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is, and indeed at night his heart does not sleep. And indeed this is vanity. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} For in reality, to those who occupy their soul with the distractions of life, life is painful, scourging the heart with the desires for more things as with certain goads; and the zeal for avarice is painful, not so much rejoicing in what it has as it is pained by what it lacks, and the day is spent in toils, and the night sends sleep away from the eyes with the cares of gain. Vain, therefore, is the zeal of one who looks to these things. 2.2425 And there is no good for man, except what he will eat and drink and show to his soul good in his labor. And indeed I have seen this, that it is from the hand of God; for who will eat and drink apart from him? {Of Dionysius.} That the discourse is not now about sensible foods, he himself will show; it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of drinking, and what he now added to these; and he will show his soul good in his labor. And yet, sensible food or drink is not good for the soul; for the flesh, being nurtured, wars against the soul and rebels against the spirit. How is not the dissipation of foods and drunkenness apart from God? Therefore he speaks of mystical things; for no one will partake of the spiritual table, unless he has been called by him and has heard wisdom: come and eat. 2.26 What to the good man? In his presence he has given knowledge and wisdom and understanding and gladness; and to the sinner he has given the distraction of adding and of gathering, to give to the good man before the face of God. Because this also is vanity and a chasing after wind. {Of Evagrius.} Note that the wicked man does not receive wisdom; to which you will connect the things in Isaiah concerning those wise in their own conceit; do not say: yes, I know them. And the difference between wisdom and knowledge is this; that to have understood the truths is proper to knowledge, but to have been fashioned by them is proper to wisdom. Further, we are taught that first one must set right one's morals. 3.2 A time to be born and a time to die. {Of Nyssa.} Well did he arrange this necessary pairing first in his discourse, joining death with birth; for death necessarily follows birth, so that, by showing them connected as if by some goad, he might awaken by the memory of death those who are immersed in the life according to the flesh and love the present way of life, and might rouse them to the care for the things to come. For the time came and he was born; the time will come, at an hour he does not know, and he will die. And Moses the great joined the book of Exodus to the book of Genesis. A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. {Of the same.} For one must pluck up the tares of the sower and plant the most genuine seeds of the Word, cut out vice and plant virtue. 3.3 A time to kill and a time to heal. {Of Dionysius.} To kill the one who errs without forgiveness, to heal the one having a wound that will bear to receive medicine. A time to break down and a time to build up. {Of Origen.} To break down the evil building, and to build up the better one. 3.4 A time to weep and a time to laugh. {Of Dionysius.} A time to weep, when it is the time of the passion, as the Lord says: verily I say to you that you will weep and lament. But to laugh concerning the resurrection; for your sorrow, he says, will be turned into joy. A time to mourn and a time to dance. {Of Dionysius.} When one considers the death which the transgression of Adam brought, to mourn; but to celebrate, when we bring to mind the resurrection from the dead which we expect through the new Adam. 3.5 A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. {Of Nilus.} Perhaps enigmatically he calls 'stones' words cast out unseasonably, whether dogmatic ones to unworthy ears, or also various ones that will be grievous to the hearers. If, therefore, anyone ever readily casts such words as stones, either wearing down the foolish one into conceit through unseasonable praises, or

