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persistence, and that although he was harsh and savage, persuaded him to grant the favor, and bent him to the supplication; but not even this was strong enough to bend this man to the assistance of the poor man; and yet the request was not equal, but this one was much easier and more just. For she pleaded with him against her enemies, but this one asked to relieve his hunger, and not to be overlooked while perishing; and she was annoying him by pleading, but this man appeared to the rich man many times a day, lying in silence; and this is much more able to soften even a disposition of stone. For when we are often annoyed, we are also provoked; but when we see those in need of help standing by in deep silence, and saying nothing, but always failing, yet not being vexed, but only appearing to us in silence, even if we are more insensible than stones themselves, revering their exceeding forbearance, we are bent. And besides these things, there was another no less significant: the very sight of the poor man was pitiful, wasted by hunger and long sickness. But nevertheless, none of these things softened that savage man. 7. This, then, is the first evil of cruelty, and inhumanity beyond measure. For it is not the same thing for one living in poverty not to help those in need, and for one enjoying such luxury to overlook others wasting away from hunger. Again, it is not the same thing to see a poor man once or twice and pass by, and to see him every day and not be roused to this pity and philanthropy even by the persistence of the sight. Again, it is not the same thing for one in misfortune and despondency and in a bad state of soul not to help his neighbors, and for one enjoying such cheerfulness and continuous prosperity to overlook others wasting away from hunger, and to shut up his bowels of compassion, and not to become more philanthropic even from joy itself. For you surely know this, that even if we are the most savage of all, in prosperity we are naturally made gentler and kinder. But that man was not made better even by his prosperity, but remained brutalized, 48.972 or rather, his character concealed the cruelty and inhumanity of every wild beast. But nevertheless, the one living in wickedness and inhumanity enjoyed all prosperity, but the just man and one who cared for virtue was in the worst of evils. For that Lazarus was just, the end proved again here too, and before the end, his very patience in his poverty. Do you not think you see the very events before you? The rich man's ship was full of merchandise, and sailed with a fair wind. But do not marvel; for it was hastening toward a shipwreck, since he was unwilling to dispose of the cargo with reverence. Do you want me to tell you another of his evils? To live in luxury every day without fear. For this too is an extreme evil, not only now, when so much philosophy is required of us, but also in the beginning in the time of the Old Testament, when there was not a display of so much philosophy. Listen, then, to what the prophet says: Woe to those who come on an evil day, who draw near and take hold of false sabbaths. What is, "who take hold of false sabbaths"? The Jews think that the sabbath was given to them for idleness. But this is not the reason, but so that, having withdrawn themselves from worldly things, they might spend all their leisure on spiritual things. For that the sabbath is not for idleness, but is an occasion for spiritual work, is clear from the facts themselves. The priest, for instance, does double work on that day; and whereas on each day a single sacrifice is offered, he is commanded to offer a double one then. But if the sabbath were for idleness altogether, the priest ought to be idle before all others. Since, therefore, the Jews, having been freed from worldly affairs, did not attend to spiritual things—to self-control and moderation and hearing of the divine oracles—but did the opposite, feasting their bellies, getting drunk, bursting themselves, living luxuriously, for this reason the prophet accused them. For having said, "Woe to those who come on an evil day," and having added, "Who take hold of false sabbaths," he showed by what followed how their sabbaths were false. How then were they

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συνέχεια, καὶ ταῦτα ὠμὸν ὄντα καὶ ἄγριον, δοῦναι τὴν χάριν ἔπεισε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐπέκαμψε· τοῦτον δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἴσχυσεν ἐπικάμψαι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πένητος ἀντίληψιν· καίτοι γε οὐκ ἴση ἦν ἡ αἴτησις, ἀλλ' αὕτη πολλῷ εὐκολωτέρα καὶ δικαιοτέρα. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτὸν παρεκάλει, οὗτος δὲ ἠξίου λῦσαι λιμὸν, καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν ἀπολλύμενον· κἀκείνη μὲν ἠνώχλει παρακαλοῦσα, οὗτος δὲ πολλάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἐφαίνετο τῷ πλουσίῳ σιγῇ κείμενος· πολὺ δὲ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν μαλάξαι μᾶλλον καὶ λιθίνην διάνοιαν. Ἐνοχλούμενοι γὰρ πολλάκις καὶ παροξυνόμεθα· ὅταν δὲ τοὺς δεομένους βοηθείας ἴδωμεν σιγῇ πολλῇ παρεστῶτας, καὶ μηδὲν φθεγγομένους, ἀλλ' ἀποτυγχάνοντας μὲν ἀεὶ, μὴ δυσχεραίνοντας δὲ, ἀλλὰ σιγῇ φαινομένους μόνον ἡμῖν, κἂν αὐτῶν τῶν λίθων ὦμεν ἀναισθητότεροι, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἐπιεικείας αἰδεσθέντες κατακαμπτόμεθα. Καὶ ἕτερον δέ τι πρὸς τούτοις τούτων οὐκ ἔλαττον ἦν, τὸ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αὐτὴν ἐλεεινὴν εἶναι τοῦ πένητος, λιμῷ καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ μακρᾷ κατεργασθεῖσαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τούτων τὸν ἀνήμερον ἐκεῖνον ἐμάλαξε. ζʹ. Πρώτη μὲν οὖν κακία αὕτη ὠμότητος, καὶ ἀπανθρωπία ὑπερβολὴν οὐκ ἔχουσα. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον ἐν πενίᾳ ζῶντα μὴ βοηθεῖν τοῖς δεομένοις, καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντα τρυφῆς, λιμῷ τηκομένους ἑτέρους περιορᾷν. Πάλιν οὐκ ἔστιν ἴσον, ἅπαξ ἢ δεύτερον ἰδόντα πτωχὸν, παραδραμεῖν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν βλέποντα μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν συνεχείας πρὸς τὸν ἔλεον καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν διαναστῆναι ταύτην. Πάλιν οὐκ ἔστιν ἴσον ἐν συμφοραῖς ὄντα καὶ ἀθυμίαις καὶ κακῶς τὴν ψυχὴν διακείμενον μὴ βοηθεῖν τοῖς πλησίον, καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντα εὐφροσύνης καὶ διηνεκοῦς εὐπραγίας, λιμῷ τηκομένους ἑτέρους περιορᾷν, καὶ ἀποκλεῖσαι τὰ σπλάγχνα, καὶ μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτῆς γενέσθαι φιλανθρωπότερον. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦτο, ὅτι κἂν ἁπάντων ὦμεν ἀγριώτεροι, ταῖς εὐπραγίαις ἡμερώτεροι καὶ χρηστότεροι πεφύκαμεν γίνεσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς εὐημερίας βελτίων ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἔμενεν ἐκτεθη48.972 ριωμένος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ θηρίου παντὸς ὠμότητα καὶ ἀπανθρωπίαν τοῖς τρόποις ἀπέκρυψεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ μὲν ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶν καὶ ἀπανθρωπίᾳ πάσης ἀπήλαυεν εὐπραγίας, ὁ δὲ δίκαιος καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελούμενος ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἦν κακοῖς. Ὅτι γὰρ δίκαιος ὁ Λάζαρος ἦν, πάλιν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ τέλος ἀπέδειξε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους αὐτὴ ἡ κατὰ τὴν πενίαν ὑπομονή. Ἆρα οὐ δοκεῖτε αὐτὰ παρόντα τὰ πράγματα ὁρᾷν; Πλήρης τῷ πλουσίῳ ἡ ναῦς τῆς ἐμπορίας ἦν, καὶ ἐξ οὐρίας ἔπλει. Ἀλλὰ μὴ θαυμάσητε· εἰς ναυάγιον γὰρ ἠπείγετο, ἐπειδὴ τὸν φόρτον οὐκ ἠθέλησε διαθέσθαι μετ' εὐλαβείας. Βούλει σοι καὶ ἑτέραν εἴπω κακίαν αὐτοῦ; Τὸ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τρυφᾷν ἀδεῶς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο κακία ἐσχάτη, οὐχὶ νῦν, ὅτε τοσαύτην ἀπαιτούμεθα φιλοσοφίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐπὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς, ὅτε οὐ τοσαύτης φιλοσοφίας ἐπίδειξις ἦν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐρχόμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κακὴν, οἱ ἐγγίζοντες καὶ ἁπτόμενοι σαββάτων ψευδῶν. Τί ἐστιν, οἱ ἁπτόμενοι σαββάτων ψευδῶν; Οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι νομίζουσιν, ὅτι δι' ἀργίαν αὐτοῖς τὸ σάββατον δέδοται. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ αἰτία, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῶν βιωτικῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαγαγόντες, τὴν σχολὴν ἅπασαν εἰς τὰ πνευματικὰ ἀναλίσκωσιν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἀργίας ἐστὶ τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ' ἐργασίας ἐστὶ πνευματικῆς ὑπόθεσις, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων δῆλον. Ὁ γοῦν ἱερεὺς διπλοῦν ἔργον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ποιεῖ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἁπλῆς ἀναφερομένης θυσίας, διπλῆν ἀναφέρειν κελεύεται τότε. Εἰ δὲ καθάπαξ ἀργίας ἦν τὸ σάββατον, πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων τὸν ἱερέα ἀργεῖν ἐχρῆν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀπαλλαγέντες πραγμάτων, τοῖς πνευματικοῖς οὐ προσεῖχον, σωφροσύνῃ καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ ἀκροάσει θείων λογίων, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐποίουν, γαστριζόμενοι, μεθύοντες, διαῤῥηγνύμενοι, τρυφῶντες, διὰ τοῦτο κατηγόρησεν αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐρχόμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κακὴν, καὶ ἐπαγαγὼν, Οἱ ἐφαπτόμενοι σαββάτων ψευδῶν, ἔδειξε διὰ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς, πῶς ἦν αὐτοῖς τὰ σάββατα ψευδῆ. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὰ