3

each of these comes to be. Blessed, therefore, is the one who has possessed things of greatest worth, the one who partakes of inalienable goods. But how shall we recognize this person? He who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly. And before saying what it is not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, I want to resolve for you what is sought in this passage. Why, he says, does the prophet, having selected only the man, call him blessed? Has he then excluded women from the blessing? May it not be so! For the virtue of man and woman is one, since creation is of equal honor for both, so that the reward is also the same for both. Listen to Genesis: "God made," 29.217 he says, "man; in the image of God he made him; male and female he made them." And for those whose nature is one, their activities are also the same; and for those whose work is equal, their reward is also the same. Why then, having mentioned the man, did he remain silent about the woman? Because he considered it sufficient, since the nature is one, to indicate the whole from the more dominant part. Blessed, therefore, is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly. Observe the precision of the words, how each expression is filled with doctrines. He did not say, "Who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly," but, "Who has not walked." For the one who is still in this life is not yet blessed, because of the uncertainty of the outcome; but the one who has completed what is required, and has concluded his life with an incontestable end, this one is now securely called blessed. Why then are those blessed who walk in the law of the Lord? for the word does not declare blessed those who have walked there, but those who are still walking; because those who do good have what is acceptable in the work itself; but those who flee evil are not praiseworthy if they turn away from sin once or twice, but if they are able to escape the experience of evil completely. But from the sequence of the word another difficulty has appeared to us. Why does he not bless the one who achieves virtue, but the one who has not committed sin? For in this way a horse, and an ox, and a stone will be blessed. For what inanimate thing has stood in the way of sinners, or what irrational creature has sat in the seat of scoffers? So then, waiting a little, you will find the cure. For he adds: "But his will is in the law of the Lord." And meditation on the divine law falls to the rational being alone. But we also say this, that the beginning of the undertaking of good things is the withdrawal from evil things. For "Depart," he says, "from evil, and do good." Wisely, therefore, and skillfully leading us to virtue, he made withdrawal from wickedness the beginning of good things. For if he had immediately set before you the perfect things, you would have shrunk from the undertaking; but now he accustoms you to the more easily grasped things, so that you may venture upon what follows. For I would say that the practice of piety resembles a ladder; that ladder which the blessed Jacob once saw, of which some parts were near the ground and low, but others were already stretching up beyond heaven itself. So it is necessary for those being introduced to the life according to virtue to set their foot on the first steps, and from there always to mount what follows, until they ascend to the height attainable by human nature through gradual progress. Therefore, just as on the 29.220 ladder the first ascent is the departure from the earth, so in the life according to God, the beginning of progress is separation from evil. And in general, every inaction is easier than any given action; for example, "You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal." Each of these requires inaction and stillness. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself;" and, "Sell your possessions, and give to the poor;" and, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two," are actions befitting athletes, and already requiring a youthful soul for their accomplishment. So admire the wisdom of the one who leads us to perfection through the easier and more easily grasped things. And he has set before us three things worthy of guarding against: not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, not to stand in the way of sinners, not to sit in the seat of scoffers. Following the nature of things, he imposed this order on what has been said. For first we deliberate,

3

τούτων ἕκα στον γίνεται. Μακάριος οὖν ὁ τὰ πλείστου ἄξια κεκτη μένος, ὁ τῶν ἀναφαιρέτων ἀγαθῶν μέτοχος. Τοῦτον δὲ πῶς ἐπιγνωσόμεθα; Ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν. Καὶ πρίν γε εἰπεῖν, τί τὸ μὴ πορευθῆναι ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, βούλομαι ὑμῖν τὸ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ζη τούμενον διαλῦσαι. ∆ιὰ τί, φησὶν, ὁ προφήτης τὸν ἄνδρα μόνον ἐκλεξάμενος μακαρίζει; ἆρα μὴ τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ τὰς γυναῖκας ἀπέκλεισε; Μὴ γένοιτο! Μία γὰρ ἀρετὴ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἀμφοτέροις ὁμότιμος, ὥστε καὶ ὁ μισθὸς ὁ αὐ τὸς ἀμφοτέροις. Ἄκουε τῆς Γενέσεως· Ἐποίησε, 29.217 φησὶ, ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον· κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν· ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐ τούς. Ὧν δὲ ἡ φύσις μία, τούτων καὶ ἐνέργειαι αἱ αὐταί· ὧν δὲ τὸ ἔργον ἴσον, τούτων καὶ ὁ μισθὸς ὁ αὐτός. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν, ἀνδρὸς μνησθεὶς, τὴν γυναῖκα ἀπεσιώπησεν; Ὅτι ἀρκεῖν ἡγήσατο, μιᾶς οὔσης τῆς φύσεως, ἐκ τοῦ ἡγεμονικωτέρου τὸ ὅλον ἐνδείξασθαι. Μακάριος οὖν ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσε βῶν. Σκόπει τῶν ῥημάτων τὸ ἀκριβὲς, πῶς ἑκάστη λέξις δογμάτων πεπλήρωται. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὃς οὐ πο ρεύεται ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, ἀλλ', Ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τυγχάνων οὔπω μακαριστὸς, διὰ τὸ ἄδηλον τῆς ἐκβάσεως· ὁ δὲ συμπληρώσας τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα, καὶ ἀναντιῤῥήτῳ τέλει τὴν ζωὴν κατα κλείσας, οὗτος ἤδη ἀσφαλῶς μακαρίζεται. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μακάριοι οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου; οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πορευθέντας ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔτι πορευομένους μακαριστοὺς ὁ λόγος τίθεται· ὅτι οἱ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐρ γαζόμενοι, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ ἀπόδεκτον ἔχουσιν· οἱ δὲ τὸ κακὸν φεύγοντες οὐκ, ἐὰν ἅπαξ που ἢ δεύτε ρον ἐκκλίνωσι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἐπαινετοὶ, ἀλλ' ἐὰν δυνηθῶσι τοῦ κακοῦ τὴν πεῖραν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς δια δρᾶναι. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ἀκολουθίας καὶ ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἄπορον ἀνεφάνη. ∆ιὰ τί οὐχὶ τὸν κατορθοῦντα τὴν ἀρετὴν μακαρίζει, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὴ πεποιηκότα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ἵππος, καὶ βοῦς, καὶ λίθος μακαρισθήσεται. Ποῖον γὰρ ἄψυχον ἔστη ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρ τωλῶν, ἢ ποῖον ἄλογον ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν ἐκάθισε; Μικρὸν μὲν οὖν ἀναμείνας, εὑρήσεις τὸ ἴαμα. Ἐπάγει γάρ· Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ. Θείου δὲ νόμου μελέτη ἐπὶ τὸν λογικὸν μόνον πίπτει. Ἡμεῖς δὲ κἀκεῖνο λέγομεν, ὅτι ἀρχὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάληψιν τῶν καλῶν, ἡ ἀναχώρησις τῶν κακῶν. Ἔκκλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν. Σοφῶς οὖν καὶ ἐντέχνως προσάγων ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀρετὴν, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν τῆς κακίας ἀρχὴν ἐποιήσατο τῶν καλῶν. Εἰ γὰρ εὐθὺς προέβαλέ σοι τὰ τέλεια, ἀπώκνησας ἂν πρὸς τὴν ἐγχείρησιν· νῦν δὲ τοῖς εὐ ληπτοτέροις σε προσεθίζει, ἵνα κατατολμήσῃς τῶν ἐφεξῆς. Κλίμακι γὰρ προσεοικέναι φαίην ἂν ἔγωγε τῆς εὐσεβείας τὴν ἄσκησιν· κλίμακι ἐκείνῃ, ἢν εἶδέ ποτε ὁ μακάριος Ἰακὼβ, ἧς τὰ μὲν ἦν πρόσγειά τε καὶ χαμαίζηλα, τὰ δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἤδη τὸν οὐρα νὸν ἀνετείνετο. Ὥστε δεῖ τοὺς εἰσαγομένους πρὸς τὸν κατ' ἀρετὴν βίον τοῖς πρώτοις βαθμοῖς ἐπιβάλλειν τὸ ἴχνος, κἀκεῖθεν ἀεὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἐπιβαίνειν, ἕως ἂν πρὸς τὸ ἐφικτὸν ὕψος τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει διὰ τῆς κατ' ὀλίγον προκοπῆς ἀναβῶσιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς 29.220 κλίμακος πρώτη ἀνάβασις ἡ τῆς γῆς ἀναχώρησις, οὕτως ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας, ἀρχὴ προκο πῆς ὁ χωρισμὸς τοῦ κακοῦ. Ὅλως δὲ πᾶσα ἀργία καὶ τῆς τυχούσης πράξεώς ἐστιν εὐμαρεστέρα· οἷον, Οὐ φονεύσεις· οὐ μοιχεύσεις· οὐ κλέψεις. Ἀργίας τούτων ἕκαστον καὶ ἀκινησίας δεῖται. Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν· καὶ, Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς· καὶ, Ἐάν τίς σε ἀγγαριεύσῃ μίλιον ἓν, ὕπαγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο, ἐνεργήματά ἐστιν ἀθληταῖς πρέποντα, καὶ ψυχῆς ἤδη νεανικῆς δεόμενα πρὸς κατόρθωσιν. Ὥστε θαύμασον τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ διὰ τῶν εὐμαρεστέρων καὶ εὐληπτο τέρων ἐνάγοντος ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὴν τελείωσιν. Τρία δὲ προ έβαλεν ἡμῖν τὰ φυλακῆς ἄξια, μὴ πορευθῆναι ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, μὴ στῆναι ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν, μὴ καθεσθῆ ναι ἐπὶ καθέδρας λοιμῶν. Τῇ φύσει τῶν πρα γμάτων ἑπόμενος, τὴν τάξιν ταύτην τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐπέθηκεν. Βουλευόμεθα γὰρ πρότερον,