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of thought, and of a soul that imagines nothing great nor lofty, but nevertheless it does not draw upon itself so great a harm, but is only a certain foolish zeal, pouring down laughter on those who are zealous about these things. For if you wish to beautify, not the workshop, but your own soul; not the marketplace, but the mind; so that angels may marvel, and archangels may approve what is done, and the Master of angels may reward you with his own gifts; for this display, which is now taking place, brings both laughter and envy, laughter from those of loftier mind, but from those who are sick with the same things, envy and much jealousy.

b. But, as I was saying, this ambition is not worthy of so many accusations; but the

contests in the taverns taking place today, these especially cause pain, and are filled with much debauchery and impiety; of impiety, because those who do these things observe days, and take omens, and believe that if they should celebrate the new moon of this month with pleasure and good cheer, they will have the entire year to be such; and of debauchery, because at dawn women and men, having filled bowls and cups, drink unmixed wine with much debauchery. These things are unworthy of our 48.955 philosophy, whether you do them, or allow others to do them, whether servants, or friends, or neighbors. Have you not heard Paul saying: 'You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.' Moreover, it would be of the utmost folly to expect this for the whole year from one day, if it should turn out propitious; not only of folly, but this judgment is also of diabolical energy, to entrust the affairs of our life not to our own zeal and readiness, but to the cycles of days. The year will be propitious for you throughout, not if you get drunk on the new moon, but if on the new moon, and on every day, you do the things that are pleasing to God.

For a day becomes evil and good, not according to its own nature, for no day differs from another day, but according to our zeal and indolence. If you work righteousness, the day has become good for you; if you work sin, it is evil and full of punishment. If you contemplate these things, and are so disposed, you will have the entire year propitious, by practicing prayers and almsgiving each day; but if you neglect your own virtue, and entrust the good cheer of your soul to the beginnings of months and numbers of days, you will be bereft of all your own goods. Therefore, the devil, perceiving this, and hastening to release us from the labors for virtue, and to quench the soul's zeal, has taught to inscribe on the days successes and failures. For he who has persuaded himself that a day is bad and good, will neither take care of good works on the bad day, as doing everything in vain, and gaining no benefit because of the necessity of the day; nor again will he work this on the good day, as being in no way harmed by his own indolence, because of the good fortune of the day; and thus from both sides he will betray his own salvation; and sometimes as toiling uselessly, and sometimes as superfluously, he will live in idleness and wickedness. Therefore, knowing this, we must flee the wiles of the devil, and cast out this decree from the mind, and not observe days, nor hate one and love another. For not only that he may cast us into indolence, but also that he may slander the creations of God, does that wicked demon contrive these things, wishing to drag down our souls into impiety and indolence together. But we must leap away, and know clearly that there is nothing evil, but sin alone, and nothing good, but virtue alone, and to please God in all things.

Drunkenness does not produce good cheer, but spiritual prayer; not wine, but instructive speech. Wine brings a storm, but speech brings a calm; the former, a tumult

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διανοίας, καὶ ψυχῆς οὐδὲν μέγα οὐδὲ ὑψηλὸν φανταζομένης, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ τοσαύτην ἐπισύρεται βλάβην, ἀλλ' ἀνόητός τίς ἐστι μόνον σπουδὴ, γέλωτα καταχέουσα τῶν περὶ ταῦτα ἐσπουδακότων. Εἰ γὰρ καλλωπίζειν βούλει, μὴ τὸ ἐργαστήριον, ἀλλὰ τὴν σαυτοῦ ψυχήν· μὴ τὴν ἀγορὰν, ἀλλὰ τὴν διάνοιαν· ἵνα ἄγγελοι θαυμάσωσι, καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι τὸ γινόμενον ἀποδέξωνται, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης ἀμείψηταί σε ταῖς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ δωρεαῖς· ὡς αὕτη γε ἡ ἐπίδειξις, ἡ νῦν γινομένη, καὶ γέλωτα καὶ βασκανίαν φέρει, παρὰ μὲν τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων τὴν διάνοιαν γέλωτα, παρὰ δὲ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ νοσούντων βασκανίαν καὶ φθόνον πολύν.

βʹ. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, οὐ τοσούτων ἐγκλημάτων ἀξία αὕτη ἡ φιλοτιμία· οἱ δὲ

