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and brought forth death? But nothing else, if not envy, as Scripture testifies to me, saying that God did not make death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; but by the envy of the devil death entered into the world. It seems to me, beloved, that envy is an invention of the dragon; and it is impossible for anyone to have envy, unless the serpent, having crept up to someone secretly, and having vomited the venom from his own heart, casts envy into the heart of the receiver. For thus the envious man ends up in the same order and power as the serpent. Have you seen the envious man? you have seen the serpent. He speaks his own things to you as a friend, and learns your things from you as your enemy. The serpent approaches Eve as a friend, bewitching her with sweet words, but ensnaring her with bitter thoughts; carrying honey on his mouth, hiding the sword in his heart; turning his head in one direction, and aiming his tail at you in another. Cain approaches Abel as a friend; he speaks peaceful things, and intends warlike things; deceit was carried on his mouth, and envy was shadowed in his heart. The envious man approaches you; he speaks his own things to you, with deceptive words and a lukewarm laugh conversing with you; he brightens your face, he opens your mind, in order to empty the hidden storehouse of your mind. He learns your secrets by speaking, and brings forth your hidden things before all. Even if you flatter him, he no longer tolerates it, no longer laughs, no longer softens his face with a smile 55.598, but stands sternly accusing, and not moving, until he sees your shame, and then he will laugh. If anything is said against you at a banquet, he opens his ears. Well done. If anything is said in your favor, he, having interjected other words, sprinkles the mind of the listeners, so that what is said about you might not bring you glory even in your absence. What is more wicked than an envious person? But nothing. With what beasts will such a one be numbered? If you compare him to a lion or a leopard, you will find wickedness in the envious man.

For every animal loves its own kind; but the envious man hates his brother, and murders him. The ravens fed Elijah on the mountain, and his brothers, selling Joseph out of envy, ate. The serpent deceived Eve through envy, and Cain murdered Abel through envy. The great fish hosted Jonah in the sea, but Saul persecuted David through envy. The lions were abashed before Daniel, but the Jews crucified Christ through envy. Asps, when flattered, are tamed, but the envious, when treated well, are further inflamed. But lest we seem, beloved, to chatter at length and to go outside of what has just been read, let us return to the subject at hand. Pray also, you who are envied, that you may not suffer any incurable things from those who envy, nor fall into the same sickness. For let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Pray also, you who envy, that having vomited out the venom of the dragon, you may receive the heavenly bread in the pure testimony of conscience. Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God.

Prayer is very powerful, beloved, making possible the things that are impossible with men. Moses prayed, and he dried up the sea, and led the Hebrews through as through a green field. Joshua the son of Nun prayed, and he stopped the currents of the Jordan, and what was written was fulfilled: What ailed you, O sea, that you fled, and you, O Jordan, that you turned back? Elijah the charioteer prayed, and he restrained the rain-bearing clouds, and again he opened them through prayer. The same Elijah prayed, and to the poor widow he gave the flour and the oil measured out by faith each day. His disciple Elisha prayed, and the Shunammite, who was formerly barren, gave birth against all hope. Daniel prayed, and he destroyed Bel, and killed the dragon, and the lions to look up to heaven

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καὶ ἐκύησε θάνατον; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, εἰ μὴ φθόνος, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ μοι ἡ Γραφὴ λέγουσα, ὅτι Ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίη-σεν, οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων· φθόνῳ δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸν φθόνον ἐξεύρεμα εἶναι τοῦ δράκοντος· καὶ ἀμήχανόν ἐστιν ἔχειν τινὰ φθόνον, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ ὄφις προσερπύσας τινὶ λαθραίως, καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ καρδίας ἐμέσας τὸν ἰὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ δεχομένου καρδίαν ἐμβάλλῃ τὸν φθόνον. Οὕτω γὰρ εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ ὄφεως τάξιν καὶ δύναμιν ὁ φθονερὸς ἀπολήγει. Εἶδες τὸν φθονερόν; εἶδες τὸν ὄφιν; Λαλεῖ σοι ὡς φίλος τὰ ἴδια, καὶ μανθάνει παρὰ σοῦ τὰ σὰ ὡς ἐχθρός σου. Προσέρχεται ὁ ὄφις τῇ Εὔᾳ ὡς φίλος, γλυκέσι ῥήμασιν αὐτὴν μαγεύων, πικροῖς δὲ νοήμασιν αὐτὴν παγιδεύων· ἐπὶ στόματος φέρων τὸ μέλι, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ κρύπτων τὸ ξίφος· τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀλλαχοῦ ἀποκλίνων, καὶ τὴν κέρκον ἀλλαχοῦ σοι λοξεύων. Προσέρχεται τῷ Ἄβελ ὁ Κάϊν ὡς φίλος· λαλεῖ εἰρηνικὰ, καὶ νοεῖ πολεμικά· ὁ δόλος ἐπὶ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐφέρετο, καὶ ὁ φθόνος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐσκιάζετο. Προσέρχεταί σοι ὁ φθονερός· λαλεῖ σοι τὰ ἴδια, λόγοις ἀπατηλοῖς καὶ γέλωτι χλιαρῷ προσδιαλεγόμενός σοι τὸ πρόσωπόν σου φαιδρύνει, τὴν διανοιάν σου ἀνοίγει, ἵνα τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἐνθήκην τῆς διανοίας σου ἐκκενώσῃ. Μανθάνει τὰ μυστήριά σου λέγων, καὶ προσφέρει τὰ κρυπτά σου ἐπὶ πάντων. Κἂν κολακεύῃς αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἔτι ἀνέχεται, οὐκ ἔτι γελᾷ, οὐκ ἔτι μειδιάσματι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ 55.598 ὑποχαλᾷ, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν αὐστηρῶς κατηγορῶν, καὶ μὴ κινούμενος, ἕως οὗ ἐπίδῃ τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην σου, καὶ τότε γελάσει. Ἐὰν ἐν συμποσίῳ τι κατὰ σοῦ λαλῆται, ἐκεῖνος τὰ ὦτα ἀνοίγει. Εὖγε. Ἐάν τι λαλῆται ὑπὲρ σοῦ, ἐκεῖνος ἄλλους λόγους ἐμβαλὼν ῥαίνει τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἵνα μὴ τὰ σὰ λαλούμενα καὶ ἀπόντι σοι δόξαν προσφέρωσι. Τί πονηρότερον φθονεροῦ; Ἀλλ' οὐδέν. Ἐν ποίοις θηρίοις συναριθμηθήσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος; Ἐὰν λέοντι ἢ παρδάλει αὐτὸν συνεικάσῃς, εὑρήσεις ἐν τῷ φθονερῷ τὸ πονηρόν.

Πᾶν γὰρ ζῶον ἀγαπᾷ τὸ ὅμοιον ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ δὲ φθονερὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισεῖ, καὶ τοῦτον φονεύει. Οἱ κόρακες τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει διέτρεφον, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ διὰ φθόνον πιπράσκοντες ἔτραγον. Ὁ ὄφις διὰ φθόνον τὴν Εὔαν ἠπάτησε, καὶ Κάϊν τὸν Ἄβελ διὰ φθόνον ἐφόνευσε. Τὸ κῆτος τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐξένισε, Σαοὺλ δὲ διὰ φθόνον ἐδίωκε τὸν ∆αυΐδ. Οἱ λέοντες τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐνετράπησαν, οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ φθόνον ἐσταύρωσαν. Αἱ ἀσπίδες κολακευόμεναι ἡμεροῦνται, οἱ δὲ φθονεροὶ εὐεργετούμενοι πλέον ἐξάπτονται. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐπιπολὺ ἐρεσχελεῖν καὶ ἔξω βαίνειν τῶν ἀρτίως ἀναγνωσθέντων, ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον. Εὔξασθε καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ φθονούμενοι, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν φθονούντων πάθητέ τι τῶν ἀνηκέστων, μήτε τῷ αὐτῷ νοσήματι περιπέσητε. Ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ. Εὔξασθε καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ φθονοῦντες, ἵνα τὸν ἰὸν τοῦ δρά-κοντος ἐξεμέσαντες, ἐν καθαρῷ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῆς συνειδήσεως τὸν οὐράνιον ἄρτον ὑποδέξησθε. Εὔξασθε καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν.

Πολλὰ ἰσχύει, ἀγαπητοὶ, εὐχὴ, τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατα δυνατὰ καθιστῶσα. Ηὔξατο Μωϋσῆς, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐξήρανε, καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὡς διὰ χλοηφόρου πεδίου διήγαγεν. Ηὔξατο Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, καὶ τὰ Ἰορδάνια ῥεύματα ἐνεπόδισε, καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ γεγραμμένον· Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες, καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω; Ηὔξατο Ἠλίας ὁ ἁρματηλάτης, καὶ ὀμβροτόκους νεφέλας ἐχαλίνωσε, καὶ ταύτας πάλιν δι' εὐχῆς ἀνέῳξεν. Ηὔξατο ὁ αὐτὸς Ἠλίας, καὶ τῇ πενιχρᾷ χήρᾳ τὸ ἄλευρον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πίστει μεμετρημένον ἐδίδω. Ηὔξατο ὁ τούτου μαθητὴς Ἐλισσαῖος, καὶ ἡ Σωμανῖτις στεῖρα οὖσα τὸ πρὶν, παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐγέννα. Ηὔξατο ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ τὸν Βὴλ κατέστρεψε, καὶ τὸν δράκοντα ἀπέκτεινε, καὶ τοὺς λέοντας ἀναβλέπειν εἰς οὐρανὸν