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Poverty is contrasted with wealth, and surely by analogy it is possible to be taught a twofold poverty: the one to be rejected, the other to be called blessed. The one, therefore, who is poor in moderation, or in the precious possession of righteousness, or of wisdom, or of prudence, or who is found needy and destitute and poor in any other of the costly treasures, is wretched in his poverty and pitiable for his lack of precious things; but the one who is voluntarily poor in all things conceived according to wickedness, and has none of the devil's treasures stored up in his own storerooms, but is fervent in the spirit, and through this treasures up for himself poverty of evils, this would be the one shown by the Word to be in the poverty that is called blessed, whose fruit is the kingdom of heaven. But let us return again to the working of the treasure, and let us not desist from uncovering what is hidden with the miner's art of discourse. Blessed, he says, are the poor in spirit. This has been said in a way in what came before, and now it will be said again, that the goal of the virtuous life is likeness to the Divine. But indeed, that which is without passion and undefiled completely escapes imitation by humans. For it is not at all possible for the life subject to passion to be made like to the nature that is incapable of passion. If, therefore, only the Divine is blessed, as the Apostle names it, and the participation in blessedness for humans is through likeness to God, but the imitation is impossible; then blessedness is unattainable for human life. But there are some things of the Godhead possible for imitation set before those who are willing. What then are these? It seems to me that the Word names poverty of spirit, voluntary humility. And as an example of this the Apostle points out to us the poverty of God, saying, who for our sake became poor, though he was rich, that we through his poverty might become rich. Since, therefore, all other things, as many as are perceived concerning the divine nature, exceed the measure of human nature; but humility is something congenial to us and bred in us who come upon the ground, and have our substance from the earth, and return down to the earth; having imitated God in what is natural and possible for you, you yourself have put on the blessed form. And let no one think the good deed of humility to be without toil, 44.1201 and procured with ease. On the contrary, then, of any of the things whatsoever practiced according to virtue, this sort of thing is more laborious. Why? Because while the man was sleeping, the one who had received the good seeds, the weed of pride, the chief point of the contrary sowing from the enemy of our life, was rooted. For by the means by which that one dashed himself to the earth, in the same manner he cast the wretched human race down with himself to the common fall; and there is no other such evil of our nature, as that which comes through pride. Since, therefore, the passion related to arrogance is somehow innate in almost everyone who partakes of human nature, for this reason the Lord begins the Beatitudes from this point, casting out pride from our character as a kind of primeval evil, by advising us to imitate the one who became voluntarily poor, who is truly blessed, so that, having been made like him in what we are able, as we might be able, by becoming poor by choice, we might also draw to ourselves participation in blessedness. For let this mind, he says, be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. What is poorer for God than the form of a servant? What is more humble for the king of all beings, than to come into communion with our poor nature? The King of kings and Lord of lords willingly puts on the form of servitude; the Judge of all becomes subject to rulers; the Lord of creation lodges in a cave; he who holds the universe in his grasp finds no place in the inn, but is cast beside the manger of irrational animals; the pure and undefiled one accepts the filth of human nature, and through all the