ἐν τοῖς καπηλείοις ἀγῶνες γινόμενοι τήμερον, οὗτοι μὲν μάλιστα ὀδυνῶσι, καὶ ἀσωτίας καὶ ἀσεβείας ἐμπεπλησμένοι πολλῆς· ἀσεβείας μὲν, ὅτι παρατηροῦσιν ἡμέρας οἱ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες, καὶ οἰωνίζονται, καὶ νομίζουσιν, εἰ τὴν νουμηνίαν τοῦ μηνὸς τούτου μεθ' ἡδονῆς καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἐπιτελέσαιεν, καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα τοιοῦτον ἕξειν ἐνιαυτόν· ἀσωτίας δὲ, ὅτι ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες φιάλας καὶ ποτήρια πληρώσαντες μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀσωτίας τὸν ἄκρατον πίνουσι. Ταῦτα ἀνάξια τῆς ἡμε 48.955 τέρας φιλοσοφίας, κἂν ὑμεῖς ποιῆτε, κἂν ἑτέρους ποιοῦντας περιίδητε, κἂν οἰκέτας, κἂν φίλους, κἂν γείτονας. Οὐκ ἤκουσας Παύλου λέγοντος· Ἡμέρας παρατηρεῖσθε καὶ μῆνας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἐνιαυτούς· φοβοῦμαι μήπως εἰκῆ κεκοπίακα εἰς ὑμᾶς. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἂν εἴη ἀπὸ τῆς μιᾶς ἡμέρας, εἰ δεξιὰ γένοιτο, καὶ τοῦ παντὸς τοῦτο προσδοκᾷν ἐνιαυτοῦ· οὐκ ἀνοίας δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας ἡ κρίσις αὕτη, μὴ τῇ οἰκείᾳ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῶν ἡμερῶν περιόδοις τὰ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐπιτρέπειν τὸν ἡμέτερον. ∆εξιὸς ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ἔσται σοι δι' ὅλου, οὐκ ἐὰν ἐν νουμηνίᾳ μεθύῃς, ἀλλ' ἐὰν καὶ ἐν νουμηνίᾳ, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τὰ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦντα ποιῇς.

Πονηρὰ γὰρ ἡμέρα καὶ ἀγαθὴ γίνεται, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμέρα διενήνοχεν ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σπουδὴν καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν. Ἂν δικαιοσύνην ἐργάσῃ, χρηστή σοι γέγονεν ἡ ἡμέρα· ἂν ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάσῃ, πονηρὰ καὶ κολάσεως γέμουσα. Ἂν ταῦτα φιλοσοφῇς, καὶ οὕτω διακείμενος ᾖς, ἅπαντα δεξιὸν ἕξεις τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν, εὐχὰς, ἐλεημοσύνας καθ' ἑκάστην ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἡμέραν· ἂν δὲ τῆς μὲν κατὰ σαυτὸν ἀρετῆς ἀμελῇς, ἀρχαῖς δὲ μηνῶν καὶ ἀριθμοῖς ἡμερῶν ἐμπιστεύσῃς σου τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν εὐφροσύνην, πάντων ἔρημος ἔσῃ τῶν κατὰ σαυτὸν ἀγαθῶν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ διάβολος συνιδὼν, καὶ σπουδάζων ἡμῶν ἐκλῦσαι τοὺς περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν πόνους, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς σβέσαι τὴν προθυμίαν, ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐπιγράφειν ἐπαίδευσεν τὰς εὐπραγίας καὶ τὰς κακοπραγίας. Ὁ γὰρ πείσας ἑαυτὸν ὅτι ἡμέρα ἐστὶ κακὴ καὶ ἀγαθὴ, οὔτε ἐν τῇ κακῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἐπιμελήσεται, ὡς εἰκῆ πάντα ποιῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν ὠφελῶν διὰ τὴν τῆς ἡμέρας ἀνάγκην· οὔτε ἐν τῇ ἀγαθῇ πάλιν τοῦτο ἐργάσεται, ὡς οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας παραβλαπτόμενος ῥᾳθυμίας, διὰ τὴν τῆς πάλιν ἡμέρας εὐκληρίαν· καὶ οὕτως ἑκατέρωθεν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προδώσει σωτηρίαν· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ὡς ἀνόνητα πονῶν, ποτὲ δὲ ὡς περιττὰ, ἐν ἀργίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ βιώσεται. Ὅπερ οὖν εἰδότας φεύγειν δεῖ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰς μεθοδείας, καὶ ταύτην ἐκβαλεῖν τῆς διανοίας τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ μὴ παρατηρεῖν ἡμέρας, μηδὲ τὴν μὲν μισεῖν, τὴν δὲ φιλεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἵνα ἡμᾶς εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐμβάλῃ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ δημιουργήματα διαβάλῃ, ταῦτα ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος σκευωρεῖ, καὶ εἰς ἀσέβειαν ὁμοῦ καὶ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν τὰς ἡμετέρας καθελκύσαι βουλόμενος ψυχάς. Ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς ἀποπηδᾷν χρὴ, καὶ σαφῶς εἰδέναι ὅτι οὐδὲν κακὸν, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτία μόνον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλ' ἀρετὴ μόνον, καὶ τὸ διὰ πάντων ἀρέσκειν Θεῷ.

Οὐ ποιεῖ μέθη εὐφροσύνην, ἀλλ' εὐχὴ πνευματική· οὐκ οἶνος, ἀλλὰ λόγος διδασκαλικός. Ὁ οἶνος χειμῶνα, ὁ δὲ λόγος γαλήνην ἐργάζεται· ἐκεῖνος θόρυβον