Gregory of Nazianzus, To the Citizens of Nazianzus

preparing the little flock, with which to rejoice when it rejoices, and to mourn when it is sad, is the law of my pastoral care. 35.976

8. But what of you, rulers and magistrates? For now the discourse turns to you, so that we may not seem to be entirely unequal, and to exhort some with what is fitting, but to yield to your power, as if bending our freedom in Christ out of reverence or fear; or to care for some more, but neglect you, of whom it is worthy to be more thoughtful, inasmuch as the balance brings a greater result, whichever way it inclines, and the success is greater; for may the opposite be far from us and from our discourse. What then do you say? And what shall we agree upon with one another? Will you receive the word with boldness? The law of Christ also places you under my authority and my judgment seat. For we too rule; and I will add, an authority that is greater and more perfect; or must the spirit yield to the flesh, and heavenly things to earthly things. You will accept my boldness, I know, because you are a sheep of my flock, a sacred one of the sacred flock, and a nursling of the great Shepherd, and well led from above by the Spirit, and illumined like us by the light of the holy and blessed Trinity. For this reason my word to you is both brief and concise.

9. You rule with Christ, and you also govern with Christ. From him you have the sword, not for use, but for a threat; may you keep it as a pure offering to the one who gave it. You are an image of God; and you guide an image by your hand, which is administered here, and is being transferred to another life, to which we will all pass over, after having played for a short time in this life, whether in a prison, or a stadium, or a foretaste, or a shadow. Honor your kinship; reverence the archetype; be with God, not with the ruler of this world; with the good Master, not with the bitter tyrant. He was a murderer from the beginning; he also struck the first man through disobedience, and introduced the life of toil, and made it law to punish and be punished for sin. But you, O man of God, remember whose creation you are, and to where you are called, and how much you have, and how much you owe, from whom you have reason, law, prophets, the very knowledge of God, the hope for what is expected. For these reasons, imitate God's love for mankind. A man has this especially divine quality, to do good. It is possible for you to become God without having labored; do not waste the opportunity for deification. 35.977

10. Some empty themselves of possessions, others their flesh to the spirit, and are dead to Christ, and stand completely apart from the world; others consecrate to God their dearest things. And you have surely heard of Abraham’s sacrifice; who more eagerly gave to God his only-begotten, the son of the promise, and in whom was the promise, than he had received him from God in the beginning. But we ask none of these things of you; bring one thing in place of all, love for mankind, in which God rejoices more than in all the others together; a gift of your own, a blameless gift, a gift that calls forth God’s generosity. Mingle clemency with fear; blend hope with threat. I know that kindness also achieves much, shaming one into a due return, when, though it is possible to compel, we instead concede, we put to shame by goodwill the one who is pitied. Let nothing persuade you to be unworthy of your office; let nothing shut out pity and gentleness, not opportunity, not a ruler, not fear, not the hope of greater offices, not insolence that has the upper hand. Acquire goodwill in necessary times, the goodwill from above; lend mercy to God. No one has regretted having first offered something to God. He is abundant in giving back, rewarding especially with the goods of the next world those who have paid something in advance, and lent it beforehand; but sometimes also with those here, for the faith of what is to come.

καταρτίζων τὸ μικρὸν ποίμνιον, ᾧ χαίροντι συν ευθυμεῖν, καὶ σκυθρωπάζοντι συστενάζειν, τῆς ἐμῆς ποιμαντικῆς ὁ νόμος. 35.976

Ηʹ. Τί δὲ ὑμεῖς, οἱ δυνάσται καὶ ἄρχοντες; Ἤδη γὰρ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ λόγος μέτεισιν, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν πάντη τυγχάνειν ἄνισοι, καὶ τοῖς μὲν τὰ εἰκότα παραινεῖν, ὑμῶν δὲ τῇ δυναστείᾳ παραχωρεῖν, ὥσπερ αἰδοῖ τὴν κατὰ Χριστὸν ἡμῶν ἐλευθερίαν, ἢ δέει ἐκ κλίνοντες· ἢ τῶν μὲν κήδεσθαι μᾶλλον, ὑμῶν δ' ἀμελεῖν, ὧν καὶ μᾶλλον φροντίζειν ἄξιον, ὅσῳ καὶ εἰς μείζω φέρουσα ἡ ῥοπὴ ὁποτέρως ἂν ἔχῃ, καὶ πλεῖον τὸ κατορθούμενον· τὸ γὰρ ἐναντίον ἀπείη, καὶ ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῦ λόγου. Τί οὖν φατε; καὶ τί διομολο γούμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους; Ἆρα δέξεσθε σὺν παῤῥη σίᾳ τὸν λόγον; Καὶ ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ νόμος ὑποτίθησιν ὑμᾶς τῇ ἐμῇ δυναστείᾳ καὶ τῷ ἐμῷ βήματι. Ἄρχο μεν γὰρ καὶ αὐτοί· προσθήσω δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τὴν μείζονα καὶ τελεωτέραν ἀρχήν· ἢ δεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑποχω ρῆσαι τῇ σαρκὶ, καὶ τοῖς γηίνοις τὰ ἐπουράνια. ∆έ ξῃ τὴν παῤῥησίαν, οἶδ', ὅτι πρόβατον εἶ τῆς ἐμῆς ποίμνης, τῆς ἱερᾶς ἱερὸν, καὶ θρέμμα τοῦ με γάλου Ποιμένος, καὶ καλῶς ἄνωθεν ἠγμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τῷ φωτὶ τῆς ἁγίας καὶ μακα ρίας Τριάδος ὁμοίως ἡμῖν ἐλλαμπόμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό μοι καὶ βραχὺς ὁ πρὸς σὲ λόγος καὶ σύντομος.

Θʹ. Χριστῷ συνάρχεις, Χριστῷ καὶ συνδιοικεῖς· παρ' ἐκείνου σοι τὸ ξίφος, οὐκ εἰς ἔργον, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀπειλήν· ὃ καθαρὸν ἀνάθημα τῷ δεδωκότι φυλάσσοι το. Εἰκὼν εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ εἰκόνα διὰ χειρὸς ἄγεις, ἐνταῦθα οἰκονομουμένην, καὶ πρὸς βίον ἄλλον μεθισταμένην, εἰς ὃν πάντες μεταβησόμεθα, μικρὰ παίξαντες ἐν τῷ τῆς ζωῆς τούτῳ, εἴτε δεσμω τηρίῳ, εἴτε σταδίῳ, εἴτε προχαράγματι, εἴτε σκιά σματι. Τίμησον τὴν συμφυΐαν· αἰδέσθητι τὸ ἀρχέτυ πον· γενοῦ μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὴ τοῦ κοσμοκράτορος· μετὰ τοῦ χρηστοῦ ∆εσπότου, μὴ τοῦ πικροῦ τυράννου. Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς ἔπληξε, καὶ τὴν ἐπίμοχθον ζωὴν ἐπεισήγαγε, καὶ τὸ κολάζειν, καὶ τὸ κολάζεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνομοθέτησε. Σὺ δὲ, ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, μνήσθητι τίνος εἶ ποίημα, καὶ ποῦ καλῇ, καὶ πόσα ἔχεις, καὶ πόσον ὀφείλεις, παρὰ τίνος σοι λόγος, νόμος, προφῆται, αὐτὸ τὸ εἰδέναι Θεὸν, τὸ μὴ ἀπελπίζειν τὰ προσδοκώμενα. Μίμησαι διὰ ταῦτα Θεοῦ φιλαν θρωπίαν. Τοῦτο ἔχει μάλιστα θεῖον ἄνθρωπος, τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν. Ἔξεστί σοι Θεὸν γενέσθαι μηδὲν πο νήσαντι· μὴ πρόῃ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς θεώσεως. 35.977

Ιʹ. Ἄλλοι χρήματα κενοῦσιν, ἄλλοι σάρκας τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ νεκροῦνται Χριστῷ, καὶ κόσμου παντελῶς ἀπανίστανται· ἄλλοι καθιεροῦσι Θεῷ τὰ φίλτατα. Καὶ τὴν Ἀβραὰμ θυσίαν πάντως ἀκήκοας· ὃς προθυμότερον ἔδωκε τῷ Θεῷ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, καὶ εἰς ὃν ἡ ἐπαγγελία, ἢ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐκομίσατο. Σὲ δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν αἰτοῦμεν· ἓν ἀντὶ πάντων εἰσένεγκε, τὴν φιλ ανθρωπίαν̣ ᾗ χαίρει Θεὸς μᾶλλον, ἢ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις· δῶρον ἴδιον, δῶρον ἄμωμον, δῶρον φι λοτιμίαν Θεοῦ προκαλούμενον. Μῖξον τῷ φόβῳ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν· κέρασον τῇ ἀπειλῇ τὴν ἐλπίδα. Πολλὰ καὶ χρηστότητα κατορθοῦσαν οἶδα, δυσωποῦσαν εἰς ὀφειλομένην ἀντίδοσιν, ὅταν βιάζεσθαι παρὸν συγχωρήσαντες, δυσωπήσωμεν εὐνοίᾳ τὸν ἐλεούμε νον. Μηδὲν εἶναί σε πειθέτω τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀνάξιον· μηδὲν ἀποκλειέτω τὸν οἶκτον καὶ τὴν ἡμερότητα, μὴ καιρὸς, μὴ δυνάστης, μὴ φόβος, μὴ μειζόνων ἀρχῶν ἐλπὶς, μὴ θρασύτης τὸ πλέον ἔχουσα. Κτῆσαι τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις καιροῖς, τὴν ἄνω· χρῆσον Θεῷ τὸν ἔλεον. Οὐδεὶς μετέγνω τῶν Θεῷ τι προεισενεγκάντων. Πολύς ἐστιν εἰς ἀντίδοσιν, μάλιστα μὲν τοῖς ἐκεῖθεν ἀγαθοῖς ἀμειβόμενος τοὺς προκαταβαλόντας τι, καὶ προχρήσαντας· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα πρὸς πίστιν τῶν ὕστερον.