him? Finally, who, observing the other senses to be instruments of virtue, would not be afraid to suggest something perverse? Therefore, you too, noble offspring of a ^C lion, [keep yourselves…]

in such a way that no access at all to such familiarities lies open to you, that you may increase both your own and your father’s glory.

CCLXXXVIII. — TO NILAMMON AND NILAMMON.

Parents have bestowed upon you homonymy, but your conduct has bestowed synonymy. The former you received from those who begat you; the latter you have acquired from the things you have done. If, indeed, men beheld this in virtuous actions, I would rejoice; but since they see it expressed in contrary deeds, I am greatly distressed by this name. For a shameless eye, a haughty neck, the incessant twitching of the eyebrows, a turbulent gait, and the inability to blush at any shameful thing, are evidence of a most base soul, impressing the dark marks of its internal disturbances ^B upon the body.

CCLXXXIX. — TO THEODORE THE ILLUSTRIOUS.

Concerning the greatness of soul of Moses, and that he did not prefer any of his sons to the virtue of Joshua; and that it is not right to entrust a kingdom or any other authority to one's children, unless their character is suited to the position of command.

I admire and revere Moses, that man beloved of God, for many other things, but especially for this: that, being superior to every vicious passion, he also conquered natural affection. For although he had two sons who were begotten by him, yet since they did not prove themselves to be rivals of his fatherly virtue, he did not appoint either of them as successor ^C to his military command, but rather him who was joined to him by virtue more than by lineage; he preferred virtue to nature, which is often blind to the discernment of the good. For those who think it just that authorities should pass from fathers to sons are blind to the truth. For honor is owed not to lineage, but to virtue. For one ought not to enroll a king’s son into such a dignity if he is unworthy of the office, but rather he who is endowed with a kingly soul and is capable of grasping the knowledge of governance. This truth surely demonstrates that most gentle man clearly, in that he was not even led by grace and favor toward his brother to offer him the dignity of the priesthood (for he who did not deem those who had sprung from his own loins worthy of such an honor, but had overcome the force ^D of nature as if it were a tyranny, would certainly not have been driven by favor to crown his brother with the priesthood).

But those who had made an assault upon him with a rabid spirit, thinking that he had not been appointed priest by divine suffrage, but by the private judgment of [the bishop’s] soul, paid new and unusual penalties. For some were swallowed up by the opening earth, while others were consumed by the burning of heavenly fire.

CCXC. — TO CHAEREMON THE DEACON

CCXCI. — TO GERMANUS

CCXCII. — TO DANIEL THE PRESBYTER

^A

CCXCIII. — TO NILAMMON THE PRESBYTER

It is not a matter of great concern to me to discourse upon the nature of things, but I write this so as not to cause you distress. It happens, because of the difference in temperaments, that some of those who suffer from drunkenness appear pale and fierce, while others, on the contrary, are ruddy and sanguine; this is because, due to an agitation of the mind, the blood has either retreated into the depths, leaving the surface of the face pale, or because the agitation has summoned the heat that resides in the interior parts to the exterior. Whether someone be tempered in this way or that, reason can, like an excellent charioteer, either prevent this vitious affection from being stirred up at all, or, if it has been stirred, regulate it into harmony and gentleness.

CCXCIV. — TO PETER

The most audacious Jews have never suffered any captivity devoid of the hope of recall, except for this one which followed the Cross; yet, I know not how, they refuse to return to a better state of mind—and this, even though both the Scriptures and the very facts favor us with their testimony and condemn them. Therefore, this has been granted to them, that they should survive, in order that they may proclaim in tragic fashion the calamities of the war they have suffered, and, like captives and scourged wanderers, running around the whole world that is illuminated by the sun, they may behold everywhere flourishing the worship of the Crucified. And so much for these matters. ^B But concerning those who do not fear to inflict injury upon orphans, this I say: that the King of those who reign and the Lord of those who hold dominion—for "my servant," He says, "Nebuchadnezzar," and, "my servant David"—calls the former by that title solely on account of his dominion, but the latter also on account of the probity of his life. Hence, He rejoices to be called the father of orphans and the judge of widows. For among the exalted, He sets the name of dominion; but among the lowly, He sets that of care and solicitude. For of the former He asserts Himself to be the Lord; of the latter, the Father. ^C Wherefore, let no one afflict orphans with injury, thinking of their Father; let none oppress a widow, keeping the Judge before his mind; nor let any defraud another, contemplating in heart and thought that incorruptible Judge. But if anyone, destitute of prudence and seeing only the present, while blind to the future, thinks that rapine is gain, let him hear that even here these frauds and rapacities very often bring forth dangers, and that they are not only stripped of their possessions but are also deprived of their very souls. For if some acquisition is made, even the most excellent, it is only that which is joined to the Good; and when this is absent, the... ^D

pursuit leads straight to calamities. Just as in hunting, it is good to catch the prey, but even better to miss it—if the former might entail danger, while the latter might prevent the suffering of some harm—so it is also with gains. For they incur disgrace and inherit dangers, if those who have the means to increase their wealth righteously attempt, instead, to overreach. If someone should say, "Who would not wish, by acquiring, to become prosperous?" I would counter by asking, "Who would choose to perish by gaining?" For he who desires to make gain from things that bring danger is not in pursuit of profit, but of disgrace and calamity; since some earnings ^A carry a shameful basis, while others involve dangerous overreaching. Therefore, whether for the sake of the present or for the future, regarding evil gain as a most heavy loss, let them with all their strength flee from injustice.

CCXCV. — TO CHAEREMON, ZOSIMUS, AND MARO. That the soul is immortal.

Do not be led by the opinion, most excellent men, that souls are extinguished along with bodies, and so sin without fear as if you would not suffer punishment; but having learned the truth from the Judge, that they are both immortal and will undergo judgment, sing a palinode. "For do not be afraid," He says, "of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul" (this is an irrefutable testimony to the immortality of the soul, to which no one can object); "but fear rather Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." ^B This is a truthful proof both of the resurrection and of the punishment. For one must consider the decision of the Creator to be stronger than any proof. And that even in the Old Testament, the upright and celebrated men knew of the immortality of the soul, hear what the three youths in the furnace say: "Bless the Lord, you spirits and souls of the righteous." And they are surely trustworthy, they who did not fear the tyrant but displayed their piety and caused the fire to feel shame. And he who beheld the Seraphim, crying out, "Who will announce to you that the fire is burning?"—what else does he proclaim but Gehenna, and the immortality of souls, and the resurrection of bodies? Do not, therefore, consider the words that Scripture sings to you as fables, but turn back. For it is permitted as long as we are here. For God does not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wicked way and live ^C the glorious life. For if we anticipate His face in confession—that is, if we should defend ourselves through our deeds before the appointed time—

we shall obtain mercy in the judgment. For it is right to regard the decision of the Creator (as I said) as firmer than any proof or demonstration. ^B CCXCVI. — TO AGATHON THE PRESBYTER. *How the statement made to Abraham, "I will multiply, I will multiply," is to be understood.*

God promised that He would compare the seed of Abraham to the celestial stars and the sand of the sea, signifying that some of them would shine brilliantly (such as were the prophets and just men, the apostles, and those who embraced the faith through their works and who shone forth in virtuous actions, to whom the Savior says, "Let your light shine before men," and the Apostle says, "Among whom you shine as luminaries in the world"), while others would be found groveling and worldly-minded, unstable and carried about by every wind, and who would be held in contempt, being reckoned as sea sand and fruitless.

CCXCVII. — TO PAUL. If those who were recently friends are at variance as though they are about to be reconciled, it is a lighter evil; but if they remain as though in implacable hatred and enmity, it is more serious. However, in whatever frame of mind they may be, you must strive to reconcile them as quickly as possible, lest the delay of time make this task more difficult. ^C

CCXCVIII. — TO THE SAME. *On that which is written in the law: "Do not show mercy to the poor man in judgment."*

He who abuses poverty in order to readily cause trouble for others is not only unworthy to obtain mercy, but even earns hatred. For instead of living in quiet and making supplications, he himself concocts accusations. On account of this, Scripture has ordained not to show mercy to the poor man in judgment: not because it does not wish for mercy to be bestowed upon him, but because it forbids him from acting as a false accuser. For if, setting aside that posture of a suppliant, he dares to assume the role of a litigant, let justice prevail before the one presiding. For the master of the case who has been accused and has won ^D is able, after the victory, to show himself easygoing and merciful to the one who lost the case; but it is not equally just that the one in whom the authority and power of the sentence resides should undermine justice itself.

CCXCIX. — TO THEON THE BISHOP. If the wickedness of Zosimus, when weighed by itself...

as you write, is grievous, and when compared with others ^A is found to be even more grievous, then the fact that he does not even know that he is sick proves it to be most grievous of all. Why do you trouble us, as if we were able to cure an incurable disease? For this requires God alone, who both overcomes the turbulent agitations of the soul and eradicates every kind of vice. ^B

CCC. — TO PETER.

Concerning the freedom of speech of Paul in public discourse.

CCCI. — TO ARCHONTIUS, A MAGISTRATE. You seem to be unaware that the same word, the same name, and the same speech, when spoken with a different intensity, at one time gives the impression of reason, and at another the fruit of anger.

CCCII. — TO ALYPIUS. Your friend, in order to show silence to those who, as a reproach, threw up to him the recent friction that occurred between you, has arrived there; for he has come not only to cover the present goodwill ^D but also to extinguish the previous resentment. Therefore, receive him with open hands.

CCCIII. — TO AGATHODAEMON THE GRAMMARIAN. Even if to some who flatter you, perhaps, your response seemed to proceed from reason and judgment, and not from anger, to me, on the contrary, it seems to have proceeded rather from audacity and recklessness. For which reason I advise you to place reason before anger, and thus to compose yourself, both in speaking and in writing. For if you allow it to leap ahead of reason, it will turn everything upside down.

CCCIV. — TO THEOPHILUS THE SUBDEACON. That the blessed Timothy surpassed his reputation in experience, and that he was more excellent in sight than in hearing, all those who have been gifted with the enjoyment of his gentle company know for certain. But that I myself also wish I could express as much as I desire to, no one, I suppose, doubts. Since it is easy to wish, but more difficult to attain...

therefore I shall keep silence; but do you, from those things which you know for certain, not begrudge weaving an encomium for him. ^A

CCCV. — TO PETER THE LECTOR

After the wicked and nefarious Jews were deprived of angelic assistance on account of that most audacious and unspeakable crime perpetrated against the Lord, and were delivered instead to the Roman sword, they were taken in such numbers that those who witnessed it could scarcely be brought to believe that any of them had perished; and conversely, such a number of the slain was found, that all were in doubt whether anyone at all had been taken. For when their fury was whetted against their fellow servants alone, they were punished more sparingly; but when their fury flared up against the Lord, then indeed, having committed such a crime as surpassed every forgiveness, they were consigned to slaughter. For some became the work of fire and sword, others of famine. And those who survived the disaster were permitted to remain alive for this reason alone: that they might lament in tragic fashion the calamities of the war, and like some scourged captives wandering the whole world over, behold everywhere the worship and veneration of the Crucified ^B flourishing.

CCCVI. — TO CYRIL THE BISHOP

Just as a king who obeys the laws is a living law, in the same way a priest who is subject to the authority of ecclesiastical ordinances is a silent rule and standard.

CCCVII. — TO ISAIAH THE SOLDIER

Just as sincere and ardent lovers of chastity, because of their own purity, often judge others, even those who are not at all of such a character, to be pure, and do not think anyone to be unchaste; in the same way, those who are driven by the gadfly of lust as if by a certain madness (of whom they say you are also one), judge others, even those who are not such, to be like themselves on account of their own wanton lust. For both parties base their judgment of the ailments of others upon their own character. ^C

CCCVIII. — TO AMMONIUS THE TRIBUNE

The season of the feast also corresponds to its name, adorned by natural felicity. For not to speak of the spring of the soul, which has blossomed after the winter of sins, even that which the bodies experience is not lacking in wonder. For following the winter storm and preceding the summer heat, it shows, of course, that whoever has passed through the winter of sins, unless he maintains a true, serious, and moderate state within himself, will be delivered to the flames of judgment. For just as summer succeeds spring by a certain necessity, so too after leniency and patience, judgment will certainly follow. ^D

CCCIX. — TO MARTYRIUS THE PRESBYTER

CCCX. — TO PETER THE SCHOLASTIC

CCCXI. — TO DANIEL THE PRESBYTER

CCCXII. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

CCCXIII. — TO LAMPETIUS THE DEACON

made his visitation, having subdued all that was sinful as if it were barbarian, after the victory spared it as his own.

CCCXIV. — TO PETRUS SCHOLASTICUS. He who not only avenges those to whom injustice is done, but also makes provision that no one should inflict injustice on another, deserves the name not only of a sharp and strong ruler, but also of a wise legislator: as one who settles the former by the power of his authority, and the latter by the prudence of his mind.

CCCXV. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR. He who is led by neither favor, nor hatred, nor bribes to undermine justice; he, in my judgment, is both the best rule of justice and an incorruptible judge and arbiter of those between whom there is controversy.

CCCXVI. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER. «Giving wisdom to the wise, and prudence to those who know understanding.» ^B That which was said to Daniel, «Giving wisdom to the wise, and prudence to those who know [understanding],» he said most especially regarding himself. For God not only revealed to him the king’s dream—which the king himself, though he had seen it, did not know—but also the cause for which that sight was shown to him, and its interpretation. Now the cause was the plans of the king. For since, as was natural, he was puffed up by his trophies, having achieved victory not only against other nations but also against the Jews—who boasted that they had been benefited with many ^C and great things in Egypt, in the desert, and in Palestine—it occurred to him, as was natural, while watching many kingdoms extinguished (for the kingdom of the Assyrians had also reached its end), whether even he would undergo some change. Consistent, therefore, with his plans and the agitations of his soul, the vision occurred. But the prophet first explained to him the things he had conceived in his mind, so that from things that were acknowledged and certain, those that were unknown and obscure might also find credibility, and the interpretation be ^D easily accepted. In this way, then, the king also confirmed what was said. For he did not merely conjecture that the things said were true from the fact that he spoke of what was in his mind, but perhaps he even recalled what he had seen to his mind, and through the sincerity of the things narrated, brought it back to memory. And this much for now.

^A to the wise—that is, He imparts divine grace to those who fear Him—"and understanding to those who know," ^B that is, the knowledge of hidden things to those who intelligently run to Him who is able to reveal such things. Or again, wisdom to those who conduct themselves wisely, and understanding to those who cultivate discernment, so that their resolve may draw grace to itself, and it may not appear to be bestowed by mere lot; for grace flies to meet our preparations. Or again, because many of the sages and prudent men from outside also approached the divine preaching and were about to reap true wisdom and true understanding, He prophesied this.

^B CCCXVII. — TO THEON. Not only the power of the preaching, O admirable man, but also the life of the preachers, when it agreed with the preaching, attracted men. For who would have been persuaded by men if they said one thing and did another? For if now many, having been rooted in faith, have not only wavered but have been uprooted completely due to the lives of their teachers, who, ^C I ask, in the beginning, seeing a life that did not harmonize with the words, would have been brought to believe? And this, too, when they were being ordered to depart from their ancestral gods and customs, and to hate wealth, luxury, and pleasure, and instead to embrace poverty, fasting, and chastity, and to prepare themselves for daily deaths.

CCCXVIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. There is nothing more powerful than virtue, O my namesake, nor more tyrannical. For while it overcomes the changes of circumstances, it does not allow itself to be overcome by them; but, putting the reins of propriety upon all things ^D, it performs the function of a charioteer and leads where it wills.

CCCXIX. — TO ASCLEPIUS THE BISHOP. Even if under the anarchy of Eusebius, as you have written (for you rightly called his rule anarchy), punishment precedes charges, and tortures anticipate proofs, do not be surprised. For since he is a nursling of rashness and madness, and unskilled and ignorant of all justice, he does not hesitate to disturb what is right. But it should not be done in this way; rather, one must ensure that judgment arises from the charges, and that conviction follows after the proofs, and that finally the sentence is delivered, which determines the measure of justice according to the nature of the offense.

382 CCCXX. — TO THE SAME. ^A *How to understand "Be not righteous overmuch" [Eccl. vii, 17].*

Since you desire me to explain to you in what sense it is said, "Be not righteous overmuch," I believe that this phrase has a twofold interpretation. It might mean: Do not pursue your own rights severely and rigidly, but overcome such an approach through kindness. For it is just not to be wronged, but it is philosophical to bear an injury done to one with an equanimous spirit. Or it might mean: Walk the middle path of virtue. For both the excessive and the deficient forms of these, taking one away from the right path, end in sins. That the most wise commandment ^B points to this is made evident by what follows: "And do not be over-wise, that you should not be astonished." This, indeed, I believe a certain one of those seven most celebrated wise men stole, or at any rate, arrived at the sentiment—for plagiarism is the theft of another's words, while arriving at the same sentiment is a fortuitous similarity of matters—and declared: "The best measure." Another, paraphrasing this, said, "Nothing in excess." And one can see that this holds good not only regarding the virtues, but also regarding piety. For piety, being situated between impiety and superstition, rejects both.

CCCXXI. — TO THE SAME. ^C

Since you asked me in what way the virtues are mediaties, know this: that prudence stands between simplicity and malice; liberality between prodigality and stinginess; magnanimity between vanity and pettiness; and fortitude between rashness and cowardice. Therefore, we must flee the extremes and pursue the means.

CCCXXII. — TO MARTINIAN THE PRESBYTER. ^D

Do not seek wealth, O excellent man, which breeds pride and arrogance, provides pleasures, is the architect of every vice, and snatches away from man his friendship with God; but rather seek virtue, which delivers us from all evils. But if it involves labors and sweats, do not on that account flee it; rather, for that very reason, embrace it all the more, considering that in other matters, also, that which is acquired with labors and sweats, even if it is small...

is more desirable. That which falls to one by chance, however, is held in contempt, even if it be great. ^C CCCXXIII. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER. Since exhortations and counsels have had no power against that furious zeal for wickedness with which you are consumed—for it has been found stronger than any correction—I turn once again to prayers. May God grant, therefore, that you depart from this madness and assume a prudent mind.

CCCXXIV. — TO STRATEGIO THE MONK. Those who love virtue and are captivated by the study of wisdom, being insatiable in their desire, do not cease to kindle this divine torch within their souls. They consider this their serious work, while considering all other things as secondary tasks. Thus, what appears great to others seems small to them; they laugh at what is fought over, they trample upon what is admired, and they covet only things transcending the world. Since, therefore, you have determined to enroll your name in such a chorus, it would be right, indeed, to keep the eye of your soul wakeful.

^C CCCXXV. — TO SERENUS. I am filled with great wonder at how it is that, while those in former times who were instructed by the divine word used to offer their own wealth for the common benefit, now some of the teachers of the word (for it is not right to condemn all) dare to appropriate common goods for themselves. By this absurdity, they have caused even those accustomed to bring offerings to become slothful. For whereas it is fitting that the treasures of the Church should be stored in the probity and sincerity of the heart of the subordinates, these men do not allow this to happen.

CCCXXVI. — TO THE SAME. If those who are ordained to the holy orders and those for whom the priestly office is performed are involved in the same things, who then will appease the Divine? It is necessary, therefore, that the treasures of the poor be stored in the minds and will of the subordinates, while the priests should devote themselves solely to the sacred ministry, so that they may render the Divine propitious both to themselves and to their subordinates. But if the people, seeing those who have been allotted the sanctity of the priesthood handling and managing all the things that pertain to this life, have cast off their religious piety, it is not so much they who are to be blamed as those merchants and hucksters who initiate every iniquitous and wicked method of making profit. For if these men correct their own ways, there is hope that the populace will follow suit.

TO STRATEGIUS THE SCHOLASTIC (CCCXXVII)

TO AETIUS THE COUNT (CCCXXVIII)

TO MACHARIUS THE PRESBYTER (CCCXXIX)

TO THEODOSIUS THE BISHOP (CCCXXX)

sweet word, and pull up by the roots the bitterness of depression. For if they should come to understand from you that, if these things were justly brought upon them, they effect a lightening of their transgressions, but if they were permitted to come upon them when they had done nothing wicked, they are procuring for themselves crowns; they will not only drive out the depression that has been conceived in their hearts, but they will also be filled with joy. ^A

CCCXXXI. — TO DANIEL THE PRESBYTER.

That the blessed presbyter Eustathius suppressed and destroyed the desires for shameful gains, and that he was seen to incline toward whatever pertained to probity, even your own intelligence does not ignore. But that, upon his having been translated to the heavenly council, men of servile mind (in whose number is also that impure deacon Eustathius, who, as you know, chafed at the fact that he bore the same name as that man) rejoiced as if he were dead, but those who are lovers of virtue were aggrieved at being deprived of his company; learn this from me.

CCCXXXII. — TO HERON.

Concerning the change and restoration to the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar.

When the king of the Babylonians was found to have felt, ^B spoken, and acted beyond the measure of human nature, he was banished from the companionship and honor of men, and shared his table and dwelling with the beasts. But after he held the opinion concerning God that was fitting, then he also received back his own glory. For the end of the calamity was the recognition of the One who is superior. ^C

CCCXXXIII. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARON, AND EUSTATHIUS.

Who at last began to harm and to injure the other, no one can easily say; so evenly matched is the wickedness you have upon your own heads. Just as, therefore, it is not easy to recognize the one who provoked and the one who followed, so too men consider that it is by no means easy or simple, but rather very difficult and arduous, to curb your madness; for the reason that each one strives to surpass the other in wickedness, not out of ignorance (for so perhaps he might have obtained pardon), but having full and certain knowledge, yet driven to this by an insurmountable enmity. ^D

CCCXXXIV. — TO ISCHYRION THE PRESBYTER.

On that which was said by the Lord to the Samaritan woman, "We worship what we know."

In the first place, it was not necessary for those to receive even an answer,

who had given credence to Eunomius, a man who thought himself clever but was daring enough to say that the Son is one of those who worship, and who was unable to perceive—or, as I suspect, was unwilling, due to prejudice and love of power, to say—what is true, and what both the wise and the simple recognize: namely, that He made this answer ^A in response to the opinion of the Samaritan woman, who was conversing with Him as if He were a Jew, and who was ranking her own beliefs above those of the Jews: "We worship what we know," for it is evident that He is one of those who are worshipped. But so that we might not be accused by them of superciliousness, skirmishing against them, use these words:

"You are suffering from extreme, absolute stupidity in putting your faith in a man who has dared to pronounce that the Father is beyond all comparison and has rejected the divine Paul, in whom these words are found: 'Who, being in the form of God, did not account being equal to God as a thing to be grasped.' For that 'greater' which you bring forward for the belittling of the Son is spoken by comparison, not by incomparable ^B excellence. If, therefore, He was made from non-existence, as you say, then for you the word 'greater' does not even stand. For what comparison is there between Him who is ever-existing and those things which have come to be from non-existence? But if you will admit that He was begotten of the paternal property without time and without passion, even if you are unable to reach the precise meaning for the sake of which it was said, 'The Father is greater than I,' yet you will confess Him to have the same eternal nature as the Father. For this was said to the apostles—who were dying of fear, as if they were about to perish—not for the sake of doctrine, but for the sake of consolation, so that they might be of good courage, as if He were departing to Him whom they deemed greater. ^C And a clear proof of this is that it was not said at any other time, but only in that night in which He was about to be betrayed; in that night, I say, in which He framed His words with such humility as to say, 'Do you think that I cannot call upon My Father, and He will provide Me twelve legions of angels?' For what need was there for so great a number, when one alone, while Ezechias held the kingdom, had destroyed a hundred and eighty-five thousand men and had crushed the Persian power? But as I said, He spoke in view of their cowardice and their suspicion. If, therefore, you cannot attain to this true meaning, but have resolved to abstain from the impiety of the Anomoeans, you may well say what someone brought forward while debating against them: namely, that 'the greater' stands in the respect that He is Begetter, ^D and 'the equal' stands in the respect that He is God and consubstantial."

^A Since divine Paul commanded to compare spiritual things with spiritual (that is, words and names), it is fitting that we too, obeying this rule, should examine the divine Scriptures. First, then, one must consider in what sense "not possible" is spoken, and only thus proceed to the solution of the question. Hear, therefore, first, the lawgiver Moses. For it is right to ground our understanding from the Old Testament, and then to crown it from the New. What does he say to the people? "Thou shalt not be able to sacrifice the Passover in any of thy cities, but in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose." The phrase "thou shalt not be able" refers to that which is not allowed, not permitted, not granted, and not possible. For that they could have sacrificed the Passover in other cities is evident. For indeed, even now they do so, though transgres- ^B sing the law. What, then, is "thou shalt not be able"? It means: it is not permitted to you; you shall not ordain; you shall not do it. And that it is said in this sense, hear also the apostles following the Lawgiver and saying: "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." What then? Were they not able to be silent? They certainly were! What then did they mean to say? It is not possible, nor is it fitting that things which ought to be proclaimed clearly and openly should be consigned to silence. The Jews, too, used to say—and the testimony of enemies is surely venerable—for they said: "That indeed a known sign has occurred is clear, and we cannot deny it." By "cannot," they signified that which is not possible. And the Apostle also says concerning God and the Father: "In which it is impossible for God to lie." He does not attribute any weakness to His ^C almighty power, but rather declares the greatest strength, because the Father of truth is incapable of falsehood. Strengthening this same concept elsewhere, too, he said: "If we deny him, he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." For this too is not a proof of weakness, but of insurmountable power, because it is not possible for the divine nature to deny itself. And if it should be necessary to bring forward the testimony of the Savior Himself, whose words the heretics try to interpret maliciously and craftily, hear Him saying: "Can the children of the bridechamber fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them?" which is to say: it is not possible, it is not fitting, it is not proper, it is not suitable, it does not harmonize. These things being thus stated, the saving purpose is clear. For the phrase, "The Son can do nothing of himself," does not accuse Him of weakness, but [rather of] the greatest

strength, since it is impossible for Him to bring about anything that is opposed to the Father. For because He was suspected by them of being an adversary of God and of usurping glory that was not His own, He spoke this, as if to say: Do not imagine that I do anything contrary to the will of the Father; such a thing cannot happen. It is not possible for me to do anything extraneous to His purpose; it is not permissible for me to oppose or resist the Father.

And that this is what He is signaling is clear both from what has already been said, and also from the fact that He employed such an exceedingly humble expression. For what did He say? "The Son can do nothing of himself." For if He had said that He does some things of Himself and some not of Himself, it would perhaps not be unreasonable to think that He used these words on account of some weakness. But since He said that He can do ^B nothing of Himself, this very thing compels even those who do not wish to think anything sublime or noble to spring up to a thought in keeping with God and worthy of that divine essence, saying: Does He do nothing of Himself? And yet the greatest achievement, the very head of all good things—which the patriarchs longed for in burning speech, which the prophets predicted, and at which the heavenly hosts stood amazed—He has accomplished.

And the vessel of election, that steward of divine mysteries, that master of the preaching, cries out, saying: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant" (Phil. II, 6, 7). Does He do nothing of Himself? And yet He Himself says explicitly: "The Son also quickeneth whom he will" (John V, 21). Does He do nothing of Himself? And yet He commended the centurion who testified to His imperial power and authority ^C and confirmed this teaching, so that what had been said might seem to be supported not only by the opinion of the centurion but also by the verdict of the Savior Himself. And likewise to the leper, who had clearly confessed that He had the power, but had evidently prayed for His willingness, saying: "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean" (Luc. V, 12), and had clearly attributed complete authority to Him, He said, confirming the opinion with a decree: "I will, be thou made clean." Does He do nothing of Himself? And yet to the Canaanite woman He said: "Be it done to thee as thou wilt" (Matth. XV, 28). And He rebuked the wind and the sea; and He gave sight to the blind; and He strengthened the paralytic; and He raised Lazarus. ^D But if we were to attempt to bring into the light all the things that proclaim the authority and power of the Son, we would perhaps not be able to finish them even if we wished to. Therefore, passing these by, let us reason from things that pertain to us. Does He do nothing of Himself? And yet we, than whom nothing could be lower, do many things of our own accord; we shun vice and pursue virtue. And if we were not acting of our own accord, we could not justly be held liable for punishment if we sin, nor partake of crowns if we succeed. You see that the humility of the expression, placed [here] with such excess, persuades even the ungrateful, with a pious intellect, to accept the loftiness of the things said. But if you also [proceed] to test the counter-distinction...

you will find it stated exactly as we have interpreted it. For He did not say: "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless He receive the power from the Father." For if this were the case in reality, it would have been necessary for the counter-distinction to be "not being able" (lest the statement should be accused of implying His weakness); but what did He say? "Unless He sees the Father doing [it]." Do you see how it proclaims the equality of honor, the equality of power, and the same-substance? ^A

CCCXXXVI. — TO HIERON, WHO HOLDS PUBLIC OFFICE.

For those on the stage, most excellent sir, the greatest zeal is not to make many people better by their jests, as you said, deceiving yourself and those who listen to you, but to make many people sin. For they have their prosperity in the wickedness of the spectators, so that if they were to become better, their art would perish. Therefore, they would neither choose to correct those who transgress, nor, if they wished to, would they be able. For their mimetic art is by nature constituted only for the purpose of harm. ^B

CCCXXXVII. — TO BISHOP THEODOSIUS.

Just as an excellent physician, equipped and armed with the skill to aid a sick nature, when the body is besieged by various forms of diseases, stands ready against that which presses more urgently (for he who, when able to bring salvation, neglects to do so, is evidently the cause of destruction), he keeps those that admit of delay and postponement for later, so that by appearing to have conquered these, he might not be overcome unawares by the other from which that which seemed to have been a victory is turned into a defeat; so also you, having tempered the science of the cure of souls with prudence, turn the gaze of your eyes to that which presses more urgently. ^C For when that is healed, there is hope that the rest also will be healed.

CCCXXXVIII. — TO ORION.

The pleasures of the body are indeed glib and skilled in beguiling, and in casting the reasoning mind out of its sovereignty, and turning everything upside down. But if anger should bring aid to the reasoning mind, and like a bodyguard should submit to the king, they will easily be overcome. For if a just anger is aroused against them, they will not withstand its threat,

^A but will vanish; for they must entrust the victory to the reasoning faculty, which ought to be victorious. And this is that which the Psalmist exhorted, and which you desired to learn: “Be angry, and do not sin.”

CCCXXXIX. — TO NEMESSIANUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

Just as I judge the Gentiles and the Jews, and anyone who might emulate their doctrines, to be impious and senseless, because they assert that the prophets spoke nothing concerning the Savior; so, too, I consider those who attempt to transfer the entire Old Testament to Him not to be without fault, as they aid our adversaries in the battle they wage against us. For while they are convicted by them of dragging passages that were not spoken about Him to Him, as if by pulling them by the nose, they create suspicion even regarding those things that were truly and explicitly spoken about Him. ^B But it is not proper to do so; rather, one should clearly speak of those things that pertain to Him, but allow those things that concern other matters to be taken as referring to the things of which they were spoken. For this is the standard of truth and demonstration. But those who present things that do not apply, prepare the things that do apply to be overthrown as well.

CCCXL. — TO ZOSIMUS THE PRESBYTER.

^C A certain man of learning, upright in his character and splendid in his life (for I will pass over the fact that he was adorned with a brilliant office; for this is but a shadow and a dream), joined with me and related that he had approached the venerable altar to receive the divine mysteries; but when he saw you standing there, a man aged in years but a presbyter in rank, yet vigorous in lust and surpassing all those who are talked about for their profligacy, he drew back his foot, judging it to be a dishonorable thing to receive the holy mysteries through an impure and wicked hand.

I shall pass over how great a wound I received in my soul upon hearing these things; but I will set forth the words with which I most severely rebuked him. I said: "With no detriment, O most wise man, is the receiver affected, even if the one who gives appears to be unworthy, nor are the undefiled mysteries defiled if the priest should surpass all mortals in wickedness." ^D If you do not believe me, consider the raven, that impure and (I say) nest-hating animal, through whom Elias, the traveler of heaven and citizen of heaven, was fed. I said many other things besides, which I have refused to write to you for two reasons: one, that I might not add superfluous length to the letter; and the other, that I might not appear to exaggerate your vices too much. Just as, therefore, I rebuked him, so I also advise you to either repent, or depart from the venerable altar, so that you do not drive away those who have purposed to draw near to it through your own actions.

CCCXLI. — TO PAUL

On the text, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

Since the Hebrews, being nourished for forty years with manna—which, if you consider it by human reason, was little suited for providing strength to bodies—remained in the same fortitude and vigor, and perhaps even enjoyed greater power (for it was not the nourishment, but the divine decree that preserved both souls and bodies), therefore, the lawgiver said what you asked to have explained to you: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This also, when Christ was repelling the diabolical scheme, He set forth, and by this reasoning shook and shattered the strength of the tempter. ^A

CCCXLII. — TO THEON

On the Arians and Eunomians.

Heretics do not notice that they are ensnared by the very things they construct, and are openly defeated by those very things by which they think they are mastering others. For if the Son is a created thing, not even the term “greater” stands according to their opinion. For the “greater” is spoken of in comparison, and not from an incomparable preeminence. What comparison, therefore, does a created thing have with the Creator? Let the wise men come forward and explain. ^B

CCCXLIII. — TO PETER

An acute and sagacious listener is not a small matter; one who not only interrupts the course of the discourse out of admiration, but also contemplates things difficult to understand, and is able to contribute something of his own. That it is not a small matter is clear from the fact that God, along with other great and exceptional things which He threatened to take away from the city of Jerusalem, ^C included the prudent and sagacious listener. For He would not have said this if he contributed nothing of great importance. For this reason, the Proverb-writer also said: “The ear of the listener is the desire of the wise.” He does not cause him much labor or sweat; rather, he requires only suggestions and seeds. For toward the cultivation and harvest of knowledge, sagacity is sufficient. ^D

CCCXLIV. — TO HIERAX THE ILLUSTRIOUS

Know, O temple of piety, that you are celebrated throughout the entire city. For since you have finished an admirable work, you have made it more admirable by your speed. For it was indeed great in itself, but the speed made it greater, or rather, it showed it to be most great, having adorned the grace and made it more pleasant and delightful. Shine, therefore, in such accomplishments. For it is worthy of you. ^D

CCCXLV. — TO ARPOCRATES THE SOPHIST

On the power of the divine preaching.

If the acrimony of human wit, of knowledge of letters, or

^A of dialecticians and orators is set before [the truth], what is to be wondered at if the Apostles, though they were unlearned and illiterate, were filled with divine wisdom and overcame the dialecticians and the orators? For if it is plausible that he who reads might not know the interpretation, it is impossible for him who is ignorant of the shapes of the letters to understand the meaning of that which is written. But it happens often that the one who reads does not know the meaning, while the one who hears, being sharper and excelling in intellect, knows it, even though he does not know the shapes of the letters. For in him for whom the comprehension of what is set forth is impossible because of ignorance of the elements, understanding often flourishes while others read. If, therefore, sharpness of mind prevails over knowledge, how shall divine wisdom not prevail over the art of words?

CCCXLVI. — TO LAMPETIUS BISHOP. On the Altar.

Since an argument that is irrefutable and beyond all contradiction is one that is agreed upon by adversaries, it is therefore necessary to speak to each nation based on things that are accepted by them according to their customs. This also Paul, the dispenser of the mysteries of Christ, did: he argued with the Jews from the Scriptures, but with the Athenians from the altar. For this reason he also said: "I became as one without law to those without the law." For just as if he were unacquainted with the Law, he took the subject matter for his exhortation from the altar, not judging the altar to be more trustworthy than the Scriptures, but in order to overcome those who gave no credence to them, by their own doctrines. ^B

CCCXLVII. — TO PAUL THE TRIBUNE.

An ancient saying and law, judged and praised by all men, prescribes that no one should insult those who have fallen, nor slaughter those who are prostrate, but that he should pity them as suppliants and reach out a hand to those who have failed. I hear that even wild beasts, which possess more spirit, take vengeance on that which resists, but are accustomed to follow with mercy that which is broken and weakened. If, therefore, there are boundaries of enmity and war even among men and among beasts, which it is not fitting to cross, do not you yourself commit the error of growing angry at those who have been defeated, nor press upon those who are lying on the ground as if they were rivals. ^C

CCCXLVIII. — TO ISAIAH.

If, fearing lest he who has been insulted by you should be the first to accuse you, you thought that by anticipating him you would shroud the blame and cut off the charges brought against you, this is truly a clever—not to say malicious and crafty—contrivance; if, however, you [are] in truth ^D

^A expecting to do so, you have suffered some stupidity. For he would not be convicted on those points on which you have already been well convicted according to the truthful testimony of those who wrote.

CCCXLIX. — TO THEODOSIO THE PRESBYTER

CCCL. — TO HERMIA THE GRAMMARIAN

CCCLI. — TO ANTONIUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

^A properly maintain that this is an argument for a noble soul. For those who have dedicated themselves to the undefiled state of celibacy, having closed the exits to procreation and remaining uninitiated into marriage, and having girded themselves—by their nakedness from necessities 78—against the shifts of circumstances, behave in a manner similar to one who, being bodiless, would boast of being invulnerable. For they too, fearing the irrational onsets of involuntary events, have despised the ordinance of procreation, fortifying themselves against such shifts through infertility, and by this means arranging for themselves that which is inviolable, so that they cannot be conquered or captured. But we, who have ^B surrendered ourselves to the irrational impulses of change, and have not taken up our position outside the battle line—like camp followers—but have rather subjected our manner of life to the very missiles of change, and have granted it ample opportunity to strike 79 at what it wills, we have entrenched ourselves against it so that even when we are wounded, we are not stricken, and when we are hit by a weapon, we are pierced without a sting. And by the experience of difficult things, confirming the doctrine—that virtue 80 is in no way subject to the dominion of change—we provide the most accurate test.

Since, therefore, they weave together such arguments and hold forth in their own defense, ashamed indeed at having been left behind in the contests of virginity, yet thinking they are bringing forward a seemly excuse, they shall know through the very facts in the midst of the contests how great an obstacle a husband is to a wife, and a wife to a husband, and how the care of wife and children is a hindrance to salvation. They are also ^C refuted even now, being driven down into the very abyss of evils 81 through those things by which some hoped to enjoy luxury and relaxation, and others hoped to be deemed worthy of greater crowns. For to what passions are they not subject? What kind of base hucksterism do they not engage in? How many annoyances do they undergo without even perceiving them? For what good thing does not pass them by? What is there that dwells among them that deserves praise?

Yet I do not mention these things to reject and proscribe those who embrace honorable matrimony (far from it!), but to rebuke those who, with a wanton and slippery tongue 82, dare to place marriage above virginity. For as much as heaven surpasses earth, and soul surpasses body, by so much does virginity excel marriage. For it holds the first ^D ranks in the battle line, it adorns the front of the phalanx, and it erects brilliant trophies; but marriage, being moderate and given as a support to the weaker, is able to save those who observe it, yet it will not lead them to the peak of virginity 83. Hence, the spiritual law 84 forbade 85 those who have married and planted vineyards to go forth into the war against the spirits of wickedness.

^B Since these things are so, let not those who are held fast by such bonds be of the opinion that they can compete with those who are loosed; for it is not possible. Moreover, let not those who have dedicated their whole life to moneymaking and bodily adornment think that they will receive prizes equal to those who have consecrated themselves and are anxious for the things of the Lord; but, keeping themselves in their proper rank, let them not sharpen their tongues against those who have ascended to the heavenly summit. For marriage is not an evil—far from it—but a lawful and moderate good. But the evils that creep in along with marriage are sufficient to blunt the pleasure of marriage itself. And if even none of these were brought on, not even so would it be just to compare it to virginity. But what does not allow me, even though I am in a hurry, to pass over is this: that virginity routs other passions as well, whereas marriage is caught by other passions. For who, in order to provide food for his children, does not do all sorts of unbecoming things, and throw himself into dangers, into the sea, and into the prey of wild beasts? And these men wish to glory as if they were brave men and victors ^C (85). And who will endure this? For what time will suffice for them to heal these wounds? And who will not sympathize with those who have been pierced by so many missiles? For such evils surround them, which, because of their multitude, cannot even be conceived in the mind, nor explained in words. Let them, therefore, put an end to such talk, and let them not sharpen their tongue against virginity; but let them honor it as a queen, and submit themselves to it, so that they may have it as both a shield-bearer and an intercessor. For it is lawful to compare—if I may also use heavenly examples—those who have embraced virginity to the sun, those who have attained continence to the moon, and lastly, those who have embraced and preserved honorable marriage to the stars, especially since the divine Paul adds his vote and says: "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars."

352. — TO THE SAME

^D I would define that person alone as truly living, who proves himself superior to and above the passions of the body. For he who subjects himself to them, and is driven by them with all force, not only ends in the extreme abyss of destruction, but cannot even live here, because of the troubles, and fears, and dangers, and the infinite swarm of them that flow from these passions. For if death is awaited, he is dead even before death through fear; whether it be sickness, or insult, or poverty, or any other of the unexpected things, he has perished and is, from his

^A mere suspicion, destroyed. But such is not the case with one who rules over his passions; rather, he stands higher than all fears, and dangers, and every change—not by enduring nothing (for that is perhaps impossible), but by achieving a much greater and more paradoxical trophy, in that he shows contempt for those things that attack, skirmish, and shoot arrows against him.

CCCLIII. TO TIMOTHEUS, MOST ILLUSTRIOUS.

If Chæremon, as you have written—that man, I say, the attendant of Eusebius, who has been sharpened by his association and intimacy into all manner of wickedness—is goaded as if by some gadfly, and knows no faith, but instead abuses oaths for the sake of free license in iniquity (for he strikes leagues of reconciliation, yet remains implacable; he enters into covenants, and rescinds them; he swears, and treats oaths as the stuff and instrument of fraud); yet, in my judgment, he who protects him even now receives the blame for his wickedness, and hereafter will receive a still greater portion of punishment.

CCCLIV. TO PAULUS, PRESBYTER.

For a priest, the wealth is the ornament of virtue, pleasure is chastity, luxury is frugality, and joy is the advancement in virtue of those over whom he presides. If any man, pursuing practices contrary to these, vaunts himself in the name of the priesthood, he is profane and unworthy of the office.

CCCLV. TO MARTYRIUS, PRESBYTER.

Concerning the Arians and Eunomians.

^C If he who describes the divine generation should in all respects pursue human passions (which it is not right even to speak of), he might deservedly hear this: "If a passion is imagined by you concerning birth, it is [imagined] for me also concerning creation." For not even that which is created—if I were to follow the feeble thoughts of men—is created without passion. But if, as is consistent with the Divinity, one should admit those things that befit a most pure essence and pass over those that are discordant and absurd, he ought to reflect, if he possesses a healthy intellect, that since a mortal begets in this manner, the Immortal does not; just as it is in creating—the one creates with labor, the other without labor. Reflecting on these things, that most eagle-eyed mind, as if moved by divine inspiration, passing over all earthly examples, rightly defined the Son as the "radiance of [His] glory and the express image of [His] Father’s substance" (Heb. 1, 3); by the former demonstrating His co-eternity, ^D and by the latter showing Him to be a Person. For since the first, because it was without subsistence, perhaps produced in some a mere appearance and fantasy, for that reason, through the second, He designated the hypostasis that brings about the subsistence of the hypostases.

CCCLVI. — TO THE SAME

^A You seem to have not perceived the things that have been happening up to this time, and therefore you have asked me by letter for what reason, when Darius the Mede appointed three administrators (of which Daniel was one) to rule over the one hundred and twenty governors designated by him, the Scripture compared him—when it ought to have compared him only to those who were his equals—even with those who were much his inferiors. For you say, "The excellence of his colleagues was sufficient to indicate that he had obtained the victory over his inferiors as well." But now it says: "And Daniel was above the administrators and satraps," that is, he was shown to be wiser and more capable in administration, not only than those two eminent men, but also than those who held a position of dignity beneath them.

The solution to the problem is this: Since it was possible that the judgment of the king, not being sound or upright, often raised those of inferior quality to authority (a thing which is wont to happen not only in kingdoms but also in the Churches—for why should it be surprising if those entrusted with the affairs of this life fall into such errors, when this irrationality has crept even into holy things?), and since there were some in the multitude who surpassed these in wisdom, the Scripture necessarily did not make the comparison of the just man only with the two administrators—that is, those who were the leaders of the military orders and who positioned them where necessary, whether in war or in peace—but also with all the others. By this, it crowns him ^B not according to the opinion of the sovereign, which frequently wanders from the right path, but according to the truth of the facts themselves. For he excelled not only those who seemed to the king to be wise, but even those who were truly wise. And for this reason, the king indeed appointed him over the whole kingdom, because he had been shown by the facts to be superior to the rest; but the others knew only how to weave treachery and intrigue. For envy is by nature inclined to make war against successes.

CCCLVII. — TO ISAIAH

^D See to it, I pray, that your insuperable arrogance does not force that divine and most gentle Nature to display its power, which is able to destroy you utterly here, and to exact most bitter punishments from you there.

CCCLVIII. — TO THE SAME

He who is superior to money is not induced to commit any act contrary to the law, neither against those who abound in wealth, nor against those who are struggling with that stubborn beast—I mean poverty. For he neither injures the former by snatching away their riches, nor perverts justice against the latter by accepting bribes.

CCCXIX [359]. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR

Since flattery has great power not only to steal away the minds of the brave, but also of the prudent, I therefore with good reason assert that it is more powerful than fear. For many are ashamed to yield to the latter, but they willingly succumb to the former in their hearts, surrendering themselves rashly and without anguish.

CCCLX. — TO LEONTIUS

Do not wonder, most excellent sir, nor let your spirit be cast down by the dart of pain more than is meet, because Zosimus’s ^B freedom of speech is closed—and as you have written, not by certain lattices and doors which some might perhaps open, but by such and so many accusations—yet he still labors with petulance of the tongue. For just as it is the custom for those who perform something of virtue to manifest modesty after their virtuous deeds, so too is it for those who sin to become arrogant and puffed up after their transgressions. If you wish to receive proof of this, look at those three youths ^C who were shown to be superior to the fire on account of their righteousness, and what they say: "We have sinned, we have acted wickedly, we have committed injustice" (Dan. III, 29; IX, 7). But the Jews, who had refrained from no wickedness nor from any obscene speech, used these words: "We have kept thy commandments and thy justifications; and now we pronounce the strangers blessed" (Malach. III, 13, 14). Do not, therefore, be disturbed yourself, nor utter anything discordant and unharmonious, knowing that this is the greatest proof of his extreme madness, and hold this as certain.

CCCLXI. — TO HIERAX THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS

Not a bronze statue shining with gold is worthy of your action, but a life that has no end. For time destroys the former, but the ages that know no end crown the latter, never knowing of an end.

CCCLXII. — TO HERMOGENES THE BISHOP

Just as speech devoid of action is maimed and imperfect, so too is an action that is deserted by speech. For from both of these, even if those who foolishly think eloquent wisdom to be a paltry and trivial thing do not wish it, the straight and splendid life of teachers is distinguished. "For whoever shall do and teach, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matth. V, 19). But if one must compare the two, it is better to act and not speak, than to speak and not act.

CCCLXIII. — TO APOLLONIUS THE BISHOP

Since it is neither honorable nor seen as appropriate to drag by force and against their will to piety those who have been created with freedom of choice, take care that, by employing persuasion when the occasion presents itself, you enlighten through your own life and conduct those who spend their time in darkness.

^A CCCLXIV. — TO NILAMMON THE DEACON.

Those who sin, and do not dare to approach the holy mysteries, are possessed of sound judgment, and will quickly be led to abstain from sin. But those who sin, and yet dare to touch the undefiled mysteries with wicked hands—among whose number, as you write, Zosimus also belongs—are deserving of a thousand punishments. For, according to the truthful word of Paul, they render themselves guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. For this reason, the devil does not greatly attack the former class, knowing that even if they sin, they still acknowledge the divine things and preserve reverence for them; but as for the latter—those who sin and do not acknowledge it, or if they do acknowledge it, despise it, and yet do not fear to touch the sacred mysteries—he rushes wholly into them, rightly deeming this a proof of their utter numbness and corruption. ^B This is what he also did in the case of the traitor. For he did not, as you suppose, enter into him because he despised the Lord’s body, but because he perceived his wickedness, that he was already suffering from an incurable disease: since he intended to betray, and yet did not refuse to partake, he led him away. For if he had seen him disposed with reverence toward the divine mystery, and refusing it, perhaps he would have passed him by, as a man still of sound and sober mind. But when he saw him weighed down by covetousness, and no longer having a right judgment, but driven to frenzy by insatiable drunkenness; and, moreover, that he dared to touch what he ought not to have touched in such a state, he perceived his numbness ^C and cast himself wholly into him.

CCCLXV. — TO TAURUS THE HYPARCH.

Then finally is the straight rule of justice preserved—O you most truthful test of high excellence—when examination follows accusation, proof follows examination, and sentencing follows proof, determining the punishment according to the quality of the crime.

CCCLXVI. — TO MARTINIANUS, ZOSIMUS, MARO, AND EUSTATHIUS.

I hear that you have blocked your ears with despair, and, as if you had long since devoted yourselves to punishments, you are becoming enraged against those who offer you the best counsel. I, however, pray that you may emerge from this madness, not because I would suffer any loss if you do not emerge (unless someone were to mention the sorrow that redounds to me from this; for as far as the account of my reward is concerned, I shall suffer no loss), but because I am held by a greater desire for your salvation than for the obtaining of my own reward. ^D And if anyone disbelieves me, he will be found to be far removed from the habit of friendship and seeking only his own advantage.

^A If, however, when he is refuted, he should turn to shamelessness, and assert that no mortal man has ever achieved this, he will be rebuked by Moses, dear to God, and by the most wise Paul. The former prayed to be blotted out of the divine book if the Jews were not pardoned; the latter prayed to be an anathema that all the Jews might believe. But if he should say again: "Do you then compare yourself to those men?" I would answer that, while in all other prerogatives of virtue I am inferior to almost all men—I do not say only to those two—yet I hold fast to this one thing with a tight and ardent spirit: that, as far as it lies in me, I desire all to attain salvation.

CCCLXVII. — TO HERMOGENES AND LAMPETIUS, BISHOPS.

^B Seeing that, as you have written, Eusebius, who is most cunning and vehement in rebuking others, in bringing false accusations, and in fabricating absurd reproofs, is himself more liable than anyone else to the very things he persecutes; but thinking that by this artifice he will cause his own vices to remain obscure—I would like him to learn that his cleverness will be his own stupidity. And this very thing especially does not escape us: that while he schemes to go unnoticed, he is only the more caught and ensnared.

CCCLXVIII. — TO ZOSIMUS, PRESBYTER.

Furious and rabid passions of the flesh must be tamed, ^C mitigated, and soothed: and if they do not obey, one must, as far as is possible, coerce them. But you, as rumor has it, by giving them the reins, are led wherever they desire to go; and they desire to end in destruction and ruin. Therefore, lest you be cast headlong into an abyss of evils, take pains to restrain them as if by casting a bridle upon them.

CCCLXIX. — TO EUSTATHIUS, DEACON.

If that part of your soul where reason has its seat had been damaged and vitiated from your very birth, or had been extinguished and destroyed by some incurable diseases, ^D perhaps you would have obtained pardon for the things that are done by you. But since this has not at all happened to you, but rather you have buried—or, better, deadened—that faculty of the soul through a certain singular and insurmountable sloth, you do not obtain any pardon from those who witness these things. For, being able to rekindle this again with the necessary diligence, you not only take no care that this should happen, but you even labor that it should never happen. For wickedness has so far surpassed virtue in you that it is not even thought to be wickedness. If, therefore, you wish to be freed from the scoffs of men, lift up your eyes a little, so that, understanding into what depths of evil you have plunged, you may be zealous to turn back.

^A

CCCLXX. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT

Many indeed are the victors who, having acquired valor, have saved their subjects through humanity, and those whom they had enslaved unwillingly, they have held willingly. For while valor is powerful for acquiring what one does not possess, gentleness is better for preserving what has been acquired. But those who profess to be followers of the gentle victor, and soldiers of the heavenly King—those whom the assistants at the beginning had won over by gentleness to serve willingly—they drive away against their will through pride and arrogance. For those whom the former had brought into the government by their own free will, these [men] drive out, even against their wishes, through their own tyranny. For they conduct themselves toward their subjects not as shepherds, but as destroyers and tormentors. What then, you say, must be done? Nothing else but to practice virtue and await the divine tribunal. ^B

CCCLXXI. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER

He who has proposed to himself a life of the utmost temperance and frugality is great and splendid in soul, though his manner of living be humble. For being himself of great worth, he spends little. But he who honors a life of luxury and pursues a bloated table is, in soul, small and abject, and void of graces, though his living be expensive. For being of no worth, he consumes very much. Wherefore the former, as being content with little, considers himself most wealthy; but the latter, spending much, casts his wicked hands upon the possessions of his neighbors. Wherefore he also considers himself most poor. Who, therefore, of sound mind, would not call the former blessed, and hate and detest the latter? ^C

CCCLXXII. — TO THEON THE PRESBYTER

Concerning Maro

I was filled with great pleasure upon hearing that your adversary made an attack upon you, as if he would immediately be the victor, but was broken, just as in the Olympic contests, having been defeated and prostrated by your wisdom.

CCCLXXIII. — TO HERMINUS, DOROTHEUS, AND HIERAX, THE MOST DISTINGUISHED

He who practices virtue has a bright crown; but he who performs the duties of virtue, yet does not think he has performed them, is going to have a brighter crown for this very reason, that he is so disposed. For it is of no less praise than the virtues themselves, that when you perform some act of virtue, you do not think that you have performed it. Nay, to speak more correctly, when this is present, it indicates that those [virtues] too are great; but when ^D

it is absent, it diminishes even the greatest things. Therefore, he who wishes to render his virtues great, let him not deem them to be great: then, indeed, they shall be great.^A

CCCLXXIV. — TO ARCHONTIUS THE PRESBYTER.

Virtue is accustomed to adorn both prosperous and adverse circumstances; while learning is seen to be their ornament, and a haven for them. Wherefore, if anyone can possess both, he will be in an excellent state. But if one or the other should be lacking, it is better to choose virtue. For to be excellent is, in my judgment, to be preferred over seeming to be so.

CCCLXXV. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

^BCertain wonderful things are noised about concerning you everywhere by those who have had the good fortune to enjoy your presence: specifically, that while you are an ornament and badge of gentleness, and have modesty blooming upon your countenance, you nevertheless deter those who intend to sin by the gravity of your eyes. For you comport yourself in such a way that to those who live rightly and uprightly you show a serene and placid countenance, but to those who are sluggish through idleness, a fearsome one. For the former you offer to those who receive injury; the latter, however, you hold up against those who inflict injury. Use these wonderful advantages, therefore, O wonderful man, forever. ^C

CCCLXXVI. — TO AN UNKNOWN PERSON.

He who, along with other great and wonderful names which signify to the extent that it is possible the magnificence of His divine nature, has deigned also to be called the Word, does not hate words, nor does Wisdom disown wisdom. But it is then, and only then, that He banishes them and her from the holy precincts, when they praise vice and uphold the worship of idols. But if they do none of these things, He embraces and admits them, and makes them fellow-dwellers and fellow-diners in the holy assemblies.

CCCLXXVII. — TO GERMANUS THE COUNT.

He who conquers external barbarians should not deservedly be called a victor, but rather he who puts an end to the internal war of the passions. ^D For many, having conquered the former, have been captured by the latter in a shameful and pitiable manner.

CCCLXXVIII. — TO EPIMACHUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

Your friend, abandoned in the great storm of affairs, and having put into motion every device—just as ship-captains whose skill the tempest has overwhelmed—is tossed by prayers. Pray, therefore, yourself also, that he may become stronger than the storm.

[CDLXXIX]

TO THEODORUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

[CDLXXX]

TO TIMOTHEUS THE SCHOLASTICUS

[CDLXXXI]

TO DOROTHEUS THE ILLUSTRIOUS

One should call him who falls, confesses, and is moved by repentance—such as the publican was—a grateful man, not a modest one. A vainglorious man is one who wishes to be praised for what he does not do; a lover of glory is one who prides himself on what he does; a haughty man is one who, while performing, acts with arrogance and reviles others; a magnanimous man is one who bears both prosperity with moderation and adversity with nobility; a small-minded man is one who does and suffers the opposite of the magnanimous man.

[CDLXXXII]

TO THE SAME

^A CCCLXXXIII. — TO DIOGENES THE PRESBYTER.

They seem to me to be sinning in a similar way: both those who, while silent, betray the truth regarding the greatest accomplishments (for they waste away with envy, a most grievous passion, and one lacking any forgiveness in the judgment of prudent men), and those who too readily and rashly bestow praise upon those who are devoid of all commendation. For they brand themselves with the mark and infamy of sycophants, attempting to praise those who have need of correction.

CCCLXXXIV. — TO TIMOTHEUS THE CLARISSIMUS.

That you possess a gentleness that is not to be despised, nor a savage and brutal courage (for humanity and mildness restrain cruelty), we all have discovered. But that you ought also to be adorned with other virtues, so that you may shine in every kind of praise, this I would wish you to learn from me.

CCCLXXXV. — TO THEODOSIUS THE PRESBYTER.

That cunning pirate does not simply attack those who sail this sea full of storms, but first, having tested them and having observed the inclinations and appetites of the soul, he thus makes his attempt and weaves his machinations. For why did he not urge Judas toward lust, but rather toward betrayal? Truly, because he saw that part [of his character] guarded by defenses, but that which related to avarice was unstable and rotten. For from the theft from the money-box he came into the hope that he would also easily turn himself toward betrayal. Therefore, scrutinizing the appetites, inclinations, and assents of each person, and overlooking no time or hour, he thus provides materials from without, and upon the part toward which he perceives a person has an inclination, he inflicts a wound. It is necessary, therefore, for the one who is approved to be secured on every side. For often he has subjected a life, just as a city fortified with impregnable walls, to his own rule through a shaking and weak part, rendering the strength of the remaining walls vain and useless.

^C CCCLXXXVI. — TO ELISAEUS THE MONK.

Concerning the Arians and Eunomians.

If the holy Daniel, upon beholding an angel and being struck with admiration by the beauty of the one seen, fell prostrate to the ground, astonished at the novelty of the vision, what excuse will they have, who dare to offer themselves as arbiters and mediators between the Father and the Son, and who attempt to overcome with their own words a nature that transcends every faculty of speech?

^D CCCLXXXVII. — TO LEONTIUS THE BISHOP.

I do not admire you, O temple of purity, by the title of the priesthood, but because you possess it as was fitting.

as every faculty of speech? ^A Many indeed have rushed into that dignity not piously or holily; but those who have obtained it in an honorable manner, and have rendered themselves not only superior to all blame but also worthy of admiration for all time, they are worthy to be proclaimed by everyone. Being one of this number yourself, survey your life and conduct with a thousand eyes; let nothing neglected by you bring stain or destruction upon such great virtue.

CCCLXXXVIII. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER.

On reading, against the Gentiles. On the grace of the divinely inspired Scriptures, and their utility.

The divine and heavenly oracles appear as mere letters to those who are weary of noble things; but to those who have risen above the world and rejoice in spectacles, they are flourishing and pleasant meadows, as if gushing with purest flowers from heavenly nectar. Indeed, even when merely pronounced, they suffice to fix the mind in admiration; but they do not permit those who consider and pay attention to them to remain idle: rather, they cause all the faculties of the soul to turn toward them, to such an extent that before they have fully grasped what is present, they yearn for what follows; and having seen that, they seek what they left behind; and upon seeing the third, they have no capacity left for further wonder. For by sending the mind within the depth of the letter, they are filled with such wonder and so charged with grace that they can no longer contain anything of earthly things, not even if all those things which men strive for poured in upon them; as the oblivion of those things which they previously admired has gained the victory.

CCCLXXXIX. — TO DIOGENES MAGISTRIANUS.

On the passage: "If you see your enemy's beast fallen under its burden, you shall not pass by, but shall lift it up."

Even in the Old Testament, O wise man—since you argue with us from this alone, passing over the New—that most gentle nature has prescribed to us, if not openly and in clear words, at least obscurely and in riddles, that we should be reconciled to our enemy, saying: "If you see your enemy's beast fallen under its burden, you shall not pass by, but you shall lift it up." If you are unable to fix your gaze upon the depth of this oracle, I will try to interpret it for you and unfold the intention of the Lawgiver. For He did not enact this law so much out of concern for the animal, but especially for the sake of the men themselves. For the enemy, approaching to help lift up the fallen animal, will by necessity address his enemy and say: "You lift from that side, and I from this." ^C Conversation is the prelude to reconciliation and a path leading to friendship. Therefore, the divine serenity has striven for three most excellent things to be accomplished: first, that [one should not]

that the animal should not perish; second, that the master should not suffer such a great loss; and third, that enemies should return to a state of friendship. For he who has been affected by a benefit, unless he be more senseless than stones, will take care to return equal for equal to the one from whom he received the benefit; and once he is called a benefactor, he will certainly no longer define his enemy by that name. Do you see how that ineffable wisdom, looking toward goodness and philanthropy, lays down its laws? ^A

CCCXC. — TO LAMPETIUS THE DEACON.

Although some may think that what I am about to say is stated hyperbolically (for it does not escape me that many are ignobly and effeminately disposed), I will nevertheless state my opinion. For I believe there are some who will approve of it; but even if no one approves, let the truth be preferred. What, then, is it that I wish to say? It must be explained briefly. I would more gladly pay the penalty, as though I had wronged everyone, after having deserved well of all, than, after having wronged one person, to be crowned and proclaimed as though I had deserved well of all. ^B

CCCXCI. — TO THE SAME.

On that statement in Deuteronomy concerning the stars: "Which the Lord your God has allotted to all the nations."

What is it, you ask, that was said concerning the heavenly luminaries: "Which the Lord your God has allotted to all the nations"? Hear, then: He allotted them for instruction, for training, and for knowledge, so that from the magnitude and beauty of the creatures, the Creator, who cannot be seen by the eyes, might be contemplated. He said this because, to the Hebrews, along with the creation of things, the teaching of the Law was also given, proclaiming and celebrating the Maker and Architect. But if some think they were allotted so that they might offer worship to them, they clearly manifest their own ignorance, ^C since the whole of Holy Scripture accuses those who dared to do this and reproves them most severely.

CCCXCII. — TO HIERAX THE ILLUSTRIOUS.

You provide no small proof of virtue, O excellent man, but as great a one as can possibly be given, in that you have preferred to acquire a good reputation rather than to accumulate great riches in your mind. ^D Therefore, if you persist in this resolve, there will not be those lacking who will extol you with praises and carry your prudence to all mortals.

CCCXCIII. — HARPOCRATES THE SOPHIST

CCCXCIV. — TO DOROTHEUS, THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS

To omit other examples, I will mention one that encompasses them all. For when he who had hoped to purchase the apostolic dignity with money was rebuked and heard, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought ^C that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast no part nor lot in this matter" (Acts VIII, 20); these men, on the contrary, have entrusted the office of the priesthood especially to those who have bought it as if in a marketplace. And this is not yet the grave part—though it is grave—but they are even more puffed up on this account than others are for their integrity and voluntary poverty. And when they appear to be assailed by some with taunts, they immediately bring forward the apostolic dignity ^D ("For it is not us," they say, "but the episcopacy that they have outraged"). Yet when something must be done regarding the duties of their office, they no longer bring this forward, just as if it were permitted to them to be held in honor as apostles, but not to act as apostles.

Just as that man, having been persuaded by our admonition, and having heard that it is most absurd, while passing over our own vices, to be busy-bodied about the vices of others, departed having bridled his tongue and sentenced himself to silence; do you, too, submit in the same way, and turn such scrutiny from the teachers back upon yourself.

CCCXCV. — TO PETER THE SCHOLASTIC

CCCXCVI. — TO AUSONIUS THE CORRECTOR

CCCXCVII. — TO THEODOSIUS THE BISHOP

CCCXCVIII. — TO ALYPIUS

On the man to whom the five talents were entrusted

^A follows the one who teaches and performs, if he does not also speak; but it follows the one who hears, if he does not also perform.>

CCCXCIX. — ARCHONTIO.

In the text, "I die daily."

CD. — CASSIO THE PRESBYTER.

CDI. — ZOSIMO THE PRESBYTER.

CDII. — CASSIANO THE DEACON.

In the text, "In the beginning was the Word."

CDIII. — TO THE SAME.

are united, then indeed, then the perfect and supreme glory shines forth ^A, as piety and virtue run together into the same.

CDIV. — TO MARON

Since small causes often kindle great wars, I exhort you not to throw sparks of contention. For when battles are stirred up, they root out all good things from the souls of those who are at variance.

CDV. — TO PALLADIUS THE DEACON

On the text: "Because of you my name is blasphemed among the Gentiles."

Since you asked me by letter what that means: "Because of you my name is blasphemed," I reply that because the Jews, when they sinned, were delivered into captivity; and those who took them captive attributed the victory not to the wrath of God, but to the power of their own idols, and condemned the almighty right hand ^B of all things as weak: for that reason, he used these words. For they were the authors, while they were sinning and being delivered to their enemies, of this type of opinion and blasphemy. Perhaps it is also because they were doing things contrary to what they were commanded to do, which currently appears to be happening to us. For although we are commanded to love our enemies, we do not even love our friends; and although we are commanded to cultivate poverty, we, on the contrary, are not only not content with what we have, but we even grow our wealth from the calamities of others; and although we are commanded to keep quiet, we, on the contrary, being lovers of business, cause annoyance even to those who are quiet. And not only do we do these things, but we even attempt to teach others what we ourselves are unwilling to do. For I omit the rest, as I do not wish to say anything that might offend souls. Therefore, ^C when people hear these things and see that we attempt to teach one thing but do another, considering us as using simulation and playing games in matters that are by no means for games, they sharpen their tongues against divine providence; which will punish not only them, but will punish us more severely, as we are the cause of such blasphemy.

CDVI. — TO ZOSIMAS AND MARON

If the things that are our part are done without any omission and with every zeal and diligence, then finally the weight of divine help is to be implored. For it will certainly come, procuring victory. But if nothing of those things which are our duty is done, the request for His help is in vain. For He will not endure simulation, nor will He approach those who ^D willingly cast themselves into the deep sea of destruction.

CDVII. — TO DIOGENES THE DEACON

You commit a sin graver than pardon, my good man, while you cultivate the tyranny of Eusebius more than equity. Or

observe this. Therefore, either by having association with him, instill into him a sense of his very grave and almost incurable disease, or, by crushing his wickedness, separate yourself from him.

CDVIII. — TO ZENON THE MONK

CDIX. — TO LAMPETIUS THE BISHOP. Your friend came with a ready heart to carry out what was ordered by you, knowing well that what is commanded by you looks toward piety and justice. Since you admire his readiness, therefore, requite it with your kindness.

CDX. — TO MARTINIAN THE PRESBYTER. I am neither without fault, nor do I seek friends who are without

^A fault; for I shall not find them. But I do register among my friends those who possess many and great accomplishments, provided they have a few small and negligible failings (for it is absolutely impossible for a man to exist in whom some fault cannot be detected). For those who, because of a small fault, despise even the greatest virtue, neither observe human affairs nor obey the Apostle Paul, who counsels ^B in this manner: "Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ." For he who does not tolerate a small fault will neither enjoy the greatest accomplishment, nor will he fulfill the law of Christ, which is love. But if you were to say that it was not said in the Old Testament: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," I would reply that, most of all, He Himself ordained that too; but then, in His presence in the flesh, He added something more, when He said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, ^C as I have loved you." For to love is indeed found in the Old Testament; but the phrase, "as I have loved you," He added. For this reason He called it a new commandment. For it is one thing to love one's neighbor as oneself; it is another to neglect one's own affairs in order to amend the affairs of one's neighbors. For just as He Himself looked not to His own height, but to the benefit of men, and, having humbled Himself, deigned to take the form of a servant so that He might lead servants into the adoption of sons; so also did He command ^D each of us not to look to our own gain, but to look to the benefit of our neighbors. But if there be anyone who thinks that he is harmed by such condescension, let him learn that this very condescension raises him to the very summit of honor.

CDXI. — TO PETER. Why did the law command that lepers, or others suffering from involuntary diseases, should remain outside the sacred enclosures?

That offspring should contract intemperance from the intemperance of their parents is both reasonable and clear; but that it should come from incontinence is indeed uncertain, yet likely. ^D For it is not contrary to reason that weak children are born from those who are laboring under poor health and are occupied by some sickness. But that they are born of those who are healthy but given to incontinence is likely, yet not clear. Wherefore, as I suppose, even the prophet Ezekiel, together with other sins, included the fact that a sinner approached a woman who was suffering from a menstrual flow. For he said this, most of all, preserving what is appropriate to nature, and judging it most absurd that she should be troubled while she is purifying herself; and secondly, so that they might not also become the cause of unsightly diseases in those who are born.

For the sperm of the man, being mingled with the unclean blood of the woman, produces bodies subject to various diseases. They are, in a way, imprinted with the intemperance of their parents. Therefore, he says, if you care for the moderation and health of those who are born, and do not wish them to be separated from the Lord's Church, be vigilant and observe the proper time for intercourse, so that your children do not also carry about the tokens of your incontinence.

CDXII. TO MARTINIANUS AND MARO

CDXIII. TO DIOGENES THE PRESBYTER

...should anyone judge rashly without a trial; but rather, let him who practices virtue expect crowns, and he who commits wickedness expect punishments. ^A Since this occurs here, it guarantees the general faith (for the judgment which is held here in some part tends to confirm [the] general [judgment]), let no one rashly and inconsiderately disagree with the judgment: but if he studies virtue, let him expect crowns: if, however, he commits vice, let him expect punishments.

THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE EPISTLES OF SAINT ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM

ON THE MAKING OF THE UNIVERSE

^A I. — TO BISHOP ISIDORE. On the crown of the year and the wheel of generation. Since the figure of time is circular, inasmuch as the day revolves seven times in a week, and by weeks into a month, and by months into a year; and again to the same points...

^B

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(Or, I have set forth their opinion in Latin senarii thus: Think then, Nicostrates, that those who died, In every luxury having lived out their life, Are gathered into the earth, and thus hide away, So that they might escape the gaze of the God of eternity, Whose eyes are the lights of justice, seeing all things. For we believe there are two paths to the underworld: One for the just; the other for the impious. But if the same fortune awaits both the pious and the impious, Then go on, rob, steal, and plunder Whatever you can, and mix the lowest with the highest, What stands in the way? Do not be deluded, my good man, by error. Each man’s own deeds attend him after death, Over which God, the ruler of all, will preside, Whose terrible name I cannot even utter: He who often extends life to those who sin. But if there is any mortal who, while daily doing evil, Thinks he is hidden from the gods, he is deceived, He is deceived, and ensnares himself in a trap, Until the vengeance of God, which rests a little, awakens. See for yourselves, you to whom the divine powers are a fable: There is, there is a God. But if any wicked man of perverse Character thinks he is gaining time for himself, He will pay the price later, when the time has passed.)

There is also the illustrious testimony of Pindar in the *Olympian* [Odes] concerning the future life, and in it the sempiternal punishments of the impious, and the beatitude and joys of the pious that are never to be ended. RITT.

weeks into a month, and months into a year; and it is restored again to the same signs. For this reason, the Scripture has called it at one time the "crown of the year," and at another the "wheel of generation," for the figure of a circle and a crown and a wheel is one and the same. The four seasons—I mean the vernal, ^A the aestival, the autumnal, and the hibernal—connecting their hands, so to speak, and winding the year around, perform an excellent dance. For they were created so wisely and harmoniously by the master-craftsman God, that the end of each, blending into the beginning of the next, steals away secretly and imperceptibly, and they dance [(34)] without harm to the bodies. But that what is said may become clearer, let the discourse proceed by the very thing itself.

The peak of summer does not immediately send us over into the peak of winter; for then the bodies, and the seeds, and the plants would have been harmed, not sustaining the suddenness of the change [(35)]. But it terminates by giving way to autumn, while autumn, at its beginning, is similar to summer, but towards its end, is tempered and bit by bit resembles winter, and thus it passes over to winter without harm. Then winter terminates by giving way to spring; and that, passed on bit by bit and secretly, ^B is sent forward to summer.

II. — TO ZOSIMAS.

You are worthy of laughter (O, by what name shall I call you as I rebuke your senselessness?) when you pray: “Pierce my flesh with thy fear.” For this is the prayer of those who contribute what is in their power, and who fast, and use self-sufficiency, and punish the leapings of the body; they pray that aid might be sent [(36)] from heaven to their own exercise. But for those who, like you, fatten the body with immoderate gluttony, and ^C stir up its leapings with diverse and manifold luxury, and with their well-being obscure the athletes—to them it does not belong. For you do the same thing as if someone, while entwined with a harlot and being in love with her, were to pray [(37)] to obtain chastity. For the prayer belongs to those who fly above the nets of that woman; not to those who submit themselves to her snares, or—as if from a ship into a boundless sea you ^D

^A cast yourself and voluntarily expose yourself to danger—beg for salvation. And how is that possible? For such a prayer is for those who do all that is in their own power, and who implore that their own craft not be swamped by the storm; it is not for those who cast themselves into the sea even before the waves arise. Cease, therefore, from luxury. For if you master your belly, you will also be superior to that which is beneath it; and you will no longer appear ridiculous, desiring to obtain the opposite of what your actions are pursuing.

III. TO THE SAME. On the same.

Since you asked me by letter what is meant by the words: "Fix my flesh with your fear" (for perhaps, unthinkingly, you asked for that which you did not wish to receive), listen. Fix them, mortify them, make them motionless toward pleasure; instead of nails, let the fear of you fix them, and kill them, and crucify them, and make them motionless and ineffective toward sin. Having learned this interpretation, therefore, you who indulge in delicacies, do not ask for this—or if you do ask, cease to live in luxury and self-indulgence; especially when the material for delicacies is not provided for you at home, but you shamelessly leap upon others' tables—something which Solomon declared to be among the detestable and miserable things—and you fatten your flesh altogether indecently. For you do not accommodate yourself to necessity, but you treat even satiety with insult.

IV. TO THE SAME. On the same subject.

He who truly and from the heart loves virtue may justly and deservedly ^C call upon the divine power to bring aid to reach the desired end. But he who wages perpetual war against it, even if he should call upon God for help, will not find Him propitious. What folly, therefore, is this: that while you fatten and gorge your flesh with constant gluttony and drunkenness, and add fire to fire, and search out every new path of pleasure, and voluntarily excite and stir up even dormant libido, you still dare to say in your prayers: "Fix my flesh with your fear"? For to him indeed who, through fasts, sleeping on the ground, and vigils, wastes away his own flesh and shows it obedient to the reins of the spirit, this prayer is most fitting and appropriate. But to him who, as you do, so prepares and accustoms his flesh that it exults in luxury, and who perpetually pursues luxurious banquets and drunkenness, from which pleasures spring, not only is this prayer inappropriate, but it is ^D full of mockery, or rather, of danger. For when anyone asks for these things with an unchaste mind—things which he does not wish to do—he not only insults humanity, but also tries to beguile God Himself.

V. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

You have asked what is meant by "There are sixty queens," and what follows. Attend, therefore: Let the blameless and virgin Church, which keeps the right faith toward God, hold the preeminence; let her herself be called the perfect dove, surpassing in dignity all ranks and orders. But if it is necessary to interpret this also regarding actions, let these things be said as well. "Sixty queens" are those souls who work virtue for the sake of the heavenly kingdom; and "eighty concubines" are those who abstain from vice for fear of punishment; and "young women," of whom there is no number, are those who practice temperance and pursue justice for some worldly pretexts, who perform their duty ^B neither out of a desire for the kingdom nor fear of the judgment, but so that they may not be deprived of wealth, or glory, or some honor. There is one "perfect dove," namely, the company of the most holy, who honors the virtuous for the sake of virtue itself: who performs its duty neither for reward, nor for punishment, nor for any worldly pretext, but for the sake of doing that which is pleasing to God—for he who has God, it is certain that he has all things that are of God. And those others, indeed, will be able to say: "Grace be to the heavenly kingdom and to Gehenna, which have prepared us to live rightly." But this one will hear nothing of the kind; rather, she will be called blessed by all.

VI. — TO EPIMACHUS THE READER

You have asked what is meant by that which was said by Paul: "If anyone seems to be wise in this world, ^C let him become a fool, so that he may become wise." Hear then, briefly: The conceit of wisdom is an impediment to progress. Wherefore, it is necessary to empty out the swelling and the inflammation (for such is Greek, gentile wisdom, having nothing solid or stable), and so be filled with divine instruction. For unless the inflation is emptied out first, the solid nourishment will be corrupted. But if you wish, the discourse will also add an example, whereby the matter may become clearer. For just as in the body, if empty wind stays in the belly, it spoils the digestion; so too, vanity—

^A if it shuts out the entrance to sound reason and prayer, harms the health of the soul. But the greatest foundation of this health is humility, which our own nature, from the moment it received its origin, teaches us by crying out—being as it is but dust and ashes—and it suppresses the pride of those who suffer from the disease of arrogance by the very evidence of facts.

VII. — TO ISIDORE THE BISHOP

On that which is said by the Apostle, "We pray to God that you do nothing evil."

You have asked by letter what it means when Paul says: "We pray to God that He may cause you to do no evil, not that we might appear approved, but that you might do what is good, while we might be as those who are unapproved." ^B Hear then briefly. Since the punishment which was inflicted on sinners by the Word (such as that which befell Ananias and Sapphira, and likewise that which befell the blinded sorcerer) indeed afflicted the sinners, but made those who inflicted the penalties conspicuous, illustrious, and formidable; for this reason he says: "We do not wish to become illustrious and famous out of your malice and affliction, but we would willingly be obscure, as far at least as this is concerned, and remain hidden, provided that you yourselves are clear and approved." For those who desire the radiance of their own virtue to arise from the calamity of those who are punished, do not seem to me to be fathers or teachers, ^C but rather pestilential men, enemies, and tyrants.

VIII. — TO ISAIAH.

On Cain and Lamech.

You have asked what is the reason that Cain and Lamech, although both committed murder, were not nevertheless affected by similar punishments. For the one paid the penalty, but the other obtained pardon. (I answer:) Because the former, even when questioned (by God), denied the deed; but the latter, without being questioned, confessed it of his own accord. For although their sins were equal, yet the things that followed the sin were not equal. For it is a divine oracle which commands: "Tell your sins first, that you may be justified." Let us therefore strive diligently not to sin. But where we have perchance sinned, let us not invite a graver punishment upon ourselves by denial. ^D

IX. — TO EUDAEMON THE DEACON.

Why the children (three) in the (Babylonian) furnace were commonly the instigators and exhorters for all to praise God; but particularly to Daniel.

You have asked why the three children, after they had been common exhorters to all men to praise God, cont: addressed separately to Daniel.

I say, therefore, that since some enjoyed general providence, while others enjoyed both general and a particular and special protection; and some had the natural law, while others also received the written law.

TO ISIDORE, BISHOP.

It seems to me that the question you have asked has a double interpretation: one more plausible, the other more severe: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity." It is so, most of all, because it is fickle and slippery, and easily speaks many evils. For it accuses, and maligns, and perjures, and lies, and bears false witness, and unjustly casts many into fire, and pushes them into the sword and the sea. But Scripture is accustomed to calling the multitude "the world." ^B For it says, "The world knew Him not," which is to say, the multitude. The tongue, therefore, he says, is either a fire, unjustly burning up the multitude, or it is a container for a multitude of unjust fire. But because many, being partners in wickedness and honoring iniquity, being most clever at speaking in defense of evil and lawless deeds, and not lacking in well-turned words, do not perceive that they are casting a vote against themselves, and by these very words bring forth a sample of their own inclination that leans toward base things; perhaps for the sake of rebuking them, he said this: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity," as if he were saying that the torch of eloquence, when it adorns those who have fallen gravely, seems to cast a veil over the truth. ^C Therefore, one must use cleverness not to adorn wickedness, but to honor virtue, which shines with its own splendor even without words.

XI. — TO THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC.

You seem ignorant of the fact that the new philosophy of the Gospel is higher than that ancient precept which was set forth for those who were as infants. For that remark which is a source of admiration to you, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink," is not something so great and heroic, but rather a matter of prayer. For for it to happen that the other falls into such need ^D as to require the necessities of life

and to be forced to be pitied by an enemy, I assert is more grievous than any calamity, and more bitter than any kind of punishment. In this way, indeed, the masses have considered this the greatest curse, saying: "May I not receive a gift from my enemies." If, therefore, this result is something desirable for those doing it, but a form of punishment for those suffering it, why do you marvel? Especially when the kindness is not simple, but carries with it a greater punishment. For by doing this, he says, "you will heap burning coals upon his head." If, therefore, the act by itself is in the nature of a punishment, the reason for which it happens is also for the sake of another sort of chastisement. For to those who say that "you will warm his mind and cause him to become sober," one must not pay much heed. For otherwise, it would not have added the necessity of hunger; instead, it would have commanded that one do well at every time. I do not, therefore, marvel at or value highly those who do this, but rather those who, when they see their enemies prospering, not only do not resent it, but even praise them and pray for them, just as the new ^B philosophy commands when it says: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you." There, necessity is known to break the spirit; here, the trial is a naked inquiry of the will. And if the Apostle also used that ancient exhortation, it is plain to all that his discourse was directed toward those who were more imperfect.

XII. — TO THEODORE THE DEACON.

Although it was not right for me to write back to you, when you asked me to interpret an apostolic passage without preparation and demonstration (and to share it with you), which is difficult to explain even with diligent preparation and a long, wordy circumlocution, yet because a certain tyrannical power of love compels me to do so, I will say—though it shall be for you to judge whether I am able to briefly capture the elusive meaning of the Apostle—that what he says is of this kind: "If you were called to the faith while you were a slave, do not fret, nor take it ill, as if you are harmed in some way by this. For ^D because this contains no adversity, for this reason I advise you that even if you are able to become free, rather use your slavery." For you shall be required to give a smaller account in your audits, in that you are not only

serving the Lord himself, but also your bodily master. For he who has been called to the faith, and set free from sin, if he should be a slave, is a freedman of the Lord, in that he has been liberated by Him from the slavery of sin; yet since the obligation lies upon him to render services also to his bodily master along with Him, he shall not be required to give a strict account. But he who is free, and subject to none, being a slave of Christ, shall be subject to Him in all things. Consequently, he shall be required to render a more exact account. Let these things be said by way of paraphrasing the statement. If you wish to learn more broadly and demonstratively, read the letter previously written by me to the bishop concerning this matter, and you will know it accurately. ^B

XIII. — TO SYRON

XIV. — TO HIERAX THE PRESBYTER

fall with punishments, so that they may keep the beauty of their soul whole and unblemished; but to those who have fallen, it offers a saving right hand and grants forgiveness to those who repent. For to some it cries out: "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall;" to others: "Does he who falls not rise again?" to others finally: "Behold, you have become whole: sin no more."

XV. — TO EPIMACHUS THE LECTOR. The common enemy of all, as one laboring under the disease of tyranny, stripped the human race of those natural advantages with which it had been endowed, and clothed it in a life contrary to virtue, once he had gained human powers as his confederates. For he would not have possessed such strength by himself, had he not been greatly reinforced by the sloth of those whom he deceived. But because it behooved us, by the humanity and clemency of our Maker, to put on reaching once more the armor of virtue, God the Word came to earth, and having woven for us charity as a kind of angelic robe, he fashioned in it the whole armor of virtue. For one general virtue—the name of which is charity or love—has embraced all the glorious deeds of the virtues which are usually enumerated specifically.

XVI. — TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC. On that text: "Render to him to whom honor is due, honor." ^C It must be rendered, O most learned man, even to him who is worthy of honor, not by displaying sycophancy nor by hunting after his goodwill—for one must fear that by these things one might fall into worthlessness, and by practicing a certain buffoonish flattery, bring disgrace upon oneself—but what is proper must be allotted to each person with fitting decorum. For it is possible for a debt to be paid not conveniently, nor as it is proper.

XVII. — TO ISIDORE THE BISHOP. Since I am able to demonstrate from all the holy Scriptures that Jewish affairs have utterly perished ^D and will have no rebirth, I shall attempt to show their total destruction from that very saying upon which the Jew who disputed with you relied, thinking that they would be restored. What, then, is that saying in which he takes such great pride? "And it shall be," he says, "the glory of this house, the latter, above the former." But before I proceed to the interpretation, I do not know what I shall do, whether...

to condemn his ignorance more, or to hate his wickedness. For it is necessary to teach the ignorant, but to refute the evildoer. But rather, since interpretation and instruction will be for those who are ignorant, and refutation for evildoers, come, let us bring the statement itself into the midst. I say, therefore, that when Solomon had erected it, the Babylonian king tilted it and, having taken the Jews captive, led them away. Since, therefore, after their return, they were intending to raise it up—but no provision of funds appeared from anywhere—God, leading them to good hopes that they might take hold of the work, said: "Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold. And the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former." But pay close attention to me on this. Zorobabel took hold of the second building, and an oracle was spoken concerning him: ^B "The hands of Zorobabel have founded this house, and his hands shall finish it." Now "have founded" signifies both the complete desolation after Babylon, and also signifies the second building. Since, therefore, the temple arose, and was brought to a splendor brighter than the former, but when the Jews fell again in the matters concerning Christ, it was delivered into the hand of the Romans, who brought it down to the ground. If indeed it were to rise again, he would have said: "The glory of this second house shall be greater than the former." But the phrase, "greater than the former," declared the second to be the last. Just as, therefore, there is no "former" before the former, neither is there a "latter" after the last. For if he had said, "The second shall be above that which preceded it," it would have been likely to expect also a third. But since he called the second the last (as he certainly did), now every way of impudence is closed off to them. ^C

XVIII. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS.

Every discourse, indeed, that is widowed of facts is dead and useless, and most of all that which is brought forward by those who are honored with the most holy priesthood. For by as much as they appear to use it the more readily, by that much more do they detract from the faith of those who heed their lives. Therefore, it is necessary...

^A for them to show a great change, by renouncing and remaining calm, and not being lovers of gain, if they wish for any to pay heed to them. For if they were to do these things, not only will the affairs of their subjects be well-disposed, but they themselves will also be proclaimed.

For the statement quoted should not be brought forward by them for their own defense and to stop the mouths of others, as if to leave the subjects with no excuse: “The Scribes and Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. Therefore, all that they tell you to do, do.” For that which seems to be an excuse will increase the accusation, bringing forth not only inescapable punishment, but also casting upon them the reproach of folly. For even if it is profitable for the students to hear this, it is by no means becoming for the teachers to bring it forward, as it parades their own sloth. For it was said: “But do not do according to their works. For they speak, and do not do.”

For Christ, wishing to banish every excuse, commanded that one should neither attend to the life of the teachers, whenever they provide a handle to those who see it, nor to the things done by them in private ^B if they do not harmonize with the heavenly oracles, but only to the teaching which is given in the Churches; for which cause He also made mention of the seat of Moses the lawgiver. For then they speak not their own dogmas, but those of the Scriptures; but it is not fitting for them to bring forward such things, which demonstrate all their own wickedness, but rather to strive, as much as in them lies, to cut away every handle and excuse.

But if, even while living a praiseworthy life, they do not benefit some, this is nothing to them. For just as those living a wicked and perverse life are not partakers of the crowns ^C laid up for those who are approved, so neither will those who live a praiseworthy and blameless life be partakers of the punishments prepared for sinners. “Do you,” He says, “correctly dispose of those things that pertain to you; I mean your life and your word. These I exact from you; and if you make progress, I will congratulate you and rejoice in your joy; but if you have achieved nothing among them, I will not treat you with ignominy, but will crown you. For each shall receive his own reward ^D according to his own labor, and not according to the outcome of the toil.” Thinking on these things, therefore, both teachers and students should urge themselves on to virtue, casting out every excuse and pretext.

^A You departed from here as quickly as possible, intending to return, yet I know not how you remained there beyond what you promised; perhaps, however, it was with the intention that you might help the people of that place, and capture them, and offer them to Christ. If, therefore, my suspicion is true, make it manifest, so that we may dispel the distress which we suffer from your absence by the expectation of a noble achievement. For she will easily grant indulgence to those who are in exile, readily yielding the boundaries to the glory of the Lord.

^B

XX. TO DIDYMUS THE PRESBYTER

Those who blunder conspicuously regarding that which is evident and confessed by all men are surely not fit or credible when they pronounce judgment upon a matter that appears doubtful and controversial. For if it is not even right for those who embrace wickedness and vice to utter words concerning divine commandments—for “to the sinner,” God said, “Why do you declare my statutes?” (Ps. XLIX, 16)—how, then, can it be right for those who, by the very things they do, dishonor these same statutes, to discourse upon dogmas? If, therefore, virtue guarantees piety, we must diligently strive to possess it, for it is through this that piety will be shown to be credible. For no one will be persuaded by one who does not live well, since vice brings disgrace even upon right doctrines, and does not allow them to be accepted. One must therefore hold fast to both virtue and piety, for the one is the foundation, and the other is the crown and ornament.

^C

XXI. TO THEON

On the same matter

Either you deceive yourself, and are unaware that you lack correct judgment in matters, or I flatter myself, persuading myself that I possess this judgment sound and firm. If, therefore, you are deceiving yourself, make use of a severe teacher; for if you seek, you will find—but you will seek if you suppose that you know nothing. For the conceit of thinking one knows is the cause of not even finding. But if I am imposing upon myself, show your own judgment through the facts themselves; and you will show it if your life proceeds with equal steps, if I may so speak, to your speech.

XXII. — TO ZENO ^A

To the Philippians; on that saying of Paul: "Counting others better than yourselves." And what is the meaning of: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

The apostolic saying about which you have written is indeed clear and plain; but if it appears profound and difficult for you to grasp, I shall attempt to explain it briefly. The Apostle, exhorting to humility, when he said, "Counting others better than yourselves," added: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant." If, therefore, He were not equal ^B to the Father, the example (proposed by Paul in His own person) would be superfluous and worthless, since He would merely be obeying the greater One who commanded, and would have done what He did. But if He were equal (as He certainly was), the saying is appropriate and suitable, and pertains to the commendation of modesty. If Christ had regarded equality as something found by chance on the way, as a windfall offered by luck, He would not have humbled Himself, lest that submission should prejudice His dignity. But because He was equal to the Father by nature itself, and possessed essential nobility and not something given to Him by favor, He did not refuse to humble Himself. For whoever has been a slave, and is manumitted from servitude, and honored by adoption, ^C because he considers that dignity as something grabbed or as a windfall, would not easily endure to perform any servile work afterward. But the genuine son, who possesses both nobility and dignity by nature, would not refuse to do such a thing, as all suspicion is far removed. For to the one, old slavery begets a suspicion of baseness; but in the other, nobility ingrained by nature does not even allow such a suspicion to be born. And correctly so: for the one can fall from the grace of adoption, while the other will never fall from his innate nobility and dignity.

XXIII. — TO THEON THE SCHOLASTIC ^D

How is it that Ahab, although having foreknowledge of his death, could not avoid it?

You write that you are vehemently amazed how Ahab, despite having foreknowledge of his own death, could not avoid it.

I, for my part, am not amazed; for it is not possible to escape justice ^A. For, deceiving the minds of those who attempt to deceive it, it causes those who wish to avoid it to fall into their own nets, which they themselves have devised. 21. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. On "Our Father" (9). You seem to wonder at the brevity of the Lord’s Prayer; but I have always admired, and still admire, that philosophy so wonderful in its concise words. For while the pronunciation of the words is easy, that of their sense and meaning is not. For one who wishes to recite it correctly ought to be not merely a hearer of the words, but a doer of the deeds ^B. Therefore, I consider it an audacity beyond any other for a man to dare to call the Lord "Father" when he does nothing that becomes a praiseworthy son; and while by his deeds he brings disrepute upon the divine name, nevertheless to undertake to say: "Hallowed be thy name." And even while he is a most conspicuous attendant of the tyrant—that is, the devil, who has invaded and exercises tyranny over the human race—to say: "Thy kingdom come," that is, "Be seen, O victorious King, by those oppressed by tyranny, bringing invincible aid against sin." Furthermore, even when doing nothing of what God wills, to pretend to virtue and say: "Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth"; and even while one has surrendered oneself to luxury and debauchery, and has stored up ^C much, not only for food but for gluttony as provisions for life, nevertheless to pray: "Give us today our daily bread" (that is, either what is suitable for the soul, or what is sufficient for the flesh). For the word "today" signifies the daily administration. By leading the rational faculty of the soul to the highest philosophy, He also defines the time of the petition. Furthermore, when one is implacable and cruel, to say: "Forgive us our debts"; and when one keeps a tenacious memory of evils and exceeds all measure in vengeance, to say: "As we also forgive our debtors"; and for one who throws himself into temptations, and cuts every path that leads to dangers, to say: "Lead us not into temptation"—it seems ridiculous, or rather, worthy of ^D all indignation. And to follow the enemy willingly (for it is not by force, nor by tyranny, but by deception that he prevails) and say "But deliver us from the evil one" surpasses all irony. And as for the saying, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory," while despising all power...

and glory, from which, as from a fountain, all power and glory flow, that is a crime so great as to exceed the possibility of forgiveness. Therefore, those only, after that wondrous birth which occurs in divine baptism—after that strange and paradoxical law of childbirth—have been able to recite this prayer duly and legitimately, calling God "Father," as those who manifest the genuine nature of sons. ^B Those will be able to say, "Hallowed be thy name," who commit nothing wicked; and this, "Thy kingdom come," who flee from those things that bring pleasure to the tyrant; and this, "Thy will be done," who demonstrate this through their actions; and, "Give us this day our daily bread," who have renounced luxury and self-indulgence; and this, "Forgive us our debts," who grant pardon to those who have offended them; and this, "Lead us not into temptation," who cast neither themselves nor others into it; and this, "Deliver us from the evil one," who maintain an unceasing and irreconcilable war against Satan; and lastly, those will truly be able to say, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory," who tremble at his words and demonstrate them both by their deeds and their lives. For the mere knowledge of the prayer is not as effective as the manner and life of the one praying.

XXV. TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER

It seems to be a common failing, that men are not only blind to their own affairs while sharply discerning the faults of their neighbors, but they also conjure up—however forced—excuses and defenses for themselves, while sitting as bitter and inexorable judges of others. But those who have truly laid aside self-love, and believe that justice ought to prevail, pass the same judgment against themselves, whenever they have sinned, ^D as they would against their neighbors; nay, they punish themselves more severely through repentance, knowing that for him who is not amended by penalties, utter destruction is in store. Therefore, Christ, putting us to an accurate test in this, said: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" For it is not fitting that one who neglects his own failings should be a bitter judge of others.

XXVI. TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER. In reference to what is said concerning Esau: "He found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears."

^A You say that you wonder how Paul could assert that Esau had no power, regarding repentance, which he himself preached and which God crowns, when he says: "For he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears." But I wonder how this has escaped you. He did not say this as if the Judge had treated repentance with contempt, but because He did not restore to the one who had sold it the reward—that is, the blessing, which was owed to virtue rather than to birthright. ^B For it would not have been just or equitable—even if we concede that this reward was owed to the birthright—that he should recover the property which he had sold. If it had been taken from him by force, it ought to have been restored; but since it was sold and was already in the possession of the buyer, it would have been contrary to justice to snatch it away from him. Therefore, however bitterly not only he (Esau) wept, but his father (Isaac) also, justice nevertheless prevailed. Hear what is said of him, to show that this is how the matter stands: "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected." ^C You see (to say nothing for the moment of the fact that the birthright had been sold), that he had not cultivated virtue, but relied on the birthright—which he had already sold—and confident in that, wanted to inherit the blessing, which, as I said, was owed to virtue. This was impossible; for if he had possessed the dignity of the birthright (the honor of being firstborn) along with his father’s favor, he would not have failed to receive the divine blessings. Virtue is what is crowned by God. Since he also legally sold the birthright, the victory was indisputably Jacob’s. For if anyone has sold a field, and has received the price, and has installed the buyer in possession of the property, could any law or any judge award that property to him later if he were to dispute the possession without—I say, without—returning the price (and the laws do not even allow the seller to have the property snatched away from an unwilling buyer if he *does* return it; but let us pretend for the sake of the argument that it could be done), even if he were to weep a thousand times and speak in a piteous voice? ^D Certainly no one would. Therefore, quite rightly he did not receive it; first, because he had not practiced virtue, but wanted to inherit a blessing of which he had shown himself unworthy; second, because he had sold the privilege; and third, because he was deservedly excluded by the time. For if he had truly repented and struggled against all his defeats, he would not have been overlooked by God. For God is rich, and being rich in other crowns, He could have adorned...

he desired it.) In the first place, when he had not devoted himself to virtue, and yet wished to seize the blessing as if it were an inheritance for which he had shown himself unworthy; in the second place, when he had even sold that gift; and in the third place, he had been deservedly excluded by time. For if he had truly and seriously performed penance, and had corrected all his previous failings with subsequent diligence, he would not have been neglected by God. For since God is rich and abounds in many other crowns, He could have adorned him in another way. Although he could not recover the blessings which he had sold, he could still have been adorned with other crowns: and first of all, by the fact that he would have had God propitious. But because he was not concerned with virtue, but only claimed for himself the blessings which are owed to virtue alone, he was deservedly frustrated in his desires.

^A [XXVII. — TO OLYMPIODORUS.]

How the Greeks, by the very arguments through which they seem to diminish the dogmas of the Christian religion, overturn their own affairs.

I marvel, indeed, how it happens that not only those among the Greeks who are unrefined and lack erudition, but even those who profess wisdom, and boast of their skill in polished speech, and glory in their knowledge of dialectics, and rely upon syllogisms—and while they see the contradictions of their own reasonings, yet do not perceive the repugnance of the facts—do not realize that, while they oppose the divine message of the Gospel, by that very act they bring more shame upon themselves. For the excellence of the conquerors brings a certain ambition and honor to the conquered. But they themselves say that Jesus was a dead man, in order that the crowd of their own gods might be shown to be even weaker than a dead man. They mock the cross, so that they might be mocked more severely, having been ignominiously defeated and vanquished by the cross. They reproach the simplicity of the apostles, so that the shame might be the more conspicuous which is cast upon their own most celebrated wise men, who have surrendered to the teaching of plebeian men. They treat the revered sepulcher of Christ with petulant laughter, so that their own illustrious temples might become even more worthy of ridicule, having yielded to the sepulcher that they derided. And, to sum it up in a few words, they disparage the entire Gospel message as a base and abject thing, so that whatever is illustrious among them might seem all the more worthy of derision, since it has succumbed to the nature of base things (as they themselves say). ^{B C}

[XXVIII. — TO ASCLEPIUS THE SOPHIST.]

On the same matter.

The logic of the Greeks flees them, as they do not notice that, through the things they bring forward (against the Christians), they are overturning themselves. For they say that the divine Scripture is to be held for nothing because it is ^D barbarian-tongued, and by word-formations...

lacking the necessary ^A connections, and by the insertion of superfluous things, disturbs the understanding of what is said. But let them learn from these facts the power of the truth. For how did it convince, when it was so rustic in its eloquence? Let these wise men tell us how it, while barbarian and solecistic, has overcome with such force the Atticist error; how Plato, the chief of the philosophers from without, could not win over a single tyrant, while this truth—rustic, barbarian, and full of solecisms—has brought earth and sea to its side?

XXIX. — TO HERMINIUS THE COUNT. On the same subject.

^B The cross, O excellent man, which is made a mockery of by the idolaters, has crucified the polytheistic error; the passion of Christ has put the pernicious demons to shame; his death has killed death; the mortification of his flesh has deadened the hopes of those who crucified him; and his tomb has buried the devil, while raining down a fountain of life upon all. Therefore, the divine herald also cries out: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel" (Rom. 1, 16); and not without reason: for it announces to us goods greater than anyone would have dared to hope for.

XXX. — TO DOMITIUS THE COUNT. On the same subject.

This very thing, which you, good sir, consider to be proof that the preaching is not divine, shows that it is entirely divine and supernatural. For, to pass over the authority of Plato—since he is more sublime to your ^C ears—who says that ornate speech is unworthy of those who philosophize seriously, and is instead more suited to ambitious and playful youths; and who introduces his own teacher Socrates speaking thus: "For it would not, I suppose, befitting to this age of mine, O men, that I should, like some youth, fashion speeches to appear before you." But I will bring forward as a witness Homer, whom you always have on your tongue, saying:

"I am self-taught; and the god has put into my mind all sorts of paths,"

that is, he has provided divine utterances. If, therefore, he who is ^D deemed divine by...

^A you makes this affirmation—or rather, he who in reality (according to the significance of his name) acts as a guarantor—that those who proclaim divine truths need not necessarily be disciples of mortal men, nor skilled in such disciplines, why do you disbelieve that the discourse concerning the divine proclamation was announced through simple and unlettered men, who were instructed by an ineffable wisdom? But I believe you will no longer disbelieve. For that which you supposed to be a defect, you have found to be a preeminence.

XXXI. — TO ASCLEPIUS THE SOPHIST.

An argument worthy to be heard, held with a Greek regarding the resurrection of the Savior.

I remember that I once silenced a certain learned Greek, who possessed among many a very great reputation for eloquence, by refuting him in a few words as he was discussing divine matters with me. For when he mentioned Christ’s passion and cross, and was pouring out coarse laughter over these, I answered him modestly and gently with these words: "But from where can you demonstrate that Christ was crucified?" While all who were listening were struck with astonishment, and were pondering what I intended to accomplish by saying this, he answered, as if he were about to carry off the victory without effort: "It is written in the Gospels." To whom I immediately replied: "But in those same books, it is also written that He rose again and ascended into the heavens. If, therefore, you believe the Gospels, have faith in this as well as that. But if not, you act most absurdly, by accepting the one and rejecting the other. ^B Do you perhaps have your ears wide open and very sharp for insults and reproaches, but stopped up to those things that are glorious and divine? And this, especially since your so-called gods were defeated by the Crucified One. If, therefore, He was crucified, it is certain that He also ascended into the heavens. But if you strike out the glorious things, do not bring forward the ignominious ones either. For the one depends upon the other, and cannot be torn apart." When these words were said, such a thunder of applause broke out that both he and I were abashed: I, because I was being praised above my worth; he, because he found himself bound by his own words. Having indicated this, I think I have clearly answered those things which were sent to me by your wisdom.

XXXII. — TO DOROTHEUS THE MOST SPLENDID.

On the glory of the venerable cross.

^A a pillar and ornament of the earth, but also of heaven. For it has sustained all creation, bestowing joy upon those above the world, and freedom upon those on earth, and uniting things which were at variance.

XXXIII. — TO THEODORE THE SCHOLASTIC. On a life worthy of heaven.

If you would wish to busy yourself with the Holy Scriptures wisely and thoughtfully, you must hurry with all your might not only toward the love of divine wisdom and its contemplation, but also toward the desire for the doctrines themselves, from which a manner of living worthy of heaven and convenient to it rises up as its foundation.

XXXIV. — TO PAUL. On the same subject.

Just as it is not the cloak and the staff that make a philosopher, but his boldness of speech and his way of life; so too it is not dress and discourse that make a Christian, but his conduct and a life that is a match for right reason.

XXXV. — TO HIERON THE SCHOLASTIC. ^B On coitus with beasts, of which the legislator made mention. And on the passage: "Depart from me, all you who work iniquity." (Ps. vi, 9)

Just as the union of animals of a different kind, which is celebrated in myths, produced monstrous bodies—some sort of Minotaur and centaurs—among which the one used to devour the Attic youths, and the others used to snatch away the wives of others; so too the association of the worst men brings forth strange and absurd habits, which come little short of imitating the most audacious deeds of the centaurs. This is also the reason why the Psalmist drove them as far away as possible from himself, saying: "Depart from me, all you who work iniquity." ^C For the association of these men produces no small injury, but touches the soul itself, than which nothing is more precious or excellent. If, therefore, as some say, the myths have become reality (on account of which the legislator also decreed this, which you wished to learn, by forbidding congress with animals, and punishing those who engage in it with death, so that monstrous bodies might not be born and tragedies might not spring up), the providence of the legislator is to be admired. But if, as others say—and I myself am more persuaded by this—the myths signify the mixing of varied habits (for, they say, none of the things that have existed from the beginning has endured to fail, and thus it preserves the same condition), then even for this reason let them avoid the association of evil men, because it causes the greatest detriment; for this is what it indicates: ^D "Bad company corrupts good morals." Furthermore, Amnon the eldest and Absalon the youngest son of the Psalmist indicate this, who also

^A lived shamefully and ended their lives miserably. For the former, captivated by love for his sister born of the same father, and being restrained by shame from uniting with a nature so closely related to him, communicated the feeling of his passion to one of those whom he believed to be his friends. But he not only did not extinguish this passion, nor turn him away from the shameful act, nor say for the sake of dissuasion: "Do not bring new plots of tragedy into human life"; but he even discovered for him the way and method by which he might accomplish the wickedness conceived in his mind. Having therefore carried it out, he paid the ultimate penalty, as the brother of the violated sister, born of the same mother, pursued the author of this injury through his servants until he killed him. Thus, then, did Amnon ^B end his life shamefully and miserably. But the one who exacted the penalty for this—whether desiring tyranny, or cherishing the memory of injuries against his father, because he not only did not avenge the insult to his daughter, but even turned away from him who had taken revenge, and when asked and urged to take him back into favor, did not even then admit him to his sight, unless the general’s cleverness later brought this about—rebelled against his father, and allowed himself to be led by him who had counseled him badly, causing him to overturn the laws of nature and to violate the laws of intercourse. Such great evil does the association and familiarity of most wicked men bring. But neither this man, nor the one who had been the author of that nefarious counsel, escaped the divine judgment, which no art can avoid; but both paid the penalty. Therefore, so that we neither do nor suffer anything of the kind, let us flee with all our might the company of the wicked. ^C

XXXVI. TO PETER THE MONK

It is, O wise man, both a holy and just war, and a peace more difficult than any implacable battle, according to that which is said (in the Psalm): "I was jealous of the wicked, seeing the peace of sinners." For robbers indeed make peace among themselves, arming against those who have harmed them in nothing; but wolves too gather together whenever they thirst for blood; and the adulterer maintains peace with the adulteress, and the fornicator with the fornicatress. Do not therefore think that peace is good everywhere and in all things. For it is often more grievous and worse than any war. For whenever someone makes peace with men of this sort, who bark against Providence, and with those who, by their own worthless and wicked lives, pollute and ravage common life, he strikes a covenant: this man dwells far and away from the boundaries of peace. This is also the reason why Paul said: "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men." ^D For he knew well that sometimes it is not possible.

XXXVII. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON

It is not necessary to be implacable toward those who do not wish to return to favor, but rather, as much as lies in our part, and towards those...

who do not wish to return to favor, if at all possible, let us seek peace, provided that piety is not harmed. For this is precisely what the divine ^A Paul exhorted, saying: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." For since he knew the nature of things most exactly, and knew that many do not hesitate to wage war against those who are lovers of virtue, he demanded only that which pertains to us and is our duty, even if others, while we leave nothing undone that our duty requires, should proclaim an unjust war against us, either by opposing piety or by following a way of life alien and abhorrent to virtue.

XXXVIII. — TO PETER

Those who are ruled more by anger for the most part bring things to a difficult end; but those who are ruled by prudence, and who consider their bodies to be the instruments of this prudence, are not lacking in the glory that comes from most beautiful things. And this is what the writer of Proverbs said: "Do everything with counsel," for that which is done without thought is dangerous.

XXXIX. — TO NEMESIUS

He who wishes to enjoy pure and untroubled tranquility must first engage in deliberation and only then set out to speak and act. For since things are so ordered that words and deeds cannot easily be recalled, one must obey the writer of Proverbs, who says: "Do everything with counsel," so that he who does not wish to scourge ^C himself by day and by night through regret should demonstrate this admonition in the facts themselves.

XL. — TO BISHOP ISIDORE

Since you have indicated that you wish to know in what order the three books of Solomon should be read, you must know that one of them teaches moral virtue; the second shows the vanity of the labor of those who are crazed by the things of this life; and the third, finally, shows the love that one ought to have toward divine things. Therefore, the first [is to be read], then the second, and ^D then the third...

^A is set in order. For he who has perfected himself in ethics by being a disciple of the Book of Proverbs, and has trampled upon the illusions of worldly life by having frequented the Book of Ecclesiastes, would not, upon arriving at the Song of Songs, slide into carnal and moral love; but rather he would be moved toward that pure and divine Bridegroom, who pronounces those who are wounded by such love to be blessed. I therefore counsel young men, and I am myself their authority, not to touch the third book before they have acquitted themselves well in the first two. For it is ^B absurd, or rather too rash and audacious, and contrary to the mystical laws, for those who are not even worthy of the vestibules to leap into the inner sanctum and penetrate it. For just as in the temple, those things which were outside were accessible to all, but the holy things within, which were covered by a veil, although they could otherwise be approached, yet could not be approached by the uninitiated and profane crowd; and those things which were finally the innermost Holy of Holies, and the most sacred of holy things, to these not even those who lived a blameless life had access, but it was permitted to the high priest alone, who had evidently consecrated himself and cast off every mortal wrinkle: so also ought young men to be disposed toward these books of Solomon. First of all, they must shine with the virtue of their way of life; then, indeed, they must condemn the nullity and vanity of the things pertaining to this life; and only then may they touch those things which the common herd of men cannot attain. For those who ought to be outside the enclosures, if they should contend, not being initiated into the divine rite, to rush in with rash daring, will pay the ultimate penalty.

XLI. — TO PETER.

^C I am, indeed, amazed at the imprudence which you display. For I do not think that you have fallen into such folly as to believe that those who perform works of mercy but show them off are worse than those who do not perform them at all. But I shall explain what my own opinion is regarding these matters: that he is truly and properly merciful who performs a benefit, yet does not parade the calamities and miseries of those who are being helped. If ^D someone does this for the sake of the good itself, he will have a greater reward than the one who does it for the sake of the reward; but if he does it for a divine reward, he will be placed in the second class. If, however, he does it for the sake of obtaining praise among men, he will have this very thing for which he was doing it. But he who performs his duty neither for the sake of the good itself, nor for the sake of the divine reward, nor for the sake of human praise, does not even seem to me to be a man, but rather a wicked demon. For this reason, then, you—having heard the divine oracles, which command not to perform alms before men, not because of a desire for glory...

^A nor because you yourself can endure to do any good deed—why do you rebuke those who do something out of ambition? For by as much as he who practices temperance for the sake of human glory is better than him who does not practice temperance even for that reason, by just as much is he who performs alms for the sake of obtaining glory better than the other who does not perform them at all. For the former has at least shown regard for men, whereas the latter has reverenced neither men nor God.

^B XLII. — TO MARCOS. Why the Apostle placed the drunkard and the reviler among those who have committed the greatest sins.

You said you were puzzled as to why the Apostle placed the drunkard and the reviler in the same category as adulterers and fornicators. I say, therefore: if he had said they were to suffer the same punishment as those, then one would indeed have to seek for a solution to this doubt. But since he said they would be equally frustrated of the (heavenly) kingdom as the others, what reason is there for the thing said to appear to you as obscure as an enigma? For it is one thing to say that they will be outside of all honor and glory, and quite another to say that they will be subjected to equal punishment. For he did not say: "They will pay equal penalties" (which you perhaps, not having understood the Pauline statement, thought was said), but rather: "They will not inherit the kingdom of God." For as regards glory, he says, they will be entirely outside of it; but they will be judged according to the quantity and the quality and the magnitude of their sins. For great is the precision of divine judgment.

^C XLIII. — TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS HIERAX. What is meant by Elias being fed by a raven.

You must know, O wise man, that the Fountain of goodness, wishing to wipe away the prophet’s righteous indignation against the Jews (for He brought about a famine so that He might discipline with temperance ^D the satiety which is accustomed to breed insolence), arranged for him to be fed by a raven, a bird that hates its own offspring, and which indeed bears and hatches its chicks, but does not feed them. This is also the reason why the Psalmist, although every creature looks to its Creator by a natural instinct—"For the eyes of all," he says, "wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their food in due season"—made mention specifically of ravens, when he says: "Who gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that call upon Him." For while divine providence, he says, nourishes and sustains all things, it does so in an especially unique and peculiar way for the chicks of the ravens, which are neglected by their parents; for small creatures

^A hovering about the nests provide them with food until they are able to fly. By means of the ravens, therefore, God wished, as it were, to persuade Elijah not to indulge in excessive indignation, nor to appear more inhuman than that winged animal; for although it is otherwise fierce toward its own chicks, yet it now, at my command, provides the prophet with food, not its own fledglings. You, however, being wholly occupied with wrath and indignation, hold the laws of humanity in contempt.

XLIV. TO DANIEL THE PRESBYTER.

What is the meaning of the saying: «The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge»? You ought to know, my good sir, that this is not a pronouncement of Scripture, but a judgment ^B of the impious Jews, that which is written: «The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.» For because they were sinning more grievously than their ancestors, they imagined that they were paying the penalty on their behalf; this is what they were saying. But the divine and incorruptible Judge, setting it before them that they were not being punished for others, but for themselves and for their own transgressions, said: «As I live, says the Lord, if this parable shall any longer be used,» which they had, of course, devised, imposing it upon themselves and those who heard them. «For each shall die for his own sin. For the soul that sins, it shall die.»

XLV. TO IERAKIS AND DIONYSIUS, PRESBYTERS.

From Daniel, concerning the chaste Susanna. When those lustful and impotent lovers, steeped in the desires of their passions, approached the most chaste Susanna (for luxury and drunkenness had instructed them to commit this insolence), then the wisdom that was in the disciple taught those who appeared to be masters the divine and incorruptible judgment. But because lust had plotted murder, and the disturbance of the soul did not admit of right reason, she cried out, striving to preserve the sincere and intact treasure of chastity. ^D When, however, she had accomplished what she wished, and they were frustrated in that which they ought not to have sought, then indeed the accusation against them was instituted, such as they deserved; and unexpectedly there arose...

^B against them a judgment which converted their crime back upon themselves (which they had falsely leveled against an innocent man). If, therefore, Eusebius also, as you have written, is puffed up with the dignity of a teacher and carries his head high, and dares to attempt unspeakable things, and admits no counsel whatever, displaying and boasting of the dignity of the episcopate but not that of virtue: do not slight this. For penalties worthy of all these things will be exacted from him, whether here or in the world to come.

XLVI. — TO DOROTHEUS THE LECTOR.

Perhaps because Christ called those who do the Father's will his brothers, and in this way showed that carnal kinship is of little moment (I mean, if kinship according to the Spirit is absent), for this reason also the Apostle said: "Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, but now we know him no longer." As if he were to say: "Although we who have believed in Christ from among the Jews were accustomed formerly to boast in our carnal kinship with Him, now we no longer pride ourselves in this, but rather in that closeness of affinity which makes us like unto Him, which we enjoy through virtue." For which reason he also said: "Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ." As if he were to say: "I glory more by the imitation of Christ than by carnal kinship."

XLVII. — TO PAUL.

You must know, good man, that no one shall escape that most illustrious and ever-watchful eye, not even if he has perpetrated something in the most hidden inner chambers. For all things are open and naked to Him, however much they may seem to be covered and hidden. Therefore, rivers that are everlasting, boiling with a terrible fire, will receive those who are sinning and do not repent, whose currents are flames surging for punishment. Let us therefore fear the divine power (for it is formidable); and let us also worship it (for it is good and beneficent); and let us ask from Him such things which it becomes Him to give, and which it is salutary for us to receive (for He is ready to give such things), and let us, having fallen into sins, repent (for He is beneficent, and receives those who are truly repentant ^D and sincere). In no way, however, let us be negligent or secure (because He is powerful, and not subject to deceptions); but let us love Him with our whole heart. For toward those who obey His words and are attentive to His speech, He is beneficent.

XLVIII. — TO AMMONIUS.

Lest you be led by anticipatory opinions and prejudices, an evil mood, and

by a state that is difficult to shake off—since, being occupied and held fast on earth, we are kept back from the communion of heavenly rewards—the Savior said: "Arise, let us go from here." For by joining His own power to the voice that was sent forth, He freed His genuine disciples from tyrannical passions and transported them to a senate above the world. ^B

XLIX. — TO ORION.

On the saying: "If there is any taste in empty words."

You must know that as the malady grows stronger, casting down one's strength like a wrestler and driving toward the end, and as it causes the soul to be separated from the body and the body to be consigned to death, we have, with a little exertion of thought, now set out to interpret what was written by you. That saying: "If there is even any taste in empty words," I believe signifies two things. Either this: that a falsely cast reproach should not proceed beyond the ears (for it does not reach the mind of the listener); or that it is necessary for speech to be seasoned with a small amount of salt, so that it may be pleasant to the discerning, and nutritive, and may penetrate the mind of those who hear. The salt of monitory and exhortatory discourses is the testimony of the divine oracles, and the fear of the final judgment, and the account of the kingdom [or eternal life]; all of which render the admonition and exhortation stronger, more effective, and better suited for nourishment, offering appropriate and suitable food not only to those with healthy stomachs, but even to those who are ill-disposed and in poor condition.

L. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

On that which was said by the people to Herod: "The voice of God, and not of man!"

You must know that those who know you were not surprised at the things you proclaim; those who did not know you before have now begun to know you; and finally, those who envied you have been even more consumed by that malady and have paid a penalty such that you could not easily exact a greater one from them. If, therefore, you wish—as you absolutely ought to—to fill the first group with joy again, to impart a deeper knowledge to the second, and to exact penalties from the third group, you must add to your own excellence of character. And so much for this. But since you have asked me by letter what is the reason why, when others flattered Herod beyond the bounds of dignity and said, "It is the voice of God, and not of man," he himself paid the penalty—I say that he did not rebuke them, nor did he turn away from the impious and maddened flattery. ^D

For by accepting it, he even accustomed and trained them for greater impiety. It is credible, however, that they too (those flatterers), even if not immediately, at least later paid the penalty. And if they escaped the divine chastisement here without punishment, they will not escape the eternal torments of the other life. ^A

LI. — TO THEON

Divine grace, being mingled with human industry and the readiness of the mind, saves man. Therefore, even the Apostle, who had Christ speaking within him, said: "It works together with those who are called according to his purpose." For it is not the calling alone (since all were indeed called, but not all obeyed the calling), but the purpose of the ^B called that also works out salvation. For the calling was not forced or compelled, but voluntary.

LII. — TO ATHANASIUS THE PRESBYTER

Sin is much more grievous than death. Wherefore Paul, who was most skilled of all in examining such matters, called the former a queen, and the latter a soldier's wages, as one who places the latter (death) below the former (sin). And he made ^C sin a queen, not on account of its dignity (for nothing more deformed than it can be thought of or imagined), but on account of the vehement eagerness for obedience with which those whom sin has seized are inflamed. Therefore, if the wages of sin is death, let not sin—which, to those who have a sound mind, is more grievous than death—reign in your midst. If, therefore, the choice were given, and it were possible, I would much prefer to die having not sinned, than to escape death by having sinned. Thus, by my judgment, the former is more terrible than the latter. For death will be extinguished by the resurrection, but sin will be punished even after the resurrection; ^D so that he who sins but does not die (let this be said by way of hypothesis) would gain nothing, if he were to undergo punishment even after the resurrection. And he made this clear by another evident example, saying: "The sting of death is sin." Just as, therefore, no one would fear a snake or a scorpion if they lacked teeth or a sting through which they transmit their venom...

so too death—if it is not brought about on account of sin—is to be welcomed with an undaunted spirit; but if it be for the sake of virtue, it is to be welcomed with even greater joy. Do you think this is impossible? Accept as witnesses the martyrs, who embraced death no differently than as a certain entrance into immortality.

LIII. — TO DIONYSIUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

Those who have been instructed and filled by natural law and have fulfilled their duty are indeed worthy of praise. For nature itself possesses within it an exact and incorruptible judgment of virtues, which Christ himself introduced as a matter of exhortation and counsel, saying: "All things whatsoever you wish that men would do to you, do you also in like manner to them." Then, having demonstrated that this is the rule of all piety and humanity, he added: "for this is the Law and the Prophets." But after nature failed and fell from its state of integrity, and obliterated the marks of virtue, then the written Law was also given. And since this, too, was violated by the moral transgression of men, the correction and restoration of the human race was then entrusted to the choir of the prophets. And since even this failed, saying: "We have medicated Babylon, and she is not healed," He who had implanted the seeds of virtue in nature, and taught it through the law, and proclaimed it through the prophets, came down to earth. After the King of the heavens came in the flesh, it was necessary that precepts worthy of heaven be decreed, and that manner and norm of living, which is more fitting for angels than it is pleasing to ^C men, was promulgated in the holy Gospels, no differently than in royal commands and edicts.

LIV. — TO PAUL THE SUBDEACON.

The ineffable wisdom of God, so that we might not contend among ourselves with opinions while seeking a definition of virtue, establishing the will of each individual as the most perfect rule, said: "All things whatsoever you wish that men would do to you, do you also to them." If, therefore, you have within yourself both the rule

^A of the virtues (as indeed you surely have), do not seek it among others, but use your own treasure.

LV. — TO HARPOCRAS THE SOPHIST

Ambition and the desire for power, the cause of all evils, which attempts to subvert even that which is well-established, has brought grievous wars into human affairs, not only in our own memory, but also in ancient times. For the Pythagoreans, while themselves practicing silence, denounced those who extolled themselves with grandiloquence. Those who favored Homer disparaged the followers of Plato; and the followers of Plato brought charges of impiety against the admirers of Homer. ^B The Aristotelians took the field against the Platonists, and the Stoics armed themselves against the Aristotelians. As for the Epicureans, who dared to champion vices, it is unworthy and absurd even to make mention of them.

In the medical art, they followed the same pursuit. The Logicians railed against the Methodists, and the Methodists armed themselves against the Logicians. For the one sect claimed there were many and various roots of diseases, and therefore they used diverse remedies, meticulously scrutinizing the roots of individual ailments, and in this way blocking the sources of the passions. The others defined only two causes: constriction and flux. Hence they handed down this dogma: that one must either evacuate or instill. The Empirics, however, mocked both the one side and the other.

If I were to wish to recount in a discourse the contentions and controversies among the orators, the poets, and the historians themselves, much time and many words would be consumed. And there is nothing to wonder at in this. For since those who pride themselves ^C in the name of philosophy did not hesitate to stir up a vehement war against one another, it is hardly likely that the orators and poets would have cared for peace; they, who even engaged in contentions with the Socratics, who held temperance, justice, and self-restraint in high regard. These individuals Plato ridiculed in his Dialogues, and in return was himself ridiculed by the Cynics—among whose number was Lucian, who composed dialogues against almost all of them, as well those who have already been mentioned, as those who were passed over. ^D Those who followed Plato accepted him, because he had held up to theatrical display the gods fashioned by the poets. But the foster-children of the poets called him defamatory; for he grievously mocked the gods whom they deified. Who, then, will dare...

to reproach us, saying that many heresies have arisen among Christians, when he sees that so many have arisen among the Greeks themselves because of ^A ambition and the desire for command (for one must speak the truth)? If this were expelled from human affairs, there would be good hope that all would concur in the divine proclamation of the Gospel with unanimous and orthodox consent.

LVI. — TO PETRUS SCHOLASTICUS.

On the same matter.

I believe that heresies and sects have arisen either from ambition or from some preconceived opinion—two passions very difficult to conquer. For those who could not bear to live with a peaceful mind ^B in the rank of subjects, nor to accept authority, have sown the seed of new doctrines, disdaining to remain in those things which were established.

LVII. — TO ADAMANTIUS.

On the same matter.

Why are you so surprised if, even after the Savior’s advent in the flesh, many heresies have been born, when the devil, who had clearly and explicitly heard that all things ^C would be submitted to judgment and would render an account, disseminated them so that he might have many as associates and participants in his punishments—since, even before his advent, not a few heresies existed? For some men did not think there was any Deity at all; others thought there was, indeed, a divine power, but that it was not endowed with providence for human affairs; others, that it did indeed exercise management, but only of celestial things; others, that it provided not only for celestial things but also for earthly ones, yet not for all, but only for the excellent, such as kings and rulers. And some declared that all things were carried by rash and blind chance; others, on the contrary, that all things happened by a certain fatal necessity; others, finally, asserted that all things were done as luck would have it. And some thought it right and pious to worship idols; others approved of marriages with mothers; others, human sacrifices; others, the slaughter of animals; ^D others, the slaying of oxen; others, of camels; others, the mutual devouring of men; others, sustenance from herbs. But if I wished to bring all things into the light, perhaps I would not find belief, yet I could not be accused of having spoken falsely. If, therefore, the human race was always at war with itself, and did not hold the same beliefs (for men are by nature prone to innovation and given to faction, overturning established customs and legislating according to their own fancies)—why are you surprised if, even now, they feign disagreement about a divine matter that is beyond reason, being driven to frenzy by ambition?

^A

LVIII. — TO JOHN THE DEACON.

From the Epistle of Jude. What is meant by, "Wandering stars, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved for ever"? ^B If you alone had written to me asking the reason why it is said, "Wandering stars, for whom the storm of darkness is reserved for ever," perhaps I would have handled the matter by charging you with ignorance and lack of learning, and would have answered you briefly that these things apply to men, not to stars. But since many, and these even from among those who are considered wise, have sought to learn this from me, and after having agitated many points, upon finally perceiving the meaning have proclaimed it divine—I will by no means condemn you, but rather I will endeavor to interpret this saying more clearly for you. I say, therefore, that the discourse of the writer was directed concerning men who commit sins that exceed forgiveness, not concerning stars, and clouds, and waves, and trees, which he used as examples; for he is reproaching and accusing men for experiencing by their own free choice what those things possess by nature.

For just as clouds without water, which are driven by winds, and barren trees, which he calls twice dead, will not be punished; nay, not even do the waves foam out their own shame, being irrational and devoid of sense: so too, the so-called wandering stars do not inherit the gloom; rather, it is men who sin by their own choice, about whom these examples were also taken, so that the meaning is as follows: these men, about whom the discourse is, are like wandering stars, turning away from the straight path and walking in the way contrary to it; wherefore the gloom is reserved for them, not for the stars, but for the men. For the discourse was not, as I have already said, about stars, or clouds, or waves, but about men who have fallen into beast-like behavior, and licentiousness, and arrogance, and who by their association corrupt also those who draw near to them. ^C

And that these things are so, let us, if it please you, test the argument. Those who profess knowledge of these matters assert things that are neither likely nor probable to the majority. For they fight against the evidence and are opposed by the testimony of sight. Yet they say nevertheless that the planets have their own proper course from west to east; and they strive to complete this, but by the contrary and swifter motion of the fixed stars, they are overcome and carried toward the west. And they use such an example as this: just as if a wheel were being moved swiftly, an ant moving in motion contrary to it suffers nothing so... ^D

[...the rotation] from the setting toward the rising, and so that they accomplish [their course]; ^A but by the contrary and more vehement motion of the fixed stars, they are overcome and carried toward the setting. They use such a comparison as this for the matter. Just as if a wheel is carried with vehement force, an ant moving in the opposite direction makes no great progress (for it is overcome by the wheel’s extremely rapid and swift motion): so it is with the wandering stars, if one compares them with the motion of the fixed ones. I shall, for the present, merely point out with a finger that opinion which refutes itself—namely, how they sometimes exalt them as gods, but other times compare them to ants—(for I am hastening toward other things), and I shall return to that which is being inquired of. These things, then, are theirs. But I think that because Scripture also—whether speaking properly, or improperly, or following the custom of the common people—uses these names, since men—too foolishly—refer the sun and the moon, and the other five stars, not known to many, Saturn and Jupiter, Mercury and Mars, and indeed even Venus, to the number of the planets, ^B and have imposed upon them the names of certain men who were powerful on earth and lived a shameful life, and ended it with a glorious departure. The sun, however, traverses the northern and southern parts of the world in the space of a year along the breadth; but the moon [does so] by the month, whence I think "month" (*mēn*) also is derived, not—as certain ones assert—because the moon becomes crescent-shaped (*mēnoeidēs*), but because it fulfills its own rule every month. For the moon (*selēnē*) is called *mēnē*. But all the others execute this revolution proportionately with their own circles and courses; for this reason they have been called "planets," that is, wandering stars. But whether the one or the other be true, it proclaims the knowledge of the Creator, who both ordered them and set laws for them; as He Himself said: ^C "I have commanded the stars" (Job xxxvi, 22); and the author of the Psalms, showing that while the divine command was transgressed on earth, because men fled into lawlessness, it was kept in heaven, said: "Forever, O Lord, Thy word abides in heaven." But if, because it is said, "I have commanded the stars," some delimit them as rational and self-governing beings (for I know that some, not only of those outside the faith, but even of those who have believed, have dogmatized this), they render this inquiry superfluous and useless, ^D while others call them Hera. Then the Sun, and lastly, the Moon, up to which the earth is bounded. To these, the words of Apuleius reply: "Seven gods, illustrious by name, are joined to as many orbits and are gradually placed one above another, such that the superior is greater than the inferior, and they are joined by mutual adhesions, contained by the complex of that orbit which is called the inerrable. This is the globe of Phaenon, which we call Saturn; after which is the second, Phaethon, which we call Jupiter; and in the third place, Pyroeis, which many call the star of Hercules, more call the star of Mars. Following this is Stilbon, to which some have given the name of Apollo, others of Mercury. The fifth is Phosphorus, the star of Juno, or rather is considered the star of Venus. Then is the orbit of the Sun, and last of all, the Moon, determining the first principles of the ethereal altitude."

^A And showing that on earth, indeed, the divine precept was violated by the transgression of men who turned away to iniquity, but that in heaven it was kept, he says: "Forever, O Lord, thy word remaineth in heaven." But if there are those who, because it is said, "I have commanded the stars," have defined the stars to be animals endowed with reason and using free will (for I know some, not only among those who are estranged from the faith, but even from the number of those who have embraced the faith of Christ, who have laid down this), I, holding this question to be superfluous and useless (for "Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability; but the things that God hath commanded thee, think on them always; for it is not necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things that are hid"), neither approve of this nor reject it. But I would rather say this: that Scripture uses this name even for things lacking reason and sense; for example, when it says: "The Lord commanded a hot and burning wind," and ^B "The Lord commanded the clouds," and "The Lord commanded the worm." Whether, therefore, they are animals endowed with reason, as some say, or fiery spheres, or bodies possessing the shape of a disk, kindled from the ethereal fire, or spheres shaped in the manner of flying fire, or certain plates (for there have not been wanting philosophers to pass this on), or certain things receiving light devoid of matter and higher than the world, I would not strongly contend (for I think that nothing of this contributes to an excellent way of life), but I would say this: that it is not only of the soul, when it departs from the path of virtue, but even of the body, if by chance it should stray from the proposed way, that the name of "erration" is used in the Scriptures. "For," he says, "a man saw Joseph wandering in the way," and again: "He made them to wander in the wilderness, and not in the way." ^C It is, therefore, no wonder if some have called the northern and southern revolution of the seven stars running up and down an "erration," as compared with the one and same way of the fixed stars running around. If, therefore, they perform their individual courses harmoniously and aptly, what cause is there why they should pay penalties? For if—which it is unlawful to say—the Greeks were to say they were not made by God and were superior to their cause, they would be refuted most of all by their own harmony and most beautiful and apt order. For order proclaims the author and prince of order. But if they do not believe, let them hear Plato, who says:

The Creator of this universe is good.

^A they have a Creator and Maker—as is indeed the truth, and as has seemed right to Greeks, and Jews, and Christians, and absolutely all men not devoid of mind and understanding—who aptly directs and governs their movement and harmony, by which the seasons of the year and the long and short nights are brought about, it is manifest that their wondrous and most harmonious revolution is not subject to blame. But if it is not subject to blame, how are they required to pay ^B penalties? Even if they were reasoning creatures endowed with freedom of will, as some imagine (let this be conceded for the sake of the hypothesis, as it makes the refutation of them greater), not even then would they be rightly required to pay a penalty. If they went wherever they pleased and accomplished whatever they wanted, then the argument—not only of these people, but also of those who claim that the planets are the producers of evils—would have some account, and they would deservedly have to pay penalties. But if they run the course prescribed for them through the ages, they are by no means to be called the authors of evils. For that would be impious and irrational. But even if, for the sake of the hypothesis (which some say—though I for my part would not), it were conceded (for it is absurd to wish to make bold statements about obscure matters) that the planets pre-signify ^C future events, not even then will they pay penalties. For neither did the prophets who foretold the evils to be perpetrated by the Jews pay any penalties. For those things did not happen because they had foretold them; rather, because they were going to happen, they foretold them. For the wickedness of the Jews became the cause of the prophecy, not the prophecy the cause of the wickedness. It is therefore manifest, I think, to all, with every contradiction removed, that the discourse of the one who wrote the epistle was not about stars—just as it was not about waves, trees, or clouds, as the sense of the whole epistle also indicates—but about the human beings who sinned, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever. For having begun with examples, he concluded with those of whom he was speaking.

LIX. TO POLYCHRONIUS.

For he says, "Being filled with all unrighteousness." ^A For having named all wickedness in a general way, he recounts it also according to its kind in what follows. If, therefore, he handed them over not to be filled, but having already been filled, what absurdity is he thought to have committed? But if you think this is obscure, although it is clear, I shall attempt to interpret it for you even more plainly and clearly. He did not say: "Because they were handed over, they were filled," nor: "They were handed over that they might be filled," but: "He handed them over—being filled"—that is to say, he let them go, having stripped them of his own assistance, just as a commander leaves and abandons soldiers who do not obey his commands, but are, as far as they are concerned, defeated, stripping them of his own wisdom. For those who were filled with all wickedness from within, he ^B rightly handed over by abandoning them, not by pushing them into a reprobate mind, but by leaving them as they rushed into it of their own accord.

LX. TO THEOLOGIUS THE DEACON. On that which is said: "Not only do they do these things," etc.

Since you have again prepared us to track down apostolic treasures (for you asked, "What is the meaning of: 'Not only do they do these things, but they also consent to those who do them,' and you added: 'If consenting is more grievous and a greater thing than doing, for what reason did Paul arrange the words in this way?'"), collect your mind for a little, so that you may hunt down and catch the fleeing apostolic meaning, and listen. ^C There are some, then, who, not having understood the saying, but having doubted about it just as you do, and thinking the apostolic words to have been falsified, have interpreted them thus: "Not only do those who do these things, but also those who consent to those who do them." For so, they said, the old copy had it, so that doing might be greater than consenting. But I would neither say that the apostolic books have been corrupted in this, nor would I insult those who did not understand the passage (for perhaps even if they are surpassed by me in this matter, in others they surpass me by far, and have understood some things, the knowledge of which I have not reached), but explaining what I understand, I shall entrust the judgment to ^D those who will read it. I say, therefore, that because praising those who commit sins is far more grievous than committing the sin itself, and carries greater weight for the sake of punishment, it is rightly said: "Not only do they do these things, but they also consent to those who do them." For the man who, after committing an offense, condemns the sin, will be able in time to recover himself, having the greatest assistance in being able to repent for condemning the sin; but he who praises wickedness deprives himself of the assistance that comes from repentance. Since, therefore, [alt-version omitted]

this judgment is of a perverse mind ^A and of a soul suffering from an incurable disease, it is rightly and deservedly judged that he who praises sin is far more wicked than the one committing it; for the one will flee from sin most quickly, whereas the other will never flee from it at all, if either judgment should prevail.

LXI. — TO AMMONIUS. On the saying of Paul: "Glory and honor and peace to every one that worketh good." 31

What is the reason, you ask, why Paul said: "Glory and honor and peace to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first, and to the Greek," and nowhere made mention of the Christian? You must therefore know that Paul’s discourse was about those who lived before the coming of Christ in the flesh. For he had not yet reached the times of grace. Now, he calls them "Greeks" in this place, not the idolaters, but the pious men who lived according to the natural law, who, without the help of Jewish inventions and evil observations, kept everything pertaining to piety; such as were Melchisedech, Job, and Cornelius.

^B LXII. — TO EPIMACHUS THE READER. On the saying of Paul: "But without the law sin is dead." 32

Since you wished to learn how sin is dead without the law, I say that Paul wished to signify by this that it was not yet manifest. Nor does this mean that men did not know they were sinning; otherwise, those who lived before the law would be found to have been punished unreasonably and unjustly—for some of them were consumed by water, and others by fire—but rather that they did know, yet not so precisely. Therefore, they were indeed punished, but not so severely.

^C LXIII. — TO ISCHYRION THE PRESBYTER. On the saying of Paul: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy." 33

Paul, that excellent leader of the Christian militia, who did not disgrace the verdict of the divine election, who showed a life struggling alongside grace, and at once exhorted those who are truly fighting this holy war, and did not allow them to think too highly of themselves, seeing that they are surpassed by the repayment of the crowns, cried out more powerfully, like an emperor: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." ^D And he said "be revealed," showing that it indeed exists even now, but is hidden, awaiting those who are triumphant.

31 Rom. II, 10. 32 Rom. VII, 8. 33 Rom. VIII, 18.

^A If, however, the delay causes pain, let this rather gladden those who are leveling the strongholds of the passions and the demons. For the fact that it is the greatest thing, transcending both speech and mind and our present state by a vast degree, is what is stored up there. For he did not say this simply, "The sufferings of the present time," but in order to show that they are surpassed not only in quality but also in quantity (for the former are dissolved with the present life, whereas the latter extend through immortal ages). Since he could not portray these clearly or in detail by speech, he designated them by the name of that which is considered most desirable among us. For this ^B seems to be the pinnacle of virtues.

LXIV. TO THEODORE THE DEACON

Since God the Word (the eternal Son of God) has deigned to become man, and has calmed and composed the human passions and perturbations of the soul, which previously used to rise up like waves, and has made the flesh ready and obedient to virtue, and has set the wicked phalanxes of evil spirits under the feet of his own disciples, and has rightly established contests greater than those of the ancients, and has prepared heavenly and supramundane prizes, it follows that those who succumb after these things ought to impute this blame to themselves. For since victory is hereafter within our grasp, yet he does not find such men who know how to conquer—since he exerts his power in a few, the blame for the fact that they do not wish to acquire it through labors, and for their defeat, rests with those who are defeated.

LXV. TO THE SAME

On the same subject; that faith without works does not save a man. ^C

Having come into the flesh, God the Word, after asking for faith, justified [men] by grace (for it was not possible for those who had been betrayed and ruined by their own selves to be saved by their own righteousness; and this the Psalmist and the chosen Vessel both declared most clearly, the former asserting, "There is none righteous, not even one," and the latter, using great vehemence, saying, "All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God"). But from those who believed, he rightly demanded the highest righteousness; so that while at first grace justified, he ordained that those who had been justified should undertake good works, as it is not possible to be saved by faith alone. For ^D faith must be judged by actions, and from these it must be vivified. For without these, it would be dead.

LXVI. — TO HERMINUS THE COUNT.

^A What is the cause, you ask, why almost all divine things are marked by the name of fire? For God is called fire, and the angels are flaming fire, and there appeared to the apostles tongues as of fire, and they were fervent in the Spirit? I believe, therefore, that this is because of its inexhaustible and rich nature, since from one lamp it kindles innumerable torches and is not diminished, but is able to kindle as many others—or even more—again and further. As for its behavior among bodies, it is carried upward, because, alone among earthly things, fire seeks and pursues the higher places. For while other things desire the earth, it desires the heaven; and while they know the downward path, it knows the way above. For just as a stone and water do not know the path that leads upward, so too fire cannot endure being carried downward.

LXVII. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE DEACON.

^C I have often come to wonder at those who compose dialogues and write lengthy orations, that they should have had too great a concern for their own glory, while using a lofty and excessively philosophical manner of speech, but neglected the benefit of their hearers, of which it certainly behooved them to take greater account. For however great the glory attained by the writers, little benefit can result therefrom to others; whereas, if others were benefited, it would mean a great increase in virtue. But because they looked only to what concerned themselves, they disregarded that of others; and for this reason they even find fault with divine Scripture, because it does not use an exquisite and ornate style of composition, but rather a humble and common one. But we, on the contrary, rightly accuse them of self-love, in that, led by a passion for their own glory, they had the least regard for others; but let us exonerate the truly divine Scripture from their charges, saying that it was not studious of its own glory, but rather of the salvation of those who hear it. But if they are so possessed by a love for lofty diction, let them learn that it is better to learn the truth from an uneducated man than falsehood from a sophist. For the former will speak simply and briefly, while the latter often conceals the beauty of the truth with obscurity, and, having adorned the falsehood with fine phrasing, ^D [places] the poison...

in a golden cup. But if the truth is joined with ornate speech, it may indeed benefit the learned, but to all others it will be useless and of no benefit. This is also the reason why the Holy Scripture has set forth the truth in plain language, so that the unlearned, the wise, the children, and the women might all understand it. For from the latter, the wise are not harmed in the least, whereas from the former, the greater part of the inhabited world would have suffered great harm. If, therefore, one had to show regard for anyone, it would especially be for the majority; but since He has shown regard for all, it is clearly demonstrated that He is divine and heavenly.

LXVIII. — TO THEOGNOSTUS THE PRESBYTER

It is not the same thing, my good friend, to command and to permit. For the former is prescribed as something that must be accomplished in every way; as when the law says: "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal," and things of that sort. The latter, however, is conceded for the sake of some dispensation. For the one is ordained, while the other is not forbidden; and I shall prove this from the Scriptures. The Apostles did not preach or legislate circumcision, but they permitted it—not because it must be done, but because ^B there was a need for a wise condescension. For they would not have permitted it, if it were not necessary to exercise a condescending manner toward the weaker ones, as it is fitting that economy be observed. God does not do all things at once, but uses condescension because of His great love for mankind. Thus, He condescends everywhere; and why do you marvel at this? For He does not look to His own worth, but everywhere to what is useful for us. For if a father does not look to his own dignity, but lisps with his young children, and calls food and drink not by their proper names, but by some childish and barbaric lingo, much more so does God. He even reproves us condescendingly through the Prophet, saying: "If the nations shall change their gods..." And everywhere in the Scriptures there is condescension, both in words and in matters. For things are not to be presented to all in the same way, but differently and in varied manners, according to the subject at hand. God, in condescending to the weakness of the Jews, did not allow what He had previously forbidden, nor did He rescind it later. ^{C D}

For he commanded that they be kept, and they kept them in the beginning. And regarding those who were feasting among the unbelievers, Paul said: "If any of the unbelievers invites you, and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you." I do not command you, he says, to go; but if you wish, I do not forbid it. For it is one thing to command, and another not to forbid; the former belongs to legislation, the latter to ^A dispensation.

LXIX. — TO HERON THE PRESBYTER.

Why was "To the Unknown God" inscribed on the altar?

They say there are two reasons why it was inscribed at Athens on the altar: "To the Unknown God." For some say that the Athenians sent Philippides, the courier, to the Lacedaemonians to implore aid when the Persians undertook an expedition against Greece; and that an apparition of Pan met him at Mount Parthenium (as if you were to say, "The Virgin's" Mount), which reproached the Athenians as if they were neglecting him while worshipping other gods, but promised that he would bring them aid (if they were willing to worship him). When, therefore, they had achieved victory, they built an altar ^B and inscribed upon it: "To the Unknown God." But others say that a plague took hold of the city of Athens, and to such a degree did it inflame them that it did not even spare the finest linens. When, therefore, they had worshipped their own gods, who were sanctioned and approved by law, they received no benefit from it. Wherefore, when the thought occurred to them that there might perhaps be some god whom they themselves had (as unknown) left without honor and worship, and who had sent the plague upon them (on account of that contempt for him), they built a temple and an altar, upon which they inscribed: "To the Unknown God." And when they had sacrificed victims to him, they were immediately healed. Having taken these things from their own doctrines, Paul vanquished the Athenians, who were ^C exceedingly proud of their wisdom.

LXX. — TO URSENUPHIUS THE LECTOR.

^A a commander who thirsts to destroy both sides. But it is easy to shift blame, and something anyone can do; to say how we might cease warring against one another, this is the mark of a counselor. I say, therefore, that it happens because we think that wealth and glory and other worldly things, which wither away like grass, are great. For if we had taught ourselves to regard those things as worthless and trivial, as indeed they are, we would not have declared implacable enmities and unremitting wars against one another on their account; but we would have embraced peace and love, through which every war and fight and disagreement is taken away.

LXXI. TO CASSIAN

That God is not the author of evil.

Many who have shone brightly in the beauty of the body have also shone in the beauty of the soul. ^B And if you do not believe me, look at the most chaste Joseph. For since he was handsome in appearance and extremely fair to look upon, as the Scripture testifies about him 46, and the Egyptian woman who was mad for him—yet he shone even more with the virtue of chastity and extinguished the flame ignited by the age of adolescence (for he was not made of stone), and he trampled underfoot the tyrannical force of her seduction. For in my judgment, seduction is more powerful than fear. One must also consider that she who was seducing him was also his mistress, adorned with great care, and inciting the tunic of pleasure; and she was a woman, a formidable orator to bewitch those not on their guard, and an ancient instrument of the devil, through whom he has cast down many brave men. ^C But nevertheless, he was seen to be higher than all these machinations. And if you also wish to see the female sex crowned in this matter, look at the most noble Susanna, who, in a youthful body and in beauty that cannot be expressed in words, rejected and repulsed the lust of the elders 47, and did not lose the treasure of chastity. But if many slander the beautiful and the good, do not be surprised. For first, they seem to slander them because of those who misuse their beauty. Second, because many make it their work to accuse. Third, because many people, since they cannot reach the soul itself...

^B set out to wound the outward adornment. And this is attested—for nothing prevents us from using the same examples again—by Joseph himself, who was slandered by his brothers and by his mistress, and by Susanna, who was condemned by the elders. But the incorruptible Judge crowned both him and her. Therefore, do not attribute the fault to the form, but rather to the base and deformed soul that dwells within the most beautiful body and insults it.

LXXII. TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC.

That good fortune ^B which befalls someone against reason usually proceeds to insolence; but that which comes according to reason often brings forth a good end. Nevertheless, there are some among those who have obtained power beyond reason and their own merit who have borne the breeze of prosperity moderately and thus attained praise; conversely, among those who were born of noble lineage and illustrious parents, some have appeared who turned their honor into insolence. Wherefore, one ought rather to blame the purpose and will of those who use their power and wealth beyond the measure of right reason.

LXXIII. TO BISHOP EUSEBIUS.

The ark, indeed, and the propitiatory—which was the cover of the ark—were an image and type of a man who guards the divine oracles, holds God as merciful, and is guarded by divine powers, as the Psalmist says: ^C "In my heart I have hidden your oracles." For this reason he also said, "In the shadow of your wings you will protect me," just as the cherubim, being among the divine powers, protected both the ark and the propitiatory with their wings. More naturally, however, it clearly indicates signs of Christ, who fulfilled the law and became the propitiation for our sins, who, by fulfilling the law, would thus expiate the sin of the whole world. For God set him forth, as the steward of the Lord's oracles, that Paul, says, as a propitiatory, so that in his own blood he might demonstrate his own righteousness.

^A For He brought in the Only-Begotten as a ransom, so that grace might have a valid reason. For by receiving Him as a sacrifice on behalf of all, and one which surpassed the dignity and value of all, He both dissolved the enmity, and remitted the condemnation, and led us up into the adoption of sons, and adorned us with countless good things. But the Cherubim, being the throne and chariot of God ("For You who sit upon the Cherubim, appear"), signified the One for whom the temple was constructed, because He is inseparable and formless. And these things were placed as a symbol of His kingdom. For since no image crowns the temple—because its Ruler and Creator is beyond all nature and human conception—by means of the throne He represented the Lord of all things. And the manna, and the rod of Aaron which blossomed, signifies—the former, that the guardian of the divine laws shall be a partaker also of divine enjoyment and nourishment; the latter, that those who transgress them, and those who inappropriately leap into the priesthood, shall be brought to their senses. ^B

LXXIV. TO MENAS THE DEACON.

Concerning the captivity of the Jews.

LXXV. — TO ADAMANTINUS. On the same.

If you wish to know with what punishments the wicked Jews, who raged against Christ, were afflicted, take into your hands the history of the destruction written by Josephus—a man who was indeed a Jew, but a lover of truth—so that you may see a divinely-wrought history, such as the whole course of time from the origin of man until now has never witnessed. For so that no one might deny belief to their unbelievable and absurd calamities—as someone from another race might have been suspected (or rather, out of necessity, would have been disbelieved)—Truth prepared and appointed a man of the same race, a devout observer of the ancestral customs, to describe in a tragic style those monstrous sufferings which befell the Jews. ^B

LXXVI. — TO HERON THE PRESBYTER. On the saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed."

The force and gravity of an exposition places what is said as if before one’s very eyes, by employing certain clearer images that strike the vision, and brings to light what was hidden; by reason of which the hearers are held spellbound as if by a lyre, and most of all when the examination is not about things that are customary or beaten paths, but about things hidden from the many, and the wisdom of those who speak is such that it evokes an intense desire and zeal in the hearers to know; for that which is not very familiar has a power to attract. ^C I said these things because you wrote to me: "What is meant by the kingdom of heaven being compared to a grain of mustard seed?" When the word of divine preaching is sown, it is indeed meager, if it be compared with those dogmas which have ever been handed down by those who were famous and celebrated for their reputation for wisdom; and it is announced in the briefest of words, not only for the sake of brevity of speech, but also because of the commonness of its style. But when it is cultivated, it grows and spreads most widely, and is found to be superior to all the discourses that have ever been admired, inasmuch as it is bringing forth truth rather than adorning falsehood. ^D There is nothing greater than truth. Hence it happens that those who boasted in the name of philosophy, having bidden a long farewell to their own dogmas, desire that divine shadow and take refuge in it. For how many Pythagoreans, who had previously been masters of pride and contempt, became disciples of this divine word! How many Platonists, casting down the eyebrow that their pride in eloquent speech had lifted up, settled down under its shadow! How many, finally, were the Aristotelians and Stoics, who, having held cheap the wisdom in which they had prided themselves, were content to be ranked among its subjects!

^A LXXVII. — TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON. On the virtue of Joseph.

The Egyptian woman was in love with the young man, but the young man was in love with chastity. Hence it came about that she, though she hunted him, did not obtain her prey, even though she had spread all the nets of her hunting; but he did obtain his prey, having surmounted all the nets of the other. For on her side fought the enemy, but on his side fought the Lawgiver, and joined Himself as his partner in the contest.

^B LXXVIII. — TO ARSENUPHIUS THE LECTOR. Again on the virtue of Joseph.

I rejoice exceedingly that you delight in the narratives concerning Joseph. For he who praises chaste and temperate men thereby makes it clear that he himself is a lover of chastity. For we are accustomed to praise those kinds of virtue most, toward which we are inclined with the most genuine and sincere love. But you, besides being a lover of chastity, consider also this, I pray you: how virtue is a kind of sovereign thing, even if its practitioner should happen to fall into slavery. For he exercised authority over his brothers in his father's house, because he held their progenitor to be a lover of his own ways. He exercised authority even in his Egyptian slavery, although he had been sold as a bondservant; for he possessed the favor of his purchaser through the decorum of his conduct, which divine grace infused into him. He exercised authority over his mistress, or rather over the pleasure which had regally subjected many young men to itself. He exercised authority even in the prison, although he had been accused of adultery; for he possessed the favor of the chief jailer, who entrusted to him the authority over those who were imprisoned there, to whom, I think, he had been sent thither as a kind of physician for their misfortunes. For how could the cruel and unyielding man, who was accustomed to make profit from the misfortunes of others (for such are almost all jailers), have entrusted the prison to the mildest and meekest man, who derived no profit at all from this, but who rather tended the sorrows of those who had been cast in, whether justly or unjustly, with kind words and gentle exhortations? But here, too, divine grace is manifest, which is wont to crown virtue everywhere. He exercised authority in the palace, when the tyrant of Egypt transformed his tyranny into a royal rule; for he conceded everything to him except the name. He exercised authority over his brothers a second time, when, even while unrecognized as a brother, he was worshipped as a king. He exercised authority even over Egypt; for when it was about to perish from famine, he, the grain-provider of other lands, fed it through divine providence. He exercised authority even over himself in the greatest degree, being lofty in his humility.

^A And while remaining humble among the high, and among the most shameful things, unenslaved and free, he was most ready and accessible in what was proper. For he was puffed up into no wickedness, neither in his father’s house nor in the Egyptian household, seeing himself loved by all; nor did he bring shame upon that woman’s lewdness, having the beauty of that love as an irrefutable witness, and the favor of the master as his ally. And if his master, though the accusation portended death, did not even scourge him but merely cast him into prison, if anyone thinks it was owing to an inability to take revenge, let him consider the philosophical spirit, that not even when he became king did he take revenge. Nor, having been slandered, did he reveal it, nor, when he had fallen into that place and was entrusted with the rule over those there ^B, did he act with pride or trample upon others; but he even lightened the burden of their grief as far as he was able, perhaps out of his own experience—that he had been cast in unjustly—and by reflecting upon their situation. For it is common for all people to form judgments about others based on their own circumstances; especially that man who, everywhere, gave clear proofs of virtue, having been tested like gold in the fire, and having shown the hallmarks of his own character. ^C And what am I to say, even when in his own house? Where even to those not entirely unfeeling such humility and gentleness are born, whether springing from conscience or from the place itself; since he was not put to the test even in his kingship, but even there displayed the same gentleness, feeding the Egyptians, as it were, and offering a rescuing hand to those arriving from various places; and, regarding his brothers, not only did he not take revenge, but he even conferred benefits upon them. O, the power of virtue, that displayed a magnanimous slave and a humble and submissive king! O, the virtue that marked its own proofs everywhere! O, the virtue that was unhumbled in calamities, yet gentle in high position! O, the virtue that was neither defeated by lewdness nor embittered by slander! O, the virtue that, while using royal power for all, used it not tyrannically for pleasure! O, the virtue that, when pressured to recount her own story, did not even blush to tell the truth, so as not ^D to seem to be placing a crown of chastity upon herself! For he neither revealed the treachery of his brothers, nor the love of the Egyptian woman; but he said: “I was stolen away by theft from the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing wrong; but they cast me into this dungeon.” Justly, therefore, the Lawgiver and Prince of chastity warded him with the crown—conspicuous indeed to those of old, but celebrated by those who came after—and showed him to be a magnanimous servant and a humble king. O, the virtue that showed its own signs everywhere! O, the virtue that in calamities showed itself in no way dejected; but in eminence, mild and equal-minded! O, the virtue, and...

that even when it had fallen into the utmost necessity, blushed to recount what had happened to it, and thus to tell the truth, for fear it might appear to wish to place upon its own head the crown owed to chastity! For it neither exposed the treachery of its brothers, nor that it was impudently loved by the Egyptian woman: but it only said this: "I was stolen by theft out of the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing evil; but they cast me into the pit of this dungeon" (Gen. xl, 15). Since these things are so, the legislator and overseer and rewarder of chastity, by right and merit, bestowed upon him in place of a reward a crown, which was conspicuous even to those who lived long before us, and will be famous even to all posterity that is to come.

LXXX. — TO ARSENUPHIUS THE LECTOR.

Concerning the Apostle, "He is a chosen vessel unto me."

"He is a chosen vessel unto me," saith Christ concerning Paul, when He entrusted the apostolic proclamation to him. For He would not have handed over the Church, for which He poured out His own precious blood, to such a teacher rashly, who would not have brought forth virtue and industry equal and respondent to the grace; but neither would He have provided this testimony to him, if He had not seen the promptitude of his soul progressing with equal steps, as it were, with the very greatness of the task. For He wished the proclamation to run everywhere, invigorated not only by words, but also by the manner of those proclaiming it. For ^A signs can even admit of an evil suspicion (as if, forsooth, they were performed by a demon rather than by God). But an upright life stops the mouth of the devil himself. Let those, therefore, who wish to take no care for an upright life, not think that the proclamation was secured by signs alone. For the life of those who were proclaiming it also worked together with the things that were done and said, providing no handle for blame. If, therefore, even now the life of those who instruct were to emulate the apostolic manner of living, perhaps signs might even occur; yet if they were not to occur, it would suffice for the illumination of those who see them ^B and provided no handle for blame. If, therefore, even now the life of the instructors were conformed to the apostolic manner of living, perhaps signs might even occur. But even if they did not occur, it would suffice for the illumination of those who see them, to provide them with an handle. If, therefore, today the life of the doctors were to emulate that apostolic way of living, perhaps miracles might even occur. But if none occurred, it would suffice for the enlightening of the spectators if they possessed at least their life alone.

LXXXI. — TO NEMESIUS THE MAGISTRIAN.

On the text: "All things whatsoever the Lord hath spoken we will do, and we will hearken" (Deut. v, 27). And on the text: "The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit" (I Cor. ii, 14). And on the text: "A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit" (Matth. vii, 18).

You perhaps think the utterance absurd, inasmuch as it was spoken by the Jews, who neither said nor did anything right; ^C but I, because the Lawgiver did not blame them in this, hold that those things which it is necessary to learn and do, these things, by means of the...

practice, we learn; and that is why it is well said: "All that the Lord has spoken, we shall do and we shall hear." For those who are learning something else, quite naturally hear first, and then act; but those who prioritize putting divine commandments into deed and action, learn from the action itself—not so much from the discourse as from the action and work which begets knowledge. For in truth, the practitioner of virtue is trained unto virtue by the very exercise of it, and in a way learns that it is most useful, and most becoming, and most honorable, and most preservative of nature, and beneficially ordained. And let this ^A suffice concerning this matter.

But the phrase, "A bad tree cannot produce good fruit," does not do away with repentance, but rather ridicules the continuation in the habit of vices. For while it is bad, it cannot bear good fruit; but once it has been changed and converted to virtue, it will bear it. For if the discourse of the Savior was about trees (in the natural sense), let your view prevail. But if He is speaking about men, and used them as an example or simile (for what nature is to trees, that choice is to us), let your suspicion be overturned and approach the truth. For what kind of tree does Peter seem to you to be? Good? And how then did he deny (Christ)? Bad? And how does every land and every sea sing of his struggles and trophies? And what kind of tree is Judas? Bad? And how was he deemed worthy of apostolic honor? Good? And how then did he betray (Him)? But if I were to attempt to bring forward all the changes that have happened in men, I would foolishly produce a great abundance of discourse. Wherefore, leaving those examples (of changes) for you to collect from the Holy Scriptures through private study, I shall proceed to the interpretation of the apostolic statement: "The natural man, although at present (in as much as and as long as he remains such) does not perceive the things of the spirit; yet he will certainly perceive them (namely, when he has ceased to be natural)." And again: "He cannot understand." He did not say, "He will not be able." For just as if someone sees iron made red-hot and says, "It cannot be cold," yet it will be able to become cold; so too is the situation with the things that have been said. For one pertains to the present time, the other to the future. ^{B C}

LXXXII. — TO ATHANASIUS.

I for my part consider even this, which you say is absurd, to be the work of a great and singular wisdom. For if everything had been clear and ^D evident, where would we have exercised our understanding, if there were no room for searching? If...

δὲ πάντα ἄδηλα, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπεπτώκειμεν ἄν, μὴ οὔσης εὑρέσεως. Νῦν δὲ διὰ τῶν δήλων, καὶ τὰ ἄδηλα τρόπον τινὰ καταλαμβάνεται. Εἰ δὲ διαφύγοι, καὶ οὕτως ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ τὸ φύσημα ἡμῶν καταστέλλοντα.

LXXXIII. — EULOGIO. De incomprehensibili.

^AThings that are accessible are easily tracked, seeing they require no great effort; things that are difficult to reach, even if they are more laborious, are nonetheless catchable; but things that are unattainable, being in no way capturable, bring hardship to those who dare to go out in pursuit of them; and those who attempt at any time to hunt down a subject that surpasses all hunting, fall short of their goal.

LXXXIV. — LUCIANO.

It is an evil thing to act unjustly; but it is a worse thing to vote unjustly. For the former leaves to the person treated unjustly the hope of assistance; but the latter takes away even this, having confirmed the injustice. Let us not, therefore, act unjustly; nor, if we happen to be chosen as judges, should we vote unjustly.

LXXXV. — TO HERON THE SCHOLASTIC.

You risk, O wise man, being ignorant of what everyone knows; for you have written: "What does it mean, 'They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him'?" That everyone knows this, not only those nurtured in the sacred oracles, but even those who have by no means encountered them, is attested also by Demosthenes, who says: "For all speech, if it has no works present, appears to be something vain and empty." And those legislators from outside do not convict those who are being judged for their devotion on the basis of words, but on the basis of deeds. And Christ has two...

sons of one father—of whom he one, when he heard (the father's command) that he must leave for the vineyard and work there, promised indeed that he would go but did not go, and him he rebuked; the other, however, who had not promised, but nevertheless did the work, him he approved—shows that the judgments of the soul are not estimated better by words than by deeds. For instance, you confess that God exists. You have spoken rightly; for He does indeed exist. But the word is a small thing, if the testimony from deeds is not present. For if, while confessing that God exists, you do the very things that one would do if he were thinking that God does not exist, how will the deed not convict the word, and (how will) your behavior not refute your speech? Therefore, through the things you do, confess that God exists; thus both your speech and your behavior will proclaim this, and those who hear will be persuaded. But if you stand merely at the word, while neglecting to do what is necessary, I do not see how anyone, without your performing what is fitting, will be able to persuade those who hear.

