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and I flee it as a bond, and I am ashamed of it as a fellow-heir; I am eager to waste it away, and I do not have any helper with whom I may work toward the noblest things, as one who knows for what I have come into being, and that I must ascend to God through my actions.

7. I spare it as a helper, and I do not know how to escape its rebellion, or how not to fall from God, weighed down by fetters that drag me down, or hold me to the ground. It is a benevolent enemy, and a treacherous friend. Oh, the yoking together and the alienation! What I fear, I cherish, and what I love, I dread; before warring, I am reconciled; and before making peace, I am divided. What is this wisdom concerning me? And what is this great mystery? Or does it wish that we, being a portion of God, and having flowed from above, so that we, being lifted up and exalted because of our dignity, should not despise our Creator, should always look to Him in our wrestling and battle with the body, and that our yoked weakness should be a discipline for our dignity; so that we might know ourselves to be at once the greatest and the lowliest, earthly and heavenly, temporary and immortal, heirs of light and fire, or indeed of darkness, whichever way we may incline? Such is our mixture, and for these reasons, as it at least appears to me, that whenever we are lifted up because of the image, we may be humbled because of the dust. Let him who wishes, then, philosophize on these things, and we shall join in philosophizing at a more opportune time. 35.868

8. But now, that which my discourse has urged me to say, as I grieve deeply for my own flesh, and for my own weakness in the sufferings of others, we must care for, brothers, what is kindred and fellow-servant. For though I have accused it as an enemy because of its passion, yet I also embrace it as a friend because of Him who bound us together; and we must care no less for the things of our neighbors, than each for his own, both those who are healthy, and those who are being consumed by the same disease. For we are all one in the Lord, whether rich, or poor, whether slave, or free, whether healthy, or ill in body; and one head of all, from whom are all things, is Christ; and whatever the members are to one another, this each one is to each, and all are to all; therefore we must not overlook, nor neglect those who have fallen beforehand into the common weakness; nor should we be content that our own bodies are well, rather than mourn that it is wretched for our brothers; and we should consider the one security for our own flesh and souls to be love for them; let us consider it thus.

9. For others, there is only one pitiable thing, that of poverty; which perhaps either time, or labor, or a friend, or a relative, or a change of fortune might relieve. But for these, this is no less a problem, if not even more so, inasmuch as they are not able to work and help themselves; for necessities they have been deprived along with their flesh, and the fear of their weakness is always greater for them than the hope of health; so that they are little helped even by hope, which alone is a medicine for the unfortunate. In addition to poverty, disease is a second evil, and of evils the most to be shunned, and the heaviest, and for many the most ready occasion for a curse. And a third, that they are not approachable, nor to be looked at by most people, but to be fled from, and loathsome, and as it were objects of aversion; which is even heavier for them than the disease, when they perceive that because of their misfortune they are also hated. For my part, I cannot bear their suffering without tears, and I am overcome at the memory; may you also suffer the same, that by your tears you may escape tears; and they do suffer, I know, as many of the present company as are lovers of Christ and lovers of the poor, and have their pity from God, and for God; and you yourselves are witnesses of the suffering. 35.869

10. There is set before our eyes a terrible and pitiable sight, and unbelievable to all, except to those who have seen it, people dead while yet living, mutilated in most parts of their body, hardly recognizable either as to who they once were, or from where they are; or rather, miserable remnants of people who once were; fathers, and mothers, and brothers,

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καὶ ὡς δεσμὸν φεύγω, καὶ ὡς συγκληρονόμον αἰσχύνομαι· τῆξαι φιλονεικῶ, καὶ οὐκ ἔχω τίνι συνεργῷ πρὸς τὰ κάλλιστα χρήσω μαι, ὡς εἰδὼς εἰς ὃ γέγονα, καὶ ὅτι δεῖ με πρὸς Θεὸν ἀναβῆναι διὰ τῶν πράξεων.

Ζʹ. Φείδομαι ὡς συνεργοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔχω πῶς φύγω τὴν ἐπανάστασιν, ἢ πῶς μὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πέσω βαρη θεὶς ταῖς πέδαις κατασπώσαις, ἢ κατεχούσαις εἰς ἔδαφος. Ἐχθρός ἐστιν εὐμενὴς, καὶ φίλος ἐπίβουλος. Ὢ τῆς συζυγίας καὶ τῆς ἀλλοτριώσεως! Ὃ φοβοῦμαι περιέπω, καὶ ὃ στέργω δέδοικα· πρὶν πολεμῆσαι, καταλλάσσομαι· καὶ πρὶν εἰρηνεῦσαι, διίσταμαι. Τίς ἡ περὶ ἐμὲ σοφία; καὶ τί τὸ μέγα τοῦτο μυστήριον; Ἢ βούλεται μοῖραν ἡμᾶς ὄν τας Θεοῦ, καὶ ἄνωθεν ῥεύσαντας, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐπαιρόμενοι καὶ μετεωριζόμενοι κατα φρονῶμεν τοῦ κτίσαντος, ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα πάλῃ καὶ μάχῃ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀεὶ βλέπειν, καὶ τὴν συνεζευ γμένην ἀσθένειαν παιδαγωγίαν εἶναι τοῦ ἀξιώματος· ἵνα εἰδῶμεν οἱ αὐτοὶ μέγιστοί τε ὄντες καὶ τα πεινότατοι, ἐπίγειοι καὶ οὐράνιοι, πρόσκαιροι καὶ ἀθάνατοι, κληρονόμοι φωτὸς καὶ πυρὸς, εἴτ' οὖν σκό τους, ὁποτέρως ἂν νεύσωμεν; Τοιοῦτον τὸ κρᾶμα ἡμῶν, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα, ὡς γοῦν ἐμοὶ καταφαίνεται, ἵν' ὅταν ἐπαιρώμεθα διὰ τὴν εἰκόνα, διὰ τὸν χοῦν συ στελλώμεθα. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ βουλόμενος φιλοσο φείτω, καὶ ἡμεῖς γε συμφιλοσοφήσομεν εὐκαι ρότερον. 35.868