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ἀντιδιαστέλλεται ἡ πενία τῷ πλούτῳ, πάντως κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν καὶ διπλῆν ἔστι διδαχθῆναι πε νίαν· τὴν μὲν ἀπόβλητον, τὴν δὲ μακαριζομένην. Ὁ μὲν οὖν σωφροσύνης πτωχεύων, ἢ τοῦ τιμίου κτήματος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἢ τῆς σοφίας, ἢ τῆς φρονήσεως, ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν πολυτελῶν κειμηλίων πένης τε καὶ ἀκτήμων καὶ πτωχὸς εὑρισκόμενος, ἄθλιος τῆς πενίας καὶ ἐλεεινὸς τῆς τῶν τιμίων ἀκτη μοσύνης· ὁ δὲ πάντων τῶν κατὰ κακίαν νοουμένων ἑκουσίως πτωχεύων, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν διαβολικῶν κει μηλίων ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ταμείοις ἔχων ἀπόθετον, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι ζέων, καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν τῶν κακῶν πενίαν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζων, εἴη ἂν οὗτος ἐν τῇ μα καριζομένῃ πτωχείᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ Λόγου δεικνύμενος, ἧς ὁ καρπὸς βασιλεία οὐρανῶν ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπανέλθωμεν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν τοῦ θησαυροῦ, καὶ μὴ ἀποστῶμεν τῷ μεταλλευτικῷ λόγῳ τὸ κεκρυμμένον ἀνακαλύπτοντες. Μακάριοι, φησὶν, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι. Εἴρηται μὲν τρόπον τινὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ νῦν πάλιν εἰρήσε, ὅτι τέλος τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου ἐστὶν ἡ πρὸς τὸ Θεῖον ὁμοίωσις. Ἀλλὰ μὴν τὸ ἀπαθὲς καὶ ἀκήρατον ἐκφεύγει πάντη τὴν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων μίμησιν. Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν πάντη τὴν ἐμπαθῆ ζωὴν ὁμοιωθῆ ναι πρὸς τὴν τῶν παθῶν ἀνεπίδεκτον φύσιν. Εἰ οὖν μόνον τὸ Θεῖον μακάριον, καθὼς ὁ Ἀπόστολος ὀνομά ζει, ἡ δὲ τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ κοινωνία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεόν ἐστιν ὁμοιώσεως, ἡ δὲ μίμησις ἄπορος· ἄρα ἀνέφικτός ἐστιν ἡ μακαριότης τῇ ἀνθρω πίνῃ ζωῇ. Ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἃ τῆς Θεότητος δυνατὰ τοῖς βουλομένοις πρόκειται εἰς μίμησιν. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι ταῦτα; δοκεῖ μοι πτωχείαν πνεύματος, τὴν ἑκούσιον ταπεινοφροσύνην ὀνομάζειν ὁ Λόγος. Ταύτης δὲ ὑπό δειγμα τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πτωχείαν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἡμῖν λέ γων προδείκνυσιν, ὃς δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὢν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα περὶ τὴν θείαν καθορᾶται φύσιν, ὑπερπίπτει τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως· ἡ δὲ ταπεινότης συμφυής τις ἡμῖν ἐστι καὶ σύντρο φος τοῖς χαμαὶ ἐρχομένοις, καὶ ἐκ γῆς τὴν σύστασιν ἔχουσιν, καὶ εἰς γῆν καταῤῥέουσιν· ἐν τῷ κατὰ φύσιν σὺ καὶ δυνατῷ τὸν Θεὸν μιμησάμενος, τὴν μακαρίαν αὐτὸς ὑπέδυς μορφήν. Καὶ μηδεὶς ἄπονον οἰέσθω, 44.1201 καὶ μετὰ ῥᾳστώνης ἐκποριζόμενον τὸ τῆς ταπεινο φροσύνης κατόρθωμα. Τὸ ἐναντίον μὲν οὖν παντὸς οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπιτηδευομένων, τὸ τοιοῦ τόν ἐστιν ἐπιπονώτερον. ∆ιὰ τί; ὅτι καθεύδοντος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ τὰ καλὰ σπέρματα δεξαμένου, τὸ κε φάλαιον τῆς ἐναντίας σπορᾶς παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν τὸ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἐῤῥιζώθη ζιζάνιον. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἑαυτὸν εἰς γῆν κατέῤῥαξεν, τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ τὸ δείλαιον γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν πτῶμα ἑαυτῷ συγκατέβαλεν· καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἄλλο τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τοιοῦτον κακὸν, ὡς τὸ δι' ὑπερηφα νίας. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐμπέφυκέ πως τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἔπαρσιν πάθος παντὶ σχεδὸν τῷ κοινωνοῦντι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, διὰ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν τῶν μακαρισμῶν ὁ Κύριος ἄρχεται, οἷον ἀρχέγονόν τι κακὸν ἐκβάλλων ἐκ τῆς ἕξεως ἡμῶν τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, ἐν τῷ συμβουλεύειν μιμήσασθαι τὸν ἑκουσίως πτωχεύσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἀληθῶς μακάριος, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ δυνάμεθα καθὼς ἂν οἷοί τε ὦμεν ὁμοιωθέντες ἐκ τοῦ πτωχεῦσαι κατὰ προ αίρεσιν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ κοινωνίαν ἐφελκυ σώμεθα. Τοῦτο γὰρ φρονείσθω, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρ χων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ· ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε μορφὴν δούλου λαβών. Τί πτωχότερον ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τῆς τοῦ δούλου μορφῆς; Τί τα πεινότερον ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ὄντων, ἢ τὸ εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς πτωχῆς ἡμῶν φύσεως ἐλθεῖν; Ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων ἐθε λόντως τὴν τῆς δουλείας μορφὴν ὑποδύεται· ὁ Κριτὴς τοῦ παντὸς, ὑπόφορος τοῖς δυναστεύουσι γίνεται· ὁ τῆς κτίσεως Κύριος ἐν σπηλαίῳ κατάγεται· ὁ τοῦ παντὸς περιδεδραγμένος οὐχ εὑρίσκει τόπον ἐν τῷ καταλύ ματι, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων παραῤῥιπτεῖ· ὁ καθαρὸς καὶ ἀκήρατος, τὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύ σεως καταδέχεται ῥύπον, καὶ διὰ πάσης τῆς