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Ad Demetrium de compunctione i

TO DEMETRIUS THE MONK CONCERNING COMPUNCTION, FIRST DISCOURSE.

47.393 1. When I see you, O blessed Demetrius, continually pressing upon us, and with much vehemence demanding discourses on compunction, I have always both called you blessed and admired the purity in your soul. For it is not possible, unless one has first been well purified and become superior to all worldly things, to arrive at this desire for these discourses. And this is easy to perceive from those who even for a short time are possessed by this longing, that they suddenly receive so great a change, as to be immediately transported to heaven; for just as having loosed the soul from the cares of the world, as from some harsh bonds, so they let it fly to its own and kindred place. But for most people this is accustomed to happen rarely in their whole life; but you, 47.394 O divine head, I know are always possessed by this fire of compunction. And both the sleepless nights, and the fountains of tears, and the love of the desert both ever-seated and flourishing in your soul would bear witness to me. What more, then, could come to you from our discourses? For indeed, this very fact—that you have arrived at the very summit, but think you are still with those who creep on the ground, and call your winged soul stony, and continually take my right hand, and kissing it and weeping say, "Break my hardened heart,"—of how much reverence, and of how much fiery ardor, would one deem these to be proofs? If, then, wishing to awaken us from sleep you have drawn us to this subject, I approve of both your wisdom and your great 47.395 foresight; but if truly considering your own state, and thinking you need someone to rouse you, I do not know how else you could have taught us that you need nothing from us. Nevertheless, even so we will yield to you, and we will be persuaded for the sake of all things, both for your boldness toward God and your earnestness in your request, and your friendship toward us; but you in return for these things repay us with your prayers, so that our life may be set aright for the future, and that at present we may be able to say something noble, and sufficient both to raise up the fallen and to strengthen and compose the weary souls. From where, then, for us, from where must we begin this discourse? what foundation for it, what base shall we lay? Is it not clear that the words of Christ, by which he pronounces woe upon those who laugh, but places among the blessed those who mourn, saying thus: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted; and, Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. And very rightly; for this whole present time is truly one of mourning, of mourning and lamentation; such a calamity has seized the whole world, such evils hold all men; which if anyone should wish to examine with precision, if indeed it is possible with precision, he will not cease from lamenting and mourning; so have all things been overturned and thrown into confusion, and there is a trace of virtue nowhere. And what is indeed more grievous, is that we have no perception of the terrible things which possess us, neither we ourselves nor do we afford it to others, but we are like a body flourishing on the outside, but being consumed within by a great fire; and on account of our insensibility we differ in no way from the insane, who both say and do many dangerous and shameful things without fear, and are ashamed of none of these things, but even take pride in them, and think they are more sound of mind than those who are sober. So too we, while doing all the things of the sick, do not even know this very thing, that we are sick. But in the case of the body, even if a chance ailment troubles us, we both call for physicians, and money

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Ad Demetrium de compunctione i

ΠΡΟΣ ∆ΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΝ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΝΥΞΕΩΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ.

47.393 αʹ. Ἐγώ σε ὁρῶν, ὦ μακάριε ∆ημήτριε, συνεχῶς ἐγκείμενον ἡμῖν, καὶ μετὰ

πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος τοὺς περὶ κατανύξεως ἀπαιτοῦντα λόγους, ἐμακάρισά τε ἀεὶ καὶ ἐθαύμασα τὴν ἐν τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ καθαρότητα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστι μὴ πρότερον ἐκκαθαρθέντα καλῶς, καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἁπάντων ἀνώτερον γενόμενον, εἰς ταύτην τῶν λόγων τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐλθεῖν. Καὶ τοῦτο ῥᾴδιον συνιδεῖν ἐκ τῶν καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον τούτῳ κατεχομένων τῷ πόθῳ, ὅτι τοσαύτην ἀθρόως δέχονται τὴν μεταβολὴν, ὡς εὐθέως πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μεταστῆναι· καθάπερ γάρ τινων δεσμῶν χαλεπῶν, τῶν τοῦ κόσμου φροντίδων ἀπολύσαντες τὴν ψυχὴν, οὕτως ἀφιᾶσι πέτεσθαι πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον αὐτῇ τόπον καὶ συγγενῆ. Ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν πολλοῖς τοῦτο ὀλιγάκις τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου συμβαίνειν εἴωθε· σὲ 47.394 δὲ, ὦ θεία κεφαλὴ, διαπαντὸς οἶδα τούτῳ κατεχόμενον τῷ πυρὶ τῆς κατανύξεως. Καὶ μαρτυρήσειαν ἄν μοι αἵ τε ἄϋπνοι νύκτες, καὶ αἱ τῶν δακρύων πηγαὶ, καὶ ὁ τῆς ἐρημίας ἔρως ἐνιζάνων τε ἀεὶ καὶ ἐνακμάζων σου τῇ ψυχῇ. Τί οὖν ἄν σοι γένοιτο πλέον παρὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ πρὸς αὐτὴν μὲν ἥκειν τὴν κορυφὴν, οἴεσθαι δὲ ἔτι μετὰ τῶν χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων εἶναι, καὶ τὴν ἐπτερωμένην ψυχὴν λιθίνην καλεῖν, καὶ συνεχῶς τῆς δεξιᾶς ἁπτόμενον τῆς ἐμῆς, καὶ φιλοῦντα καὶ δακρύοντα λέγειν, σύντριψόν μου τὴν καρδίαν τὴν πεπωρωμένην, πόσης μὲν εὐλαβείας, πόσης δὲ πυρώσεως ἄν τις θείη εἶναι τεκμήρια; Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἡμᾶς καθεύδοντας διυπνίσαι βουλόμενος ἐπὶ ταύτην εἵλκυσας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ τῆς προνοίας 47.395 ἀποδέχομαι τῆς πολλῆς· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῶς τὸ σαυτοῦ σκοπῶν, καὶ τοῦ διαναστήσοντος δεῖσθαι νομίζων, οὐκ οἶδα πῶς ἂν ἑτέρως ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξας, ὅτι σοι τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν οὐδενὸς δεῖ. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως εἴξομέν σοι, καὶ πεισθησόμεθα πάντων ἕνεκεν, καὶ τῆς παῤῥησίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τῆς περὶ τὴν αἴτησιν σπουδῆς, καὶ τῆς φιλίας τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς· σὺ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἀντὶ τούτων ταῖς εὐχαῖς ταῖς σαῖς ἀμείβου, ὥστε ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν βίον ὀρθωθῆναι τοῦ λοιποῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι δυνηθῆναί τι γενναῖον εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἱκανὸν τάς τε κειμένας ἀναστῆσαι καὶ τὰς παρειμένας ἐπισφίγξαι καὶ συγκροτῆσαι ψυχάς. Πόθεν οὖν ἡμῖν, πόθεν ἀρκτέον τούτου τοῦ λόγου; τίνα αὐτῷ θεμέλιον, ποίαν κρηπῖδα θήσομεν; Ἦ δῆλον ὅτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, δι' ὧν ταλανίζει μὲν τοὺς γελῶντας, ἐν δὲ τοῖς μακαριζομένοις τίθησι τοὺς πενθοῦντας, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται· καὶ, Οὐαὶ οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· πένθους γὰρ ἀληθῶς, πένθους καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ὁ παρὼν ἅπας καιρός· τοιαύτη συμφορὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην κατείληφεν ἅπασαν, τοιαῦτα ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους συνέχει κακά· ἅπερ εἴ τις μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζειν ἐθέλοι, εἴ γε δυνατὸν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὐ παύσεται ὀδυρόμενος καὶ πενθῶν· οὕτως ἅπαντα ἀνατέτραπται καὶ συγκέχυται, καὶ ἀρετῆς ἴχνος οὐδαμοῦ. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι τῶν συνεχόντων ἡμᾶς δεινῶν αἴσθησιν οὔτε αὐτοὶ ἔχομεν, οὔτε ἄλλοις παρέχομεν, ἀλλ' ἐοίκαμεν σώματι ἔξωθεν μὲν ἀνθοῦντι, πολλῷ δὲ ἔνδοθεν τηκομένῳ πυρί· τῆς δὲ ἀναλγησίας ἕνεκεν οὐδὲν τῶν παραπαιόντων διενηνόχαμεν, οἳ πολλὰ μὲν ἐπικίνδυνα καὶ αἰσχρὰ καὶ λέγουσι καὶ πράττουσιν ἀδεῶς, αἰσχύνονται δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐναβρύνονται, καὶ τῶν καθεστηκότων μᾶλλον ὑγιαίνειν νομίζουσιν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ τῶν νοσούντων ἅπαντα πράττοντες, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι νοσοῦμεν, ἴσμεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ σώματος, κἂν τὸ τυχὸν ἡμᾶς ἐνοχλήσῃ πάθος, καὶ ἰατροὺς καλοῦμεν, καὶ χρήματα