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is hindered? For neither is filth a good thing. Nowhere do we see these things, neither being blamed, nor being admired. For there are other things which he commanded the bishop to have: to be blameless, sober, orderly, hospitable, apt to teach; these things the Apostle requires, these things one must seek from the ruler, and nothing further. You are not more precise than Paul, or rather, you are not more precise than the Spirit. If he is a brawler, or even given to wine, if cruel and merciless, accuse him; these things are unworthy of a bishop; if he lives in luxury, this too is an accusation; but if he tends to his body so that he may minister to you, if he takes care so that he may be useful to you, must he be accused for these things? Do you not know that bodily infirmity harms both us and the Church no less than infirmity of the soul? Why does Paul correct it, writing to Timothy, “Use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities?” For if we achieve virtue by the soul alone, there would be no need to care for the body. Why then were we made at all? But if its contribution is great, how is it not the height of folly to neglect it? For let there be a man honored with the episcopate and entrusted with the leadership of the community of the Church, and in other respects let him be virtuous and have all the things that befit a priest, but let him be constantly bound to his bed by much illness, what good will this man be able to do? What journey can he undertake? What visitations can he make? Whom can he rebuke? Whom can he admonish? I have said these things, so that you may know not to accuse simply, so that you may know rather to approve, so that even if someone desires the office, seeing the snowstorms of accusations, he may extinguish such a desire. Truly a great danger, and one that requires the grace of God and peace, which you prayed might be abundant for us, and we for you; so that both of us, having achieved virtue, may thus obtain the promised good things, in Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 2. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I appointed you: if any is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not under accusation

of debauchery, or unruly.

a. For the men of old, all of life was active 62.670 and full of struggle; but for us it is not so, but full of indolence. For they knew that for this reason they were brought into the world, that they might work according to the will of Him who brought them; but we, as if brought forth for this reason, that we might eat and drink and live in luxury, thus take no account of spiritual things. I speak not only of the apostles, but 62.671 also of those after them. You see them, then, running through all things, and as if they had undertaken this work, and living altogether in a foreign land, since they had no city upon the earth. Listen then to what this blessed one says: For this reason I left you in Crete. As if they had divided the inhabited world as one household, so they ministered all things, and took care of things everywhere, one taking this part, another that. For this reason, he says, I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking. He does not yet exhort him in a commanding way; "That you should set in order," he says. Do you see a soul pure of all envy, everywhere seeking what is useful for those being taught, not being overly precise whether it should be done by him or by another? For where there was danger and great difficulty, he himself

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κεκώλυται; οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ ῥύπος καλόν. Οὐδαμοῦ ταῦτα ὁρῶμεν, οὔτε ἐγκαλούμενα, οὔτε θαυμαζόμενα. Ἄλλα γάρ ἐστιν ἅπερ ἐπέταξε τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἔχειν, ἀνέγκλητον εἶναι, σώφρονα, κόσμιον, φιλόξενον, διδακτικόν· ταῦτα ἀπαιτεῖ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ταῦτα χρὴ ἐπιζητεῖν παρὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος, περαιτέρω δὲ μηδέν. Οὐκ εἶ τοῦ Παύλου ἀκριβέστερος, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ εἶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀκριβέστερος. Ἂν ᾖ πλήκτης, ἢ καὶ πάροινος, ἂν ὠμὸς καὶ ἀνηλεὴς, κατηγόρει· ἀνάξια ταῦτα τοῦ ἐπισκόπου· ἂν τρυφᾷ, καὶ τοῦτο κατηγορία· ἂν δὲ θεραπεύῃ τὸ σῶμα ἵνα σοὶ διακονῇ, ἂν ἐπιμελῆται ἵνα σοὶ χρήσιμος ᾖ, ὑπὲρ τούτων αὐτὸν ἐγκαλεῖσθαι δεῖ; Οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἀσθένεια σωματικὴ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀσθενείας οὐχ ἧττον καὶ ἡμᾶς βλάπτει, καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν; ∆ιὰ τί διορθοῦται αὐτὴν ὁ Παῦλος γράφων τῷ Τιμοθέῳ, Οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ψυχῇ μόνῃ τὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθοῦμεν, οὐκ ἔδει φροντίζειν τοῦ σώματος. Τί δὲ ὅλως καὶ γεγόναμεν; Εἰ δὲ πολλὴ τούτου ἡ συντέλεια, πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἐστὶν ἀνοίας ἀμελεῖν τούτου; Ἔστω γάρ τις ἀνὴρ ἐπισκοπῇ τετιμημένος καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν προστασίαν ἐγκεχειρισμένος, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἔστω ἐνάρετος καὶ πάντα ἔχων ἅπερ ἔχειν ἁρμόζει τὸν ἱερωμένον, διαπαντὸς δὲ τῇ κλίνῃ προσδεδέσθω ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, τί οὗτος ὀνῆσαι δυνήσεται; ποίαν ἀποδημίαν στείλασθαι; ποίας ἐπισκέψεις ποιήσασθαι; τίνι ἐπιπλῆξαι; τίνα νουθετῆσαι; Ταῦτα εἶπον, ἵνα εἰδῆτε μὴ ἁπλῶς ἐγκαλεῖν, ἵνα εἰδῆτε μᾶλλον ἀποδέχεσθαι, ἵνα καὶ εἴ τις ἐφίεται τῆς ἀρχῆς, τὰς νιφάδας τῶν κατηγοριῶν ὁρῶν, τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιθυμίαν σβεννύῃ. Μέγας ὄντως κίνδυνος καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δεόμενος χάριτος καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, ἣν ἐπεύχεσθε ἡμῖν εἶναι πολλὴν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν· ἵνα ἀμφότεροι κατορθώσαντες τὴν ἀρετὴν, οὕτω τύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, ἐν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Βʹ. Τούτου χάριν κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ, ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, καὶ καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην· εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνέγκλητος, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ, τέκνα ἔχων πιστὰ, μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ

ἀσωτίας, ἢ ἀνυπότακτα.

αʹ. Τοῖς μὲν παλαιοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἅπας ὁ βίος ἦν ἐνερ 62.670 γὸς καὶ ἐναγώνιος· ἡμῖν δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ ῥᾳθυμίας μεστός. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ᾔδεσαν ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὸν κόσμον παρήχθησαν, ἵνα τῷ παραγαγόντι κατὰ γνώμην ἐργάζωνται· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς διὰ τοῦτο παραχθέντες, ἵνα ἐσθίωμεν καὶ πίνωμεν καὶ τρυφῶμεν, οὕτως οὐδενὸς τῶν πνευματικῶν λόγον ποιούμεθα. Οὐ περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγω μόνον, ἀλλὰ 62.671 καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτούς. Ὁρᾷς γοῦν αὐτοὺς πάντα διατρέχοντας, καὶ ὥσπερ τινὸς ἔργου τούτου ἐπειλημμένους, καὶ διόλου ἐν ξένῃ διατρίβοντας, ἅτε οὐκ ἔχοντας πόλιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου τί φησι· Τούτου χάριν κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ. Καθάπερ οἰκίαν μίαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διανειμάμενοι, οὕτως ἅπαντα διηκονοῦντο, καὶ τῶν ἀπανταχοῦ ἐπεμέλοντο, ὁ μὲν τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖνο λαβὼν τὸ μέρος. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν, φησὶ, κατέλιπόν σε ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ, ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ. Οὐκ ἐπιτακτικῶς αὐτῷ παραινεῖ τέως· Ἵνα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, φησίν. Ὁρᾷς ψυχὴν φθόνου παντὸς καθαρὰν, πανταχοῦ τὸ τῶν μαθητευομένων χρήσιμον ζητοῦσαν, οὐκ ἀκριβολογουμένην, εἴτε δι' αὐτοῦ, εἴτε δι' ἑτέρου γένοιτο; Ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ ἦν κίνδυνος καὶ πολλὴ δυσκολία, αὐτὸς