Ηʹ. Νυνὶ δὲ, ὅ μοι λέγειν ὁ λόγος ὥρμησε, τῶν ἐμῶν περιαλγοῦντι σαρκῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀσθενείας ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις πάθεσι, θεραπευτέον, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ συγ γενὲς καὶ ὁμόδουλον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὡς ἐχθροῦ κατηγό ρησα διὰ τὸ πάθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς φίλου περιέχο μαι διὰ τὸν συνδήσαντα· καὶ θεραπευτέον οὐχ ἧττον τὰ τῶν πλησίον, ἢ ἕκαστον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ, τῶν τε ὑγιαινόντων, καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς νόσου δαπανωμένων. Πάντες γὰρ ἕν ἐσμεν ἐν Κυρίῳ, εἴτε πλούσιος, εἴτε πένης, εἴτε δοῦλος, εἴτε ἐλεύθερος, εἴτε ὑγιαίνων, εἴτε πονηρῶς ἔχων τοῦ σώματος· καὶ μία κεφαλὴ πάντων, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, Χριστός· καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀλλήλοις τὰ μέλη, τοῦτο ἕκαστος ἑκάστῳ, καὶ πᾶσιν ἅπαντες· οὔκουν περι οπτέον, οὐδὲ ἀμελητέον τῶν προεμπεσόντων εἰς τὴν κοινὴν ἀσθένειαν· οὐδὲ ἀγαπητέον μᾶλλον, ὅτι εὖ ἡμῖν ἔχει τὰ σώματα, ἢ πενθητέον, ὅτι ἀθλίως τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι μίαν ἀσφάλειαν εἶναι τῶν ἡμετέρων σαρκῶν καὶ ψυχῶν, τὴν εἰς ἐκείνους φιλαν θρωπίαν· σκοπῶμεν δὲ οὕτως.

Θʹ. Τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἓν μόνον ἐλεεινὸν, τὸ τῆς ἀπο ρίας· ὃ τάχ' ἂν ἢ χρόνος, ἢ πόνος, ἢ φίλος, ἢ συγγενὴς, ἢ καιροῦ μεταβολὴ λύσαιεν. Τοῖς δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐδενὸς ἧττον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ τοῦ πονεῖν καὶ βοηθεῖν ἑαυτοῖς οὐκ ἔχουσιν, εἰς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα μετὰ τῶν σαρκῶν ἀφῄρηνται, καὶ μείζων ἀεὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ὁ φόβος, ἢ ἡ τῆς ὑγείας ἐλπίς· ὥστε μικρὸν γοῦν τι βοηθεῖ σθαι παρὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἣ μόνον τοῖς ἀτυχοῦσίν ἐστι φάρμακον. Πρὸς δὲ τῇ πενίᾳ, καὶ ἡ νόσος κακὸν δεύτερον, καὶ κακῶν τὸ ἀπευκτότατον, καὶ βαρύτατον, καὶ εἰς κατάραν τοῖς πολλοῖς προχει ρότατον. Καὶ τρίτον, τὸ μὴ προσιτοὺς αὐ τοὺς εἶναι, μηδὲ θεατοὺς τοῖς πλείοσιν, ἀλλὰ φευ κτοὺς, καὶ βδελυκτοὺς, καὶ οἷον ἀποτροπαίους· ὃ καὶ τῆς νόσου τούτοις βαρύτερον, ὅταν αἴσθωνται διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν καὶ μισούμενοι. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲ ἀδακρυτὶ φέρω τὸ τούτων πάθος, καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ συγχέομαι· πάσχοιτε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς ταυτὸν, ἵνα τοῖς δάκρυσι τὰ δάκρυα φύγητε· καὶ πάσχουσί γε, οἶδ' ὅτι, τῶν παρόντων ὅσοι φιλόχριστοι καὶ φιλόπτωχοι, καὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἔχοντες· μάρτυ ρες δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς τοῦ πάθους. 35.869

Ιʹ. Πρόκειται τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν θέαμα δεινὸν καὶ ἐλεεινὸν, καὶ πᾶσι, πλὴν τῶν εἰδότων, ἄπιστον, ἄνθρωποι νεκροὶ καὶ ζῶντες, ἠκρωτηριασμένοι τοῖς πλείστοις τοῦ σώματος μέρεσι, μήθ' οἵτινές ποτε ἦσαν, μηδὲ ὅθεν εἰσὶ μικροῦ γινωσκόμενοι· μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν ποτε ἀνθρώπων ἄθλια λείψανα· πατέρας, καὶ μητέρας, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς,