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of others, though I myself know something better than the many, I would rather choose to be one of them, than, what I am, free in my obscurity. For in addition to my other troubles I also suffer this, that I do not agree with the multitude in most things, nor can I bear to walk 36.485 the same road as they; rashly perhaps and ignorantly, yet I do suffer it. The pleasures of others grieve me, and I am pleased by what grieves others. So that I would not be surprised even at this, if I were to be bound, as a useless person, and seem to the many to be a fool, which a certain one of the Greek philosophers is said to have suffered, being accused of madness for his moderation, because he laughed at everything, seeing as worthy of laughter the things that are taken seriously by the many; or even be thought to be full of new wine, as later the disciples of Christ were for speaking in tongues; it being not understood that it was the power of the Spirit, not a wandering of their minds.

23. For consider also our accusations. So much time, he says, has passed since you have been leading the Church, with the inclination of the time, and the impulse of the ruler, a matter of such importance; what sign of change have you shown us? How many insolent men have risen up against us before? What terrible thing have we not suffered? Not insults? Not threats? Not exiles? Not plundering of possessions? Not confiscations? Not the burning of presbyters at sea? Not churches profaned with the blood of saints, and made tombs instead of temples? Not the public slaughter of presbyters, bishops, or rather to say, patriarchs? Not every place being inaccessible to the pious alone? Not whatever one might say of terrible things? What of these things have we repaid to the perpetrators, when the power to do good was turned against the doer, and it was necessary to discipline the insolent? I omit the rest; but our own affairs, that we may not speak of yours, have we not been persecuted? Have we not been insulted? Have we not been driven from churches, from houses, from the deserts themselves, most terrible of all? Have we not borne a raging populace? insulting prefects? emperors being insulted, and along with their edicts? Then what? We have become stronger, and our persecutors have fled. For this is sufficient punishment for me against wrongdoers, the power to retaliate. But to them it does not seem so; for they are too thorough and just concerning retribution; and for this reason they demand what the times require. What prefect, he says, has been punished? What populace has been chastened? Who are the instigators of the people? What fear for ourselves have we secured for the future? 36.488

24. Perhaps they would also reproach us with these things (for indeed they have reproached us): the sumptuousness of our table, the respectability of our dress, our processions, our haughtiness towards those who meet us. For they were ignorant that our rivalry is with consuls and prefects, and the most famous of generals, who do not know where to cast away their own possessions. And we ought to put a stop to the belly, feasting on the property of the poor, so as to use necessities for superfluities, and to belch over the altars. To be carried by delicate horses, and to ride aloft in splendid chariots, to be escorted and have heralds cry out, and for everyone to make way for us, as for wild beasts, and to part the crowd, or even for us to be visible from afar as we approach. If these things have become terrible, they are past; forgive me this injustice. Appoint another who will please the many; but give to me the desert, and rusticity, and God, whom alone, and through my lowliness, I will please. It is a terrible thing, if we are to be deprived of speeches, and assemblies, and festivals, and this applause by which we are carried aloft, and of relatives, and friends, and honors, and the beauty and size of the city, and the lightning flashing from every side on those who look at these things, but are not turned inward; but not yet so much as if I am to be disturbed and polluted by the turmoil and seething in the midst, and by the vacillations towards the many. For they do not seek priests, but orators; not stewards of souls, but guardians of money; not pure offerers of sacrifice, but powerful champions. I will make some defense for them; thus we ourselves

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τῶν ἄλλων, αὐτός τι βέλτιον τῶν πολλῶν γι νώσκων, δεξαίμην ἂν ἐκείνων εἷς εἶναι μᾶλλον, ἢ, ὅπερ εἰμὶ, μετὰ τῆς ἀφανίας ἐλεύθερος. Πρὸς γὰρ αὖ τοῖς ἄλλοις πάσχω τι καὶ τοιοῦτον, οὐ τὰ πολλὰ συμφέρομαι τοῖς πολλοῖς, οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν βα 36.485 δίζειν ἀνέχομαι· θρασέως μὲν ἴσως καὶ ἀμαθῶς, πάσχω δ' οὖν ὅμως. Ἀνιᾷ με τὰ τῶν ἄλλων τερπνὰ, καὶ τέρπομαι τοῖς ἑτέρων ἀνιαροῖς. Ὥστε οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσαιμι οὐδὲ τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ δεθείην, ὡς δύσχρη στος, καὶ ἀνοηταίνειν δόξαιμι τοῖς πολλοῖς, ὅ τις λέγεται τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσοφησάντων παθεῖν, ἐγκληθεὶς ὡς μανίαν τὴν σωφροσύνην, ὅτι διεγέλα τὰ πάντα, γέλωτος ὁρῶν ἄξια τὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς σπουδαζό μενα· ἢ καὶ γλεύκους νομισθείην εἶναι μεστὸς, ὡς ὕστερον οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ τῷ λαλεῖν γλώσσαις· ἀγνοηθέντες, ὅτι Πνεύματος δύναμις ἦν, οὐ φρε νῶν ἔκστασις.

ΚΓʹ. Σκοπείτε γὰρ καὶ ἡμῶν τὰ ἐγκλήματα. Το σοῦτος χρόνος, φησὶν, ἐξ οὗ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἄγεις, μετὰ τῆς τοῦ καιροῦ ῥοπῆς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὁρμῆς, τοσούτου πράγματος· τί τῆς μεταβολῆς ἡμῖν ἐπεσήμηνε; Πόσοι καθ' ἡμῶν ἔμπροσθεν γεγόνασιν ὑβρισταί; Τί δεινὸν οὐ πεπόνθαμεν; Οὐχ ὕβρεις; Οὐκ ἀπειλάς; Οὐ φυγάς; Οὐ χρημάτων ἁρπαγάς; Οὐ δη μεύσεις; Οὐ πρεσβυτέρων ἐμπρησμοὺς θαλατ τίους; Οὐ ναοὺς βεβηλωμένους ἁγίων αἵμασι, καὶ γενομένους ἀντὶ ναῶν πολυάνδρια; Οὐ πρεσβυτέ ρων ἐπισκόπων, οἰκειότερον δὲ πατριαρχῶν εἰπεῖν, σφαγὰς δημοσίας; Οὐ τὸ πάντα τόπον ἄβατον εἶναι τοῖς εὐσεβέσι μόνοις; Οὐχ ὅ τι ἂν εἴποι τις τῶν δει νῶν; Ὧν τί τοῖς πεποιηκόσιν ἀντιδεδώκαμεν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν εὖ ποιοῦν ἀντεστράφη, καὶ παιδεύειν ἔδει τοὺς ὑβριστάς; Ἐῶ τἄλλα· τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα, ἵνα μὴ τὰ σὰ λέγωμεν, οὐ δεδιώγμεθα; Οὐχ ὑβρίσμεθα; Οὐκ ἀπεληλάμεθα ἐκκλησιῶν, οἰκιῶν, ἐρήμων αὐτῶν, τὸ δεινότατον Οὐκ ἠνέγκαμεν δῆμον μαινό μενον; ὑπάρχους ὑβρίζοντας; Βασιλέας ὑβριζομέ νους, καὶ μετὰ τῶν προσταγμάτων; Εἶτα τί; Γεγόναμεν ἰσχυρότεροι, καὶ διαπεφεύγασιν οἱ διώ κοντες. Τοῦτο γάρ· αὐτάρκης ἐμοὶ τιμωρία κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων, ἡ τοῦ ἀντιδρᾷν ἐξουσία. Τοῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω δοκεῖ· λίαν γάρ εἰσιν ἐντελεῖς καὶ δίκαιοι περὶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαιτοῦσι τὰ τοῦ καιροῦ. Τίς ὕπαρχος, φησὶν, ἐζημίωται; Τίς δῆ μος σεσωφρόνισται; Τίνες δήμων ἀνάπται; Τίνα φόβον ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐχαρισά μεθα; 36.488

Κ∆ʹ. Τάχα δ' ἂν καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν ὀνειδίσαιεν (καὶ γὰρ ὠνειδίκασι)· τὸ δὲ τῆς τραπέζης φιλότιμον, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἐσθῆτος αἰδέσιμον, αἱ δὲ πρόοδοι, τὸ δὲ σοβαρὸν πρὸς τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας. Ἠγνόουν γὰρ, ὅτι πρὸς ὑπάτους ἡμῖν καὶ ὑπάρχους ἡ ἅμιλλα, καὶ στρατηγῶν τοὺς εὐδοκιμωτάτους, οἳ μὴ ἔχουσιν, ὅποι τὰ ἑαυτῶν ῥίψουσι. Καὶ δεῖ περιστένειν μὲν ἡμῖν τὴν γαστέρα κατατρυφῶσι τῶν πτωχι κῶν, ὡς δὲ εἰς τὰ περιττὰ κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς ἀναγ καίοις, καὶ τῶν θυσιαστηρίων κατερεύγεσθαι. Ἵπποις δὲ φέρεσθαι τρυφεροῖς, καὶ δίφρων ὑπεραίρεσθαι πε ριλάμπρως, προπομπεύεσθαί τε καὶ περιποππύζε σθαι, καὶ πάντας ὑποχωρεῖν ἡμῖν, ὥσπερ θηρίοις, καὶ περισχίζεσθαι, ἢ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν εἶναι δήλους ἐπερχο μένους. Εἰ ταῦτα δεινὰ γέγονε, παρελήλυθε· χαρί σασθέ μοι τὴν ἀδικίαν ταύτην. Ἄλλον προστήσασθε τὸν ἀρέσοντα τοῖς πολλοῖς· ἐμοὶ δὲ δό τε τὴν ἐρημίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀγροικίαν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ᾧ μόνῳ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐτελείας, ἀρέσομεν. ∆ει νὸν, εἰ στερησόμεθα λόγων, καὶ συλλόγων, καὶ πανηγύρεων, καὶ τῶν κρότων τούτων ὑφ' ὧν πτερούμεθα, καὶ οἰκείων, καὶ φίλων, καὶ τιμῶν, καὶ κάλλους πόλεως καὶ μεγέθους, καὶ τῆς πανταχόθεν πε ριλαμπούσης ἀστραπῆς τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὰ βλέπον τας, ἀλλὰ μὴ εἴσω συννενευκότας· ἀλλ' οὔπω τοσοῦ τον ὅσον εἰ θορυβήσομαι καὶ χρανθήσομαι τοῖς ἐν μέσῳ ταράχοις καὶ βράσμασι, καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς μετακλίσεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ζητοῦσιν ἱερεῖς, ἀλλὰ ῥήτορας· οὐδὲ ψυχῶν οἰκονόμους, ἀλλὰ χρημάτων φύλακας· οὐδὲ θύτας καθαροὺς, ἀλλὰ προστάτας ἰσχυρούς. Ἀπολογήσομαί τι περὶ αὐτῶν· οὕτως ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς