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rule and power, not glory and honor, not luxury and extravagance, not any other prosperity could ever gladden a wife or a husband, when they are yoked in conflict with one another.

7. Let us be zealous for this indeed before all other things. Has defects the

wife? Do what Isaac did; entreat God. For if he by the perseverance of his prayer overcame a defect of nature, much more shall we be able to correct defects of will, by continually entreating God. If God sees you persevering for the sake of His law, and 51.370 bearing your wife's faults nobly, He will assist you in teaching, and will give you a reward for your patience. For what do you know, he says, O man, whether you will save your wife? Or what do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? But do not grow weary, he says, nor despair. For it may happen that she is even saved; but if she remains uncorrected, you have not lost the reward of your patience; but if you cast her out, you have first sinned in one thing, in transgressing the law, and are judged an adulterer before God; For whoever casts out his wife, he says, except for the reason of fornication, makes her commit adultery. And often, having taken another more difficult than she, you have committed the sin, but have not enjoyed any rest. But if you take a better one, the pleasure from the second is not permitted to be pure for you, because of the putting away of the first, with adultery being reckoned to you; for it is adultery to put away the first. Therefore, whenever you see some difficulty has occurred, either in marriage, or in another state of affairs, entreat God; for this alone is the best solution to the terrible things that befall us. For the weapon of prayer is great. This I have said many times, and I say it now, and I will not cease to say it; even if you are a sinner, look to the tax collector who did not fail, who washed away so many sins. Do you wish to learn how great prayer is? Friendship with God does not accomplish as much as prayer. And the word is not mine; for I would not have dared to pronounce on so great a matter from my own opinion; hear from the Scriptures how. what friendship did not accomplish, prayer accomplished. Which of you is there, he says, who will have a friend, and coming will say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves; and he answering will say to him: The door is shut, the children are in bed; do not trouble me.

For I say to you, even if he will not give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will give him as much as he needs. Do you see how, what friendship was not strong enough to do, this importunity was strong enough to do? For since the one asking was a friend, lest you think that he accomplished it for this reason, He said: Even if he will not give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will give it to him. Even if friendship will not work this, he says, yet importunity will work what friendship was not strong enough to do. And where did this happen? In the case of the tax collector. For the tax collector was not a friend to God; but he became a friend; so that even if you are an enemy, by importunity you will become a friend. See also the Syrophoenician woman, and hear what He says to her: It is not good to take the children's bread and give it to the little dogs. And how did He do it, if it is not good? By her importunity the woman made it good; so that you may learn that for those things of which we are not worthy, we become worthy through importunity.

8. I have said these things so that you may not say that I am a sinner, I am without boldness, I do not

have prayer. He has boldness who does not think he has boldness; just as he who thinks he has boldness, lost his boldness, like the Pharisee; but he who considers himself cast off and without boldness, this one will especially be heard, like the tax collector. See how many examples you have: the Syrophoenician woman, the tax collector, 51.371 the thief on the cross, the friend in the parable who asked for the three loaves, and succeeded not so much through friendship, as through importunity. Of these

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ἀρχὴ καὶ δυναστεία, οὐ δόξα καὶ τιμὴ, οὐ τρυφὴ καὶ πολυτέλεια, οὐκ ἄλλη τις εὐπραγία δύναιτ' ἂν εὐφρᾶναί ποτε γυναῖκα ἢ ἄνδρα, ὅταν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ζυγομαχῶσι.

ζʹ. Τοῦτο δὴ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων σπουδάζωμεν. Ἐλαττώματα ἔχει ἡ

γυνή; Ποίησον ὅπερ ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰσαάκ· δεήθητι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ οὗτος τῇ καρτερίᾳ τῆς εὐχῆς φύσεως ἔλυσε πήρωσιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς προαιρέσεως ἐλαττώματα διορθῶσαι δυνησόμεθα, τὸν Θεὸν συνεχῶς παρακαλοῦντες. Ἐὰν ἴδῃ σε ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ νόμον καρτεροῦντα, καὶ 51.370 φέροντα γενναίως τῆς γυναικὸς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, συνεφάψεταί σοι τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ μισθόν σοι δώσει τῆς ὑπομονῆς. Τί γὰρ οἶδας, φησὶν, ἄνερ, εἰ τὴν γυναῖκα σώσεις; ἢ τί οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις; Μὴ ἀποκάμῃς δὲ, φησὶ, μηδὲ ἀπελπίσῃς. Συμβαίνει γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ σωθῆναι· ἂν δὲ ἀδιόρθωτος μένῃ, σὺ τὸν μισθὸν οὐκ ἀπώλεσας τῆς ὑπομονῆς· ἐὰν δὲ ἐκβάλῃς, ἓν πρῶτον ἥμαρτες, τὸ παραβῆναι τὸν νόμον, καὶ μοιχὸς κρίνεσθαι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἐκβάλῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχευθῆναι. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν χαλεπωτέραν ἐκείνης λαβὼν, τὴν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν εἰργάσω, ἀναπαύσεως δὲ οὐκ ἀπέλαυσας. Ἂν δὲ καὶ κρείσσω λάβῃς, οὐκ ἀφίησί σοι τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀκέραιον εἶναι τὴν ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας, διὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῆς προτέρας, λογιζομένης σοι μοιχείας· μοιχεία γάρ ἐστι τὸ τὴν προτέραν ἀφεῖναι. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς δυσκολίαν τινὰ συμπεσοῦσαν, ἢ ἐν τῷ γάμῳ, ἢ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ πραγμάτων καταστάσει, παρακάλει τὸν Θεόν· αὕτη γὰρ μόνη λύσις ἐστὶν ἀρίστη τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν δεινῶν. Καὶ γὰρ μέγα τῆς εὐχῆς τὸ ὅπλον ἐστί. Τοῦτο καὶ πολλάκις εἶπον, καὶ νῦν λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι· κἂν ἁμαρτωλὸς ὑπάρχῃς, βλέπε πρὸς τὸν τελώνην τὸν μὴ ἀποτυχόντα, τὸν τοσαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα ἀπονιψάμενον. Βούλει μαθεῖν ὅσον ἐστὶν εὐχή; Οὐκ ἀνύει τοσοῦτον φιλία πρὸς Θεὸν, ὅσον εὐχή. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐτόλμησα τοσοῦτον πρᾶγμα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμης ἀποφήνασθαι· ἄκουσον ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν πῶς. ὅσον οὐκ ἤνυσε φιλία, ἤνυσεν εὐχή. Τίς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν, φησὶν, ὃς ἕξει φίλον, καὶ ἐλθὼν εἴπῃ αὐτῷ· Ἑταῖρε, χρῆσόν μοι τρεῖς ἄρτους· κἀκεῖνος ἀποκριθεὶς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· Ἡ θύρα κέκλεισται, τὰ παιδία ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης ἐστί· μή μοι κόπους πάρεχε.

Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, εἰ καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναι φίλον αὐτοῦ μὴ δώσει αὐτῷ, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ δώσει αὐτῷ ὅσων ἂν χρῄζῃ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς, ὅσον οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἡ φιλία, τοῦτο ἴσχυσεν ἡ προσεδρεία; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ φίλος ἦν αἰτῶν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἤνυσεν, εἶπεν· Εἰ καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναι φίλον αὐτοῦ μὴ δώσει αὐτῷ, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ δώσει αὐτῷ. Εἰ καὶ ἡ φιλία μὴ ἐργάσεται, φησὶ, τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ ἡ προσεδρεία ἐργάσεται, ὅσον ἡ φιλία οὐκ ἴσχυσε. Καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο γέγονεν; Ἐπὶ τοῦ τελώνου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν τῷ Θεῷ φίλος ὁ τελώνης· ἀλλ' ἐγένετο φίλος· ὥστε κἂν ἐχθρὸς ᾖς, τῇ προσεδρείᾳ γενήσῃ φίλος. Ὅρα καὶ τὴν Συροφοίνισσαν, καὶ ἄκουσον τί φησι πρὸς αὐτήν· Οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων, καὶ δοῦναι τοῖς κυναρίοις. Καὶ πῶς ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ, εἰ μή ἐστι καλόν; Τῇ προσεδρείᾳ αὐτὸ ἐποίησεν ἡ γυνὴ καλόν· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι ὧν οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἄξιοι, γινόμεθα ἄξιοι, διὰ τῆς προσεδρείας.

ηʹ. Ταῦτα εἶπον ἵνα μὴ λέγῃς ὅτι Ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, ἀπαῤῥησίαστός εἰμι, οὐκ

ἔχω εὐχήν. Ἐκεῖνος ἔχει παῤῥησίαν ὁ μὴ νομίζων ἔχειν παῤῥησίαν· ὡς ὁ νομίζων παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν, ἀπώλεσε τὴν παῤῥησίαν, καθάπερ ὁ Φαρισαῖος· ὁ δὲ νομίζων ἑαυτὸν ἀπεῤῥιμμένον καὶ ἀπαῤῥησίαστον, οὗτος μάλιστα εἰσακουσθήσεται, καθάπερ ὁ τελώνης. Ὅρα πόσα ἔχεις παραδείγματα, τὴν Συροφοίνισσαν, τὸν τελώνην, 51.371 τὸν λῃστὴν τὸν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ, τὸν ἐν τῇ παραβολῇ φίλον τὸν τοὺς τρεῖς ἄρτους αἰτοῦντα, καὶ οὐχ οὕτω διὰ τὴν φιλίαν, ὡς διὰ τὴν προσεδρείαν ἐπιτυχόντα. Τούτων