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but making many rich. If these things are small and worthy of no account, I want to be persuaded, what things are greater and of more account. For if this city, the eye of the world, the best of land and sea, a kind of bond between the eastern and western regions, to which the extremes from all sides run together, and from which they begin, as from a common marketplace of the faith; if to strengthen and invigorate this city with sound words, is not one of the great things, and this, when it was shaken by so many tongues, and from all sides, scarcely would anything else appear great and worthy of zeal. But if it is among the praiseworthy things (grant us also some share of the honor for these things), we ourselves also have contributed some portion to these things that are seen. 36.472

11. Lift up your eyes round about, and see, every examiner of my words. See the crown of glory that has been woven, instead of the hirelings of Ephraim, and the crown of pride. See the council of presbyters, honored for their gray hair and wisdom, the good order of the deacons, not far from the same Spirit, the decorum of the readers, the love of learning of the people, as much in men, as in women, who are equal in virtue; and of men, as much among philosophers, as among the more simple, all wise in divine things; as much among rulers, as among the ruled, here all being well ruled; as much among soldiers, as among the noble, as much in words and concerning words, all soldiers of God, gentle in other respects, but warlike for the Spirit, all honoring the senate above (into which the plain letter does not lead, but the life-giving Spirit), all truly learned, and servants of the true Word; and of women, as many as are under the yoke, bound to God rather than to the flesh, as many as are unwed and free, wholly consecrated to God; as many among the young, as among the old, of whom the one journeys well toward old age, while the other strives to remain immortal, being renewed by better hopes.

12. Of this crown (what I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but I will speak it nevertheless) I too contributed something to those who wove it. This is partly the work of my words, not those which we have cast off, but those which we have loved; nor of the licentious, as someone said, slandering us of the licentious in both word and manner, but of the very chaste. This is partly the offspring and fruit of my Spirit, as the Spirit knows how to beget those who rise up from the body. The well-disposed among you will bear witness, I know well, or even all, since we have cultivated all; and the reward is the acknowledgement alone. For we do not seek, nor have we sought, anything else. For virtue is without reward, that it may remain virtue, looking to the good alone.

13. Do you wish that we add something more bold? Do you see the opposing tongues being tamed, and those who war against the divinity being quiet towards us? This too is of the Spirit, and this too is of our husbandry. For we do not educate without education, nor do we attack with insults, as many suffer, fighting not against the 36.473 word, but against those who speak, and at times covering the weakness of their arguments with insults; just as they say cuttlefish vomit out their ink before themselves, so that they may escape those hunting them, or hunt by hiding. But we show that warring about Christ is to fight against Christ, who is peaceful and gentle, and who bore our infirmities. Neither do we make peace against the word of truth, yielding anything for the sake of a reputation for fairness; for we do not pursue the good in an evil way; and we make peace by fighting lawfully, and within our own boundaries, and the canons of the Spirit. Concerning these things, therefore, I thus think, and I lay down a law for all stewards of souls, and dispensers of the word: neither to be harsh through severity, nor to be overbearing through timidity; but to be reasonable concerning the word, not exceeding the measure in either direction.

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πολλοὺς δὲ πλουτίζοντας. Ταῦτα εἰ μὲν μικρὰ καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξια λόγου, πει σθῆναι βούλομαι, τίνα τὰ μείζω καὶ λόγου πλείονος. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ πόλιν τῆς οἰκουμένης ὀφθαλμὸν, γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ὅτι κράτιστον, ἑῴας τε καὶ ἑσπερίου λή ξεως οἷον σύνδεσμον, εἰς ἣν τὰ πανταχόθεν ἄκρα συν τρέχει, καὶ ὅθεν ἄρχεται, ὡς ἀπὸ ἐμπορίου κοι νοῦ τῆς πίστεως· εἰ τὸ ταύτην στηρίξαι τε καὶ σθε νῶσαι τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσι λόγοις, τῶν οὐ μεγάλων, καὶ ταῦτα, τοσαύταις δονουμένην γλώσσαις, καὶ οὕτω πανταχόθεν, σχολῇ γ' ἂν ἄλλο τι φανείη μέγα καὶ σπουδῆς ἄξιον. Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἐπαινουμένων (δότε τι καὶ ἡμῖν τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις φιλοτιμίας), καὶ αὐτοὶ με ρίδα τινὰ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις τούτοις συνεισηνέγκαμεν. 36.472

ΙΑʹ. Ἆρον κύκλῳ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, καὶ ἴδε, πᾶς ὁ τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων ἐξεταστής. Ἴδε τὸν στέφανον τὸν πλακέντα τῆς δόξης, ἀντὶ τῶν μισθωτῶν Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ τοῦ στεφάνου τῆς ὕβρεως. Ἴδε πρεσβυτέρων συνέδριον, πολιᾷ καὶ συνέσει τετιμημένων, δια κόνων εὐταξίαν, οὐ πόῤῥω τοῦ αὐτοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀναγνωστῶν εὐκοσμίαν, λαοῦ φιλομάθειαν, ὅσον ἐν ἀνδράσιν, ὅσον ἐν γυναιξὶ, τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁμοτίμοις· καὶ ἀνδρῶν, ὅσον ἐν φιλοσόφοις, ὅσον ἐν ἁπλουστέροις, πᾶσι σοφοῖς τὰ θεῖα· ὅσον ἐν ἄρχουσιν, ὅσον ἐν ἀρ χομένοις, ἐνταῦθα πᾶσι καλῶς ἀρχομένοις· ὅσον ἐν στρατιώταις, ὅσον ἐν εὐγενέσιν, ὅσον ἐν λόγοις καὶ περὶ λόγους, πᾶσι Θεοῦ στρατιώταις, ἡμέροις τἄλλα, πολεμικοῖς ὑπὲρ Πνεύματος, πᾶσι τὴν ἄνω τιμῶσι σύγκλητον (εἰς ἣν οὐ τὸ γράμμα εἰσάγει τὸ πεζὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ζωοποιοῦν Πνεῦμα), ἅπασι λογίοις ὡς ἀληθῶς, καὶ τοῦ ὄντως Λόγου θεραπευ ταῖς· καὶ γυναικῶν, ὅσον ὑπὸ ζυγὸν, Θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ σαρκὶ συνδεδεμένον, ὅσον ἄζυγον καὶ ἐλεύθερον, Θεῷ τὸ πᾶν καθιερωμένον· ὅσον ἐν νέοις, ὅσον ἐν γέ ρουσιν, ὧν τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ γῆρας καλῶς ὁδεύει, τὸ δὲ βιά ζεται μεῖναι ἀθάνατον, ταῖς κρείττοσι τῶν ἐλπίδων ἀνακαινούμενον.

ΙΒʹ. Τούτου τοῦ στεφάνου (ὃ λαλῶ, οὐ κατὰ Κύ ριον λαλῶ, λαλήσω δὲ ὅμως) κἀγώ τι συνεβαλόμην τοῖς πλέκουσι. Τούτων τις καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων ἔργον, οὐχ οὓς ἐῤῥίψαμεν, ἀλλ' οὓς ἠγαπήσαμεν· οὐδὲ τῶν πορνικῶν, ὥς τις ἔφη διασύρων ἡμᾶς τῶν πόρνων καὶ λόγον καὶ τρόπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν σωφρό νων. Τούτων τις καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ Πνεύματος γέννημα καὶ καρπὸς, ὡς γεννᾷν οἶδε Πνεῦμα τοὺς ἀπανιστα μένους σώματος. Μαρτυρήσουσιν, εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι, καὶ ὑμῶν οἱ εὐγνώμονες, ἢ καὶ πάντες, ἐπεὶ καὶ πάντας ἐγεωργήσαμεν· καὶ μισθὸς, ἡ ὁμολογία μόνη. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο τι ἐπιζητοῦμεν, ἢ ἐζητήσαμεν. Ἄμισθος γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἵνα καὶ ἀρετὴ μείνῃ, πρὸς τὸ καλὸν μόνον βλέπουσα.

ΙΓʹ. Βούλεσθε προσθῶμέν τι καὶ νεανικώτερον; Ὁρᾶτε τὰς ἐναντίας γλώσσας ἡμερουμένας, καὶ τοὺς θεότητι πολεμοῦντας ἡμῖν ἡσυχάζοντας; Καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς γεωργίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπαιδεύτως παιδεύομεν, οὐδὲ ταῖς ὕβρεσι βάλλομεν, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, μὴ τῷ 36.473 λόγῳ μαχόμενοι, τοῖς δὲ λέγουσι, καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἔστιν ὅτε τῶν λογισμῶν ταῖς ὕβρεσι συγκαλύπτοντες· ὥσπερ τὰς σηπίας λόγος ἐμεῖν τὸ μέλαν πρὸ ἑαυ τῶν, ἵνα τοὺς θηρεύοντας διαφύγωσιν, ἢ τῷ λανθά νειν θηράσωσιν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ περὶ Χριστοῦ πολεμεῖν δείκνυμεν, ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι κατὰ Χριστὸν, τὸν εἰρη νικόν τε καὶ πρᾶον, καὶ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν βαστά σαντα. Οὔτε εἰρηνεύομεν κατὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας, ὑφιέντες τι διὰ δόξαν ἐπιεικείας· οὐ γὰρ κα κῶς τὸ καλὸν θηρεύομεν· καὶ εἰρηνεύομεν ἐννόμως μαχόμενοι, καὶ εἴσω τῶν ἡμετέρων ὅρων, καὶ κανόνων τοῦ Πνεύματος. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων οὕτω γινώσκω, καὶ νόμον τίθημι πᾶσι τοῖς ψυχῶν οἰκονό μοις, καὶ τοῦ λόγου ταμίαις· μήτε τῷ σκληρῷ τραχύνειν, μήτε τῷ ὑπεσταλμένῳ κατεπαίρειν· ἀλλ' εὐλόγους εἶναι περὶ τὸν λόγον, μηδετέρῳ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνοντας.