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having done this, will we have accomplished everything? We will be able to do nothing at all, but wherever we may come in humility, the greater part of it remains.

For consider: Whatever you may do, you do for your fellow-servant, but your master has done it for your servants. Listen, and tremble: Never be lifted up because of humility. Perhaps you laugh at what was said, that humility puffs up; but do not be surprised; it does puff up, when it is not genuine. How and in what way? When it is done for the acceptance of men, and not of God, when it is for being praised and for being high-minded; for this is also diabolical. For just as many are vainglorious for the sake of not being vainglorious, so too for the sake of being humble 62.712 are they lifted up because of their high-mindedness. For instance, a brother came, or even a servant, you received him, you washed his feet, immediately you became high-minded; I have done, you say, what no one has done, I have achieved humility. How then can one remain in humility? If he remembers the command of Christ which says: When you have done all things, say, We are unprofitable servants; and again of the Teacher of the world saying: I do not consider myself to have apprehended. He who has persuaded himself that he has accomplished nothing great, whatever he may do, he alone is able to be humble-minded, who does not think he has reached the end. Many have been lifted up by humility. But let us not suffer this. Have you done something humble? Do not be high-minded, since you have lost everything. Such was the Pharisee; he was lifted up, because he gave the tithes to the poor, and he lost everything. But not the tax-collector so. Listen to Paul again saying: I am conscious of nothing in myself, but I am not thereby justified.

Do you see, that it did not lift him up, but in every way he restrained and humbled himself, and this though he had ascended to the highest peak? And the three youths were in the fire, and in the midst of the furnace, and what did they say? We have sinned, we have committed iniquity with our fathers. This is to have a contrite heart. For this reason they were able to say: But with a contrite heart and a spirit of humility may we be accepted. So also after falling into the furnace, they were exceedingly humbled, and more so than before they fell in. For when they saw the miracle that happened, thinking themselves unworthy of salvation, they were brought down to humility. For when we are persuaded that we have received great benefits beyond our deserving, then especially are we distressed. And yet what benefits did they receive beyond their deserving? They gave themselves up to the furnace, they were taken into captivity, while others sinned (for they were still young), and they did not murmur, nor were they angry, nor did they say: Yes, for what good is it to us that we serve God? What have we gained by worshipping him? This one is impious, and he has become our master; with idolaters we are punished by an idolater, we were led into captivity, we fell from our fatherland, from freedom, from all our ancestral things, we have become captives and slaves, we serve a barbarian king. They said none of these things; but what? We have sinned, we have committed iniquity; and they make their prayer not even for themselves, but for others: Because you have delivered us, they say, to a most hateful and wicked king.

Again Daniel, having been cast a second time into the pit, said: For God has remembered me. Why would He not have remembered, O Daniel, when you glorified Him before the king, saying: And I not in the wisdom that is in me; but when you were cast into the lions' den for not obeying that most wicked decree, why would He not have remembered? For this very reason. Were you not cast in for His sake now? Yes, he says, but I am a debtor for many things. If he said such things after so much virtue, what then should we say? But listen to what David says: And if he says to me: I have no delight in you, behold, here I am, let him do to me what is pleasing in his sight; and yet he had ten thousand achievements of his own to speak of. And Eli also says: He is the Lord, let him do what is pleasing in his sight. 62.713 4. This of well-disposed servants, not only in benefits, but also in

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ποιήσαντες ἡμεῖς, τὸ πᾶν ἠνυκότες ἐσόμεθα; Οὐδὲν ὅλως δυνησόμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅπου δ' ἂν ταπεινοφροσύνης ἔλθωμεν, τὸ πλέον αὐτῆς ὑπολέλειπται.

Σκόπει γάρ· Ὅπερ ἂν ποιήσῃς σὺ, περὶ τὸν ὁμόδουλον ποιεῖς, ὁ δὲ σὸς δεσπότης περὶ τοὺς σοὺς δούλους πεποίηκεν. Ἄκουσον, καὶ φρίξον· Μηδέποτε ἐπαρθῇς ἐπὶ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ. Τάχα γελᾶτε τὸ λεχθὲν, εἰ ταπεινοφροσύνη ἐπαίρει· ἀλλὰ μὴ θαυμάσητε· ἐπαίρει, ὅταν μὴ γνησία ᾖ. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅταν διὰ τὸ ἀποδέξασθαι ἀνθρώπους γένηται, καὶ οὐχὶ Θεὸν, ὅταν πρὸς τὸ ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ μεγαλοφρονεῖν· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο διαβολικόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πολλοὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ κενοδοξεῖν κενοδοξοῦσιν· οὕτω καὶ διὰ τὸ ταπεινοῦ 62.712 σθαι ἐπαίρονται διὰ τὸ μέγα φρονεῖν. Οἷον, ἦλθέ τις ἀδελφὸς ἢ καὶ οἰκέτης, προσελάβου αὐτὸν, τοὺς πόδας ἔνιψας, εὐθέως μέγα ἐφρόνησας· Ἐποίησα, λέγεις, ὃ οὐδεὶς ἐποίησε, κατώρθωσα τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην. Πῶς οὖν ἄν τις ἐν τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ μένοι; Εἰ μνημονεύει τῆς παραγγελίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς λεγούσης· Ὅταν πάντα ποιήσητε, λέγετε, ὅτι Ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν· καὶ πάλιν τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου τῆς οἰκουμένης λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι. Ὁ πείσας ἑαυτὸν, ὅτι οὐδὲν μέγα κατώρθωσεν, ὅσα ἂν ποιήσῃ, οὗτος μόνος ταπεινοφρονεῖν δύναται, ὁ μὴ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἥκειν νομίζων. Πολλοὶ ἀπὸ ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐπήρθησαν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο πάθωμεν. Ἐποίησάς τι ταπεινόν; μὴ φρονήσῃς μέγα, ἐπεὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσας. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Φαρισαῖος· ἐπήρθη, ἐπειδὴ ἐδίδου τοῖς πένησι τὰς δεκάτας, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τελώνης οὕτως. Ἄκουε Παύλου πάλιν λέγοντος· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι.

Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπῆρεν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ παντοίως συνέστελλε καὶ ἐταπείνου, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ἄκραν κορυφὴν ἀνεληλυθώς; Καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐν πυρὶ ἦσαν, καὶ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ καμίνῳ, καὶ τί ἔλεγον; Ἡμάρτομεν, ἠνομήσαμεν μετὰ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν. Τοῦτό ἐστι καρδίαν συντετριμμένην ἔχειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠδύναντο λέγειν· Ἀλλ' ἐν καρδίᾳ συντετριμμένῃ, καὶ πνεύματι ταπεινώσεως προσδεχθείημεν. Οὕτω καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὴν κάμινον, σφόδρα ἦσαν τεταπεινωμένοι, καὶ μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸ τοῦ ἐμπεσεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον τὸ θαῦμα τὸ γενόμενον, ἀναξίους νομίσαντες ἑαυτοὺς τῆς σωτηρίας, εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην κατηνέχθησαν. Ὅταν γὰρ πεισθῶμεν, ὅτι παρ' ἀξίαν μεγάλα εὐηργετήμεθα, τότε μάλιστα ἀνιώμεθα. Καίτοι τί παρ' ἀξίαν εὐηργετήθησαν ἐκεῖνοι; Ἐξέδωκαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς κάμινον, ἐξῃχμαλωτίσθησαν, ἑτέρων ἁμαρτόντων (ἔτι γὰρ νέοι ἦσαν) καὶ οὐκ ἐγόγγυσαν, οὐδὲ ὠργίσθησαν, οὐδὲ εἶπον· Ναὶ, τί γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀγαθὸν, ὅτι δουλεύομεν τῷ Θεῷ; τί ὠφελήσαμεν προσκυνοῦντες αὐτόν; Οὗτος ἀσεβής ἐστι, καὶ γέγονεν ἡμῶν δεσπότης· μετὰ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ εἰδωλολάτρου κολαζόμεθα, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἤχθημεν, πατρίδος ἐξεπέσομεν, ἐλευθερίας, τῶν πατρῴων ἁπάντων, αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ δοῦλοι γεγόναμεν, βασιλεῖ βαρβάρῳ δουλεύομεν. Οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπον· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἡμάρτομεν, ἠνομήσαμεν· καὶ οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων ποιοῦνται τὴν δέησιν· Ὅτι βασιλεῖ, φασὶν, ἐχθίστῳ καὶ πονηροτάτῳ παρέδωκας ἡμᾶς.

Πάλιν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ δεύτερον εἰς λάκκον ἐμβεβλημένος, ἔλεγεν· Ἐμνήσθη μου γὰρ ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἂν ἐμνήσθη, ὦ ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτε αὐτὸν ἐδόξασας ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, λέγων· Καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν ἐμοί· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἐνεβλήθης εἰς λάκκον λεόντων διὰ τὸ μὴ ὑπακοῦσαι τῷ πονηροτάτῳ δόγματι ἐκείνῳ, διὰ τί οὐκ ἂν ἐμνήσθη; ∆ι' αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο. Οὐχὶ δι' αὐτὸν ἐμβέβλησαι νῦν; Ναὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν ὀφειλέτης εἰμί. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος τοιαῦτα μετὰ τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν λοιπὸν ἡμεῖς; Ἀλλ' ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἄκουε τί φησι· Καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ μοι· Οὐ τεθέληκά σε, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ, ποιείτω μοι τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· καίτοι μυρία ἔχων εἰπεῖν ἑαυτοῦ κατορθώματα. Καὶ ὁ Ἠλεὶ δέ φησι· Κύριος αὐτὸς, τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιήσει. 62.713 δʹ. Τοῦτο δούλων εὐγνωμόνων, μὴ μόνον ἐν ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν