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he received; and he did not command his servants to do everything, but also commanded his wife to knead the flour, even though he had 318 household members. But he himself wished to have the reward with his wife; not only of the expense, but also of the service; thus should hospitality be shown, by doing all things through ourselves, that we might be sanctified. CHAPTER 5. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, not as domineering over those in your charge. For Christ says: Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your servant; for whoever humbles himself will be exalted. What do you say? If I humble myself, then I will be exalted? Yes, he says; for such is my power I am resourceful and ingenious in providing opposites through opposites; do not fear; the nature of things follows my will; I do not follow nature.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. He did not simply say 'he will exalt', but added 'in due time'; teaching them to await that true exaltation in the age to come. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Amen. See how when he dictates what is to be done, he marks it with a prayer; as if placing peace as a seal on the things laid down.

IN SECUNDAM S. PETRI EPISTOLAM.

CHAPTER ONE.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ

our Lord. For nothing is equal to this; for this reason we pray and speak, asking for the angel of peace; and everywhere we ask for peace in the churches, peace in the prayers, in the supplications, in the salutations. And simply, and twice and thrice and many times the one presiding over the Church gives it, Peace to you. Why? Because this is the mother of all good things; this is the substance of joy. For this reason Christ also commanded the apostles to say this immediately upon entering houses, as a symbol of good things; For when you enter, he says, into the houses, say: Peace to you. For without this, all things are superfluous; and Christ said to his disciples, My peace I give to you.

This prepares the way for love. And for this very reason, making every effort, supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. What are these things, but the things mentioned before? Virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love, which things ought not only to be present in us, but also to abound. For if their presence is profitable, much more is their abundance. And what is the benefit from them, but to have confidence on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? He speaks of His second coming; when He comes to judge the living and the dead. It is truly a great and surpassing good to have confidence before the divine and fearful judgment seat. For whoever lacks these things is blind, being nearsighted. Hearing these things, therefore, let us fortify ourselves from all sides and pay attention to what is said, and let us cleanse ourselves 64.1060 of worldly things.

But if we do some things, but neglect others, we will gain nothing; for if not in this way, we are lost in that way. For what difference does it make if we are destroyed not through wealth, but through indolence, if not through indolence, but through cowardice? Since the farmer, too, if he loses the seed one way or another, mourns equally.

7

ὑπεδέχετο· καὶ οὐ πάντα τοῖς οἰκέταις ἐπέταττεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ ἄλευρα φύρειν ἐπέταττε, καίτοι τιηʹ ἔχων οἰκογενεῖς. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο τὸν μισθὸν ἔχειν μετὰ τῆς γαμετῆς· οὐ τῆς δαπάνης μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς διακονίας· οὕτω δεῖ φιλοξενίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, δι' ἑαυτῶν πάντα πράττοντας, ἵνα ἡμεῖς ἁγιαζώμεθα. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ. Ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, μηδ' ὡς κατακυριεύοντες τῶν κλήρων. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος ἔσται ὑμῖν διάκονος· ὃς γὰρ ταπεινώσει ἑαυτὸν οὗτος ὑψωθήσεται. Τί λέγεις; ἐὰν ταπεινώσω ἐμαυτὸν, τότε ὑψηλὸς ἔσομαι; Ναὶ, φησί· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ ἐμὴ δύναμις διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰ ἐναντία παρέχειν εὔπορός εἰμι καὶ εὐμήχανος· μὴ δείσῃς· τῷ ἐμῷ θελήματι ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθεῖ φύσις· οὐκ ἐγὼ τῇ φύσει ἕπομαι.

Ταπεινώθητε οὖν ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ὑμᾶς ὑψώσῃ ἐν καιρῷ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸ ὑψώσει, ἀλλ' ἐν καιρῷ προσέθηκε· διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ἐκείνην ἀναμένειν τὴν ὄντως ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ὕψωσιν. Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἀμήν. Ὅρα πῶς ὅταν τὰ πρακτέα ὑπαγορεύῃ, ἐπισημαίνεται αὐτὰ τῇ εὐχῇ· καθάπερ σήμαντρα τῶν ἀποτεθέντων τιθεὶς τὴν εἰρήνην.

IN SECUNDAM S. PETRI EPISTOLAM.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ.

Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ταύτης ἴσον· διὰ τοῦτο εὐχόμεθα καὶ λέγομεν αἰτοῦντες τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς εἰρήνης· καὶ πανταχοῦ εἰρήνην αἰτοῦμεν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, εἰρήνην ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, ἐν ταῖς λιταῖς, ἐν ταῖς προσρήσεσι. Καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς καὶ δὶς καὶ τρὶς καὶ πολλάκις αὐτὴν δίδωσιν ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προεστὼς, Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. ∆ιατί; Ὅτι αὕτη μήτηρ πάντων ἐστὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν· αὕτη τῆς χαρᾶς ἡ ὑπόστασις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εἰσιοῦσιν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τοῦτο λέγειν προσέταξεν εὐθέως, καθάπερ σύμβολον τῶν ἀγαθῶν· Εἰσερχόμενοι γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὰς οἰκίας λέγετε· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Ταύτης γὰρ οὐκ οὔσης, πάντα περιττά· καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν, Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν.

Αὕτη τῇ ἀγάπῃ προοδοποιεῖ. Καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο σπουδὴν πᾶσαν παρεισενέγκαντες, ἐπιχορηγήσατε ἐν τῇ πίστει ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν γνῶσιν, ἐν δὲ τῇ γνώσει τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐγκρατείᾳ τὴν ὑπομονὴν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ὑπομονῇ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐν δὲ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ τὴν φιλαδελφίαν, ἐν δὲ τῇ φιλαδελφίᾳ τὴν ἀγάπην. Ταῦτα ποῖα, ἢ τὰ προειρημένα; Ἀρετὴ, γνῶσις, ἐγκράτεια, ὑπομονὴ, εὐσέβεια, φιλαδελφία, ἀγάπη, ἅτινα ἡμῖν οὐ μόνον παρεῖναι δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεονάζειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ παρουσία ὠφελεῖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ περιουσία. Τίς δὲ ἡ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὠφέλεια, ἢ τὸ παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; Λέγει δὲ τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν· ὅτε ἔρχεται κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Μέγα δὲ καὶ ὑπερβάλλον ἀγαθὸν ἀληθῶς τὸ παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν ἐπὶ τοῦ θείου καὶ φοβεροῦ βήματος. Ὧ γὰρ μὴ πάρεστι ταῦτα, τυφλός ἐστι, μυωπάζων. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἀκούοντες, πάντοθεν ἑαυτοὺς τειχίζωμεν καὶ προσέχωμεν τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς 64.1060 ἐκκαθάρωμεν τῶν βιωτικῶν.

Ἂν δὲ τὰ μὲν ποιῶμεν, τὰ δὲ ἀμελῶμεν, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ἔσται πλέον· ἂν γὰρ μὴ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐκείνως ἀπολλύμεθα. Τί γὰρ διαφέρει ἂν μὴ διὰ πλούτου, ἀλλὰ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας, ἂν μὴ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας, ἀλλ' ἀνανδρείας διαφθαρῶμεν; ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ γεωργὸς, ἄν τε οὕτως ἄν τε ἐκείνως ἀπολέσῃ τὸν σπόρον, ὁμοίως πενθεῖ.