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ἐστι, καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ. Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης ἐστί. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ τοῖς εἰς τὸν περισπασμὸν τοῦ βίου τὴν ψυχὴν ἀσχολοῦσιν ἐπαλγὴς μὲν ἡ ζωή, οἷόν τισι κέντροις ταῖς τῶν πλειόνων ἐπιθυμίαις τὴν καρδίαν μαστίζουσα, ἐπώδυνος δὲ ἡ περὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν σπουδή, οὐ τοσοῦτον οἷς ἔχει εὐφραινομένη ὅσον ἀλγυνομένη τοῖς λείπουσιν, καὶ τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας δαπανωμένης ἐν μόχθοις, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς ἀποπεμπούσης τῶν ὀμμάτων τὸν ὕπνον ταῖς τοῦ κέρδους φροντίσι. Ματαία οὖν ἡ σπουδὴ τοῦ πρὸς ταῦτα βλέποντος. 2.2425 Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἀνθρώπου, εἰ μὴ ὃ φάγεται καὶ πίεται καὶ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ. Καί γε τοῦτο εἶδον ἐγώ, ὅτι ἀπὸ χειρὸς θεοῦ ἐστιν· ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ πίεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ; {∆ιονυσίου.} Ὅτι μὴ περὶ αἰσθητῶν βρωμάτων ὁ λόγος νῦν, αὐτὸς ἐποίσει· ἀγαθὸν πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πένθους ἢ εἰς οἶκον πότου, καὶ ἃ τοῖσδε νῦν ἐπήγαγε· καὶ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ. Καίτοι οὐκ ἀγαθὸν τῇ ψυχῇ αἰσθητὸν βρῶμα ἢ πόμα· ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ προστρεφομένη πολεμεῖ τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ στασιάζει κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. Πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐ πάρεξ θεοῦ ἀσωτία βρωμάτων καὶ μέθη; Οὐκοῦν περὶ μυστικῶν φησι· πνευματικῆς γὰρ τραπέζης οὐδεὶς μεταλήψεται, μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ κεκλημένος καὶ τῆς σοφίας ἀκούσας· ἐλθὲ καὶ φάγε. 2.26 Τί τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ; Ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἔδωκε γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἐπιστήμην καὶ εὐφροσύνην, καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἔδωκε περισπασμὸν τοῦ προσθεῖναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν, τοῦ δοῦναι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὅτι τοῦτο καί γε ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματοσ. {Εὐαγρίου.} Σημείωσαι ὅτι ὁ φαῦλος σοφίαν οὐ λαμβάνει· ᾧ συνάψεις τὰ ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ πρὸς τοὺς οἰήσει σοφούς· μὴ εἴπῃς· ναί, γινώσκω αὐτά. ∆ιαφορὰ δὲ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως αὕτη· ὅτι τὸ μὲν καταλειφθῆναι τὰ ἀληθῆ γνώσεως ἴδιον, τὸ δὲ καὶ κατασκευασθῆναι σοφίας. Ἔτι δὲ διδασκόμεθα ὅτι πρῶτον δεῖ τὰ ἤθη κατορθῶσαι. 3.2 Καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν. {Τοῦ Νύσσης.} Καλῶς ἐν πρώτοις τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ταύτην συζυγίαν τῷ λόγῳ συνέταξε, συνάπτων τῇ γεννήσει τὸν θάνατον· ἕπεται γὰρ κατ' ἀνάγκην τῷ τόκῳ ὁ θάνατος, ἵνα, διὰ τοῦ συνημμένως δειχθῆναι οἱονεὶ κέντρῳ τινί, τῇ τοῦ θανάτου μνήμῃ τοὺς ἐμβαθύνοντας τῇ κατὰ σάρκα ζωῇ καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ἀγαπῶντας διαγωγὴν διυπνίσει, καὶ πρὸς τὴν φροντίδα τῶν μελλόντων διαναστήσει. Ἦλθε γὰρ ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἐτέχθη, ἥξει ὁ καιρός, ἐν ᾗ ὥρᾳ οὐ γινώσκει, καὶ τεθνήξεται. Καὶ Μωσῆς ὁ μέγας τῷ τῆς Γενέσεως βιβλίῳ τὸ τῆς Ἐξόδου συνέζευξεν. Καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτῖλαι τὸ πεφυτευμένον. {Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.} ∆εῖ γὰρ ἐκτίλλειν τὰ τοῦ ἐπισπορέως ζιζάνια καὶ καταφυτεῦσαι τὰ τοῦ λόγου σπέρματα τὰ γνησιώτατα, ἐκκόπτειν τὴν κακίαν καὶ καταφυτεύειν τὴν ἀρετήν. 3.3 Καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι. {∆ιονυσίου.} Ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἀσύγγνωστα πταίοντα, ἰάσασθαι τὸν ἔχοντα πληγὴν ἀνεξομένην φάρμακον ἐπιδέξασθαι. Καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν. {Ὠριγένους.} Τὴν μοχθηρὰν οἰκοδομὴν καθελεῖν, ἀνοικοδομῆσαι καὶ τὴν βελτίονα. 3.4 Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι. {∆ιονυσίου.} Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι, ὅτε ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ πάθους, λέγοντος τοῦ κυρίου· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι κλαύσετε καὶ θρηνήσετε. Γελάσαι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως· ἡ γὰρ λύπη ὑμῶν, φησίν, εἰς χαρὰν γενήσεται. Καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι. {∆ιονυσίου.} Ὅταν λογίσηταί τις τὸν θάνατον ὅνπερ ἡ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παράβασις ἐπήνεγκε, κόψασθαι· πανηγυρίσαι δέ, ὅταν εἰς νοῦν λάβωμεν ἣν προσδοκῶμεν διὰ τὸν νέον Ἀδὰμ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν. 3.5 Καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθουσ. {Τοῦ Νείλου.} Τάχα δι' αἰνίγματος τοὺς ἀκαίρως βληθέντας λόγους, εἴτε δογματικοὺς εἰς ἀναξίους ἀκοάς, εἴτε καὶ διαφόρους λυπηροὺς ἐσομένους τοῖς ἀκούουσι, λίθους ὀνομάζει. Εἰ καί ποτε οὖν τοὺς τοιούτους προχείρως τις ὡς λίθους βάλλει λόγους, ἢ τὸν ἄφρονα διὰ τῶν ἀκαίρων ἐπαίνων εἰς οἴησιν ἐπιτρίβοντας, ἢ