8

For the hatred of the soul does not allow the beauty of the face to appear. For when you are about to demand of him finery and gold, then he will also begin to hate and flee you, like a debt-collector appearing in the marketplace. But he can flee that one, but he cannot flee you, who are inside continuously and demanding services that have no reason. Let not only your hearing hear these things, O woman, but let your mind also be changed. My words are biting medicines, biting for a time, and gladdening forever. I am a physician, I probe the wounds, so that they do not, by becoming older, work a worse infection. For I heal, bestowing health through reason; but others show what is opportune and perilous and contemptible in this present life. But as I was saying concerning Abraham (for I will not forget my promise), "Hasten, and knead," let every woman inscribe these things in her mind, let every man have these things in his conscience. Why do you bring me silken garments, and horses with golden bridles, and adorned mules? A mule is adorned below, the gold is kept under a roof; irrational mules carry around wealth, having golden bridles; irrational mules are adorned, but the poor man, wasting away in hunger, waits at your door, and Christ wastes away in hunger. O utmost foolishness! What defense? What pardon, when Christ stands before your doors in the form of a poor man, and you are not moved at all? Who will deliver you from the punishment there? "I have given," he says, "alms." But do not give only as much as he wants, but as much as you are able. What will you say then, tell me, when the unbearable punishments, when those chastisements, and the threats, and the fearsome powers, when the river of fire seethes, when the fearsome tribunal, when the incorruptible judgment seat, when nature is without beginning, when there is a desolation of human affairs, when neither father, nor mother, nor neighbor, nor king, nor passerby, nor stranger is able to help you, but the person stands alone with his works, being condemned for them, or even being crowned for them? What will you say then? Then you will remember my words. But what is the benefit to you? Nothing; since that rich man also remembered and sought a time for repentance, but there was no profit for him. Yet he said, "Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am in great anguish." But he did not send Lazarus, not because one drop would bring loss to the great spring of paradise, but because the drop of mercy has no part with harshness. For since he was despised at the time of the contest, at the time of the crown he was deemed worthy of no consolation. 7. I say these things, so that neither the poor man may weep on account of his po- 55.509 -verty, nor the rich man rejoice on account of his wealth. Are you wealthy? The wealth is lost, unless you bring forth the appropriate wealth. "Hasten, and knead three measures of fine flour." Then he himself ran to the cattle, and slaughtered a calf. The old man became a runner; for the tone of his flesh was not relaxed, but the mind of philosophy was strengthened; eagerness conquered nature. The master of three hundred and eighteen servants, carrying a calf, was not weighed down by the burden, but was lightened in his mind by his eagerness. The race lay before the old man, and much service, and for the wife toil and labor. For not only with liberality of money, and abundance of the table, but also with much ministry and service they welcomed the strangers, serving not through servants, but through their own hands and limbs. Then the wife stood by, having taken the form of a maidservant, and the strangers reclined, the unknown ones; for I will not cease saying this. For they thought them to be

8

Τὸ γὰρ μῖσος τῆς ψυχῆς οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν εὐμορφίαν τῆς ὄψεως φαίνεσθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ μέλλῃς αὐτὸν ἀπαιτεῖν κόσμια καὶ χρυσὸν, τότε μέλλει σε καὶ αὐτὸς μισεῖν καὶ φεύγειν, ὡς τὸν ἀπαιτητὴν ἐν ἀγορᾷ φανέντα. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνον μὲν δύναται φυγεῖν, σὲ δὲ οὐ δύναται, ἔνδον οὖσαν διηνεκῶς καὶ ἀπαιτοῦσαν λειτουργίας λόγον οὐκ ἐχούσας. Ταῦτα μὴ μόνον ἀκουέτω ἡ ἀκοή σου, ὦ γύναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεταβαλλέσθω σου ἡ διάνοια. Φάρμακά ἐστι δάκνοντα τὰ ῥήματα τὰ ἐμὰ, δάκνοντα πρὸς καιρὸν, καὶ εὐφραίνοντα διηνεκῶς. Ἰατρός εἰμι, σκαλεύω τὰ τραύματα, ἵνα μὴ παλαιότερα γενόμενα χείρονα τὴν νομὴν ἐργάσηται. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἰατρεύω, τὴν διὰ λόγου ὑγίειαν χαριζόμενος· οἱ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὸ ἐπίκαιρον καὶ σφαλερὸν καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἐπιδείκνυνται. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ (οὐ γὰρ ἐπιλήσομαι τῆς ὑποσχέσεως), Σπεῦσον, καὶ φύρασον, ταῦτα ἑκάστη γυνὴ ἐγγραφέτω τῇ διανοίᾳ, ταῦτα ἕκαστος ἀνὴρ ἐχέτω ἐν τῷ συνειδότι. Τί μοι φέρεις σηρικὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ ἵππους χρυσοχαλίνους, καὶ ἡμιόνους καλλωπιζομένας; Ἡμίονος κάτω καλλωπίζεται, ὁ χρυσὸς ἐν στέγῃ κατέχεται· τὰ χρήματα ἡμίονοι ἄλογοι περιφέρουσι, χρυσοῦς ἔχουσαι χαλινούς· ἡμίονοι ἄλογοι καλλωπίζονται, ὁ δὲ πένης ἐν λιμῷ τηκόμενος τῇ θύρᾳ σου προσεδρεύει, καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς λιμῷ τήκεται. Ὢ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας! Ποία ἀπολογία; ποία συγγνώμη, ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς ἕστηκε πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν σου ἐν σχήματι πτωχοῦ, σὺ δὲ μηδὲ ὅλως εἶ ἐπικαμπτόμενος; Τίς σε ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς ἐκεῖθεν τιμωρίας; ∆έδωκα, φησὶν, ἔλεον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ δῷς μόνον ὅσον θέλει ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' ὅσον δύνασαι. Τί τότε ἐρεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, ὅταν αἱ κολάσεις αἱ ἀφόρητοι, ὅταν αἱ τιμωρίαι ἐκεῖναι, καὶ αἱ ἀπειλαὶ, καὶ αἱ φοβεραὶ δυνάμεις, ὅταν ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ πυρὸς καχλάζῃ, ὅταν τὸ βῆμα τὸ φοβερὸν, ὅταν τὸ κριτήριον τὸ ἀδέκαστον, ὅταν ἡ φύσις ἡ ἄναρχος, ὅταν ἐρημία τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, ὅταν μήτε πατὴρ, μήτε μήτηρ, μήτε γείτων, μήτε βασιλεὺς, μήτε παροδίτης, μήτε ξένος δύναταί σε ὠφελῆσαι, ἀλλὰ στήκει μόνος ὁ ἄνθρωπος μετὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, κατακρινόμενος ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων, ἢ καὶ στεφανούμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν; Τί τότε ἐρεῖς; Τότε ἀναμνησθήσῃ μου τῶν λόγων. Ἀλλὰ τί σοι τὸ ὄφελος; Οὐδέν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνεμνήσθη καὶ ἐζήτει καιρὸν μετανοίας, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἦν αὐτῷ κέρδος. Πλὴν ἔλεγε, Πέμψον Λάζαρον, ἵνα βάψῃ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ δακτύλου αὐτοῦ ὕδατι, καὶ καταψύξῃ μου τὴν γλῶσσαν, ὅτι πάνυ ὀδυνῶμαι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπεμψε Λάζαρον, οὐχ ὅτι ζημίαν ἔφερε μία ῥανὶς εἰς τὴν μεγάλην τοῦ παραδείσου πηγὴν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης σταγὼν ἀμίκτως ἔχει πρὸς τὴν ἀπήνειαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ σταδίου κατεφρονήθη, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ στεφάνου οὐδεμιᾶς παραμυθίας αὐτὸν ἠξίωσε. ζʹ. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα μήτε ὁ πένης δακρύῃ διὰ τὴν πε 55.509 νίαν, μήτε ὁ πλούσιος χαίρῃ διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον. Εὔπορος εἶ; Ἀπώλετο ὁ πλοῦτος, ἐὰν μὴ εἰς μέσον φέρῃς τὸν προσήκοντα πλοῦτον. Σπεῦσον, καὶ φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Εἶτα ἔδραμεν αὐτὸς εἰς τὰς βόας, καὶ ἔθυσε μόσχον. ∆ρομεὺς ἐγένετο ὁ γέρων· οὐ γὰρ ἐχαυνοῦτο αὐτῷ τῆς σαρκὸς ὁ τόνος, ἀλλ' ἐπενεύρωτο τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἡ διάνοια· ἐνίκησε τὴν φύσιν ἡ προθυμία. Ὁ δεσπότης τριακοσίων δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ οἰκετῶν, μόσχον βαστάζων, οὐ κατεβαρύνετο τῷ ἄχθει, ἀλλ' ἐκουφίζετο τὴν διάνοιαν τῇ προθυμίᾳ. Ὁ δρόμος τῷ γέροντι προκείμενος, καὶ ὑπηρεσία πολλὴ, καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ πόνος καὶ κάματος. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον φιλοτιμίᾳ χρημάτων, καὶ δαψιλείᾳ τραπέζης, ἀλλὰ καὶ διακονίᾳ καὶ ὑπηρεσίᾳ πολλῇ τοὺς ξένους ἐδεξιώσαντο, οὐ δι' οἰκετῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἑαυτῶν ὑπηρετοῦντες. Εἶτα παρειστήκει ἡ γυνὴ θεραπαίνης λαβοῦσα σχῆμα, καὶ οἱ ξένοι ἀνέκειντο, οἱ ἀγνῶτες· οὐ γὰρ παύσομαι τοῦτο λέγων. Ἐνόμιζον γὰρ αὐτοὺς