7

if it were His alone, there would not be different honors; for He made all, and cares for all equally. But that there are different honors, hear Paul making this clear and saying: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. And again, If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones. For Paul, showing the variety of virtue, thus constructed his argument.

And he said these things, showing that it is not for those who are sleeping and snoring to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but through many tribulations one must receive those prizes. For since, because they enjoyed much friendship and boldness, they thought that they would be preferred to others, 48.776 so that they might not become more indolent by suspecting these things, leading them away from this supposition, He says: It is not mine to give, but yours, if you should wish, to receive; that you might show more eagerness, that greater labor, that much zeal; for to the works I assign the crowns, and to the labors the honors, and to the sweat the prizes; this with me is the best commendation, the proof from works. ʹ. Do you see how not in vain I said, that it is neither His, nor the Father's, but for those who strive and labor and endure hardship? For this reason indeed He also said to Jerusalem: How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks, and you were not willing? Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Do you see that it is not possible for any of the indolent and the supine and those who lie on their backs ever to be saved? From this we also learn another secret, that not even martyrdom is sufficient to give the highest honor and the most exalted pre-eminence. Behold, at any rate, He foretold to them that they would indeed be martyred, but would not in every case obtain the first places; for there are some who are able to show even greater things.

And making this clear, He said: You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give; not that one sits, but to enjoy greater honor, to obtain the first places, to be above all, this is it, he says; therefore, 'to sit on my right and on my left,' he says, condescending to them in their supposition. For they were seeking the first places, and to appear greater than all the others. This very thing, therefore, he says, for you to appear greater than others, and above all, is not to be received from this alone; for you will indeed die; but to enjoy the highest honor is not mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared. And for whom has it been prepared? Tell me. Let us see who these blessed, and thrice-blessed ones are, and who enjoy those brilliant crowns. Who then are these, and having done what will they appear so brilliant? Hear Him saying; for when the ten were indignant about the two, because, having broken away from the group, they wanted to claim the highest honor for themselves, see how He corrects the passion of both them and these. For calling them, He says: The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them; but it shall not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be last of all.

Do you see that this is what they wanted, to be first and greater and higher, and, as one might say, their rulers? For this reason indeed, addressing this, and bringing their secrets into the open, He said: Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be servant of all. If you desire pre-eminence, He says, and the highest honor, pursue the last things, to be the lowliest of all, the humblest of all, the smallest of all, to rank yourselves after others. For this is the virtue that gives that honor. And the example

7

εἰ αὐτοῦ μόνου ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἐγένοντο διάφοροι τιμαί· πάντας γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐποίησε, καὶ πάντων ὁμοίως κήδεται. Ὅτι δέ εἰσι διάφοροι τιμαὶ, ἄκουε Παύλου τοῦτο δηλοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Ἄλλη δόξα ἡλίου, καὶ ἄλλη δόξα σελήνης, καὶ ἄλλη δόξα ἀστέρων· ἀστὴρ γὰρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ. Καὶ πάλιν, Εἴ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦτον χρυσὸν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους. Τὸ ποικίλον γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐμφαίνων ὁ Παῦλος, οὕτω τὸν λόγον διεσκεύασε.

Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι καθεύδοντας καὶ ῥέγχοντας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ λαβεῖν τὰ βραβεῖα ἐκεῖνα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διὰ τὸ πολλῆς ἀπολαύειν φιλίας καὶ παῤῥησίας ἐνόμιζον ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων προτι 48.776 μηθήσονται, ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα ὑποπτεύοντες ῥᾳθυμότεροι γένωνται, ταύτης ἀπάγων αὐτοὺς τῆς ὑπονοίας, φησίν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' ὑμῶν, εἰ βουληθείητε, λαβεῖν· ἵνα πλείονα ἐπιδείξησθε προθυμίαν, ἵνα μείζονα πόνον, ἵνα πολλὴν τὴν σπουδήν· τοῖς γὰρ ἔργοις τίθημι τοὺς στεφάνους, καὶ τοῖς πόνοις τὰς τιμὰς, καὶ τῷ ἱδρῶτι τὰ βραβεῖα· αὕτη παρ' ἐμοὶ σύστασις ἀρίστη, ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἀπόδειξις. ʹ. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐ μάτην ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὔτε αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, οὔτε τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων καὶ πονούντων καὶ ταλαιπωρουμένων; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔλεγε· Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε; ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τῶν ῥᾳθυμούντων καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότων καὶ ὑπτίων κειμένων οὐκ ἔνι τινὰ σωθῆναί ποτε; Ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἕτερόν τι μανθάνομεν ἀπόῤῥητον, ὅτι οὐκ ἀρκεῖ οὐδὲ μαρτύριον τὴν ἀνωτάτω δοῦναι τιμὴν καὶ τὴν ὑψηλοτάτην προεδρίαν. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν τούτοις προεῖπεν, ὅτι μαρτυρήσουσι μὲν, οὐ πάντως δὲ τῶν πρωτείων τεύξονται· εἰσὶ γάρ τινες οἱ καὶ μείζονα δυνάμενοι ἐπιδείξασθαι.

Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ἔλεγε· Τὸ μὲν ποτήριόν μου πίεσθε, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθήσεσθε· τὸ δὲ ἐκ δεξιῶν καθίσαι, καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι· οὐχ ὅτι καθίζει, ἀλλὰ τὸ μείζονος ἀπολαῦσαι τιμῆς, τὸ τῶν πρωτείων ἐπιτυχεῖν, τὸ ἀνωτέρω πάντων γενέσθαι, τοῦτό ἐστι, φησίν· τὸ τοίνυν καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων, συγκαταβαίνων αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπονοίᾳ φησίν. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ τὰ πρῶτα ἐζήτουν, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων μείζους φανῆναι. Τοῦτο οὖν αὐτὸ, φησὶ, τὸ τῶν ἄλλων ὑμᾶς μείζους φανῆναι, καὶ πάντων ἀνωτέρους, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπὸ τούτου μόνου λαβεῖν· ἀποθανεῖσθε μὲν γάρ· τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀνωτάτω τιμῆς ἀπολαῦσαι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' ἐκείνοις οἷς ἡτοίμασται. Καὶ τίσιν ἡτοίμασται; εἰπέ μοι. Ἴδωμεν τίνες οὗτοι οἱ μακάριοι, καὶ τρισμακάριοι, καὶ τῶν λαμπρῶν ἐκείνων ἀπολαύοντες στεφάνων. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν οὗτοι, καὶ τί ποιήσαντες οὕτω φανοῦνται λαμπροί; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἠγανάκτησαν οἱ δέκα περὶ τῶν δύο, ὅτι δὴ ἀποῤῥαγέντες τοῦ χοροῦ, τὴν ἀνωτάτω τιμὴν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς περιστῆσαι ἐβούλοντο, ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἐκείνων διορθοῦται τὸ πάθος καὶ τούτων. Καλέσας γὰρ αὐτούς φησιν· Οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν· παρὰ δὲ ὑμῖν οὐκ ἔσται οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, γενέσθω πάντων ἔσχατος.

Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦτο ἐβούλοντο, τὸ πρῶτοι γενέσθαι καὶ μείζους καὶ ἀνώτεροι, καὶ, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦτο ἱστάμενος, καὶ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα αὐτῶν εἰς μέσον ἐξάγων ἔλεγεν· Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, ἔστω πάντων διάκονος. Εἰ προεδρίας ἐρᾶτε, φησὶ, καὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω τιμῆς, τὰ ἔσχατα διώκετε, τὸ πάντων εὐτελέστεροι εἶναι, τὸ πάντων ταπεινότεροι, τὸ πάντων μικρότεροι, τὸ μετὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑαυτοὺς τάττειν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ ἐκείνην δίδωσι τὴν τιμήν. Καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα