be indignant, but should rather humble yourself, as if you had been struck by insults you deserved. Furthermore, prune away these two things: that is, so conduct yourself that you do not consider any human being to be far inferior to you in dignity. A
St. Basil, Homily on Anger. — The Lord has shown us the way of patience both by His words and His examples. For these are His very words: *He who wishes to be first among you, shall be the last of all* (Matt. xx, 26-27), and He Himself bore with the one who struck Him calmly and without any agitation of soul. For He who is the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, who is worshiped by every intelligent creature, who upholds all things by the word of His power, did not cast the one who struck Him alive into hell (with the earth parting to swallow the impious man), but He warned and instructed him, saying: *If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?* (John xviii, 23). For if you accustom yourself, according to the Lord’s command, to be the last of all, you will never grow angry as if you had been unworthily insulted by a wrong. B
St. Nilus. — To seethe in spirit and to be unwilling to endure brings about great and varied calamities. It is folly to show oneself impatient and not at all strong in the various kinds of temptations. Let Job persuade you of this, addressing his wife with the words: *You have spoken as one of the foolish women* (Job ii, 10).
LETTER Φ
TITLE I. — On hospitality and brotherly love.
C Gen. xviii, 1-5. "God appeared to Abraham by the oak of Mamre, as he was sitting at the door of his tent at noon. And, lifting up his eyes, he saw, and behold three men stood over him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them, and bowed down to the ground, and said: Lord, if I have found favor before you, do not pass by your servant. Let water be fetched, and wash your feet, and cool yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch bread, and you shall eat, and after this you shall go on your way."
Gen. xix, 1-3. "The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. And seeing them, Lot rose up to meet them, and bowed with his face to the ground, and said: Behold, lords, turn aside into your servant’s house, and lodge there, and wash your feet, and in the morning, rising up, you shall go on your way. And they said: No, but we shall lodge in the street. And he compelled them, and they turned in to him." D
Gen. xxiv, 30. — "Laban, having heard the words of his sister, came to the man, as he was standing by the camels near the spring. And he said to him: Come, enter, you blessed of the Lord; why do you stand outside?"
Exod. xxii, 21. — "You shall not wrong a stranger, nor shall you afflict him; for you were strangers in Egypt."
Lev. xix, 31. — "If a stranger should come to you in your land, you shall not afflict him; he shall be as a native among you."
A Judg. xix, 17-21. — "The old man said, 'Where are you going, and from where do you come?' And he said to him, 'We are passing from Bethlehem of Judah to the remote parts of the mount of Ephraim, and there is no man who gathers me into his house.' And the old man said, 'Be at peace; all that you lack is with me; only do not lodge in the street.' And he brought him into his house, and unloaded the donkeys, and threw fodder for his beasts, and they washed their feet, and they ate and drank."
Job xxxi, 32. — "A stranger did not lodge outside; my door was open to everyone who came."
Matt. x, 41. — "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward."
B Acts xxviii, 1-3, 7. — "When they had escaped, they learned that the island was called Melita. And the barbarians showed us no ordinary kindness. For having kindled a fire, they took us all in because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold. Now in the parts around that place, there were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days."
Heb. xiii, 1, 2. — "Let brotherly love continue; and do not neglect hospitality. For through this, some have unwittingly entertained angels."
Know yourself to be a stranger, and treat strangers with honor. Do not despise the stranger, since we too are strangers and sojourners. Let us become lovers of the brotherhood rather than lovers of self. Has a stranger approached, homeless and an exile? Receive through him the One who for your sake became a stranger, and even among His own.
C S. Chrysost. — When the prophet betook himself to the Sareptite widow; when the hungry stranger came to the hungry hostess, he renders the jar an ever-flowing spring of a handful of flour, not measuring the quantity of the gift, but repaying the reward in proportion to the readiness of her hospitality. For such are the ways of grace: it receives small things and bestows great things.
Evagrii. — A stranger and a poor man are God’s eye-salve; whoever receives them will quickly be granted the health of his eyes.
D Elijah came to Sarepta of Sidon, and saw a widow woman gathering wood; and what does he say? "Give me a little water that I may drink." But the widow, having gone, brought it to him, and Elijah drank. And he said to her, "Take also a morsel of bread for me, that I may eat." But she said, "The Lord lives, if I have anything save a handful of flour in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, which we are about to make, and we shall eat, I and my children, and we shall die." What then does Elijah do? "Go," he says, "and make me a hearth-cake privately, and I shall eat; and so you shall do for your children, and they shall eat." What are you doing, Elijah? Is it bread you are seeking? Why privately?
Or are you not obliged to be grateful, that you might eat with the children? Do you wish to eat, and to strangle a crowd of children? But nevertheless, the widow was not troubled, nor did she say: "You are the one who brought about the famine, and have you come to be fed on the remnants of the famine?" Nor did she say: "You have left so much of the world, and have you come to me to destroy my children with hunger? You are the one who has become the cause of the famine, and you ask for food from me?" But like some Abrahamic woman, she went inside and did as Elijah had spoken. And it was possible to behold the widow as more hospitable even than Abraham himself. For he, indeed, while abounding in wealth, harbored angels, but she, offering up life and death alike, performed the duty of hospitality to the prophet. And it was possible to behold nature struggling, and yet carrying out the duty of hospitality. Do you see her inward parts reeling, and yet receiving the prophet? She prepared a grave for the whole crowd of her children. For as far as the widow's intent is concerned, they had reached the final day of their life. I do not fully know with what praises I should extol this widow. How did she disregard her children, and cultivate hospitality? How did nature itself not grow angry? How was her womb not altered? How were her entrails not broken and dissolved, seeing the whole crowd of her children about to perish from hunger? But she showed herself superior to all these things, and received the prophet as a guest. When, therefore, the prophet had received and eaten, he soon rendered her a return for it. The widow sowed hospitality, and straightway she reaped the wheat-ear flourishing with piety. For what does he say? "The Lord lives: the jar of flour shall not fail, and the cruse of oil shall not be diminished" (III Reg. XVII, 10-14). And so the right hand of the widow became a winepress, and her left hand a threshing floor, and the sheaves necessarily providing fruit, the prophet soon fed the widow. The house of the widow became a winepress and a threshing floor. B
TIT. II. — On the philanthropy, goodness, and patience of God: and that it is better to fall into the hands of God, than into the hands of men.
Exod. XXXIV, 6. — "The Lord thy God is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and of great mercy, and truthful, and just."
II Reg. XXIV, 11-14. — "The word of the Lord came to Gad the seer, saying: Go and speak to David, saying: Choose for yourself what shall happen, whether three years of famine in the land, or three months to flee from the face of the aliens, while they pursue you; or whether there shall be three days of death in the land. And David said to Gad: It is very narrow for me on every side, and these three things. I shall fall, I pray, into the hands of the Lord, because His mercies are very great. But into the hands of men I shall not fall. And God sent death in Israel, from the morning until the time of the meal; and there died of the people, from Dan even to Beersheba, seventy thousand men. And the angel stretched out his hand C over Jerusalem to destroy it. And D
the Lord was moved to compassion over the malice. And He said to the angel: It is enough, stay thy hand. A
"God is a righteous judge, and strong, and long-suffering." Ps. vii, 12.
"According to the multitude of His wrath He will not seek." Ps. ix, 30.
"Remember thy mercies, O Lord," — "How great is the multitude of thy kindness, O Lord." Ps. xxiv, 6, 30.
"The earth is full of thy mercy, O Lord." Ps. cxviii, 32.
"Thou shall save both man and beast, O Lord; as thou hast multiplied thy mercy." Ps. xxxv, 8.
"Thou, O Lord, art kind and gentle, and plenteous in mercy to all. Thou, O Lord my God, art compassionate and merciful." B Ps. lxxxv, 5, 15.
"The Lord is compassionate and merciful; long-suffering." Ps. cii, 8.
"The Lord is merciful and compassionate; He hath given food to those..." Ps. cx, 4.
"Who is a God like unto thee, taking away offenses, and passing over the iniquities of the remnant of thy inheritance. He hath not kept his wrath for a testimony, because He is a lover of mercy. He will Himself turn and have compassion upon us; He will sink our sins, and they shall be cast into the depths of the sea." Mich. vii, 18-20.
"The Lord is long-suffering, and His power is great." C Nahum i, 3.
"I have made, and I will bear. And I will take up, and will save you." Isa. xlvi, 4.
"I have been silent; shall I also for ever be silent and endure?" Isa. xlii, 14.
"I will not be angry with you for ever, nor shall the voice of injustice trample upon you." Isa. lvii, 16.
"I have stretched forth my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to those who walk not in a good way, but after their own sins." Isa. lxv, 2.
"Thou hast mercy upon all, because thou canst do all things, and thou overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance. But thou sparest all, because all things are thine, O lover of souls. For thy holy Spirit is in all things." D Sap. xi, 25, 26.
"Thou, being master of power, judgest with tranquility, and with great sparing dost govern us. For it is possible for thee, whenever thou willest, to have power. Thou hast taught thy people by such works, that the just ought to be humane." Sap. xii, 18.
"Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men. For as is His greatness, so also is His mercy." Eccli. ii, 22.
"He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and raineth upon the just and the unjust." Matth. v, 45.
"If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Matth. vii, 11.
A Luc. xxiii, 33, 34. — "Then they went to the place that is called Calvary, and there they crucified Jesus, and the robbers, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. But Jesus said: Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." Jac. v, 11. — "The Lord is very merciful and compassionate." II Petr. iii, 15. — "Consider the long-suffering of the Lord as salvation." S. Basil. — But there is no doubt that He who is good distributes good things Himself. S. Greg. Naz. — While there are many things for which God is wondered at, there is nothing so proper to Him as to do good to all. The Divine knows how to construct many and wondrous ways of salvation by a new example, inclined as He is toward humaneness. B S. Greg. Nyss. — It is necessary that He who is good by nature be also a giver of good things. S. Chrysost. — No one would spare himself so much as God, in the first instance, acts so that we might not suffer any evil. Such is the divine leniency toward those who do not use it as they ought. It brings punishment to the very end, and just as it is beneficial for those who repent, so for the unyielding and the hard-hearted, it becomes a pretext for greater torments. Idem. — Although God foreknew our perversity, He never ceases to perform the things that are His own. For although we reject His warnings, He nonetheless exhibits a specimen of His own benevolence. And if we rush into greater vices, the fault for this must not be referred to Him who used patience and leniency (for He did not apply leniency so that we might perish, but that we might be saved), but to us who have brought injury upon His inexplicable humaneness. C Idem. Hom. in parab. decem. mill. talent. — For us men, to demand what is owed is wealth; but for God, to forgive it is wealth. And while we, when we receive money that is owed, are increased in resources, God, when He grants pardon for sins, then most greatly becomes rich. For the wealth of the goodness of God is the salvation of men, as Paul says: "Who is rich toward us, and toward all who call upon Him" (Rom. x, 12). Ibid. — We perceive the inexplicable humaneness and clemency of God from the memory of our own sins. S. Dionys. De div. nom. cap. 4. — That which is utterly devoid of good, never was, nor is, nor shall be, nor can be. S. Clement. — The justice of God is good, and His goodness is likewise just. Just as there is no light which does not enlighten, nor a moving thing which does not move, nor one who loves which does not love; nor D
A is it good, if it does not benefit and does not lead unto salvation. Violence is not in God: but a good will is always present with Him. — St. Irenaeus. Didymus. — God possesses mercy by nature and in accordance with His essence; however, that He should be angry is not a matter of nature for Him, but occurs on account of others. — Above all things which are observed in God, His essential goodness takes precedence. Philo. — It is a property of God indeed to extend good things, and to bestow them by forestalling, but not to bring about evil things easily. God does not take immediate vengeance upon those who sin, but grants time for the healing and correction of their failing.
TIT. III. — Of things that are part of nature.
Gen. 6, 5. — B “The thought of man is intent upon evil from his youth.” Prov. 14, 30. — “A rot of the bones is a sensitive heart.” Prov. 15, 15. — “At all times the eyes of men expect evils.” “Just as faces are not similar to faces, so neither are the hearts of men equal.” Isa. 1, 5. — “Every heart is mourning.” Eccli. 13, 19. — “Every animal loves its like, and a man will associate with his like.” Eccli. 19, 27. — “From the encounter of a face, the sensible man shall be known.” Eccli. 13, 31. — “The heart of a man changes his face, whether for good or for evil.” John 3, 20, 21. — “Every one who does wicked things hates the light, and does not come to the light, that his works may not be refuted. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested, because they have been wrought in God.” 2 Pet. 2, 19. — “By whom anyone is overcome, to him he is also enslaved.” We men are so constituted that we accept C whatever we have chosen of our own free will, even if it be laborious. When nature resists, all things are in vain. What a man has not suffered, he could not believe to be in another. But he who has suffered is the more ready to give consent. That which is ready to hand toward authority is idle toward desire. Nothing is so pleasant to men as to speak about the affairs of others. Many judge the lives of others by their own passions. The teachings of evil masters are evil; or, that I may speak more correctly, the husbandries of evil seeds are evil. A voluntary hardship is more precious than an involuntary pleasure. It is a custom for the majority of men, when they are taken by anger and grief, even if they do not DA receive the passions, to vent their anger simply and unexpectedly upon those they happen to encounter.
The intensity of others' misfortunes makes our own evils appear lesser, even if they are unbearable. It is not the nature of things said that habitually makes us savage, but the prejudice of enmity. B Many people pass judgment on others based on themselves; for instance, he who is perpetually drunk would not believe that any man practices continence. He who is addicted to prostitutes thinks that those who live modestly are also lewd. Again, he who seizes the property of others would not easily be persuaded that there are men who cast aside their own.
It is difficult to oppose nature. Philonis: Just as it is laborious to graft onto nature what is not natural, and to introduce it, so too it is difficult to change and restrain those things that are naturally ingrained. For it is said: When nature opposes, all things are empty.
TITLE IV. — Concerning rumor and fame: and that one ought not to give credence to everyone.
Prov. xv, 30. — "A good report fattens the bones." Eccli. xix, 4. — "He who is quick to believe is light of heart." 1 Joan. iv, 1. — "Beloved, do not believe every spirit." S. Chrysost. — Fame is often able to cast down and to raise up a soul, as well as to destroy one that does not exist. S. Clement. — One should not rashly provide an open ear to all who speak and write. Philonis. — Nothing is swifter than fame. C
TITLE V. — Concerning the industrious and the diligent: and that one must labor; for it brings profit.
Gen. iii, 13. — "In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread." Job xi, 12. — "From care and anxiety shall peace appear to you." Psal. ciii, 23. — "Man shall go out to his work and to his labor until the evening." Psal. cxxvii, 2. — "Because you shall eat the labors of your hands; you are blessed, and it shall be well with you." Prov. xx, 13. — "Open your eyes, and be filled with bread." Prov. vi, 11. — "If you are not slothful, your harvest will come like a spring, and your want shall desert you like a swift runner." D Prov. xxvii, 18. — "He who plants a fig tree shall eat of its fruit." Prov. x, 4. — "The hands of the strong make wealthy. He who gathers for himself with piety shall be multiplied." Prov. xxxi, 19. — "She extends her elbows to useful things, but her hands she reaches out to the spindle." And
again: "She strengthened her arms for work, and tasted that it is good to work." A
"Work your work before the time, and he will give your reward in his time." Eccli. li, 38.
"He who works in all things is better than he who is glorified and lacks bread." Eccli. x, 31.
"In all your works rise up, and do not be idle." Eccli. xxxi, 27.
"A man traveling to a far country called his own servants and delivered to them his goods; and to one he gave five talents," etc. Matth. xxv, 14.
"You yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my needs, and to those who are with me. I have shown you all things, that by so laboring it is necessary to support the weak. Remember the word of the Lord, how he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Act. xx, 34, 35. B
What good thing is easy? Who, while sleeping, has erected a trophy? Who, while living in luxury and being serenaded, has been adorned with the crowns of patience? No one who has not run has carried away the prize. Labors beget glory, and toils procure crowns.
Let us overcome with prudence him who blocks our paths to salvation. He caused idleness for us; let us arise for work. Let him deceive our hearts with empty promises; let us not be ignorant of his designs. For does he not suggest that we commit sin today, but put off the storing up of justice until tomorrow? C
Labors practiced through long custom fall more lightly upon those who are trained.
There is health from labors, and salvation from sweat.
If we flee the painful things of the flesh, we shall not see the good things of the just.
Let us labor a little, beloved, so that we may not fall away from the eternal goods.
For a short time the toil, and for an age of ages the rest.
Where there is more labor, there is greater pleasure.
He who possesses right reason does not hesitate to face labors, for the sake of the fruits that arise from labors. D
Everywhere, through difficulty and labors, it is natural for useful things to come to men.
Labors are the providers of goods everywhere.
The kingdom of God is not for the sleeping and the lazy, but the violent take it by force. For this alone is a good kind of violence, to use violence against God, and to snatch life from God. And He, knowing those who use violence, or rather, who hold fast firmly, grants it and gives in. For He rejoices in being overcome in such a manner.
It is absurd to pursue honors, and to flee the labors through which honors are wont to be obtained.
TITLE VI. — On the love of leadership; and that one should not rashly leap into positions of authority.
*Prov. xx, 21.* — "An inheritance gained in haste at the beginning will not be blessed in the end." A
*Eccli. vii, 4.* — "Do not seek from the Lord dominion, nor from the king a seat of honor."
*Eccli. xiii, 2.* — "Do not lift a burden above what you can bear."
TITLE VII. — On good friends.
*I Reg. xx, 17.* — "Jonathan made David swear again, because he loved him as his own soul."
*Ibid. 32-43.* — "Jonathan answered his father, and said: Why should David die? What has he done? And Saul caught up a spear at Jonathan to kill him. And Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. And Jonathan rose up from the table in anger, and did not eat bread on the second day of the month. David rose up from Ergab, and fell upon his face, and worshipped Jonathan three times, and they kissed one another, until the great completion (of their grief). And Jonathan said to David: Go in peace, B and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying: The Lord shall be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And David rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city."
*II Reg. i, 26.* — "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan. You were very precious to me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women."
*Prov. xiv, 19, 20.* — "Wicked friends pay court at the doors of the just; friends will hate poor friends."
*Prov. iii, 29.* — "Do not devise evil against thy friend, who dwells beside thee and relies upon thee." C
*Prov. xvii, 9.* — "He that covers a transgression seeks friendship. Let a friend be with you at all times. But let brothers be useful in necessities; for it is for this that they are begotten."
*Prov. xxvii, 6-10.* — "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but voluntary are the kisses of an enemy. Do not forsake thy friend, or the friend of thy father. And into the house of thy brother do not enter when you are in misfortune. Better is a companion who is near, than a brother who dwells far away."
*Prov. xxv, 8, 9.* — "When your friend reproaches you, withdraw backwards; do not despise him, lest the friend reproach you, and your battle and your enmity will not cease, but will be to you like death." D
*Ecclesi. iv, 9-12.* — "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if the two fall, the one will raise up his companion. But woe to the one when he falls, and there is no second to raise him up. A triple-woven cord will not quickly be broken."
*Eccli. vi, 14-16.* — "A faithful friend is a strong shelter; and he who finds him, finds a treasure. There is no equivalent for a faithful friend, and no weighing of his beauty. A faithful friend is a medicine of life, and those who fear the Lord will find him."
A Eccl. IX, 14, 15. — "Do not forsake an old friend. For a new one is not like him. New wine; but if it has aged, you shall drink it with pleasure." "Before you die, do good to a friend, and according to your strength extend it, and give to him." "Lose your money for a brother and a friend." "Do not forget a friend in your soul." "I will not be ashamed to protect a friend, and I will not hide from his face, even if evils befall me on his account." There is no equivalent for a faithful friend among existing things, nor is there any weighing of his beauty. A faithful friend is a strong shelter and a fortified palace; a faithful friend is a living treasure. A faithful friend is a closed garden, a sealed fountain, opened and partaken of at the proper time. A faithful friend is a harbor of refreshment. B Friendship will bear all things, both suffering and listening. It is fitting that children, just as they are heirs of paternal goods, should also be heirs of friendship. When I say "friends," I mean the good and virtuous, and those bound to us by virtue. Let us make all things common, both sorrows and joys. For such is friendship. Things said by friends, even if they be insults, are bearable. S. Chrysost. — Things said by friends, even if they are insults, are to be endured. A fever is not accustomed to inflame the nature of the body as much as our souls are wont to be inflamed when we are separated from those we love. C S. Clement Alex. Strom. lib. II. — We are taught three kinds of friendship; and of these the first and best is that which arises from virtue. For the love that comes from reason is firm. The second and middle one is that which consists in mutual exchange; this is communal, reciprocal, and useful for life. For grateful friendship is common. The third and last one is that, which we say comes from habit, in relation to the gentiles [(1)]. I know, he says, that which is changeable according to pleasure, and prone to mutation. Therefore, one kind is the friendship of a philosopher, the second of a man, the third of a brute animal. Evagrii. — Pleasant is that friend who nourishes the soul. A genuine friend is one who shares in our calamities. A constant friend is worth the greatest wealth. He who is a friend according to God flows with milk and honey in his true words. D TIT. VIII. — Concerning table friends and the wicked. "Impious friends hate poor friends." "A lawless man attempts the friends, and leads them into paths that are not good."
NOTE. (1) These two words are missing in the edition. Read as "in relation to the gentiles." Soon "Rup." [reads] "they say it." Edition [reads] "the [word] that."
Prov. xviii, 1. — "He who wishes to separate himself from friends seeks excuses." A
Prov. xxv, 18. — "A club, and a sword, and a sharp-pointed arrow, is a man who bears false witness against his friend."
Prov. xxvii, 14. — "He who blesses a friend in the morning with a loud voice, does not differ from one who curses."
Mich. vii, 5. — "Do not believe in friends, nor hope in princes."
Eccli. vi, 8. — "There is a friend in his own time, and he will not abide in the day of tribulation. There is a friend, a companion at the table, and he will not remain in the day of affliction; and if you are humbled, he will be against you."
Eccli. xxxvii, 1. — "There is a friend who is a friend in name only." B
Eccli. vi, 7, 1. — "If you possess a friend, possess him in temptation, and do not trust him easily. Do not become an enemy instead of a friend."
Eccli. xxxvii, 4, 5. — "A comrade of a friend sings in joy, and in the time of tribulation he will be an adversary. A comrade sympathizes with a friend for the sake of his belly, but will take up a shield against war."
Eccli. xiii, 6-8. — "If you have [goods], he will live with you, and will drain you, and will not grieve himself. You were necessary to him, and he made you go astray, and he will smile at you, and will give you hope. He will speak to you, he will call good things to you, and will say: What is your need? And he will put you to shame with his foods, until he has drained you once or twice, and in the end he will mock you; and after these things he will see you, and will leave you, and will shake his head over you." C
Eccli. xxvii, 26, 27. — "In the sight of your eyes he will flatter with his mouth, and will admire your words, but in the end he will pervert his mouth, and will place a stumbling-block in your words. I have hated many things, and have not equaled them; and the Lord hates him."
Matth. xxiv, 12. — "Because iniquity has abounded, the charity of many will grow cold."
S. Basil. — Those who are intemperate in mind, as long as food is in their mouths, offer praises, flatter, and admire beyond measure. If, however, the table is delayed even a little, those whom they previously worshipped as God Himself for the sake of pleasure, they attack with curses as if with stones. D
S. Chrysost. — Mutual trust has fled from them; friendship among them is bounded by the limits of the table; their greetings are full of suspicion.
Philo. — No one should call a flatterer a friend and companion. For flattery is the disease of friendship.
TIT. IX. — Regarding the munificent and liberal; and that munificence procures salvation.
I Reg. xxv, 23-25. — "Abigail saw David, and she dismounted, and sprang down from the ass. And she fell before David on her face upon the earth, and said: Upon me, my lord, let this iniquity be; let your handmaid speak, I beseech you, into your
ears, and hear the words of your handmaid. Let not my lord set his heart upon this pestilent man; for folly is with him. A
*— II Reg. xvi, 2-4.* — "And King David said to Siba: What is this to you? And Siba said: The donkeys are for the king's house to ride upon, and the bread for the servants to eat, and the wine for those who are faint to drink. And the king said to Siba: Behold, all that Memphibosthe had is yours. And Siba falling down worshipped, saying: I have found grace in your eyes, my lord king."
*Schol.* The offering of gifts to strangers transferred the master's property to the servant.
*IV Reg. xvi, 6-8.* — "Achaz sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians, saying: I am your servant and your son; come up, and save me from the hand of the king of Syria, and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have risen up against me. And Achaz took the silver and the gold that was found in his treasures, and sent gifts to the king; and the king of the Assyrians heard him, and went up to Damascus, and captured it, and slew Rhaasson." B
"A man's gift enlarges him, and makes him sit in the presence of princes." *Prov. xviii, 16.*
"A secret gift averts anger." *Prov. xxi, 14.*
"God loves a cheerful giver." *II Cor. ix, 7.*
"In every gift make your countenance cheerful." *Eccli. xxxv, 11.*
The graces of good works return upon those who give. *S. Basil.*
Beneficence gains glory: while stinginess is exposed to mockery and insults. *Idem.*
TIT. X. — Of those who are parsimonious and ungenerous, and that those who suffer from the disease of stinginess fall into perils.
C*Judic. viii, 5-17.* — "Gedeon said to the men of Sochoth: Give, I beseech you, bread for food to this people who is with me, because they are fainting. And behold, I am pursuing after Zebee and Salmana, kings of Madian. And the princes of Sochoth said: Is the hand of Zebee and Salmana now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army? And he said: Not so. Therefore, when the Lord has delivered Zebee and Salmana into my hand, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns of the desert. And he went up from thence to Phanuel, and spoke to them in the same manner. And the men of Phanuel answered him in the same way D that the men of Sochoth had answered him. And Gedeon said to the men of Phanuel: If I return in peace, I will destroy this tower. And Gedeon returned from the war, and seized a youth of the sons of Sochoth, and questioned him; and he wrote down for him its princes and its elders, seventy-seven men. And Gedeon came to the princes of Sochoth, and said: Behold Zebee and Salmana, for whom you reproached me, saying: Is the hand of Zebee and Salmana in your hand
that we should give bread to your weary men? And he took the ancients of the city, and thorns of the desert, and tore the men of Sochoth with them; and he tore down the tower of Phanuel, and killed the men of the city. »
I Reg. xxv, 10, 11 — « Nabal leapt up and answered the servants of David: Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? Today servants are multiplied who flee every man from his master; and I shall take my bread, and my wine, and my victims which I have prepared for them that shear my sheep, and I shall give them to men, whom I know not whence they are? »
Prov. xxi, 14 — « He that spareth gifts, excitethe a strong anger. »
Eccli. v, 12 — « There is a languor which I have seen under the sun, riches kept to the hurt of the owner thereof; and those riches shall perish in an evil temptation. »
Eccle. vi, 1, 2 — « There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and glory, and there is nothing lacking to his soul of all that he desireth; and God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it. »
Eccli. xi, 20 — « There is one that is enriched by his carefulness and his sparing, and this is the portion of his reward, and he shall die. »
Eccli. xiv, 4, 5 — « He that gathereth by his soul, gathereth for others; and in his goods others shall revel. He that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good? My son, as much as thou hast, do good to thyself. »
Eccli. xxxi, 19 — « A city shall murmur at a most wicked man for his bread. »
On a querulous and fault-finding man.
Eccli. xix, 5 — « He that accuseth unjustly, shall not escape. »
Eccli. ii, 30 — « Strive not with a man in vain: lest he devise some evil against thee. »
On envy and emulation.
I Reg. xviii, 6-8 — « The B women came forth singing and dancing to meet David, and they said: Saul hath struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And the word was evil in the eyes of Saul, and he said: To David they have given ten thousands, and to me they have given a thousand. And Saul was eyeing David from that day forward. »
Prov. xxiii, 6, 7 — « Be not with an envious man, and desire not his meats. For as if a man were to swallow C a hair, so he eateth and drinketh. »
Prov. xxviii, 22 — « A man that maketh haste to be rich is an envious man, and he knoweth not that a merciful man shall take hold of him. »
Cant. viii, 6 — « Hard as hell is emulation. » D
A "I will not consort with one who wastes away with envy, for he does not partake in wisdom." "Envy of evil-doing obscures good things." "To an envious man, to what purpose is wealth?" "Zeal and anger diminish the days." "Hide your counsel from those who are envious." "There is no one more wicked than he who envies himself, and this is the retribution of his wickedness. And if he does good, he does it inadvertently, not willingly; and in the end, he manifests his wickedness." "Every sinner, and envious man, and double-tongued man, shall have dishonor." B "A pain of the heart and a sorrow of the heart, is a woman jealous of a woman." "Do not take counsel with one who keeps a watch on you." "Friend, I do you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?" "Where there is zeal and strife, there is instability and every evil thing."
