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The Church, through which it honors those who have gone before, exhorts those who are present. Do not, it says, be zealous for wealth; nor for the wisdom of the world which is passing away; nor for glory that is fading; these things vanish with this life; but be a worker of piety. For this will both carry you up to heaven, and this will also prepare for you an immortal memory and an enduring good repute among men. Therefore, if anyone remembers the shepherd, let him not admire wealth. For we have gathered not to praise a rich man; do not go away admiring a rich man, but poverty with piety. A shepherd is not a great, nor a wise profession. Would you not, being angered, say as an insult to the one who provoked you: "Are you a shepherd?" A shepherd possessing nothing more than his daily food, with a pouch slung on, and carrying a club, and the provisions for the day, having no care for the morrow. An enemy to wild beasts, a companion to the tamest of animals, fleeing the marketplace, fleeing the law courts, not knowing slanderers, not knowing commerce, not knowing wealth, not having his own shelter, living under the common one of the world 31.593, at night looking up to heaven, and through the stars reading the wonder of the one who made them. A shepherd. Let us not be ashamed of the truth. Let us not imitate the myth-makers from without, let us not conceal the truth with elegance of words. The truth is naked, without an advocate, showing itself by itself. The humble thing is of greater account; but you will marvel more at the encomium.

Shepherd and poor man, these are the Christian's boasts. If you seek the leaders of the school of piety, they are fishermen and tax collectors; if the disciples, poor shoemakers. No one rich, nowhere ostentation. All these things have been abolished with the world. Behold, then, whose day we celebrate, over whom we are all joyful, over whom a life has been transformed. Since we have remembered the shepherd, do not despise the title. You have heard that the first to be well-pleasing, Abel, was a shepherd. Who was his imitator? Moses the great lawgiver, who fled the trial of Pharaoh, who hated the treachery of his kinsmen, he was shepherding on Mount Horeb; through his shepherding he conversed with God. He did not see an angel in a bush while judging a case, but while shepherding he was deemed worthy of that heavenly conversation. Who after Moses? Jacob the patriarch, while shepherding demonstrating endurance concerning the truth, having characterized his whole life by a small image. To whom did he pass on the zeal? To David. David passed from shepherding to kingship. For shepherding and kingship are sisters; inasmuch as the one was entrusted with the supervision of irrational beings, the other of rational beings. Thus, this is the foundation of the greater knowledge. For this reason the Lord, embracing both, is both shepherd and king, shepherding the irrational, leading the more rational under the supervision of kingship. Do you wish to learn how great a shepherd is? The Lord shepherds me. And how is shepherding the sister of kingship? Who is this king of glory? He who is a shepherd here is a king there. And do not think that while he is testified to by others, he himself is ashamed of this title. But having silenced the 31.596 false shepherds, he applies to himself the true testimony of shepherding: I am the good shepherd. I am, and I have not changed.

How, when he says the great things: "With my hand I established the earth; I stretched out the heaven alone;" as when he says the other dignified and worthy things to be said about God, he also says: "The good shepherd"? He drives out the false ones, and applies the truth to himself. I am the good shepherd. Learn who is the shepherd, and who is the good one. He himself explains. The true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; but the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, does not care when he sees a wolf coming. Here the Church seeks if the shepherd

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Ἐκκλησία, δι' ὧν τιμᾷ τοὺς προλαβόντας, προ τρέπεται τοὺς παρόντας. Μή μοι, φησὶ, σπούδαζε περὶ πλοῦτον· μὴ περὶ σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου τὴν κατ αργουμένην· μὴ περὶ δόξαν τὴν ἀπαθοῦσαν· ταῦτα τῷ βίῳ συναφανίζεται· ἀλλ' εὐσεβείας ἐργάτης ἔσο. Αὕτη γὰρ καὶ εἰς οὐρανόν σε ἀνοίσει, αὕτη καὶ ἀθά νατόν σου τὴν μνήμην καὶ διαρκῆ τὴν εὔκλειαν πα ρὰ ἀνθρώποις παρασκευάσει. Ὥστε, εἴ τις μέμνηται τοῦ ποιμένος, μὴ θαυ μαζέτω τὸν πλοῦτον. Συνήλθομεν γὰρ ἐπαινέσαι οὐχὶ πλούσιον ὄντα· μὴ ἀπέλθῃς πλούσιον θαυμάζων, ἀλλὰ πενίαν μετ' εὐσεβείας. Ποιμὴν οὐδὲν μέγα, οὐδὲ σοφὸν ἐπιτήδευμα. Οὐκ ἂν, ὀργισθεὶς, ἀντὶ ὀνείδους εἶπες τῷ παροξύναντί σε· Ποιμὴν εἶ; Ποι μὴν οὐδὲν πλέον τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς κεκτημένος, πήραν ἀνημμένος, καὶ κορύνην φέρων, καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἡμέραν ἐφόδια, οὐδεμίαν μέριμναν περὶ τῆς αὔριον ἔχων. Θηρίοις πολέμιος, ἡμερωτάτων ζώων σύννομος, φεύγων ἀγορὰν, φεύγων δικαστήρια, οὐ γνωρίζων συ κοφάντας, οὐ γνωρίζων ἐμπορίαν, οὐκ εἰδὼς πλοῦτον, οὐκ ἔχων ἰδίαν σκέπην, ὑπὸ τὴν κοινὴν τοῦ κόσμου διαι 31.593 τώμενος, ἐν νυκτὶ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀναβλέπων, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀστέρων ἀναγινώσκων τὸ θαῦμα τοῦ πεποιηκότος. Ποιμήν. Μὴ ἐπαισχυνώμεθα τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Μὴ τοὺς ἔξωθεν μυθοποιοὺς μιμώμεθα, μὴ περιστέλλωμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὐπρεπείᾳ ῥημάτων. Γυμνὴ ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἀσυν ηγόρητος, αὐτὴ ἑαυτὴν δεικνῦσα. Πλείονι λόγῳ τὸ ταπεινόν· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον θαυμάσεις τῷ ἐγκωμίῳ.

Ποιμὴν καὶ πένης, ταῦτα τῷ Χριστιανῷ τὰ σε μνολογήματα. Ἐὰν τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τοῦ διδασκαλείου τοῦ κατ' εὐσέβειαν ζητήσῃς, ἁλιεῖς τε καὶ τελῶναι· ἐὰν τοὺς μαθητὰς, σκυτοτόμοι πένητες. Οὐδεὶς πλού σιος, οὐδαμοῦ περιφάνεια. Ταῦτα πάντα μετὰ τοῦ κόσμου κατήργηται. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν τίνος ἡμέραν ἑορτάζομεν, ἐπὶ τίνι φαιδροὶ πάντες ἐσμὲν, ἐπὶ τίνι βίος μεταπεποίηται. Ἐπειδὴ ὑπεμνήσθημεν τοῦ ποιμένος, μὴ καταφρόνει τῆς προσηγορίας. Ἤκου σας, ὅτι ὁ πρῶτος εὐαρεστήσας Ἄβελ ποιμὴν ὑπῆρ ξε. Τίς ἐκείνου μιμητής; Μωϋσῆς ὁ μέγας νομοθέ της, ὁ τὴν πεῖραν Φαραὼ ἀποδράσας, ὁ μισήσας τῶν συννόμων τὸ ἐπίβουλον, οὗτος ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Χωρὴβ ἐποίμαινεν· δι' ὧν ἐποίμαινε Θεῷ προσωμίλει. Οὐ δι καζόμενος εἶδεν ἐπὶ βάτου ἄγγελον, ἀλλὰ ποιμαίνων ἐκείνης τῆς ὁμιλίας τῆς οὐρανίου ἠξιώθη. Τίς μετὰ Μωϋσέα; Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης, ἐν τῷ ποιμαίνειν ὑπομονὴν τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπιδεικνύμενος, μικρᾷ εἰκόνι τὸν ὅλον ἑαυτοῦ χαρακτηρίσας βίον. Τίνι παρ έδωκε τὸν ζῆλον; Τῷ ∆αβίδ. ∆αβὶδ ἐκ ποιμαντι κῆς παρῆλθεν εἰς βασιλείαν. Ἀδελφαὶ γὰρ ποιμαν τικὴ καὶ βασιλική· παρ' ὅσον ἡ μὲν τῶν ἀλόγων, ἡ δὲ τῶν λογικῶν τὴν ἐπιστασίαν ἐπεπίστευτο. Οὕτως ὑποβάθρα τῆς μείζονος ἐπιστήμης ἐστὶν αὕτη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀμφότερα συλλαμβάνων ὁ Κύριός ἐστι καὶ ποιμὴν καὶ βασιλεὺς, τοὺς ἀλόγους ποιμαίνων, τοὺς λογικωτέρους ὑπὸ τὴν ἐπιστασίαν τῆς βασιλείας ἄγων. Βούλει μαθεῖν πηλίκον ἐστὶ ποιμήν; Κύριος ποιμαίνει με. Πῶς δὲ ἀδελφὴ βασιλείας ποιμαντική; Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; Ὁ ἐν ταῦθα ποιμὴν ἐκεῖ βασιλεύς. Καὶ μὴ νομίσῃς παρ' ἄλλων μὲν μαρτυρεῖσθαι, αὐτὸν δὲ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι τῇ προσηγορίᾳ ταύτῃ. Ἀλλὰ κατασιωπήσας τοὺς 31.596 νόθους ποιμένας, ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν περιίστησι τὴν ἀληθῆ τῆς ποιμαντικῆς μαρτυρίαν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός. Ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι.

Πῶς, ὅταν τὰ μεγάλα λέγῃ· Ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὴν γῆν· ἐγὼ ἐξέτεινα τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος· ὡς ὅταν τἄλλα λέγῃ τὰ ἀξιοπρεπῆ καὶ ἄξια περὶ Θεοῦ λέγεσθαι, οὕτως λέγει· Ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός; Ἀποδιώκει τοὺς νόθους, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἰς ἑαυτὸν περιίστησιν. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός. Μάθε τίς ἐστιν ὁ ποιμὴν, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ καλός. Αὐτὸς ἑρμηνεύει. Ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐ-τοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων· ὁ δὲ μισθωτὸς, καὶ οὐκ ὢν ποιμὴν, οὗ οὐκ ἔστι τὰ πρόβατα ἴδια, οὐ μέλει αὐτῷ, ὅταν ἴδῃ λύκον ἐρχόμενον. Ἐνταῦθα ζητεῖ ἡ Ἐκκλησία, εἰ ποιμὴν ὁ