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he will be respected by men, but also more beloved by you who begot him, having, besides nature, another no lesser reason for being loved, which is virtue; and not only more beloved, but also more useful will he be to you, serving, ministering, caring for your old age. For just as those who are ungrateful to God also despise their parents; so those who serve their Creator also hold their parents in great honor. Therefore, so that he may be well-pleasing both to God and to men, and make your life sweet, and deliver you from future punishment, show all diligence concerning him. For that those who neglect their children, even if they are otherwise gentle and moderate, will undergo the ultimate penalty for this sin, I will relate to you a certain ancient story. There was a certain priest among the Jews, gentle in other things and moderate, Eli by name. This Eli, then, had two sons who had reached the furthest point of wickedness; but he did not restrain them, nor did he hinder them; or rather, he did restrain and hinder them, but not with the fitting rigor and severity. For when it was necessary to scourge them, to cast them out of their father's house, to show every kind of correction, he only admonished and advised them, saying thus: Nay, my children, do not do so; for it is not a good report that I hear of you. What are you saying? They have insulted the Lord, and you call them children? They have not known their Creator, and you acknowledge their kinship? For this reason, he says that he did not admonish them; for admonition is not if we simply give counsel, but if more severely and sharply 51.329 and with as much force as the decay of the wound demands, we inflict such a blow. Therefore, it is not enough to speak, nor only to advise, but it is necessary also to build up a great fear, so as to cut off the carelessness of youth. Since, therefore, he advised them, but did not advise as he ought, he gave them over to the enemy, and when a battle occurred, they fell in the line of battle, and he, not bearing the news, fell and was broken and also died. Do you see that I spoke rightly, that fathers who do not deal severely with their careless children, nor demand from them reverence toward God, are also child-murderers? Thus, at any rate, Eli became a child-murderer. For if the enemy slew his sons, yet he became the cause of the slaughter, by his carelessness concerning them turning away the help of God, and showing them naked and defenseless to those who wished to destroy them. And he destroyed not only them, but also himself in addition. θʹ. This indeed many fathers of today also suffer; not willing to scourge, nor to rebuke with words, nor to grieve their sons who live disorderly and lawlessly, they have often seen them caught in the ultimate crimes, dragged to court, beheaded by executioners. For when you do not discipline, when you do not correct, having mixed himself with defiled and corrupt men, and having shared in their wickedness, they are brought under the common laws and are punished in the sight of all; and with the misfortune, the shame becomes greater, with everyone pointing a finger at the father after his son's death, and making the marketplace inaccessible to him. For with what eyes will he be able to look at those who meet him after such disgrace and misfortune of his child? Therefore I beg and beseech you to take great care of your own children, and everywhere to seek the salvation of their soul. You are the teacher of the whole household, and God continually entrusts to you your wife and your sons. And now Paul says concerning wives: But if they wish to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; and now concerning children, Bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. Consider your children to be golden statues you have in your house; each day regulate them and watch over them with precision, and in every way adorn and shape their soul; imitate the blessed Job, who even for the sins they committed in their thoughts

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ἀνθρώποις ἔσται αἰδέσιμος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοὶ τῷ γεγεννηκότι ποθεινότερος, πλὴν τῆς φύσεως οὐκ ἐλάττονα ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν ἔχων πρὸς τὸ φιλεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρετήν· οὐ ποθεινότερος δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρησιμώτερος ἔσται σοι θεραπεύων, δουλεύων, γηροκομῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ περὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀγνώμονες καὶ τῶν γεγεννηκότων καταφρονοῦσιν· οὕτως οἱ τὸν πεποιηκότα θεραπεύοντες, ἐν πολλῇ καὶ τοὺς γεγεννηκότας ἔχουσι τῇ τιμῇ. Ἵνα οὖν καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ, καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκιμῇ, καί σοι τὴν ζωὴν ἡδεῖαν ποιῇ, καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀπαλλάττῃ κολάσεως, πᾶσαν ἐπιδείκνυσο περὶ αὐτὸν τὴν σπουδήν. Ὅτι γὰρ οἱ τῶν παίδων ἀμελοῦντες, κἂν τἄλλα ὦσιν ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ μέτριοι, διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑποστήσονται δίκην, ἱστορίαν σοί τινα διηγήσομαι παλαιάν. Ἱερεύς τις ἦν παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐπιεικὴς τὰ ἄλλα καὶ μέτριος, Ἠλεῖ τῷ ὀνόματι. Ἦν οὖν οὗτος Ἠλεῖ δύο παῖδας ἔχων εἰς ἔσχατον πονηρίας ἐληλακότας· οὐ κατεῖχε δὲ, οὐδὲ ἐκώλυε· μᾶλλον δὲ κατεῖχε μὲν καὶ ἐκώλυεν, οὐ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης δὲ ἀκριβείας καὶ σφοδρότητος. ∆έον γὰρ μαστιγῶσαι, τῆς πατρῴας ἐκβαλεῖν οἰκίας, πάντα ἐπιδείξασθαι διορθώσεως τρόπον, παρῄνει καὶ συνεβούλευε μόνον, οὕτω λέγων· Μὴ, τέκνα, μὴ ποιεῖτε οὕτως· ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἀκοὴ, ἣν ἐγὼ ἀκούω περὶ ὑμῶν. Τί λέγεις; τὸν ∆εσπότην ὕβρισαν, καὶ τέκνα καλεῖς; ἠγνόησαν τὸν πεποιηκότα, καὶ σὺ ἐπιγινώσκεις αὐτῶν τὴν συγγένειαν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνουθέτει αὐτούς· νουθεσία γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐὰν ἁπλῶς συμβουλεύσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐὰν σφοδρότερον καὶ τομώ 51.329 τερον καὶ ὅσην ἡ τοῦ τραύματος ἀπαιτεῖ σηπεδὼν, τοσαύτην ἐπαγάγωμεν τὴν πληγήν. Οὐ τοίνυν ἀρκεῖ τὸ εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ τὸ παραινέσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺν ἐπιτειχίσαι δεῖ τὸν φόβον, ὥστε τὴν τῆς νεότητος περικόψαι ῥᾳθυμίαν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν παρῄνει μὲν, οὐ παρῄνει δὲ ὡς ἔδει, τοῖς πολεμίοις αὐτοὺς ἐξέδωκε, καὶ μάχης γενομένης, ἔπεσον ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως, καὶ τὴν ἀγγελίαν οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν, πεσὼν συνετρίβη καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἀπέθανεν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι δικαίως εἶπον, ὅτι καὶ παιδοκτόνοι οἱ πατέρες εἰσὶν, οἱ μὴ σφοδρῶς τοῖς αὐτῶν κεχρημένοι παισὶ ῥᾳθυμοῦσι, μηδὲ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀπαιτοῦντες αὐτοὺς εὐλάβειαν; Οὕτω γοῦν ὁ Ἠλεῖ παιδοκτόνος ἐγένετο. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πολέμιοι κατέσφαξαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς υἱοὺς, ἀλλὰ τῆς σφαγῆς οὗτος αἴτιος ἐγένετο, διὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς ῥᾳθυμίας ἀποστήσας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν βοήθειαν, καὶ γυμνοὺς καὶ ἐρήμους δείξας τοῖς βουλομένοις αὐτοὺς ἀνελεῖν. Οὐκ ἐκείνους δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτὸν προσαπώλεσε. θʹ. Τοῦτο δὴ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν νῦν πατέρων πάσχουσιν· οὐ βουλόμενοι μαστῖξαι, οὐδὲ ἐπιτιμῆσαι ῥήμασιν, οὐδὲ λυπῆσαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν υἱοὺς ἀτάκτως ζῶντας καὶ παρανόμως, πολλάκις εἶδον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἁλόντας, εἰς δικαστήριον ἁρπαγέντας, ὑπὸ δημίων ἀποτμηθέντας. Ὅταν γὰρ σὺ μὴ παιδεύσῃς, ὅταν σὺ μὴ σωφρονίσῃς, μιαροῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ διεφθαρμένοις σαυτὸν ἀναμίξας, καὶ κοινωνήσας τῆς πονηρίας αὐτοῖς, ὑπὸ τοῖς κοινοῖς ἄγονται νόμοις καὶ κολάζονται πάντων ὁρώντων· καὶ μετὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς μείζων ἡ αἰσχύνη γίνεται, δακτυλοδεικτούντων ἁπάντων τὸν πατέρα μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν, καὶ ἄβατον αὐτῷ ποιούντων τὴν ἀγοράν. Ποίοις γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀντιβλέψαι δυνήσεται τοῖς ἀπαντῶσιν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὴν τοιαύτην τοῦ παιδὸς ἀσχημοσύνην καὶ συμφοράν; ∆ιὸ δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ πολλὴν τῶν οἰκείων παίδων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν, καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν σωτηρίαν ζητεῖν αὐτῶν τῆς ψυχῆς. ∆ιδάσκαλος εἶ τῆς οἰκίας ἁπάσης, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς υἱούς σοι παραπέμπει συνεχῶς ὁ Θεός. Καὶ νῦν μέν φησιν ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τῶν γυναικῶν· Εἰ δέ τι μανθάνειν θέλουσιν, ἐν οἴκῳ τοὺς ἰδίους ἄνδρας ἐπερωτάτωσαν· νῦν δὲ περὶ τῶν παίδων, Ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου, Νόμισον ἀγάλματα χρυσᾶ ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, τὰ παιδία· καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν αὐτὰ ῥύθμιζε καὶ περισκόπει μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν κατακόσμει καὶ διάπλαττε· μίμησαι τὸν μακάριον Ἰὼβ, ὃς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν αὐτοῖς πλημμελουμένων