Let us guard ourselves, brethren, against the passion of envy; let us not become partakers of the works of the adversary, and be found condemned to the same judgment. For if he who is puffed up falls into the judgment of the devil, how shall the envious man escape the punishment prepared for the devil? For no passion of envy is implanted more destructively in the souls of men. C For just as rust consumes iron, so envy consumes the soul that contains it. Or rather, just as they say that vipers, by eating away the womb that bore them, are brought forth, so envy is also of such a nature as to consume the soul that brings it forth. For envy is grief at someone else's prosperity. That is why anxieties and despondencies never leave the envious man. Has the neighbor's land yielded a good harvest? Is his house flourishing with all the comforts of life? Does he live in continual pleasure of soul? All these things are food for the disease and an addition to the pain for the envious man. Is someone brave and in good health? These things strike the envious man. Is another more pleasing in form? D This is another wound for the envious man. Does so-and-so excel the many in the endowments of the soul, and is he looked upon for his prudence and power of speech? He is envied. Does another grow rich, and does he display himself brilliantly in growth and in sharing with the needy, and is there much praise for him from those benefited? All these things are blows and wounds that strike the middle of his heart. And what is grievous about the disease is that he cannot even speak of it; but he bows his head, is downcast, and is distressed, and laments, and is destroyed by the evil. And when asked, he blushes to make public the passion of his calamity. For he cannot say: "I am envious, and the good things of my neighbor bitterly torment me, and I lament the cheerfulness of my brother, and I cannot bear the sight of other people's...
prosperity." In the depths of his being, he carries a disease that smolders inside his guts and consumes them. Therefore, he neither seeks out a physician for the malady nor can he think of a remedy to repel the sickness; but he waits for this one alleviation of his evil: if by chance he might see one of those he envies brought low by misfortune. Then, truly, he enters into a pact and becomes a friend, when he sees the one at whom his envy was raging shedding tears and mourning. He does not congratulate him when he is happy or cheerful, but joins him as a companion in tears when he is lamenting. If a son has departed this life, he praises him and honors him with countless eulogies—how handsome he was to behold, how excellent his character, how fittingly he was prepared for everything—though while the boy was still alive, he would not have bestowed upon him a single word of praise. But if he sees many people joining in the acclaim, he suddenly changes his mind and envies the departed. What, then, could be more pestilential than this disease? It is the blight of life, the corruption of nature, hatred of the gifts divinely bestowed upon us, and opposition to God. What drove the author of evil, the devil, to wage war against mankind? Was it not envy, through which he was clearly revealed as a fighter against God? Being grieved at God for such great generosity toward man, he took vengeance upon man because he could not prevail against God. It is evident that Cain acted in exactly the same way, that first disciple of the devil, who learned from him both envy and murder. What, then, did he do? He saw the honor granted by God, and was inflamed with jealousy; he killed the one who had been honored, in order to strike at the One who had bestowed the honor. For, being unable to wage war against God, he fell into fratricide. Let us flee, brothers, from the disease that is the teacher of opposition to God, the mother of murder, the confusion of nature, the ignorance of kinship, and a calamity most irrational. C Dogs become tame when fed, and lions are made tractable through kindness; but the envious are made only more savage by gentleness and soft words. What was the reason the Savior was subject to envy? It was certainly because of His miracles. And what were these miracles? The salvation of those in need. The hungry were fed, and He who fed them was fought against. The dead were raised, and He who imparted life was envied. Demons were cast out, and He who commanded them was plotted against. Lepers were cleansed, the lame walked, the deaf heard, and the blind received their sight, yet the Author of these benefits was driven into exile. Finally, they delivered the One who granted life to death; they scourged the Deliverer of mankind and condemned the Judge of the world. D A Scythian does not envy an Egyptian, but everyone envies his own countryman. And even within the same nation, envy is felt not toward those unknown to us, but toward those most familiar, especially neighbors and fellow craftsmen, and those who otherwise are kin,
A and again those of equal status, relatives, and brothers. Indeed, just as rust is the specific affliction of grain, so envy is a disease of friendship. The impulses of envy, while harming nothing of the person being envied, become wounds to the envious man himself. Who, when moved by pique, has ever diminished the good things of his neighbor? Yet he has consumed himself, wasting away in his sorrows.
Let us flee from this intolerable evil. It is a teaching of the serpent, an invention of demons, a sowing of the enemy, a pledge of punishment, a way to Gehenna, a deprivation of the kingdom. Some think that the envious also cast this disease upon others merely by their eyes. I, however, dismiss this story. But this is what I say: the haters of good, the demons, when they find wills suited to themselves, use every means to abuse them for that which they have proposed, so that they even use the eyes of the envious for this service of their own desire. Let us then flee from an intolerable evil, which is by nature a lesson of the demons. The envious also somehow manifest this in their very appearance. Their eye is dry and lusterless, their cheek dejected, their brow fallen, their soul confused by this passion, having no court of truth regarding matters; for they call the brave man rash, the temperate man hard and stupid, the just man cruel, the prudent man shifty. And they slander the magnificent man as profligate, the liberal man as a squanderer, and again, they accuse the man who manages his household well of being stingy and tight-fisted. In short, there is no form of virtue among them that lacks a name derived from the opposite vice B.
Envy is a peculiar evil of the devil, which cannot be spoken aloud and which admits of no medicine. He who suffers from a headache tells the physician of his headache, but he who envies—what can he say? That the good things of my brother cause me sorrow? This is indeed the truth, but everyone is ashamed to speak the words. Why do you groan? Is it for your own evil or for another's good? C We tame dogs by feeding them, but when we bestow benefits on the envious man, we render him yet more savage. For he does not rejoice at the good things he may receive, but is distressed by your prosperity. Do not, therefore, fall into the snare of the devil.
It is a fine thing to be envied, but a great shame to envy. Walk on high, and leave envy below.
What could be more pitiable than envious men? Though it is within their power to rejoice, and to gain some profit D from that joy, they choose instead to be distressed by the success of others,
suffering over the fame and glory of others, and besides this grief of theirs, summoning from God a punishment and an unbearable torture for themselves.
O envy, full of suffering! O envy, fire that is never quenched! O envy, destructive to the one who envies! For just as a worm destroys wood, so too does envy consume the envious person, while rendering the one who is envied more brilliant.
It is impossible to escape envy in times of prosperity.
There is nothing more wicked than to be bitten, shattered, and consumed by the happiness of another. There is nothing more grievous, nothing more miserable, than to contract the malady of envy and be consumed by jealousy and spite.
You say that you implore God with your whole heart to be liberated from lustful thoughts and passions; therefore, in the same way, with all your soul, strive to pray for that which is better, that you may be delivered from spite and envy; for you incline all the more toward this detestable passion.
TIT. XIII. On inordinate self-love; and that no one ought to pronounce himself righteous or to praise himself.
Prov. xxi, 2. — “Every man seems righteous to himself.”
Prov. xxvii, 2. — “Let thy neighbor praise thee, and not thy own mouth; a stranger, and not thy own lips.”
Prov. iii, 7. — “Be not wise in thy own conceits.”
Prov. xii, 15. — “The ways of fools are right in their own eyes.”
Isa. v, 21, 22. — “Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own sight! Who say: Depart from me, come not near me, for I am clean. Such is the smoke of my anger, a fire burning in it all the day.”
Isa. lxv, 6. — “Behold it is written before me, I will not be silent, but I will render and will repay into their bosom your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers, saith the Lord.”
II Cor. x, 18. — “For not he who commendeth himself is proved, but whom God commendeth.”
Rom. xii, 16. — “Be not wise in your own conceits.”
St. Greg. Naz. — We are all pious in this one respect, that we condemn the impiety of others, being lenient and kind judges of our own actions, but severe censors of those of others.
Isaiah the Abbot. — Those who do everything only for their own sake, these pursue self-love, which is the most grievous of all evils. This indeed brings about the result that one shrinks from society, association, and friendship, and acts unjustly and impiously. For nature did not fashion man as a solitary creature, but as one that is gregarious and partakes of common pastures; so that he should not live for himself alone, but also for mother, and father, and brothers, and wife, and children, B and other relatives, and friends, and fellow-townsmen, and fellow-tribesmen, and country, and...
tribesmen, and to all men; nay further, to the parts of the universe, and to the whole world, and much more so to God the Creator. For he who partakes of reason must be a lover of society, a lover of the world, and a lover of God, so that he may also be beloved of God.
Evagrius. — O, how one must beware of the blind love of self, to which all things are hateful!
LETTER X
A
TIT. I. — On God’s gifts and favors, and that they are bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon those who live honestly; and that those are unworthy of pardon who think they can acquire the grace of God with gifts and money.
John iii, 27. — « A man can receive nothing from himself, unless it be given him from heaven. »
Rom. xi, 29. — « The gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. »
Act. viii, 18-20. — « When Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying: Give me also this power, that upon whomsoever I may lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said unto him: May thy money be with thee into perdition, because thou hast thought to acquire the gift of God with money. Thy heart is not right before God. »
Jas. i, 17, 18. — « Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, nor shadow of change. »
Didymus. — God, in caring for the salvation of those whom He adorns with benefits, sometimes does not immediately impart and pour out His gifts, and this for the sake of their own benefit: so that those who have trampled upon divine graces may not be rendered liable to a greater punishment, as they would be if they ignored their magnitude due to having obtained them easily and quickly.
What the Father bestows, with the Son serving and the Spirit providing, He does not bestow in a manner that the power of divine majesty suggests, but in a way that is conducive to those who receive.
C
TIT. II. — On those who rejoice in evil, and who welcome wicked things and scorn the righteous.
Ps. x, 2. — « They are taken hold of in the counsels which they imagine. »
Ps. xxxi, 18. — « Let lying lips be made dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous, » and the rest.
Ps. xxxiv, 20. — « Those who hate the righteous shall do wrong. »
Ps. xxxvii, 22. — « They that bless the righteous shall inherit the earth. »
Prov. xvi, 21. — « They call the wise and the prudent evil. »
Prov. xxix, 10. — « Men of blood, partners, shall hate the holy one. »
Prov. xvii, 15. — « He who judges the righteous man as unrighteous, and the unrighteous as righteous, is unclean and abominable before the Lord. »