LXXXVI. — TO PAULUS.

You are in danger of being ignorant of the fact that even those heads of the law which seem full of cruelty breathe humanity and gentleness. For that which is provided by the law, that an eye should be put out for an eye, is not cruel or monstrous; but if indeed that meaning which appears at first glance is accepted, it is full of justice; but if the inner meaning is weighed, it is, as I was saying, also filled with humanity. For in order that it might restrain the person who is contemplating doing something iniquitously to another, ^B through the fear of suffering the same thing, and thus restrain wickedness, for this reason it has thus justly and deservedly ordained it.

LXXXVII. — TO PANELLENIUS.

This specific objection too, which you say was put to you by the one who was disputing with you, breathes the highest justice. For because the Egyptians gave no reward to the Hebrews who had served them for a long time, for that reason the source of justice brought it about that this was exacted from them against their will. "Therefore," he says, "let each one ask of his neighbor the loan..."

of silver and gold vessels." ^A For if he had commanded this when they were not serving, perhaps one might have thought it an unjust thing. But if he ordered them to avenge this injury upon those who had stolen their freedom by taking their money, I would say that those [the spoilers of freedom] were not only not treated unjustly, but that they were not even afflicted with a punishment severe or equal enough. For how can the loss of money and the loss of freedom—for the preservation of which those who possess it now are willing not only to sacrifice their properties, but even to shed their blood—be compared with one another?

LXXXVIII. — TO ZOILUS THE PRESBYTER.

Concerning forgetfulness.

Ipse ^B also Paul, that divine man, although he was adorned with spiritual gifts, nonetheless devoted no small effort to reading. For this reason he also wrote to his distinguished pupil: "Attend to reading" (1 Tim. iv, 13). For it is a grievous and bitter thing for him who has tasted of divine wisdom to be deprived of it, not only with no new increase added to his memory, but even with that which he already had being obliterated and fading away through forgetfulness. For this faculty, more than any other, unless it is cultivated every single day, is accustomed to depart, being impatient of laziness, sluggishness, and procrastination. Since many are ignorant of this, and rather nourish their own ignorance, they mock and ridicule lovers of learning and wise men, not knowing that wisdom rejoices most of all in wise disciples.

LXXXIX. — TO PHILITRUS.

On that which is written in the Law: "You shall not pity the poor in judgment" (Exod. xxiii, 3).

^C Chastising both the insatiable greed of those in power and the meddlesomeness of the poor, the lawgiver decreed: "You shall not pity the poor in judgment," not teaching inhumanity, but restraining malice, so that men might not misuse poverty for the sake of meddling. If he forbade pity to be shown in judgment to the pauper, who struggles with the beast that is hard to tame—I mean poverty—with much greater reason did he chastise the insatiable greed of the rich.

XC. — TO ALYPIUS.

Concerning reading (of the Sacred Scriptures), against the pagans. Concerning the grace of the divinely inspired Scriptures, and the utility to be derived from them.

Even for those who, ^D including all things within the bounds of this life, think that they are brought to an end with it, a more tolerable way of life...

is to be pursued—how much more for us, who have fixed our gaze upon eternity as our goal, and who ought to sharpen our understanding day by day from the divine oracles? ^A

XCI. — HARPOCRATION THE SOPHIST. On the same subject.

Varia and manifold are the studies of men, even regarding the different styles of speaking. For some individuals are enamored with ancient Atticism, while others consider clear speech to be superior to Atticism. They say, for instance: "What profit does the study of speaking in the Attic style bring, when the things being said are hidden as if in darkness, and require others to bring them to light?" Other people delight in epic poetry; and some in the gravity of tragedy; others in the clever witticisms of comedy; ^B and yet others are captivated by the elegance of rhetoric. But not even these are in agreement among themselves. For there are those who embrace the sublimity of Plato; there are those who prefer the gravity of Thucydides; there are those who favor the simplicity of Isocrates; and those who prefer the vehemence of Demosthenes. They believe that he has consumed all the arts of speech, and that in gravity, in pointedness, in passion, and in the contentions of debate, he has surpassed all who have ever existed. Again, others love the open and well-trodden style of Lysias; ^C on the other hand, others prefer the oratory of Isaeus, which is indeed more suited to the courts than the diction of Isocrates, though more sublime than that of Lysias; while others approve of the clear and brilliant style of Aeschines. Since, then, the opinions of men are so varied and discordant, I for one cannot say how it could be possible for any writer to please everyone. Therefore, let those who look toward glory write as they please. But the sacred and heavenly oracles, since they were pronounced and written for the utility of the entire human race, are tempered with perspicuity. For from this quality, those who delight in other virtues of speech—though these are very rare—suffer no detriment, since they understand at once the things contained ^D in those oracles; and all who are occupied with agriculture, the crafts, and the other activities of life are greatly aided by that perspicuity, while in a moment of time they learn what is becoming, what is just, and what is useful. For divine instruction has been condensed into such a summary that it has defined whatever each person wishes to be the boundary of virtue. For so it says: "All things that you wish that men should do to you, do you also to them; for this is the law and the prophets." What are the Platonic dialogues, or the Homeric scroll, or the codes of legislators, or the books of Demosthenes, or the tragedies, compared to this virtue, this brevity, and this clarity?

^A Let those who mock the simplicity of the words judge correctly, and they shall cast an uncorrupt vote. How many dialogues did the most learned Plato compose, wishing to demonstrate what justice is, and yet having explained nothing clearly, nor having persuaded anyone, he even died having fallen away from liberty itself? How many did Aristotle compose, opposing Plato and mocking his dogmas as if in a comedy? But not even he profited anything, except to stir up a battle of words for human life. How many did the Stoics compose, arming themselves against Aristotle? But the dogmas of these also have been extinguished. Let those who are deemed wise, therefore, compare the clarity of the divine oracles with their own, and let them cease from talking nonsense, and let them accept the divine diction of the oracles, which looked not to ambition, but to the benefit of the hearers. ^B

XCII. TO PETER

Do not, my friend, fight with shadows; nor, while you stir up contentions about trivial matters, harm yourself in the greatest and most crucial ones; nor, finally, emulate those who swallow the camel and strain out the gnat.

XCIII. TO DANIEL THE PRESBYTER

On the text, "Blessed are you when men shall reproach you," and what follows.

Primarily, indeed, all reproaches do not occur for the sake of Christ, but there are times when they occur because of us ourselves, either when we are acting unjustly or doing something else. There are times, however, when they do occur for His sake; yet they are true, and not fabricated. The highest standard of blessedness and glory therefore requires two things: ^C both that the reproaches be false, and that they happen for His sake. But if the one is absent, the other will not indeed be taken away, nor will it be idle (for that would be absurd); yet it will not attain to the highest blessedness. For if we are reviled for the sake of Christ, but the reproaches are true, the reward is curtailed. If, however, they are not for the sake of Christ, but what is cast against us is false, then again the reward will not be the highest. For each has its reward, but not as much as if both were joined together. And the one saying, "For my sake," does not imply that he thinks humble things of himself, ^D

nor altogether mediocre things, and things possessing the dignity of a creature. For it is a matter worthy of contempt, in all such things, not to set before one’s self God as the goal, but to do such things for their own sakes, as if they were worthy of earnest concern because of the greatest struggles and extreme dangers. ^A

XCIV. TO HELIAS THE DEACON

On the saying: "Therefore do not judge before the time."

I know some who, because of a desire for some other luxurious pleasure, strive after temperance; others, who by an inherent power of nature incline their thoughts toward that side. And some who call upon the Divine for the sake of obtaining an abundance of things and prosperity; others who cultivate holiness for the sake of piety alone. And some who, although they are intent upon injustice, nevertheless draw justice over their iniquity like a veil; others who have made reason the leader of their inclination and propensity toward justice. If, therefore, I, being a worthless man and slow to perceive, have been able to understand that many mortals have not fixed the roots of virtue in virtue itself, but, looking toward some other thing, have honored what is good; shall that ineffable wisdom, that unspeakable intelligence, which knows all things before they come to be, endure to bring forth judgments from the branches alone, while the root is disposed in the contrary manner? ^B I do not think so; but bringing both the roots and the first-fruits of the fruits, and the impulses and motions and inclinations of souls to an accurate examination, it will render a judgment according to its own incorruptible discernment. I think the apostolic passage proposed by you, "Therefore do not judge before the time," has now been sufficiently explained. It is clear that it concerns either matters that are obscure and not easily investigated, or matters of indifferent things, for example, foods, concerning which he also spent many words when writing to the Romans. For concerning manifest things, (Paul) both judged and commanded us to judge, and cast out, and ordered to be cast out of the Church. But concerning obscure things, he exhorted us to wait until the Lord comes. For it is absurd to snatch away the dignity of the Judge, and to pass judgment rashly, and not to entrust it to the rule of truth. ^C

XCV. — TO PAUL THE PRESBYTER.

Although, as you have written, there is a certain person who stimulates his soul to madness with the desire for the things of others, being resolved not only to act unjustly and to defraud others, but also—in defense of his deed—to speak nonsense; it is written: "Why do you not rather suffer wrong?" Let him hear, if he has ears and if greed has not blocked them, that even if this is written for me, it is not written for you to defraud. Therefore, do not let this apostolic exhortation become for you a pretext for greed; nor let it be that, because he exhorted me to suffer being defrauded, you should imagine that a place has been given to you to act unjustly. For to me the suffering of wrong brings salvation, but to you the defrauding brings punishment.

XCVI. — TO MARCIAN THE PRESBYTER.

The tetrarch (Herod) committed not a few, nor small, but many and great crimes. For he was an ignoble offspring of a cruel lion. For just as if fearing that he might be thought a bastard and not the true son of his own father—I mean him who killed the infants in Bethlehem—he wove such a tragedy that he almost vied with his own father in the atrocity of his crimes. And in my opinion, he was called "tetrarch" for this reason too—not only because he held a fourth part of his paternal kingdom, but because he was ruled by four general and principal forms of vice. ^C First, he takes Herodias unlawfully. Then, being rebuked by the Baptist, when he ought to have been corrected, he casts into prison not a man who was sinning or acting unjustly, but one who was reproving iniquity. Furthermore, when he wanted to kill him, he fears the crowd, yet he had not feared that incorruptible eye. Then, thoughtlessly and indeterminately, he swears to the daughter of her who had arranged the drama, and who thought to secure the rewards worthy of her marriage, that he would provide whatever she might ask—yet he did not specify that he would give whatever was right and just; but he possessed a mind so unconsidered that he even promised half of his kingdom, not reflecting that it is more grievous to fall from justice than from a kingdom. Then, under the pretext of an oath, he surpasses all perjury.

For in those matters which possess the atrocity of a crime, it is better to break a bad promise than, by appearing to keep it, to seem to be keeping one’s oath. It was, however, a kind of veil of fear with which he was impeded. For just as a wicked servant, fearing his master’s rebuke, so too did this man fear the Baptist. For a true master is he who performs and commands what is necessary, not he who wears purple and possesses the strength of arms. Since, therefore, he had cast the religion of an oath as a sort of veil over his fear, and had strengthened his own base resolve against the danger that he imagined would arise if he seemed to violate his oath, he proceeded to the murder. He did not propose any form or noise of a court, as many have done in a similar case; he neither appointed accusers, nor hired or suborned witnesses. For he knew that he was not punishing a man who acted unjustly, but one who denounced injustice. But he, indeed, in order to hide the rebuke, committed that crime rashly and without any judgment. John, however, did not remain silent, but proclaims it much more clearly. For even today, throughout the whole world, wherever the sun shines, he cries out: ^B “It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother Philip.” But since you wish to know the cause (for it is said to be manifold): some say that he had profaned the law of Moses. For when his brother had seed (or offspring), he took his wife; which was not allowed. For if a brother had died without children, the law permitted his brother to take his wife until he had raised up seed to the deceased; because childlessness was held to be the greatest evil, as through it the memory of the dead was entirely abolished. But how did the daughter also, having left her own father, live with the adulterer and the adulteress, and strive to destroy the word spoken about her father? For let it be granted that the mother was intoxicated with the desire and lust of the adulterer: in what way did the daughter also aid in the crime? Others, however (of whom Josephus is one), say that while the husband was still alive, and he had a daughter, Herod took his wife. Josephus therefore says, in the eighteenth book of his history, that after Salomé was born, Herodias, in confusion of ancestral customs, married Herod, who was at variance with his own brother, whom someone might encounter, saying: “How then did John rebuke him not as an adulterer, but as one who had married ^C unlawfully?” To this, one can respond by saying: “Perhaps she had been separated by a letter of divorce.” But he will again respond: “How then does John call that which is permitted by the law unlawful?” For the teaching of the Gospel was not yet given, which declares such a union to be adultery. Others say that having killed his brother out of desire for the kingdom, he also took away his wife (for he had long desired her). ^D

^A To those then, a ready refutation can be opposed. How is it, then, that the Baptist did not reproach him for the murder? For that seems so much more grievous, even as fratricide is more heinous than mere murder. Whether, then, the rebuke had the first reason—as I for my part think—or the second, or the third, let the brave and noble man who rebuked him and died for his defense of divine laws be praised. But if someone should say, "Why then was he permitted to suffer this?" I would reply that he himself was harmed in no way. For if it is absolutely necessary to depart from this life, he who has departed by a glorious and splendid death must be considered more blessed than others. ^B Furthermore, the divine goodness grants to those who sin a time for repentance. But if they do not repent even then, it will appoint more severe punishments for them. For, as some say, wickedness, reigning in the world, opposes the good, constantly stirring within itself to seize the lead and float on top. This is the reason why a base man wars against and opposes an excellent man, but he is quickly and easily caught. For, so that I may clarify with one example everything that is manifest by itself: the soldiers and champions of injustice (the Jews) opposed the King of justice (Christ) when He appeared on earth. But they were so completely caught and destroyed that while He is celebrated and sung throughout the whole world, they, who considered His life to be idle and worthless, succumbed by every calculation and vote.

XCVII. TO MARTIAN THE PRESBYTER.

Since you have inquired by letter for what reason Christ, as He was going or being led to the cross, rebuked the women who were lamenting Him (for you said that, even if the matter involved a certain ignorance, it was certainly a sign of singular benevolence); I reply: Because the passion was not happening to Him against His will or contrary to His intent, for that reason they seemed to be doing Him a certain injury by grieving for His situation. For to grieve for the situation of one to whom that which he suffers does not happen contrary to or against his will is not a thing pleasant or acceptable to him.

[*] Luke XXIII, 28.

^A

XCVIII. TO NILAMMON THE MONK

Since you have asked me by letter: if Christ had to suffer, what was the reason that those who crucified him paid penalties? I answer that those words, "It behoved him to suffer," indicate the voluntary impulse toward the passion and the divine dispensation, but they offer no defense or excuse to those who were the agents of this tragedy. For the treacherous machinations of wicked men did not harmonize with the divine will. They strove to undo that which God had ordained. Therefore, to those impious men, their action was [an act of] impiety; but to God, it was a wise management and a liberation for mankind, while He turned their malice to the benefit of the human race and used the flesh of the viper as a preparation for the remedy that wards off bane. ^B

XCIX. TO EUDÆMON THE PRESBYTER

Since there are those among men, as you have written, who do not even claim that there is a God—who have surpassed all in impiety; and others who say that God exists, but that He exercises no providence; and others, that He exercises providence indeed, but only of heavenly matters; while others [say] that He exercises it of earthly matters as well, but not of all, only of kings and princes; and others [say] of all things (for His providence extends even to the ants), yet they refuse to adore the consubstantial Trinity; and some define all things as being driven by blind and rash chance, while others contend that all things happen by fate; and some think that God gave the law only through Moses, while others attribute it to an opposing power; and some [hold] that the Word born of God did not come in the flesh; others that He did come, but only in appearance and like a specter; others have taught the confusion, mixture, and abolition of the natures; ^C others that He existed in a man; and some have defined Him as lesser than the Father; others as a creature; and some do not acknowledge the divine Spirit to be God, but call Him merely a ministering and sanctifying [power]—we must not follow the judgments of those who are sick, but rather the judgment of those who are healthy.

^A We must adhere to the holy synod which was held at Nicaea, neither adding anything to it, nor taking anything away. For that [synod], inspired by God, set forth the truth of the dogmas.

TO ISIDORE THE DEACON

TO MARTYRIUS THE PRESBYTER

^A of his language. He did not say: "He delivered them to be filled," but that He left them already filled and abandoned them: just as if a good shepherd were to drive off sheep that had been seized by a pestilential disease outside of the flock, and in a way deliver them to the wolves, not by casting them into the jaws of the wolves, but by stripping them of his own care and protection. The word "delivered," therefore, has this meaning. Now, the "spirit of compunction" ^B means being stunned and wounded. For "to prick" (νύττειν) is to wound and to strike, according to the passage: "They pierced (ἐνύξαν) the side of Christ with a lance." Since, therefore, to strike is the same as to prick, it is rightly said that one is wounded and pricked (κατανυγῆναι). Then, interpreting the word "he pricked" (κατένυξεν) himself, meaning that he stunned (κατέπληξεν), he said: "Eyes, that they may not see, and ears, that they may not hear." For this is what usually happens to those who are stunned. For since the mind is agitated, the senses abnegate ^C their own functions. That this is what it signifies, listen to the Scripture saying: "Blessed is he who is not pricked in the sorrow of sin." And yet, "sorrow according to God produces repentance for salvation, not to be repented of." What, then, does it mean? If we were to say, as some think, that he who has not even sinned at all is proclaimed blessed here, perhaps no one would enjoy this beatitude. For we are all subject to penalties. For who will boast ^D that he has a pure heart? Or who will speak freely that he is clean from sin? But if we say that he blesses not him who has not sorrowed, but him who has not been stunned by sorrow, and has not betrayed his own salvation—as happened to Judas, who took his own life by hanging (which even the blessed Paul, fearing lest it should happen to him who had committed fornication among the Corinthians, instructed that he should be welcomed after he had repented, lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive sorrow)—then perhaps we shall touch upon the true meaning of the saying. But if compunction also occurs for a good reason, let no one wonder; for there also it interprets wounding for good things, as also the soul that loved divine love cried out: "For I am wounded by love." It should be known, however, that not always do the same names or words represent the same meaning. For the Psalmist also said: "That my glory may sing to thee, and I may not be pricked," which, I think, signifies the "[to] not be pricked"

^A or to be turned away from the point of no longer singing. But he added: "O Lord my God, I will confess to thee forever." And those around Simeon and Levi also, after the modesty of their sister had been violated, were pricked—that is, they were struck with amazement and wounded by zeal; and thus they fell into an intractable wrath, so that not only did they deceitfully slaughter the perpetrator of the injury himself, Shechem, but they also slaughtered his entire city, down to the first age of puberty.

112. TO PHILETUS

^B Since you have written: "If Paul advised, 'But do you wish not to fear the authority? Do good, and you will have praise from it,' how, a little later, does he say: 'Render to whom [you owe] fear, fear'?" ^C I assume that if some do not wish this to be said concerning God (for it is written: "Honor the Lord, and you will be powerful; but besides him, fear no other"), then he said the former because the lover of virtue would escape that fear caused by the sword which hangs over evildoers, and would obtain the praise of the ruler; but he mentioned this latter one because a certain fear is indeed owed to magistrates—a fear owed ^D out of the reverence and honor due to them when we have dealings with them. For neither is he who gives himself to virtue exempt from the manifestation of such (if I may so speak) reverential fear; it does not harm him in any way, but rather declares him more venerable and illustrious. For it is right to yield [to the magistrate] with all one's might in those matters in which neither piety nor virtue suffers any detriment; nay, it is even demonstrated to be more excellent and distinguished by the moderation of its practitioners.

113. TO EPIMACHUS THE LECTOR

On that text: "You are the body of Christ."

Since you have written, "What is the meaning of 'You are the body of Christ, and members in part'?" I believe that since those everywhere under the sun ^D constitute the body of Christ, and the Corinthians were a part of this body, for this reason he said, "In part"—as if to say, "The Church among you is a member of the Church spread everywhere throughout the world." Wherefore it would be right that you should cultivate harmony, not only among yourselves (for you were fostering discords), but also with all those living throughout the inhabited world who are your associates in faith, with all discord relegated far away.

CIV. — TO HIERAX THE DEACON

CV. — TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN

CVI. — TO EPIMACHUS THE LECTOR

^A reward, I reply that this was done justly. For because the difference between them was not caused by the sloth of the one or the industry of the other, but by the quantity of the deposit—which was diverse, and which the master gave in accordance with the strength of those who exercised it—for this reason, by right and merit, the same praise is attributed to both, even though the proceeds of the profit were not the same.

CVII. — TO THEODOSIUS.

Since you thought that the saying concerning the earth, "It shall not be moved for ever and ever," taken together with that other saying, "Who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble" (Ps. CIII, 32), signified something contradictory, you should know that the earth will indeed be shaken, yet it will not be moved. It will be shaken so that it may show its fear (whereby it dreads the Creator), but it will not be moved, so that it may show the limit which is fixed and stable. By the trembling, it confesses its servitude (whereby it is subject to God); by its stability and its firmness, by which it is not removed from its own station, it indicates the divine limit.

CVIII. — TO NILO.

Since this marks ^B a stronger and more skillful athlete—when, though held at first by the grips of adversaries, he casts them off and defeats them at the very arena—for this reason, Christ also took up the battle against the demons through the cross, so that he might triumph over them with much more glorious trophies. And this is exactly what you wished to learn: "Having divested himself of the principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in himself." For in very truth the demons were triumphed over, defeated by the athlete who was transfixed by nails through his hands and feet. In very truth, the devil was put to shame, defeated by one flesh hanging upon the cross, and he yielded.

CIX. — TO FIDELIS THE DEACON.

Since you have written asking for what reason, after it had been written, "He who enters into a married woman shall not be innocent," it was said furthermore, "Neither shall everyone who touches her," I ^D reply that Solomon used the word "entering" to signify sexual intercourse, according to that which was said by Sarah to Abraham: "Enter unto my handmaid"

to Abraham: "Go in to my maid-servant, and bear children from her." Concerning kissing or touching, although when compared with intercourse these do not appear to be sins, yet in the judgment of Truth they must deservedly be considered a kind of failing. For if a curious gaze has been judged to be ^B adultery (by Christ), touching will certainly be judged as adultery much the more. For just as in painted images color allures the spectators more than bare outlines, so also with bodies it has come about that touch possesses a greater power of stimulation than sight. If, therefore, sight, however subtler and purer a sense it may be, has been condemned, then not underservedly has touch—as a coarser and more impure sense—been prohibited.

CX. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS.

Since you asked by letter what is meant by what is written by Ezekiel: "And they shall be on the mountains like meditating doves"; I reply that, although its interpretation requires many words, nevertheless I will explain it as concisely as I can. The prophet’s discourse was about those who, so that they might be safe from the invasion of the Babylonian (king), had fled into the mountains: these, he says, although they might seem to have escaped the enemy, nevertheless would not escape the judgment of divine justice. For when, dwelling in solitary places, they think themselves to be established beyond every throw of a weapon, then they will pursue the destruction of their ^C wives and children and other relatives with perpetual groans and lamentations. Under the image of doves, moreover, he set before the eyes the most bitter torment of souls. For those who cry out and carry the anguish of their spirit to their neighbors receive no small solace and relief for their pain. For in a certain way evils become lighter by being recounted (those things which torment us). But those who, either through fear or for some other reason, wrap their calamities in silence and hide them, but indicate their torment only by a sigh, they experience an intolerable invasion of evil, insofar as it does not incline toward healing, but rather looks to growth and intensification. Since, therefore, he wished to indicate the magnitude of the punishment, and not this alone but also a most vehement and bitter fear—inasmuch as we do not even dare to cry out, with the suspicion of a hostile impression always haunting us and presented to our mind as if in sleep—he used such an image.

CXI.— TO LAMPETIUS THE DEACON.

It is of the greatest concern ^D to God the Word that men be reconciled among themselves. For He who reconciled things heavenly with things earthly, He also...

dissolves enmities, neither permitting them to grow, and if they happen to have germinated, He shakes them off from their roots and tears them out. For He says: "Be not angry with thy brother rashly" (Matt. v, 22). ^A Since, however, He knows that human nature is prone to slip, and that even after the deed is done He dissolves the roots, and that He does not endure for His own gift to remain unfulfilled until we have reached an agreement among ourselves; the saying therefore possesses the highest degree of philanthropy, and yet it is not devoid of just reasoning. For you, He says, seek philanthropy; but the one who has been injured seeks justice. You call for the merciful One, but he calls for the just One. You ask for forgiveness, but he, not having been helped, cries out in protest. ^B Stop him from crying out justly, and you will not be deprived of my favor; reconcile to yourself the one who has been injured, and then entreat me to be reconciled with you. I do not sell the right of another’s vengeance for a gift. I do not debase the impartial tribunal; I do not share with you, the offender, my favor, as long as the one who has been injured laments against you. That which I grant you is not a small thing, but one that is very great indeed: I defer the examination; I do not immediately deliver a definitive sentence. I grant you time to make amends to the one who has been injured.

CXII. TO ORION.

^A a common reading linked to "abstaining," he separated it into the opposite category. For they were not forbidding [us] to abstain. It was necessary to say: "Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods." If, then, that admirable man also ^B sustained this elsewhere, let this be granted as well. For there must be no contention [(58)]. But see whether, perhaps, the error has occurred concerning one letter or one stroke: "Forbidding to marry, to abstain from foods" — or rather "Forbidding to marry and to partake of foods." But the Church, just as it deems marriage honorable, so too does it not abominate foods; nor does it command that we abstain [from them], but it assigns a middle ground [(6)] to both marriage and foods. For the one who enjoys them with moderation is not to be blamed; the one who finds fault with them, however, has taken up his dwelling outside the sacred precincts [(59)].

That frequently one letter, whether transformed, omitted, or added, disturbs the meaning of what is being said, is evident from the passage appearing in the Acts of the Apostles: "If, then, the Spirit spoke to him, or an angel." And the reference [(9)] to the Epistle to the Hebrews [(60)].

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(58) *There must be no contention.* I think "in the middle" is missing here; for this commandment is golden, and especially necessary for the human race, whose nature is prone to disagreement and the fostering of contention. But prudence, piety, and Christian moderation and charity command that these be cut off. Ritt.

(59) *Has taken up his dwelling outside the sacred precincts.* It signifies by the appellation of the sacred precincts the Church of Christ, from which those who find fault with the moderate enjoyment of both marriage and foods are excluded, he says. The doctrine is clearly apostolic. Id.

(60) *And the reference to the Epistle to the Hebrews.* See above, taken from the passage mentioned. Id.

(b) *A common reading linked to "abstaining."* For these [words] the editor added the word "forbidding" to "abstaining," [so as to read] "forbidden to abstain." The written reading is more perspicuous. He subjoins: "For they were not forbidding to abstain, but to partake," etc.

(c) *He sustained this.* In the Vatican codex it is "he sustained."

(d) *Concerning one letter, or one stroke.* He looked to that saying of Christ, Matt. v, 18: "One iota, one apex, will not pass from the law."

(e) *To partake of foods.* The Vatican codex adds: "...and to partake of foods, but the Church, etc."

(f) *But a middle ground.* In that same [codex] it was written "greatest," but I change nothing. Soon after, for "unblamed" [I read] "blameless," ibid.

(g) *And the reference to the Epistle to the Hebrews.* That is, "or if it is [truly the case]," namely, "or the Spirit spoke to him, or an angel."

^A For if it is because of the Levitical priesthood that there was a completion," I say, and the sense is broken off, and it is constructed contrary to the apostolic mind, and [also] the phrase "true yoke-fellow," is [used in the sense of] "truly," with the iota letter added—or written, but not pronounced—so too in the Proverbs: "Tandem obambulabit nudior pistillo" [At length he will walk about more naked than a pestle]; if "pestle" is the name, for he did not say "naked" or "most naked," as if it were a pestle, which, whether it means the pestle or the upper story, he ought to have said, but "more naked" ^B (61). And that to the Psalm, "It shall be to a breeze [in auram]," as it is said, that is, it was changed into a mild and spring-like state, "It shall be to a breeze." And again, "The Lord will inhabit the flood [κατοικιεῖ], and will settle [καθιεῖται]"; that is, he will appease, and the flood will be appeased. He did not say "he will inhabit" [κατοικίσει], as some think, but "he will inhabit" [κατοικιεῖ], as in [the passage] "He makes the barren woman dwell [κατοικίζει] in a house"; and [the passage] "The Lord makes the solitary dwell [κατοικίζει] in a house"; and [the passage] "For You, O Lord, have made me dwell [κατῴκισάς] in hope alone"; for it is one thing ^C to inhabit, and another to dwell. Some, perhaps not understanding this, wrote, "And the Lord will settle," instead of "will inhabit."

[alt-version omitted]

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

Chiliastes placed [this note] in book 4, century 7, page 48 and 49, praising no author for the saying. But in Chiliad 3, century 6, adage 21, "More useless than a pestle," from a certain epistle of St. Jerome. In the Greek and Latin proverbs published by us, Zenobius from Philemon, century 6, adage 25. [It is in] Michael [Glykas], Apostolius, and Hesychius; Suidas has it in both ways. It is usually applied when someone stirs [something] up, but accomplishes nothing. Read Apostolius, recently published, century 19, adage 95, 96, 97. In Diogenianus’s *Collectanea*, century 4, ad. 33, "The pestle grows." In the Vatican appendix, century 5, adage 51, [there is] such a one: "You decorate the pot." Moreover, it has been observed that it is said in the masculine and neuter gender by Lucian, Suidas, Pollux, and Phavorinus; likewise by Clement of Alexandria, and Theodoret, bishop of Cyrrhus, in book 6 and 7 of his *Therapeutics*. Thus, it may be found expressed in either gender.

Sextus, from the Psalmist, [notes] the passage from Psalm 106, 29: "And he established his storm into a breeze, and its waves were silent." The LXX have it, and they translate from the Hebrew, "He established the storm into tranquility." But Symmachus [is] thus:... Aquila indeed [mentions the] "breeze." But "breeze" [aura] is even with the Latins a lighter wind, and the opposite of a whirlwind, whereas, as Hesychius says, it explains a mild and tender constitution. And so I suspect that Isidore, looking to that place of the Royal Psalmist, wrote, "he established into a breeze."

Seventh, [concerning] the other [passage] from Psalm 28, 10. The passage is in the word "will inhabit" [κατοικιεῖ], and after it there seems to be a punctuation mark: "and will be separated": which may be [an acrostic] (for thus the Vatican codex of Isidore reads, instead of fourfold in [Psalm] 118, which is octonaric, as in the whole alphabet series in Psalm 118, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way," and as in the 31st chapter of Solomon's Proverbs concerning the strong woman: and in the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the mournful lament of Job). There are variants here in the writing, both in the Roman and the Bavarian codex, [differing] from the beginning, "the flood will be appeased," [meaning] it will be stilled and softened.

(h) Some books [have] "above" even for that future [case]. Symmachus rendered it, and the Hebrew; Aquila indeed [mentions]... But here it is better to read that the examples brought from Psalm 118 and 67, 7, as well as Psalm 28, 10, from which the tenses are borrowed. Here, where Aquila from the Hebrew rendered [it] as "by himself in confidence he will settle me." The same [author] renders that of Psalm 67, 4 thus... Symmachus, [and] the Vatican codex of Isidore adds this more fully than the Bavarian codex: "Some perhaps through ignorance wrote" (in the printed copies are [words] which later were missing in the edition, whereby all things are plain and clear. One must therefore punctuate, as I said, before that word in the final Psalm 28, 10 and 11, which is repeated four times [as an] acrostic).

Eighth, the place of sacred Scripture is from the Song of Songs, ch. 2, 7, where the Vulgata contains the old edition: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the hinds of the field, that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, until she please." But here and in the ms. [it is]... (in the edition it is "to be stirred up"). The published [text]... He adds then, "instead of allowing the love to fly up to the height, as much as she should wish." ... [The note ends with a discussion of the Greek word ἀγάπησις and the conjecture regarding the text.]

love." ^B It would have been necessary to add, "If you should wake, this will happen," and not leave it hanging. But, that I may not lengthen the letter beyond what is necessary, having said these things—which not only do not damage the sense of the Scriptures but establish it, declaring it firm and solid, and dissipating and dissolving the obscurity that seemed to surround it—I will put an end here, if I first entreat the readers to attend to these things which I have brought forward, with all desire for contention and contradiction removed; and if they have been spoken rightly, let them give thanks to God; but if not, let them grant pardon to the writer, who has defined nothing stubbornly, but has left the liberty of calculation and judgment to those who read.

CXIII. TO URANIUS THE DEACON.

On that saying of Paul, "For a testament is firm in the case of the dead."

Since you have written, thinking that Paul has turned to a meaning contrary to the one mentioned before, asking what it is that he says: "For a testament is firm in the case of the dead; since it is not the case that it is valid while he who bequeathed it lives," I write back that the small particle "not" (μή ποτε) which is read there in the Greek text, signifies the same as "then" (τότε), with perhaps one stroke of a letter having been added by some out of ignorance; for thus I have found it even in ancient copies. For it is not to be thought regarding Paul, that he, adorned with the divine Spirit and considered to be a Hermes, would have turned to the contrary view. ^D Since "it is not the case that it is valid while the testator lives, but after death it is confirmed."

If the common reading *mē pote* be retained, the accent must be moved to the syllable *mē*, but to *pote*, so that it may be the same as *mēdamōs*, which is to say, "in no way."

CXIV. — TO HERON THE PRESBYTER

^A Even if all virtues are desirable to those who are not estranged from the love of honorable things, yet some people have been inclined more toward some of them. For some have honored temperance, others justice, others prudence, others courage, and others other virtues by preference—not that they were abandoned by the rest, but because they became more recognizable from these. For example (if we may bring one, a second, or a third into our discussion), Joseph is said to have been most temperate and chaste, although he exercised many other virtues; Abraham, hospitable and faithful, although he abounded in many other good things; Job, courageous, although he traversed every virtue. For from that which exerts the ^B greatest power, the name prevailed for each. That these things are so, we shall observe by the rule of truth, I mean the divine Scriptures. What then does it say? "As faces are not similar to faces, so neither are the hearts of men." O the wonder! The same is present...

^A in all, and in such a multitude of persons there is such a difference ^B that the recognition of them is free from confusion to those who see them. For even if at some time a similarity appears to exist in some, yet something will certainly be found that distinguishes them. For even if many have good eyes, yet there is a difference even in these. For some 71 are found to be grey-eyed, others have eyes like wine, others are black-eyed, and others are even light-eyed. But there is also a distinctiveness in their hair; and if they have a flat nose, yet not all in the same way; but one has this feature, another that, more beautifully; and one is fair, another dark; and there is certainly something that causes a distinction. For not everything can be expressed in words. So also are the hearts of men. For the same things do not please everyone, but some things please some, and other things others. And even those who are lovers of the same things are not affected in the same way toward the objects of their love; but some desire greater things, others 73 more moderate ones. How many are sober! ^C But not in the same way. For some have embraced virginity, others continence, and others honorable marriage. How many are merciful! But they differ among themselves. How many are just! But they vary. It is possible to see the same thing not only in virtues, but also in vices. How many are most vile! But they are known by a distinction. How many are lustful! But not all have fallen by the same things. But if they happen to fall by the same things, yet not all are affected in the same way; but some delight in pleasures according to nature, others in pleasures abhorrent to nature. Some indeed sin and lust against the legitimate nature; others even treat the rear part of the body with contumely. Some are apprehensive ^D and timid; others are bold and overconfident. Some are tenacious and stingy; others are profligate and spendthrifts. Some cannot even bear to hear a sharp word; others, on the contrary, are those who do not even shudder at punishments. Some are flatterers; others desire to be flattered. Some delight in drunkenness, others in spectacles; some in songs, others in lamentations. Some practice robbery in the deserts, others in the cities. Some breathe and desire slaughter; others cannot even bear to look at a slaughtered brute animal with a calm mind. Some are slothful, others are ferocious. But if I should attempt to enumerate all the sins of men, not even if I wished to, would I be able to find an end and cease. Wherefore, having venerated the sacred and divine Scriptures, I shall here bring this to an end.

EPISODE 115. TO EPIPHANIUS

^A Regarding that which was written in comparison concerning adultery and theft: "If anyone is caught stealing."

You seem to be unaware that the mark of comparison is applied to things of the same kind, not to things of a different kind—not to thrust those being compared into the opposite order, but to indicate a lower or more excellent condition. For just as in faults and lapses, one thing is evil, another worse, and another worst (for theft is evil, but fornication is worse, and adultery is the worst), so also in virtues and right actions, one thing is good, another better, and another best. Regarding this, marriage is good, but continence is better, and virginity is best. That which is less than the best, therefore, is not thrust into the opposite rank, but remains in the same rank, albeit a lesser one. For no one of sound mind would compare fornication with virginity, but rather with continence and honorable marriage. And Scripture as well, in making a comparison of theft and adultery, said: "It is no wonder if anyone is caught stealing, for he steals to satisfy a hungering soul. But the adulterer, through lack of understanding, procures destruction for his own soul." For it did not say this because it was granting pardon to the thief and absolving him of the charges; rather, by comparing theft to adultery, which is the worst of crimes, it declared it to be milder and lighter, especially when it is produced by poverty.

EPISODE 116. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON

^C Concerning Lazarus and the rich man.

You seem to be perturbed because you heard that in this world Lazarus received the repayment for his faults, and the rich man the rewards for those things he had rightly done. But if you had paid attention to what was said, this would not have happened to you. For the fact that it does not say "you received," but "you have received back" (for the former signifies a gift, while the latter signifies a ^D retribution), clarifies and guarantees the whole meaning, which we have stated. And that not only those who have attained the highest pinnacle of virtue have some human failing (for only the Divine is without sin), but also that those who have fallen into the depths of vice have some right action, the holy Scripture also testifies, saying concerning the former class of men: "Who shall boast to have a clean heart? Or who shall freely say that he is pure from sins?" concerning the latter, however, it speaks of that judge of iniquity, who neither fears God nor regards man, yet he did something good, having shown mercy to the widow who was constantly coming to him, and having vindicated those who were being wronged. If, therefore, even in the very best...

something is found worthy of censure, and conversely there is also some virtue in those who are the very worst, why do you marvel if, having departed this life, both have been dissolved, the one devoid of sins, but the other devoid of virtues? For which reason the one received pure joy, while the other endured punishment completely bereft of solace. ^D

CXVII. — TO VALENTIANUS THE PRESBYTER.

You seem to me not to approve of those who encourage readers (of the Holy Scriptures) toward contemplation and the study of searching out allegories. For, as you were saying, since they deem themselves wiser than the Scriptures, and transform the divine oracles into whatever figures they please, they lead their hearers astray in many ways. But I would neither blame those, if they promise to find something wise and learned, nor would I force you, against your will, to treat of allegories, but I shall gird myself for a direct defense. For you asked: Why did the Lawgiver decree that lepers and those suffering from other involuntary diseases be excluded and kept far from the sacred assemblies? ^B Listen, then, briefly and concisely, keeping your mind attentive (for it is not right to divulge the mysteries of nature, which she herself willed to be hidden). Therefore, he provided for this so that he might restrain the licentiousness of parents, ^C and place reins upon their pleasures, and set measures and limits to conjugal intercourse. For because many, even when it is forbidden, come together in union, and from untimely intercourse impure and deformed bodies are born (of children), he employed care and caution lest this happen. Now, that this matter brings the greatest punishment not so much to those who are born therefrom as to the parents themselves, no one, as I suppose, is unaware. For even if this matter perhaps does not seem to contain any punishment at all to some, because custom destroys the opinion of punishment, nevertheless almost all parents to whom this happens endure incurable torment and the greatest agonies of soul, when they see their children, whom (as the common prayer of parents goes) they hoped would be better than themselves, barred and excluded from sacred gatherings. And for the children, this makes the calamity lighter, because they have brought this evil upon themselves through no fault of their own, but have fallen into it without their will; but for the parents, ^D and for those tortured by the greatest anguish of soul, while they see their children—whom they wished to be better than themselves—excluded from sacred assemblies. And for the former, the fact that the affliction is involuntary makes the calamity easier to bear; but for the latter, the consciousness that it is a mark of their own incontinence makes the pain unbearable.

CXVIII. — ALYPIO.

On the text, "And to give a cup of cold water."

You seem to me to be deceiving yourself (which is indeed most easy) and also to be interpreting the Holy Scriptures falsely and incorrectly. For the command "to give a cup of cold water" ^A refers to those who have nothing else, not to those who abound in wealth, who are also able to provide a little wine to those beset and besieged by hunger, sickness, and nakedness, as if by enemies. And do not be surprised if even he who offers water does not do so without a reward. For almsgiving is judged not by the magnitude or smallness of the gift, but by the intention of the mind, since even a word is deemed worthy of acceptance. "For behold," he says, "a word is better than a good gift." But even if it is said, "Both are with a man who is endowed with grace;" this clearly refers to one who is also able to give. For the gift is ^B sought to be of such a size as the wealth and intention of the giver allow. For many give little from much, and many give much from little. For it is not the measure of what is given, but the wealth of those providing it that is thus judged. Therefore, even the woman who contributed two mites surpassed all those who offered much; for they offered a part, but she consecrated her entire livelihood.

CXIX. — TO HERON.

On the Epistle of Peter. Why he commands men to grant honor to women as to a weaker vessel.

Although marriage is honorable and the marriage bed lawful, yet one must not always and indiscriminately rush into intercourse; but there are certain times ^C at which one ought to abstain from coitus and yield to nature, until it is pure and becomes fit for the procreation of children. And this the law has decreed. But the grace of the Gospel, also for the sake of chastity and because of continued prayers, has advised that this be done, saying through Paul: "That you may give yourselves to prayer;" and through Peter that which you wished to learn. For he said that men ought to grant honor to the female sex as to a weaker vessel.

CXX. — BISHOP ISIDORE.

On the text, "As much as lies in you," etc. (Paul's statement).

Even if someone who has been insulted has ^D no...

^A recourse to a court of law because of his own profession (for otherwise he would have brought the offender to account for the blows he dealt), nonetheless the insults still ring in his ears. Since therefore he requires healing, there is no doctor for such maladies other than the one who inflicted the wound, provided, that is, he prepares himself to apologize to the injured party.

CXXI. — TO CASIANUS THE DEACON. Although the story of the Gospel depicts Lazarus ^B as having reached the depths of misery, yet that calamity was for him the greatest and truest foundation of happiness. For had he not been reduced to such a low state, he would never have risen to such a pinnacle of glory. For what, I ask, can be more glorious (to say nothing now of the rewards of the life to come) than to be celebrated in the Gospels, and to have God as one’s praiser, and Abraham as one’s patron?

CXXII. — TO ELIAS THE DEACON. On the text, "Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her." If the defilement were touching only the vestibules, and not the inner chambers, perhaps the malady would be easy to heal. But since it touches the soul itself, let no one deceive himself. And if anyone, deceiving men, says: "No one is crowned unless he competes according to the rules," ^C thinking that the contemplation (of a woman) is a legitimate struggle provided he abstains from the (shameful) act, let him learn that the president and judge of such contests has said: "Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The struggle, therefore, is legitimate not as defined by the sloth and preconceived notions of each person, but rather as defined by that incorruptible judge.

CXXIII. — TO ISIDORE THE PRESBYTER. On the text, "But he, desiring to justify himself, said: And who is my neighbor?" You ask what is meant by what is said in the Gospels about the lawyer: "But he, desiring to justify himself, said: And who is my neighbor?" Listen, then. That lawyer thought that "neighbor" was only the righteous man to the righteous man, the lofty to the lofty—by virtue, I mean. For he was not judging "neighbor" ^D by substance, which is one and the same, but by honors or by deeds. Therefore, desiring to justify himself—that is, to prove himself righteous, as to how lofty he was according to virtue, or great because he was a teacher—he says: "And who is my neighbor?" As if he were saying: Show me someone as great as I am. But the Savior, as the Creator (for He made both the small and the great),

did not define the neighbor by actions or by rank, but by nature, saying to you, as it were: I do not yet tell you that you are ahead of others or better than them, lest those who are truly virtuous should think they owe love only to their neighbors—taking your dogma as the rule of truth—and that they are exempt from others. But even if it is so (let it be granted), you should strive to be a neighbor to him who is in need, not only by place, but also by disposition and by your care for him. For this reason, He also characterized the Samaritan for you. For the neighbor is judged by nature, not by virtue; by substance, not by rank; by empathy, not by the method of treatment or proximity of place. Consider him most of all to be your neighbor who is most in need, and go to his aid of your own accord.

CXXIV. — TO DIGYPTIUS THE PRESBYTER. On the soul.

^B We believe the soul to be divine, but not, however, of the same substance as the most divine and most royal nature; we believe it to be immortal, yet not a part of that nature which is without beginning, creative, and eternal. For if it were a part of that ineffable nature, it would not have sinned, nor would it have been judged. But if it does suffer these things, it should rightly be believed to be the workmanship of that supreme substance, not a part of it, lest the divine nature be discovered judging itself.

CXXV. — TO PROESCHIUS THE SCHOLASTIC PHYSICIAN. On the soul.

^C Pythagoras and Plato, and the other famous wise men among the Greeks, following the necessities of demonstration, rightly and deservedly declared the soul to be more excellent and more commanding than the body; and they called the soul the artist and the body the instrument—the soul immaterial, the body tridimensional, the former immortal and incorruptible, the latter mortal and subject to corruption. For even if they erred from the truth in other matters, yet in this they hit the mark. But Galen (for it does not escape those who read him intelligently that he considered it to be a well-tuned lyre, not the performer upon the lyre) declared it to be mortal. For he added that the powers of the soul follow the temperament of the body, and he ended by saying that there is no soul that is immaterial and immortal, not knowing how, as it seems, to define the temperament as a soul.

^A And so he is refuted for vainly bandying about the name of the soul, while by not wishing to seem to oppose many wise men, he grants the name, but ^B fights against the thing itself. But he is not to be listened to in this. For while he accommodated himself to the medical dogma, and wished to establish and commend his own art, he took no care for the truth. For regarding the healing of bodies, since the man was an expert practitioner in this, he may talk as he wishes (for I will not take away from him the merit due to him in these matters); but for the sake of the soul, let him not contend with those who are wiser, nor descend into a contest for which he is untrained and unprepared; nor, being an athlete, should he judge music; nor, having exhausted all his understanding upon bodies, should he dogmatize about the soul; nor let him believe that the soul consists in the concord of the elements. For if this were granted as a hypothesis (for no wise man would think such a thing), since truth is far otherwise, it would be extinguished with him, or rather, with the body. For if the soul is harmony, it is both constituted last, and perishes first (for the lyre and the strings, when tuned, produce harmony; but when they are loosened, they persist for a time, while the harmony has perished beforehand). What, then, would the excellent man say about the things philosophized by poets, philosophers, and writers, that there will be punishments in the final judgment fully and altogether? Or what reward will he conceive for those who have lived this life rightly? For to those conducting themselves in such a way, for the most part, prizes full of the greatest labors and sweats were set before them until their end here. And where will he define the punishment for those who pursue every wickedness until death, yet meanwhile enjoy riches and honor? ^C How, moreover, will he interpret that exhortation in Homer, by which the rational part of the soul uses against the irascible faculty: Bear up, my heart? How will he accept this: The soul remains, and goes down to Orcus? How likewise this: Certainly something will remain in Orcus? Which is nothing else than that in truth there is something even there that survives. ^D And how will he interpret what Euripides, whom you call wise, pronounced: May it be well and happily for you in the house of Hades?

^A Furthermore, how is it that, if the soul be a harmony, it lapses into disharmony and produces a melody that is unmusical and discordant? For virtue is something melodious and harmonious, while vice is unmusical and discordant. Moreover, how can he think it right to praise those who pursue the sciences, if they have become such by the favor of some temperament? And by what reasoning will he blame those who have been devoted to vain arts, if they were thus instructed and imbued by nature? Furthermore, how will he reprove him who derives profit from beautiful bodies, if indeed the temperament has occasioned this? ^B And by what means will he defend those daily changes of character that occur? For many who were impure and wanton have betaken themselves to the pursuit of chastity; and many, on the contrary, have been invaded by the disease of impurity after being followers of temperance; nor can it be said of them that their temperament has been altered. For some, while still young and wanton, have returned to continence in the very vigor of their age, not by any simultaneous change of temperament, but by the better purpose of their will. But lest, while I recount all the changes that have ever occurred, I should draw out the letter to too great a length, I shall omit these things and betake myself to a certain objection which appears to him to be most robust. ^C What, then, is this? If the soul is immortal, as Plato indeed desires, he asks, what is the cause of it being separated from the body when the brain has been either excessively cooled, or dried out beyond measure, or moistened? In responding to this objection, I shall omit his own reproof—the fact that he has often missed the truth, having predicted death to some and promised life to others based on the pulse, which perhaps he calls a harmony, while those who were supposed to live died and those who were supposed to die lived (to such a degree does the truth escape that art, as it is merely conjectural!)—and I shall omit this too, that in the case of many who had been enchanted by noxious drugs, their souls did not for all that depart from their bodies (to such a degree is the soul not always separated when the brain is completely cooled!). ^D I shall say this, however: that it is a divine bond which connects things that are very far apart from one another, and that there is an ineffable communion and society of an incorporeal soul with the body, and an unspeakable consonance and mutual affection between the immortal substance and the mortal instrument, as it seems even to Plato himself. Galen, however, pretends that he cannot even understand this. This, however, has been brought about so that the soul may take great care to attend to the body, not that it might be engorged by obesity, but so that it might be healthy—for if it were not to do this, it would share in the suffering of the bad temperament by sympateia, even if not by a primary and peculiar injury. For the bad temperament of the body and drunkenness also transmit the suffering to the soul; and the latter, like a pilot in a great storm, is troubled and does not display its own skill, having been submerged; and as one who has become submerged, it is often dragged and carried about wherever

the moisture that has caused the surge may guide it.

^A Nor indeed does this show that the soul is not immortal, but that its operations are hindered; since neither the best musician, having an untuned lyre, nor one who has fallen into the sea, will produce an harmonious melody. And this much let it be said by way of reasoning. But now let the verdict of the Creator himself be brought forward, sealing what has been said, and saying: "Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul." ^B Since the soul is immortal, accordingly, let us both conduct our lives and perform our actions.

483 CXXVI. — TO ISIDORE. On the saying of the Psalm: "But to the sinner God said: Why do you..." etc.

I, for my part, consider those to surpass all audacity who have absolutely no concern for an excellent way of life, yet are constantly wrangling over dogmas. For their license to speak is closed off—not by doors and seals, which one might perhaps shake and remove—but by divine oracles, which cry out: ^C "But to the sinner God said: Why do you declare my statutes, and take my covenant in your mouth?" They have proceeded to such a pitch of audacity that they not only dispute about the statutes—which they have abjured (for this perhaps would be a lesser evil)—but even engage in contentions and struggles regarding the ineffable and unsullied divine nature. I would therefore counsel such persons not to tear apart divine things—things which are scarcely discoverable even by those who are of proven and innocent life—with filthy and polluted mouths, as far as lies in them; but rather to turn this examination and scrutiny upon themselves. ^D Perhaps in this way they may wipe away the stains which they have worthlessly smeared upon themselves contra to their duty.

CXXVII. — TO NILUS THE DEACON. On the saying, "The natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit." What is spiritual, what natural, and what carnal.

Paul calls those "spiritual," O wise man, who are adorned with the spiritual gift of grace; and who have not only risen above nature, but have also transcended the sequence of reason through faith. Of this number was Paul himself, and those to whom he wrote: "You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if..."

^A indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." He calls "animal" those of whom it is written: "Animal men, not having the Spirit"; these are those who rely more upon reasonings, syllogisms, and disputations, and who think that they can find what is just and useful through these; such as the sages among the Greeks. He calls "carnal" those who allow themselves to be overcome by the affections of the flesh, taking their name from that which is most powerful within them; such are all the wicked and impure, and those who are enslaved by lusts and sexual debauchery. For although the spiritual man also has a body and soul, and the animal man has a body, and the carnal man is not deprived of a soul, yet each is named after that which is dominant. For just as the body is called earthly, even though it participates in other elements, because it consists for the most part of earth; so also does the name prevail for those others from that which is more powerful. ^B

CXXVIII. — TO EUSTEPHIUS.

On the celebrated death of our Savior.

Whence, you ask, is it clear that Christ came to his death willingly and of his own accord? Most of all, from the fact that he raised the dead by his own lordly authority. For he who has bestowed life upon the dead certainly was not led to his passion against his will. Furthermore, if he did not wish to use divine power, at the very least it was possible for him to escape by using a defense, had he so desired. For he even had Pilate as an ally in this attempt, who said at one time: "I find no cause of death in him," and at another: "I am innocent of this blood." And if he did not wish to make a defense, it was permitted to him to appeal, after the manner of Paul. For they were under the Romans. For when Augustus, the emperor of the Romans, had brought everyone under his power—among whom they also were—he ordered the whole world to be registered before the Savior was born according to the flesh; and Pilate was the Roman governor among them, managing affairs, sending those who appealed to Rome, and keeping them safe from violence; just as also Festus after him, or if you prefer, the tribune, saved Paul from the murderous council of the Jews, ^C and sent him to Rome to Caesar. But Christ did none of these things; for he used neither power, nor apology, nor appeal, so that he might clearly show that he had come hither for the purpose of killing death by his death. ^D

CXXIX. — TO STRATEGIO THE MONK.

On that saying of Paul: "Every sin, whatsoever a man commits, is outside the body."

Many, o blessed one, are the doors of the senses that are able to be opened to the "all"

one who wishes. And first this one: He did not say, "He sins through the body"—which many, assuming it to be the case, provide trouble for those who interpret—but, "He sins *into* it," into it he stumbles, it he defiles, it he declares to be unholy. Just as if someone were to say, "Such and such a person insults himself, thinking he is insulting another." For now, the Apostle’s word looks not to the punishment that follows the sin after this life, but to the insult, that is to say, the defilement, which occurs to the body in the act itself ^B from the carnal union and coupling. For he who commits murder, kills another; but he who fornicates, insults himself. And he who performs other offenses does so against another; but he who is lustful shames himself and defiles himself. Hence they also wash themselves, when they think on the defilement and loathe the absurdity. For other offenses also look toward the one who is wronged, but this one looks toward the one who does the wrong. The other offenses are outside the body of the one who does them; this one, however, defiles the one who does it. In other cases, he who commits them harms others; in fornication, he harms himself.

But if you wish a second door of understanding to be opened to you, consider that, since we often say to a person who has more than forgivable sins: ^C "Brother, depart from this malady; this is worse than all," we say this not because it surpasses all sins, but because he himself ^D is defiled by it. And so, the custom for us—while no one would be eager to seek out a bathhouse for greed and robbery, but rather they retire to their house without agitation—is that from the intercourse of a prostitute, as though having become completely unclean, one goes to wash. Thus, the conscience has a certain more shameful impression from this sin. And if no one knows, you yourself will be forced to blush and be ashamed before all, and more than all, to loathe your own body. For if this were not the case, why would you run to the bathhouse after that sin? Is it not because you think you are more unclean than any filth? What judgment, then, do you expect God to pass, when you, the one who has sinned, have such an opinion regarding what has occurred? If, therefore, the defilement were physical, you would rightly cleanse yourself with the purifications of the bathhouse; but since you have dirtied your soul and made it entirely unclean, you must seek such a purification as can wipe away that soul's stain; for if we do not do this, even if we pass through all the springs of the rivers, we will not be able to remove even a small part of the sin.

^A We wish to deliver [him]; perhaps the Apostle also said this regarding fornication. For in wishing to discipline him who had committed fornication among the Corinthians, he uttered this speech. If you also wish for a third [reason], understand that just as one who throws grain or some other seed into the sea sins against the seed by preventing it from coming to generation, so also he who casts his own seed into a harlot sins against his own body, since she does not only destroy that which has been engendered, but also prevents it from being engendered (27). But if a fourth [reason is desired]: one ought to understand that according to what he does, so also he suffers (28). For if he had not suffered [excitement], he would not have discharged; and if he discharged, he was corrupted; and if he was corrupted, he was outraged. Indeed, on no other act except only the union of a man with a woman is it said that a virgin or a youth who have made trial of it are corrupted. But if a fifth [reason], understand that to the man consorting with a harlot, if a child should be born, he is reared for fornication, and he who sees him after this will say: "Truly he has injured himself; for behold, his seed, or rather his body, commits fornication." But if a sixth [reason], observe that if one should have relations with a slave, that which is born will be a slave; how, then, does he who is eager to beget a slave not sin against himself? But if a seventh [reason], see that also that which is born from such an embrace is wronged, being called a bastard and becoming dishonored everywhere; for even if he should enter into a senate house or into a court of law (29), he is cast out; through which the one who planted him also shares in the shame, for he has left behind a monument of his own lust. But if an eighth [reason], let us also examine that which shall be said: since he who commits fornication becomes one with the woman who is being seduced, in that he makes his own members the members of a harlot, he sins in truth against himself. For some ^C have used killing well (as Moses and Phinehas), and anger (as Peter and Paul); but no one has ever used fornication well. For this reason, it also defiles the one who commits it. I pass over in silence the fact that those who kill in war are deemed worthy of both columns and proclamations. But if you wish for us to turn to the way of allegory, let a ninth [reason] be that which is to be spoken: since the Church is one body, and individual persons are members of one another, he who commits fornication sins against all; for his fault runs back to the fullness of the Church, ^D of which He ordered him to be cut off until he should repent. But if you wish for a tenth, it might be said that since those who come together by the law of honorable marriage become one body ("For they shall be," he says, "two into one flesh; therefore the woman has no authority over her own body, but the man; and the man has no authority over his own body, but the woman"), appropriately the man who commits fornication sins against the woman whom he has wed, that is, against his own body (30); and she who is being fornicated with, [sins] against her own body, that is, against the man, the body...

of which has been joined ^A into one. For neither if a man perjures himself, or commits murder, or steals, or performs any other grievous act, does the sin reach the wife; just as in turn, neither if a woman commits murder or perjury, does the sin recoil upon the husband. For only fornication touches and violates the cohabitation and the union, and one spouse wrongs the other if they commit this, and causes the legitimacy of the children to be suspected, and shakes the whole house from its foundations. For this reason, Christ said that it is necessary for a man to bear all the shortcomings of his wife, for the things that are done do not look toward him; but for fornication alone He ordered [him] to cast her out, ^B as this injustice recoils upon the person joined to him.

CXXX. TO HYPATIUS.

Many mortals, not only those who contend in external ^C contests, but also those who attempt to interpret the divine Scriptures, because they do not offer themselves as listeners in the same way, become the authors of many and various evils. For some, having no concern for the truth, stir up applause for the sake of those who are speaking, just as if they were lovers of charioteers or dancers; others on the contrary raise a hiss out of hatred, and that often before they have accurately heard the things that are being said, so far are they from having understood them. And from these ^D many times even those who are not wise, nor speaking well—or perhaps even speaking poorly—not the goodwill of the hearers, not the friendship of those towards them...

nor the hatred of their adversaries—reasons for which they were stirred up to applause and tumult—but because they are puffed up not only by such applauses, but also intoxicated by self-love, and furthermore overcome by some preconceived opinion, they often devise and hand down certain absurd and ridiculous dogmas; and then, whereas they ^A should not even have uttered them with their tongue, they nevertheless contend that they ought to hold sway. Since this is the case, those who are students of such doctrines—knowing that the soul is in danger here, and that nothing is more excellent or more ancient than the truth, and additionally considering the evils that arise from hatred and preconceived opinion—ought to offer themselves as common listeners to those who are speaking, yet not as equal judges. For it is not one and the same thing, as some imagine. For we ought indeed to hear both of them ^B commonly, yet not grant equal weight to each; but rather more to the wiser, and less to the more ignorant; and for the wise man, give praise, but for the untaught, if he is able to be corrected and amended by reprimands, give reprimands; if not, maintain silence. Let these things then be said concerning listeners. Regarding those who speak, I say that it is much more fitting for them to debate, but not to wrangle. ^C For toward friends, men often debate; but enemies apply themselves to contention. Thus this will be the most beautiful and beneficial intercourse for both those who speak and those who listen. For those who speak will in this way be most acceptable and pleasing to those who listen, but they will not be merely "praised." For to be "acceptable" truly means this: if anyone is deemed worthy of approval in the minds of the listeners, who, without fraud or deception, cast their votes incorruptibly. But "to be praised" consists in a speech which very often breathes ^D flattery and contains nothing of the truth. And indeed, the listeners will mostly be "rejoiced," but they will not be "beguiled." For to be "rejoiced" is to learn something of the most beautiful and honest things, and to sharpen one's reason toward the better; but to be "beguiled" is to be sweetly affected, as when someone eats or does something similar through the body. Let these things be judged; let these be defined; let these be observed. Thus it will come about that there will be a great advancement, not only in the listeners toward virtue, but also in those who are occupied with the pursuit of speaking, toward wisdom.

CXXXII. — TO PAUL.

I will endeavor to solve the swarm of many questions briefly. I say, therefore, that the investigation of the knowledge of those things which, in this life, remain for us either to be done or to befall us—even if, as you say, it is attainable and reachable—is found to be entirely useless and dangerous. For if they cannot be avoided, such foreknowledge takes from us the virtue which ought to be prepared to endure bravely the accidents that befall us. There is nothing

[that so habituates one to endure] unexpected occurrences as does the exercise of virtue. For those who have banished every good hope from their own soul will not be ready to perform any of the things that ought to be done, because of the foreknowledge of future events.

CXXXIII. — TO BISHOP LEONTIUS

That the reading of the divine Scriptures has been corrupted and destroyed, and that each person prefers his own passions to the divine oracles, this is the cause of so many tragedies and calamities. ^B For a war irreconcilable and not lawfully declared has fallen upon those who ought to have been the agents of peace; they would most gladly, if they could, devour one another. And they consider this the most ancient [practice], and prefer it to all things: to kill the living, to dig up those who are buried, to tear down houses, and to destroy every monument. Thus they arm themselves against each other and weave deceits, though they have learned that Christ did not mark his own disciples by signs and miracles, but by love and charity. For this reason, then, I believe, the obedience of subjects is also lost. For they are no longer disposed toward their teachers as disciples, but as judges toward the condemned, thinking—miserably and wretchedly indeed, but thinking nonetheless—that the sloth of their teachers is the defense for their own failures. What then is to be done? you ask. If it can be remedied, it must be; if not, one must keep silent.

CXXXIV. — TO HIERAX THE ILLUSTRIOUS

The legal and prophetic teachings are ^C preparatory for the new and evangelical philosophy. For the former legislate for the hand, but the latter for the soul. And the former direct action, while the latter guides and steers the thought; for the former befit a grammarian or a teacher of letters, but the latter befits the supreme and most perfect philosopher.

CXXXV. — TO JAMES THE LECTOR

Concerning the saying of Christ: "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward."

That "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward," to sum it up in a few words, is this: it does not mean, O good sir, that if someone honors ^D that which is honorable for the sake of some other utility or pretext, he will immediately also become a participant in the glory that is owed to that which is honorable. Rather, he alone will be adorned with the glory of the honorable thing who has honored the honorable thing for its own sake. For many honor prophets or righteous men either for human glory or for worldly gain. For there are some who practice such things, and [in doing so offer]

^A money, whom no one would say are receiving the reward of a prophet. But if anyone, without such coverings, looking toward the good itself with a bare soul, should honor the saints, such a one will deservedly be glorified together with the saints.

CXXXVI. — ALYPIO.

Since the rewards (of the other life, which God has proposed for the pious) are greater than any human dignity, and far exceed all remuneration owed to our labors ("For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us," says the vessel of election), they even constrain the weakness of our nature. Therefore it was said: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. XI, 12). What kind of violent ones? Those who constrain their own body with fasts, and temperance, and other virtue, and have subjected it to the laws of the Spirit, and have rendered it ready and obedient for the exercise of virtue.

