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For either they suffer this while in it, or they prepare themselves for it, or the tales about it often rekindle the disease even after it has ceased. And what word is such as to enter their hearing, which has been stopped up by the voice of the heralds? Who will persuade those so disposed that they differ in no way from those who parade on a stage? For they too have a mask skillfully put on them from the elegant arts, and a purple robe interwoven with gold, and the procession is on a chariot, and yet no disease of pride enters them from such things; but just as they were in mind before the stage, they have preserved the same disposition of soul even during the procession, and after this they are not distressed when they get off the chariot and take off their costume. But those who parade through office on the stage of life, considering neither what was a short while before nor what will be a short while after, are stretched out like bubbles by a puff of air; in the same way these too are puffed up by the loud voice of the herald, and they mold for themselves the form of some alien mask, changing the natural cast of their face to one that is unsmiling and fearsome, and a harsher voice is devised for them, reshaped into something beast-like to the astonishment of their hearers; they no longer remain within human limits, but they introduce themselves into divine power and authority. For they believe they are lords of life and death, because of those judged by them, to one they assign the vote that saves, and the other they condemn to death; and they do not even see this, who is truly the lord of human life, who determines both the beginning of being and the end; and yet this alone was sufficient to suppress their vanity, to see many of the rulers on the very stage of their rule snatched from the midst of their thrones and carried out to their tombs, over which the lamentation succeeded the voices of the heralds. How then is he lord of another's life who is a stranger to his own? And so if this man is poor in spirit, looking to the one who willingly became poor for us, and considering what is of equal honor in nature, let him not act insolently toward his kinsman because of that deceitful tragedy concerning power, truly blessed for his temporary humility, having exchanged it for the kingdom of heaven. Do not cast aside, brother, 44.1208 the other meaning of poverty, which becomes the cause of heavenly wealth. Sell, he says, all that you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven. For such poverty seems to me not to be inconsistent with the poverty that is called blessed. Behold, everything that we had, we have left and followed you, the disciple says to the Master; what then shall be ours? And what is the reply? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Do you want to understand who it is that is poor in spirit? He who has exchanged the soul's wealth for bodily abundance, he who is poor for the spirit's sake, he who has shaken off earthly wealth like some burden, so that he may be borne aloft, raised high and through the air, just as the Apostle says, travelling through the heavens on a cloud with God. Gold is a heavy thing, all matter eagerly sought after for wealth is heavy; but virtue is something light and that bears one upward. But indeed these are opposed to each other, weight and lightness. Therefore it is impossible for someone to become light who has nailed himself to the weight of matter. If therefore we must ascend to the things above, let us be poor of the things below that drag us down, so that we may be among the things above. And what is the way, the psalmody explains: He has scattered, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures for ever and ever. He who has shared with the poor will place himself in the portion of the one who became poor for our sake. The Lord became poor, do not you either be afraid of poverty. But he who became poor for us reigns over all creation. Therefore if you become poor with him who became poor, you will also reign with him who reigns. For blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, of which may we also be counted worthy in

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Ἢ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦτο πάσχουσιν, ἢ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἑτοιμάζονται, ἢ τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς διηγήματα καὶ παυσαμένην ἤδη πολλάκις ἀναῤῥιπίζει τὴν νόσον. Καὶ τίς λόγος τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἐντὸς γενέσθαι τῆς ἀκοῆς αὐτῶν, τῆς ὑπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν κηρύκων προβεβυσμένης; Τίς πείσει τοὺς οὕτως ἔχοντας, ὅτι τῶν ἐπὶ σκηνῆς πομπευόντων οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν διαφέρουσι; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις καὶ πρόσωπόν τι ἐκ τέχνης τῶν γλα φυρῶν ἐπιβέβληται, καὶ ἁλουργὶς χρυσόπαστος, καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρματος ἡ πομπὴ, καὶ ὅμως οὐδεμία νόσος αὐτοῖς ὑπερηφανίας ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων εἰσέρχεται· ἀλλ' οἷοι πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς ἦσαν τὸ φρόνημα, ἴσην ἐπὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν ἕξιν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πομπῆς διεσώσαντο, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνιῶνται, τοῦ τε ἅρματος ἀποβάντες, καὶ τὸ σχῆμα περιαιρούμενοι. Οἱ δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς πομ πεύοντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ βίου σκηνῇ, οὔτε τὸ πρὸ βρα χέος, οὔτε τὸ μετὰ βραχὺ λογιζόμενοι, καθάπερ τῷ φυσήματι αἱ πομφόλυγες περιτείνονται· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οὗτοι περιογκοῦνται τῇ μεγαλοφωνίᾳ τοῦ κήρυκος, καὶ ἀλλοτρίου τινὸς προσωπείου μορφὴν ἑαυτοῖς περιπλάσσουσιν, ἐξαλλάσσοντες τὴν κατὰ φύσιν τοῦ προσώπου θέσιν εἰς τὸ ἀμειδὲς καὶ ἐπί φοβον, φθόγγος τε αὐτοῖς ἐπινοεῖται τραχύτερος, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων κατάπληξιν ἐπὶ τὸ θηριῶδες με τατυπούμενος· οὐκέτι ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις μένουσιν ὅροις, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν θείαν δύναμίν τε καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰσποιοῦσιν. Ζωῆς γὰρ καὶ θανάτου κύριοι εἶναι πιστεύουσιν, ὅτι τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς κρινομένων τῷ μὲν τὴν σώζουσαν νέμουσι ψῆφον, τὸν δὲ θανάτῳ καταδικάζουσι· καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο βλέπουσι, τίς ἀληθῶς τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ζωῆς κύριος, ὁ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι καὶ τὸ τέλος ὁρίζων· καίτοι γε τοῦτο μόνον ἱκανὸν ἦν εἰς καταστολὴν τῆς χαυνότητος, τὸ πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τῆς ἀρχῆς σκηνῇ ἐκ μέσων ἁρπασθέντας τῶν θρόνων, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς τάφους ἐκκομισθέντας, ἐφ' ὧν ὁ θρῆνος τὰς τῶν κηρύ κων φωνὰς διεδέξατο. Πῶς οὖν ἀλλοτρίας ζωῆς κύριος ὁ τῆς ἰδίας ἀλλό τριος; Καὶ οὗτος τοίνυν εἰ πτωχεύει τῷ πνεύματι, πρὸς τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντα ἑκουσίως βλέπων, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὁμότιμον καθορῶν, μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς ἠπατημένης ἐκείνης περὶ ἀρχὴν τραγῳδίας εἰς τὸ ὁμογενὲς ἐξυβρίζοι, μακαριστὸς ἀληθῶς τῆς τα πεινοφροσύνης τῆς προσκαίρου, τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν ἀνταλλαξάμενος. Μὴ ἀποβάλῃς, ἀδελφὲ, 44.1208 καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῆς πτωχείας λόγον, ὃς τοῦ κατ' οὐ ρανὸν πλούτου πρόξενος γίνεται. Πώλησόν σου, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη πτωχεία δοκεῖ μοι μὴ ἀπᾴδειν τῆς μακαριζομένης πτωχείας. Ἰδοὺ πάντα, ὅσα εἴχο μεν, ἀφέντες ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ὁ μαθητής· τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡμῖν; Καὶ τίς ἡ ἀπόκρισις; Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Βούλει νοῆσαι, τίς ὁ πτωχεύων τῷ πνεύματι; Ὁ ἀνταλ λαξάμενος τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς πλοῦτον τῆς σωματικῆς εὐπορίας, ὁ διὰ τὸ πνεῦμα πτωχεύων, ὁ τὸν γήϊνον πλοῦτον οἷόν τι βάρος ἀποσεισάμενος, ἵνα μετάρσιός τε καὶ διαέριος ἄνω φέρηται, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπό στολος, ἐπὶ νεφέλης συμμετεωροπορῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Βαρύ τι χρῆμα τὸ χρυσίον ἐστὶν, βαρεῖα πᾶσα ἡ σπουδαζομένη κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον ὕλη· κοῦφον δέ τι καὶ ἀνωφερὲς πρᾶγμα ἡ ἀρετή. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀντίκειται ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις, τὸ βάρος καὶ ἡ κουφότης. Οὐκοῦν ἀμήχανόν τινα γενέσθαι κοῦφον, τῷ βάρει τῆς ὕλης ἑαυτὸν προσηλώσαντα. Εἰ οὖν χρὴ τοῖς ἄνω προσβῆ ναι, τῶν κάτω καθελκόντων πτωχεύσωμεν, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἄνω γενώμεθα. Τίς δὲ ὁ τρόπος, ὑφηγεῖται ἡ ψαλμῳδία· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὁ τῷ πτωχῷ κοινωνήσας, εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντος ἑαυτὸν καταστήσει. Ἐπτώχευσεν ὁ Κύριος, μὴ φοβηθῇς μηδὲ σὺ τὴν πτωχείαν. Ἀλλὰ βασιλεύει πάσης τῆς κτίσεως ὁ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσας. Οὐκοῦν ἐὰν πτωχεύσαντι συμπτω χεύσῃς, καὶ βασιλεύοντι συμβασιλεύσεις. Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἧς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀξιωθείημεν ἐν