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De profectu evangelii

TO THOSE who do not rightly use the apostolic saying, "Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed," and concerning

humility.

51.311 1. Having recently mentioned the Pharisee and the tax collector, and having yoked two chariots in our discourse, one of virtue and one of vice, we showed in each case how great is the gain of humility, and how great is the harm of arrogance. For the one, even when combined with righteousness and fastings and tithes, fell behind; while the other, even when yoked with sin, outstripped the Pharisee's team, despite having a wicked charioteer. For what is worse than a tax collector? But nevertheless, because he humbled his soul, and called himself a sinner, which he was, he surpassed the Pharisee, though the latter could speak of fastings and tithes and being free from all wickedness. For what reason, and why? Because even if he was free from greed and extortion, he had the mother of all evils, vainglory and arrogance, rooted in his soul. For this reason Paul also exhorts and says: Let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone, and not in another.

But that man came forward as an accuser of the whole world, and declared himself to be better than all men in existence. And yet, even if he had put himself before only ten, or five, or two, or one, not even this would have been tolerable; but as it is, he not only put himself before the world, but he also accused everyone. For this reason he fell behind in the race. And just as a ship, after passing through countless waves and escaping many storms, then strikes against some rock at the very mouth of the harbor and loses all the treasure stored within; so too this Pharisee, having endured the labors of fasting and of all other virtue, because he did not control his tongue, suffered a heavy shipwreck in the harbor itself. For to depart from prayer, from which one ought to have gained, having instead been so greatly harmed, is nothing other than to suffer shipwreck in the harbor.

2. Knowing these things, therefore, beloved, even if we ascend to the very summit of virtue, let us consider ourselves the least of all, having learned that arrogance can bring down from the very heavens one who is not on guard, and humility can bring up to the heights from the very abyss of sins one who knows how to be moderate. For this placed the tax collector before the Pharisee; while that, I mean arrogance and pride, overcame even the bodiless power of the devil; but humility and the acknowledgment of one's own sins brought the thief into paradise before the apostles. And if those who confess their own sins procure for themselves such great confidence, how many crowns will they not obtain who, conscious of many good things in themselves, yet humble their own soul? For when sin is combined with humility, it runs with such ease as to surpass and outstrip righteousness that is with arrogance. If, then, you join it with righteousness, where will it not arrive? How many heavens will it not cross? It will surely stand beside the very throne of God in the midst of the angels with great confidence.

Again, if arrogance, yoked with righteousness, was able by the excess and weight of its own evil to drag down the confidence of the other, if with

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De profectu evangelii

ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ Οὐκ εἰς δέον χρωμένους τῷ ἀποστολικῷ ῥητῷ τῷ λέγοντι, "Εἴτε προφάσει, εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ Χριστὸς καταγγέλλεται" καὶ περὶ

ταπεινοφροσύνης.

51.311 αʹ. Τοῦ Φαρισαίου καὶ τοῦ τελώνου μνημονεύσαντες πρώην, καὶ ἅρματα δύο τῷ λόγῳ ζεύξαντες ἐξ ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας, ἑκάτερον ἐδείξαμεν, ὅσον μὲν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης τὸ κέρδος, ὅσον δὲ τῆς ἀπονοίας τὸ βλάβος. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ συμβεβλημένη καὶ νηστείαις καὶ δεκάταις, ὑστέρησεν· ἐκείνη δὲ καὶ μετὰ ἁμαρτίας ζευχθεῖσα προέλαβε τὸ τοῦ Φαρισαίου ζεῦγος, καίτοι καὶ τὸν ἡνίοχον ἔχουσα φαῦλον. Τί γὰρ τελώνου χεῖρον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ συνέτριψεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἑαυτὸν ἐκάλεσεν, ὅπερ ἦν, ὑπερέβη τὸν Φαρισαῖον καὶ νηστείας ἔχοντα εἰπεῖν καὶ δεκάτας, καὶ κακίας πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένον. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ διὰ τί; Ὅτι εἰ καὶ πλεονεξίας καὶ ἁρπαγῆς ἀπήλλακτο, τὴν μητέρα τῶν κακῶν πάντων κενοδοξίαν τε καὶ ἀπόνοιαν εἶχεν ἐῤῥιζωμένην ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος παρακαλεῖ καὶ λέγει· Ἕκαστος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἔργον δοκιμαζέτω, καὶ τότε εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὸ καύχημα ἕξει, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον.

Ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης παρῆλθεν εἰς μέσον κατήγορος, καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτὸν ἔφησεν εἶναι βελτίω. Καίτοι καὶ εἰ δέκα μόνον, καὶ εἰ πέντε, καὶ εἰ δύο, καὶ εἰ ἑνὸς ἑαυτὸν προὔθηκεν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀνεκτὸν ἦν· νυνὶ δὲ οὐχὶ προὔθηκεν ἑαυτὸν μόνον τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηγόρησεν ἁπάντων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὑστέρησε κατὰ τὸν δρόμον. Καὶ καθάπερ ναῦς μυρία διαδραμοῦσα κύματα, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐκφυγοῦσα χειμῶνας, εἶτα ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ στόματι τοῦ λιμένος σκοπέλῳ τινὶ προσαράξασα πάντα τὸν ἐναποκείμενον ἀπόλλυσι θησαυρόν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Φαρισαῖοις οὗτος, τοὺς πόνους τῆς νηστείας ὑπομείνας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης, ἐπειδὴ γλώττης οὐκ ἐκράτησεν, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ λιμένι τὸ φορτικὸν ναυάγιον ὑπέμεινε. Τὸ γὰρ ἐξ εὐχῆς, ὅθεν κερδαίνειν ἔδει, τοσαῦτα βλαβέντα μᾶλλον ἀπελθεῖν, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ ἐν λιμένι ναυάγιον ὑπομεῖναι.

βʹ. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, ἀγαπητοὶ, κἂν εἰς αὐτὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν κορυφὴν

ἀνέλθωμεν, πάντων ἑαυτοὺς ἐσχάτους νομίζωμεν, μαθόντες ὅτι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀπόνοια δύναται κατενεγκεῖν τὸν μὴ προσέχοντα, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀβύσσου τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνενεγκεῖν εἰς ὕψος ταπεινοφροσύνη τὸν μετριάζειν εἰδότα. Αὕτη γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ Φαρισαίου τὸν τελώνην ἔστησεν· ἐκείνη δὲ, ἡ ἀπόνοια λέγω, καὶ ἡ ὑπερηφανία, καὶ ἀσωμάτου περιεγένετο δυνάμεως τοῦ διαβόλου· ἡ δὲ ταπεινοφροσύνη καὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ ἐπίγνωσις εἰς παράδεισον τὸν λῃστὴν εἰσήγαγε πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων. Εἰ δὲ οἱ τὰ οἰκεῖα ὁμολογοῦντες ἁμαρτήματα, τοσαύτην ἑαυτοῖς προξενοῦσι τὴν παῤῥησίαν, οἱ πολλὰ μὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες ἀγαθὰ, ταπεινοῦντες δὲ ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, πόσων οὐκ ἐπιτεύξονται στεφάνων; Ὅταν γὰρ ἁμαρτία συμβεβλημένη ᾖ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ, οὕτω τρέχει μετ' εὐκολίας, ὡς δικαιοσύνην μετ' ἀπονοίας οὖσαν ὑπερβῆναι καὶ προλαβεῖν. Ἂν τοίνυν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης αὐτὴν συνάψῃς, ποῦ οὐκ ἀφίξεται; πόσους οὐ διαβήσεται οὐρανούς; Παρ' αὐτὸν πάντως στήσεται τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν θρόνον ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἀγγέλων μετὰ παῤῥησίας πολλῆς.

Πάλιν εἰ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης ἡ ἀπόνοια ζευχθεῖσα, τῇ τῆς οἰκείας κακίας ὑπερβολῇ καὶ βαρύτητι καθελκύσαι τὴν ἐκείνης παῤῥησίαν ἴσχυσεν, ἂν μετὰ