CXXXVII. — TO ORION THE MONK.

Examples are not taken for everything; otherwise they would not be examples and resemblances, but the very thing itself. For although He commanded us to imitate the simplicity and uprightness of character which is in the dove, yet one must avoid its stupidity—which is, for example, to flee to those who are striving to catch it. For although it is right not to harm anyone, yet it is not fitting to receive lethal blows from others; nor to run to them, for whom it is the greatest gain to be rid of us. But if you also wish to receive clear testimony for what I have said, hear the prophet saying: "And Ephraim was like a foolish dove, having no heart" (Osee VII, 11). But if you also seek the cause, he himself immediately adds it: "He called upon Egypt, and departed to the Assyrians." He says that of two nations, ^C laboring under tyranny, hatred, and ancient greed and iniquity, he called upon one for help, and fled to the other as if he would obtain salvation there. Who then, he says, could be more foolish than this man, who flees to those who are constantly plotting his very captivity and slavery?

CXXXVIII. — ALYPIO.

Arming yourself with the hope of the future goods that will be given to those who have set up splendid trophies against vice, and fortifying yourself well on all sides, and making this a firm wall with prayers, repel the assault of sadness. ^D

CXXXIX. — TO THEOGNOSTOS.

Those who reprove vices are often rendered languid and sluggish by the wicked—who are many in number and cry out against them maliciously—so that they are less free in attacking vices and checking them. Therefore, freedom of reproof must be combined with kindness, and censure must be tempered with charity, and in this way admonitions ought to be applied. And if, even then, those men do not derive any benefit from it, but rather maliciously reject and traduce those who are worthy of the greatest crowns and will be rightfully adorned by God with the proclamation of their good deeds, and judged by the prudent as worthy of commendation, let the reprovers and correctors of vices bear it with a generous and great heart; and let them be grieved, not indeed by a consideration of their own affairs (for nothing else has happened to them except that they have appeared wicked and detestable, when in truth they are not so at all), but because of the perversity and insanity of those others, in that they labor under such incurable diseases that they even heap insults and reproaches upon their own physicians.

CXL. — TO HARPOCRATES THE SOPHIST.

Many of those who are outside the Church have written much, which brings neither any benefit to those who have embraced these things, nor any harm to those who reject them. But the divine Scriptures offer the greatest gain to those who have put their faith in them, while for the unbelieving they produce no small detriment. For the former have set themselves to write while hunting after their own glory; whereas the latter have the salvation of their hearers before their eyes.

CXLI. — TO LEONTIUS THE DEACON.

It is credible that a bad temperament of the body and diseases that are unsightly to the eye come to many from the diseased luxury of their parents; but it is not the case that, conversely, the luxury of the passions results entirely from a bad temperament. (For whether a leper begets a leper, and one suffering from a flux of semen begets one who also has a flux of semen, I cannot say for certain; but that a gouty person produces a gouty person, all would surely agree.) Consequently, regarding the Lawgiver, as I suppose—for it is not right to declare...

anything precisely regarding obscure matters, but rather to leave the judgment to those who are to hear—he was anxiously concerned about the incontinence of lusts, so that married couples would not come together at any and every time, since they knew that the harm would pass on to those who would be born of them. That this is not beside the point, the proof is that the gouty are not kept away from sacred enclosures and assemblies. For those who from the beginning have contracted this malady have obtained it not from a bad temperament, but from a wicked diet, and luxury, and sloth, and idleness; for which reason they themselves were punished; but those born of them have not been hindered from participating in sacred assemblies. For they have necessarily become heirs of the temperament—but not the incontinence—of their parents. But those who have imprinted in their bodies the marks of the lust of their parents, born of the luxurious intercourse of their parents, have indeed not been punished (for he did not command them to be stoned, because the evil had happened to them without their will), yet they have been disgraced, for the correction of their parents. ^B If, however, anyone thinks that this was not reasonably ordained, what would he say concerning death, that because one woman sinned (I speak, of course, of Eve), the whole human race, which descended from her, was condemned to death, even though many have lived praiseworthily, and have not followed the transgressions of their ancestors? But if there, because the root was dead, the branches also were necessarily—as it were, heirs of a sentence of condemnation—made partakers of the same evil, what is to be wondered at if, in this case also, because of the root, the branch has been marked with disgrace, necessarily transmitting that evil to the root itself? For upon the root, in the case of a branch that has been disgraced, there falls no less torment. ^C For the [parental root] that prays to see the branch at its best, when it perceives that the malady has passed to it from its own incontinence, in the present life will be torn by its own thoughts (of a mind conscious of its own evil), and in the world to come it will also be punished by the judgment. Now, as to whether God, being also foreknowing that they themselves would be wicked, held them back beforehand with these as it were certain bonds, and restrained them with these maladies, I have nothing certain to say. But this I would confidently contend: that such ailments have been for many the causes or occasions for crowns also. For if the law (according to the testimony of Paul) had a shadow of the good things to come, and not the image itself of those things, I think that under the person of the leper he designated the man who is deceitful and wicked; by the one having an issue, the fornicator and the impure; by the one unclean in soul of man, that is, by him who has touched a dead body, him who supports and assists a soul that is sinning; and finally, by the one who mourns, him who is complaining and tearful over his own calamities; [and that he commanded] that they be banished from the sacred assembly of blameless men and from the Church.

CXLII. TO HELIAS THE DEACON ^A On that passage: “In the beginning was the Word.”

The Holy Scriptures call the procession of Christ from the Father—which is timeless, eternal, immediate, and superior to every word and mind—a ‘generation,’ not in order to shadow forth any passion, but in order to establish that He is consubstantial. For the things that are begotten are indeed of the same essence as those that beget them. But lest anything more recent or later be thought of, “In the beginning,” they say, “was the Word.” Then they also proclaim His relationship to the Father, when they say: “And the Word was with God.” After that, His dignity also: “And the Word was God.” From [the name] ‘Son,’ we learn His consubstantiality; from ‘Word,’ that His generation is free from passion; from the fact that He was ‘in the beginning,’ His co-eternity; from the fact that He was ‘with God,’ His intimacy with the Father; and from the fact that He ‘is God,’ His dignity and excellence. By means of each name, we remove the inappropriate and indecorous [notion] that might perchance insinuate itself into our minds; for example, from the name of ‘Son,’ we rule out [the idea of] what is newer; from the name of ‘Word,’ [the idea of] what is without subsistence. Thus may we recognize and worship the eternal, consubstantial God, who proceeded from the Father impassibly and timelessly.

CXLIII. TO BASIL

To those to whom legitimate rule has fallen, things will surely go well. And things will succeed well only when piety prevails, which is the highest of all goods and the head and sum of the divine commandments. This piety is constituted by a right opinion concerning the divine nature, by a sincere and incorrupt confession, and is manifested by the fear and love of God, and by love and sympathy toward our own kin; on these two things hang all the law and the prophets. This is also something super-mundane, ^B excellent, and of the highest order in magistrates. This is legitimate governance and the procurement of the benefit of all subjects; just as, on the contrary, tyranny is a lawless dominion, which pursues nothing but the private utility of the tyrant. To whomever, therefore, the lot of administering this authority has fallen, they should—having piety set upon them like a golden crown fashioned from precious stones, and being clothed with justice as if with a purple robe—strive to rule in God and to obtain a most righteous ^C principate. For they show in themselves the most true sacred oracle, which says: “By me kings reign and princes ^D decree justice.”

They know, indeed, that the beginning of a good way is to do just things.

[CXLIV] — [CXLIV. — Caret inscriptione.]

When we first learned of the venerable mandate of our pious and God-appointed great emperor, through the imperial apocrisiarius, and heard of the health and salvation of your pious reign, we were filled with the greatest joy. We poured out glory and thanksgiving to our God with all our strength, and we recovered from our infirmity and were filled with great readiness of mind. But upon reading the venerable mandate, I found how the reasoning concerning the peace to be established followed the reasonings of the anterior emperors. And we had, indeed, heard something about this a little while ago; but we were at a loss to assent to this reasoning, knowing that a daring act which no one of the Christians had ever attempted, nor even brought to mind—that those who preceded us—dared to perform. It seems to us, however, that this resulted either from great inexperience and ignorance of Christian dogmas, or from great unbelief and contempt of the commandments of God. For if they had been attentive to the divine oracles, they would have kept sacred and blameless the veneration of our pious and blameless religion, and would not have permitted Gentiles and those who are void of reason to touch those things which are holy and venerable among us; nor would they themselves have shared in the pollutions and abominations of the Gentiles through their accursed and strange oaths. For what is the difference if a Christian and a Gentile, pledging faith to one another by the same oaths and the same customs, seem to confirm and assure one another in things at which we know God is irritated and angry? For God and Lord of all has commanded through His holy Scriptures: “Do not decline from the way prescribed for you, neither to the right nor to the left.”

[PME.] — [CXLV. — THEODOSIO EPISCOPO.]

On the text: “Who then is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his master will set over his household?”

You have rebuked the folly, or rather the madness, O blessed one, of those who cast themselves into a difficult matter, or at any rate accept it lightly, but I do not know how you have omitted that which most especially demonstrates it. What, then, is this? It is that not all men suffer from the same diseases; nor do all yield to the same treatment; but since the passions are many and various and of every kind, the remedies are more

numerous and varied. But if the statement disturbs you, wait a little while, and the turmoil that now possesses you will turn into a frame of mind where you consider those people even more to be pitied. For since the diseases of the soul are many and of every kind, it is, first of all, very difficult and arduous for a human being even to perceive and recognize them; and then, even if he should recognize them, to know what remedy is appropriate for them. For the same helps are not suitable for all, nor are all cured by the same remedies; for what has helped this one has harmed another, and what was suitable for one has destroyed another. And so that I may not seem to you to be saying something paradoxical and absurd, I will explain what has been said more at length. Not all who are led by reason are also reformed by example; but one is led to a better state by this, another by that. Nor do those who need spurs also endure the bit; but the sluggish ^B and those difficult to rouse to what is good are stirred by the lash of reason; while those who are more fervent than they should be and difficult to restrain, and who, like wild colts running far from the starting-line, are held in check and curbed, are helped by that. Some are reformed by praise, others by blame, provided both are used at the opportune time; but they will turn to the opposite if they are applied outside the proper times. For some yield to exhortation, others to rebuke; some are cleansed of their faults when reproved in gatherings and assemblies of people, while others are admonished in the inner sanctum of the house. For some, who would otherwise despise those who speak to them, are accustomed to be corrected by public reproof; others, however, since they become even more shameless at public rebukes and cast off all sense of shame, are trained and habituated to obedience by private and secret admonition, done with witnesses removed, and also by our showing that we grieve on their account, and by sympathy that leads to compliance. It is appropriate to observe some in all things, those whom the notion that they are unobserved while doing these things has puffed up as if they were cleverer; but there are others whose faulty actions it is necessary even to overlook, lest they be incited to indifference, and ultimately ^C become through and through such that they can by no means be kept to their duty, inasmuch as they have worn away and wiped off shame and modesty, that greatest remedy for obedience. Furthermore, it is also necessary for some to pretend to be angry, even though in reality they are not ^D angry, and to seem to disregard those whom they do not disregard, and to give up on those on whom they have not given up; and to cure some with gentleness, others with separation; and to seem at times to overcome them, and at other times to be overcome by them, as is beneficial to each. Since there are so many of these diseases and so many remedies, and since not all yield to the same, but to the contrary are even incited to worse transgressions, who could be sufficient to know these things, unless he has had his soul illuminated by the divine Spirit? But since they venture to rule, even if they deem rule to be suitable for them, neither considering the difficulty nor hearing the voice of the Master,

which shows that it is such a rare task—that one should preside well over it—that He even used a doubting form of speech, saying: “Who, do you think, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the Lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of grain?”

^B

CXLVI. — TO ISIDOROS THE BISHOP. — And might deliver them, etc.

You asked what is meant by: “And might deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Listen, then. It is not death itself, my good man, but the judgment which is to come after death, that turns men from sins. For the impious, having imagined the soul to be a kind of spark, which, when extinguished—as they said—the body will dissolve into ash, thinking that they only die (like brute beasts) and are not to be judged—(for they have said such things in the book which is entitled the Wisdom of Solomon, as you know; or if you do not know, take the book in your hands and you will know)—they left nothing untried or undared. For as if they were to be no more after death, they set themselves to commit all things worthy of shame and death and punishment, saying: “This is our portion, and this is our lot.” Therefore the Savior came, among the other things which He accomplished and restored, also to deliver men from this suspicion. For by defining the immortality of the soul through what He said: “But they cannot kill the soul”; and by proclaiming the resurrection of the bodies through saying: “In the resurrection of the dead they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but shall be as angels”; ^C and by indicating the judgment through many other things, and in saying: “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,” He completely delivered all from that suspicion, or rather, to speak more truly, from that bondage. For by receiving the divine judgment into their minds, and directing their eyes as if toward a target, they would not dare to do anything evil. I think, then, that the saying has been clarified. And if you wish it to be paraphrased as well, I would say: Since they lived in unrestrained bondage to sins as if they were going to die—for the fear of death, looking grim to them and spawning the thought of "no longer being," sent them into every bondage of sin—through—

^A this Christ came, and to deliver them from this bondage. But if this, too, is not understood, it shall be stated more clearly. For the apostolic meaning is not graspable by many. He will deliver, he says, those who were subject to the fear of death, which for them resulted in non-existence, and lead them to the thought of the impartial judgment after the departure from this life. For these ran gladly on the road leading to virtue, buoyed as if on wings by the hope of crowns, and fled from sin through fear of future punishments. But if the apostolic mind also looks to another thought, it is for your prudence to judge. For it is likely that it signifies also something of this kind: since many, fearing death as bringing them into non-existence, endured doing and suffering many shameful things against their own will, lest they be punished by those more powerful (for those who crave but do not attain their aim have devised guile and schemes that beget death, as the events regarding Joseph and the story of Susanna show), He came to instruct men that death is to be chosen ^B rather than that we should admit any vice, and that one should rather seek it with a willing mind than either do or suffer any of the most shameful things. For death will indeed be extinguished by the resurrection, but those shameful deeds will end in punishments.

CXLVII. — TO MARCIAN

On the passage: "For if Jesus had given them rest."

The argument of the divine Paul is not about the rest of the Hebrews, which happened in Palestine through the military command of Joshua, son of Nun (for he had no regard for that), but he looks to that which is to come, and the aim of his ^C thoughts tends towards that. And that this is true, he interprets himself, saying: "For if Jesus" (it is clear that he means the son of Nun) "had given them rest, he would not have spoken hereafter about another day. There remains, therefore, a sabbath rest for the people of God." For, he says, if that man had provided them with rest, David would certainly not have said after many generations, while discoursing about rest: "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation." Therefore, he says, the true rest for the people of God—that is, for those who, after they have believed, have also joined to it a praiseworthy life—is laid up, not in Palestine, but has been prepared ^D in the supramundane Jerusalem.

[CXLVIII.] — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON. On that which is written, “And the unrighteous man is praised.”

You were asking what the expression means, “And the unrighteous man is praised.” Listen, then. The word “praised” (literally, “blessed”) ^A is used here in the sense of “being spoken well of”—that is, he is lauded and eulogized by those who flatter him and who stroke his wickedness, and who, through their silence, do not suffer him to have any awareness of his disease; and for this reason, such a man is found to be incurable. For because he has no awareness of his affliction, he neither seeks nor admits of a cure. And this is the most terrible thing of all, when wickedness is praised and is not even considered to be wickedness. Hence, one must, if possible, correct such a person. But if not, one must at least be careful with all zeal not to foster the evil through flattery or stroking, but through silence to instill in him an awareness of his own wickedness. If one should not wish to do even this, he must flee headlong, ^B so that, not being seen as a participant in injustice through flattery, he may not be found a companion to him in his punishments as well. For just as he who leads another to the pursuit of virtue is crowned, even if he achieves nothing (for he has fulfilled his own part), so too is he who encourages another toward injustice punished, even if he succeeds in nothing; for this man also did what was his own part.

[CXLIX.] — TO ELIAS THE DEACON. On that which is written, “God has spoken once,” in the sixty-first Psalm.

That prey, my good friend, which you long to hunt, is very difficult to capture for those who are more intelligent, ^C and impossible to capture for those who are thicker-witted. For you asked: “What is the meaning of, ‘God has spoken once; two things I have heard’?” I think, therefore (since one must open the doors of understanding, and permit the more intelligent to gaze upon the impossibilities of the text), that it was said in the same way as if someone were to say: “Such a one met me once, but he spoke with me regarding various matters.” This is the more obvious meaning. But the deeper and purer one is dispersed throughout all the ^D Scriptures; however, I shall mention one or two examples that come to hand, although one may turn one's thoughts to many and various interpretations that are consistent with the sublime thoughts of the Psalmist. Since God said to Adam, “You are earth, and into earth you shall return,” He did not add, “You shall be brought to nothing, nor shall you return again”; I, through the fact that these things were passed over in silence, have understood the resurrection. For He gave the exile the hope of a return. For the sentence, while appearing to be uniform, implies a kingly love for mankind and gives birth to the hope of a return. And the Ninevites, though they were barbarian men, having received an almost unqualified sentence, suffered nothing barbaric, but—

having pondered the saying, "Yet three days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown"—perceived the divine philanthropy; for the decree, teeming with inevitable threat ^A, had a latent alternative hidden within its coupled postponement. For it did not contain "After three days," but rather something of this sort: "I will endure you for three days" (to see if you might be likely to perform repentance). Having fought against their own ignorance, they warded off the destruction and harvested salvation. For the decree did not seem to contain one thing alone, but two: namely, either punishment for the impenitent, or salvation for those who repent. And this is exactly what the outcome demonstrated, which was more in accord with the interpretation of the decree than with its literal words.

CL. — TO NILAMMON ^B

*On the First Epistle to the Corinthians: Why did Paul say, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified"?*

You ask why Paul, having abandoned those splendid and august things which he proclaimed concerning Christ, wrote to the Corinthians: "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." I believe, therefore, that even those things which seem full of insults are overflowing with the greatest strength and honor. For this reason he said these things, as if proclaiming with a loud voice: "Behold, I bring forth into the midst the bound athlete, so that after he has won the Olympic games, I may adorn him with a more glorious proclamation; I clothe the leader of the army in the most vile and insult-laden armor, so that he who suffers from the disease of a multitude of gods may groan all the more, when he senses that he has been conquered by such base weapons." ^C

CLI. — TO NILOS

*What is the meaning of, "Or does He who dwells on high not see?"*

You wrote to me, moved by a desire for learning, to ask what the Scripture means: "Or does He who dwells on high not see?" Hear, then. "He who dwells on high" (for this is what "inhabiting" signifies—from which also comes *neos* [temple], that is, the sanctuary; for just as from *oikos* [house] comes *oikein* [to inhabit], so also from *naos* [temple] comes *naiein* [to dwell]) looks upon all things, and nothing escapes Him. Does He who dwells on high, then, not see? He says: "Nay, He does see." This is what the Psalmist said more clearly: "Who dwells on high, and looks upon the humble." The three children expressed the same thing most clearly: "Blessed art Thou who beholdest the abysses, sitting upon the Cherubim." For He who is above, he says, the powers on high, does not overlook our frailty, but, ruling even the invisible powers, with movements of supreme gentleness—^D —you direct even those things in the depths.

CLII. — TO DIDYMUS THE SCHOLASTIC.

CLIII. — TO ISIDORE THE DEACON.

...it not having been said absolutely: "They are not clean," for this would be nothing other than to show that they have sinned; but he added: "In his sight." And thus, in comparison, this statement is to be understood according to that which we read spoken elsewhere, to Him: "Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." For every just man will indeed be justified if he is judged by himself; but if he is compared with Him (God), or judged by being brought into comparison with Him, he will not be. ^A

CLIV. — TO ANATOLIUS THE DEACON.

On the passage, "Learn to do good, ye that inhabit the earth."

To those who in public indeed bluster with magnificent words (concerning virtue) and adorn divine matters with speech, but secretly do all things to the contrary, as men of this sort who philosophize in words rather than in deeds, that grandiloquent Isaiah cries out as if with a loud voice: "Learn to do good, ye that inhabit the earth; for the ungodly man has ceased." For because with prophetic eyes he foresaw the Savior's advent in the flesh, which is more excellent than any speech—who both procured goods for the human race that are infinite and greater than all admiration, and severed the sinews of the tyrant (the devil)—for this reason he cried out: "Learn to do justice." For the tyrant has ceased, and no longer makes an attack upon all, whether men or women; and all things are in safety, except those who of their own accord prostrate themselves and subject themselves to his deception. For he can deceive, but he cannot use force. ^B

CLV. — TO ORION THE MONK.

On the passage, "Who seek from their womb, and are instructed even unto old age."

That statement, "Who seek from the womb, and are instructed," harmonizes with this: "Always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." For "those who seek"—which is to say, those who ask and hear indeed, but nevertheless grow old in ignorance—this does not mean that they were desirous of learning throughout their whole life (for then He would perhaps have accepted and approved them), nor also that they learned late and slowly (for even this is a second virtue; it is better to be a slow learner than to be always ignorant), but because, while they always pretend to be learning, they repel the zeal for wisdom from themselves, they are found to be the genuine foster-children of ignorance. ^C

^A CLVI. — TO EPICTETUS. What is meant by the words, "The cup of ruin and the cup of fury"?

God threatens sinners with a cup of ruin and a cup of indignation and vengeance for their correction, at one time handing it to the Babylonians, at another to the Assyrians; and these, when drunk by the Hebrews, indeed intoxicated them, but did not make them worthy of a better life. Christ, however, when He drank the cup upon the wood, both healed the bitterness and brought in joy.

^A CLVII. — TO ANATOLIUS THE DEACON. What is the meaning of the saying, "You shall not enter in upon any dead soul"?

You have written, perhaps from a desire to learn, asking what that saying means: "You shall not enter in upon a dead soul." Listen, therefore. Have no communion with a soul that has sinned. For that "you shall not enter in" means "you shall not commune" (or, "you shall have nothing to do with it"), hear what Sarah says to Abraham: "Go in to my maidservant, and raise up children from her." ^B And that a dead body does not defile (for natural things are free from blame), learn from the legislator himself, I mean Moses, who through shadows and symbols sketched the truth. For he himself, who ordained these things, carried around the bones of Joseph. To whom one might justly say: "What are you doing, O Moses? Why do you perform what you forbid? Why do you undertake what you prohibit? Or rather, why do you perform what you have denounced by your law?" Someone, it seems, might write to you, as if to one who is the first of all to violate the law. "I do not violate, I do not annul," he says, "the law given by me; but by this I show that the actual matter, ^C which is signified by the Scripture and the words of the law, must be attended to diligently." For I do not consider one who has cultivated chastity as dead; I do not know as defunct him who bestowed benefits upon the brothers who had plotted against him. He lives to God, though to us he may appear for a time to be dead. But I am also an exhortation to you, and I earnestly warn you, that not only should you flee from sin—a dead thing, indeed, and the procurer of death—but also that you should have no communion with those who are sinning. For natural defects dwell outside the reach of accusation; but those which spring ^D from the free choice of the will, those truly deserve accusation and punishment. And if you examine the word, you will find this to be so. For it did not say, "upon a man, or upon a body that has died," but "upon a soul." For a soul that has sinned shall die. For if a dead body were a defilement, how could Solomon (for we must also add to the defense of Moses) say, "It is good to go into the house of mourning, rather than into the house of laughter"? And how did bodies obtain a winding-sheet and burial? And how were they delivered to the house, if they were not...

to be honored? Finally, how is it that the dead body of Elisha raised up another dead man, if corpses are altogether defiled?

CLVIII. TO NILUS.

That saying, "A just man shall fall seven times," is not spoken simply and absolutely, but because one who struggles lawfully must necessarily fall as an athlete does. This does not, however, wholly and indiscriminately result in one’s succumbing and handing over the victory to an adversary, but often it even secures the victory. For many, after they have fallen, have sapped the strength of those who seemed to be standing, bringing their entire body to the ground with a trip of the foot, and thus snatching away the victory for themselves. Wherefore he said not only that he will fall, but added that he will also rise again, ^C in order to reveal the crown won by the victor. And if, even when a man has fallen, he quickly comes to his senses and returns to a sound mind, know that this one is excellent.

CLIX. TO EUTONIUS THE DEACON.

For those who are intent upon good works, it is indeed to their profit if they appear manifest to the eyes of men; hence also the Savior said: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." But because some do not look to the Lord’s voice, but to their own glory, He therefore added this warning: ^D "Take heed that you do not do your almsgiving before men. Otherwise, you have no reward." By the former words, He signifies kindness and a love of virtue, a thing which cannot be hidden even if those who practice it should wish it to be. By the latter words, however, He represses the desire for glory, preventing malice by the former and ostentation by the latter. For this is not contrary to that, but He prevents the vices which are, as it were, attached to and lying in wait for the virtues. For every virtue, when performed without ostentation, could be strictly called virtue and truly be so. For if it is also drawn toward a desire for glory, and the being...

^A who presents it to view also loses this very thing, because it is not sincere virtue. I pass over in silence the fact that those who perform works of mercy with ostentation do not do this for the love of virtue and honor, but to parade the misfortunes of others. For, desiring to be called merciful, they do not refrain from dramatizing the hardships of others. For the saying, "Let your light shine," was not spoken so that we might boast, but because a good work cannot endure being kept silent, even if those who perform it conceal it. For just as a lamp appearing on a moonless night automatically draws eyes to itself, so also virtue is naturally suited to illuminate everyone, even against the will of its possessors.

CLX. TO THE PRESBYTER THEODOSIUS.

^B What is "And I will take away from them their heart of stone, and I will give them a heart of flesh"?

The part, "I will take away from them" (it is clear that this refers to those who willingly approach divine instruction) "their heart of stone," signifies a habit of the soul that is devoid of feeling and pain, completely stupid, and resisting divine laws. The part, "And I will give them a heart of flesh," signifies a habit that is easily yielding and obedient, and submissive to ^C spiritual ordinances, from which the famous chorus of virtue is naturally born. But if you wish to learn this through examples, listen: just as grammarians and sophists receive boys who are sullied and send them away cleansed—not by making their tongues young again (for that is impossible by the nature of things), but by instilling art—neither changing their souls, but casting out their sloth—so too divine wisdom, by banishing wickedness and ignorance, introduces understanding and knowledge into their souls.

CLXI. TO THE PRESBYTER ARTEMIDORUS.

On the text, "He has stood in every way not good," ^D and on the text, "His soul shall be blessed in his life."

The part, "He has stood in every way not good," is said of a wicked man; it means he gave help, he gave patronage, he acted as an advocate. For just as an invincible orator, standing by for those in litigation, exerts his own skill on behalf of those needing assistance, so he too did not refuse to provide patronage to wickedness with all his might. The part, "His soul shall be blessed in his life," is again said of a very wicked man, and is of this sort: "He shall be blessed," instead of, "he shall be praised, he shall be honored with encomiums, he shall be proclaimed blessed." For a blessing, derived from "speaking well," signifies nothing other than praise. For since many, because their judgment of things is corrupted, praise and proclaim as blessed those who ought to be pitied and lamented as being wicked, because they abound in wealth and enjoy luxury, even if they [end page 1245/1246]

do not consider that a little later they will be called to account and required to pay the penalty; but rather looking only at the present enjoyment: for this reason the author of the Psalms, rebuking the corrupted judgment of these men, and because they not only do not rebuke sinners, nor merely flatter them, but even, if need be, in order to do them a favor, treat virtue itself with malice—and indeed they do so—he said: “His soul shall be blessed in his life.” But since it is said “in his life,” it is given to be understood that after death he will be punished; for the following part also indicates this: “For he shall enter into the generation of his fathers.” For he who enters, is not reduced to nothingness (as is the opinion of some), but will be shut up in a certain place, in which, clearly, he shall not see light for ever. For in the unquenchable darkness he will be held confined together with those who praised him, being required to pay the penalty for the things he did. ^A

CLXII. TO OPHELIUS THE GRAMMARIAN.

That which was ordained by law: “Eat the Passover with haste,” some, it seems, have thought was said because the Jews had to depart quickly from Egypt. Let them understand it that way if they desire (for it is the wisdom of a rustic to contentiously argue about matters that bring no harm to the listeners); but *diligence* (σπουδή) appears to be an action before an action (or a most accurate action). Wherefore also those who are approved and contrasted with the base are called *diligent* (σπουδαῖοι). ^B And of this, Isocrates, whom you admire up and down, is the most certain witness, writing to Demonicus in these words: “The acquaintances of the base, a short time dissolves; but those of good men (that is, the diligent) not even the whole of time shall destroy.” Therefore, it behooves him who is to eat the divine and true Passover to be diligent, that is, a lover of virtue. ^C The initiates know what is being said, according to the spiritual arrangement of the lawgiver.

CLXIII. TO EULOGIUS.

As for what has been handed down by Origen concerning the fall of souls, true ^D

^A though it may be, as I think, yet it does not seem probable. Indeed, according to our way of thinking, many other arguments, and particularly two, seem to overthrow it: first, that it is not clearly preached in the Scriptures; and second, that utter oblivion. For it does not foresee ^B what kind of scandal would inevitably arise from the manifest and distinct preaching of this dogma; for it would have been easier to return to the original state from which it fell had the soul learned this—as for what this extreme and profound oblivion is, such that it remembers nothing at all of what it possessed in its former state! And yet, if it did remember, it would have returned as quickly as possible to where it had fallen from, even if it had to endure ten thousand labors. For if a king’s son, through indolence, were to fall from his royal dignity and choose to associate with brigands and murderers, the memory of his former prosperity would be able, without labor, to lead him back most quickly to his paternal dignity. But if his former memory were completely extinguished and erased from his soul, he would not only not consider his life with the brigands to be a heavy burden, but he would even associate with them most gladly; nor would he do anything of those things capable of bringing him back to the kingdom that he no longer even knows. But since he would not do anything that could bring him back there, he would never return. Now the reason of memory, if what is handed down about the fall of souls were true, would have propelled all men to the return; and then the clear teaching of the Scriptures would have confirmed them all the more. We believe, indeed, that other ^C things, which greatly exceed our own merit and worth, are hidden from us as rewards; but this one, as I think, seems most useful, because the total abolition of the memory of the former state in which the soul existed has brought many and varied dogmas into our life. For some think that the soul is extinguished with the body; others, that they were brought into life only to enjoy the goods of this present life; and some have imagined a random chance by which all things are turned; others have entrusted human affairs to fate, necessity, and fortune; and some have asserted that the world is created; others, that the heaven is deemed worthy of providence, but the earth is not; others, that the body was fashioned by wickedness and cannot be an instrument of virtue; and ten thousand other things, which I will omit so as not to prolong this brief discourse. But all these were extinguished ^D if the memory of the former state had remained in the soul, if the account of the fall were true, and if its fall had been preached most clearly in the sacred oracles, calling one to the return. For through the first, both Greeks and barbarians; but through the second,

Jews and Christians, and all who obey the Holy Scriptures, would have known what it was necessary to know. ^B And I see the prison as not a deterrent, but an incentive to sins. For how is one punished, if one receives greater ease for committing an offense? For what greater transgression has the soul committed than murder, or adultery, or sorcery? 17 If, therefore, the soul were being restrained in the body, so as to be sobered up even against its will, such a line of reasoning would have some sense. 18 But what sort of punishment does the soul 19 endure, which hands over and enslaves the body to luxuries and fornications and other unnatural pleasures, which does not even wish to leave its prison, but prays for a deep old age, and does everything so that nothing might hinder its pleasure, and even awakens it often when it is sleeping, and gives it the path, and encourages its lack of restraint? No one who wishes to punish a sinner gives him greater opportunities for lechery. Why then does the Prophet say: "From my mother’s womb, You are my God," 20 if it existed even before this? And how is the resurrection of bodies proclaimed, and not rather the restoration of souls to an incorporeal state? And how did Abraham and Anna lament their childlessness? And how is the statement "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth" [Gen. i, 28] a blessing? For we were surely brought into existence for a contest, not to pay penalties for prior offenses. And if in the contest we fall through lethargy 21 and then seek ease, then, indeed, it is just that we be deprived of crowns. Nevertheless, since those who have put on the clothing of malice have advised us to hold fast to virtue (for they believed this to be the best guide for our return), and the Church, ^C asserting that men are set for a contest 22, exhorts us to virtue—for through this she promises that its victors will be proclaimed and crowned in heaven—let us therefore cease from struggling 22 over disputed matters and press ourselves toward what is agreed upon. For if both they and we with all our might extol virtue 23, let us [apply ourselves to this].

For even if [the soul] has fallen, as they say, it has need of virtue for its return; or if it was brought forth to struggle, as we say, it is through virtue that crowns are woven.

CLXIV. TO JOHN THE DEACON.

On the text, "For He shall give His angels charge over thee."