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to the world, how can he still be a partaker of the cares of the world? Our Lord Jesus Christ carrying to the extreme both the hatred of one's soul and the denial of oneself, through which he says: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross; and then he added: And follow me; and again: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own soul also, he cannot be my disciple. So then, perfect renunciation consists in achieving dispassion even toward life itself, and in having the sentence of death, so as not to trust in oneself; but it begins from the alienation of external things, such as possessions, vainglory, a customary way of life, attachment to unprofitable things, just as the holy disciples of the Lord have shown us, James and John, leaving their father Zebedee, and the ship itself, the whole means of their livelihood; and Matthew, rising up from the tax office itself and following the Lord, not only leaving behind the profits in the tax office, but also disregarding the dangers which were sure to follow both him and his household from the authorities, for leaving the accounts of the tax office incomplete. And for Paul, the whole world was crucified, and he to the world. 31.937 Thus he who is intensely possessed by the desire to follow Christ can no longer be turned toward anything of this life, not to affection for parents or relatives, when it is opposed to the Lord's commands (for then is the time for this too: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and the rest); not to human fear, so as to shrink back from any of the things that are expedient because of it, which the saints achieved, saying: We must obey God rather than men; not to the laughter of outsiders at good things, so as to be overcome by their contempt. But if someone should wish to know more accurately and more clearly the intensity joined with the desire of those who follow the Lord, let him recall the Apostle recounting the things concerning himself for our instruction, and saying: If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless; but what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. For if (that I may say something bold, but true), if to the most outcast parts of the body, and the things we spit out, and the things we are most eager to be rid of, he likened these very legal privileges given by God for a time, as hindrances to the knowledge of Christ, and of the righteousness in him, and of the conformity to his death, what might one say concerning the things esteemed by men? And why must we confirm the argument with our own reasonings and the examples of the saints? when it is possible to set forth the Lord's own words, and through them to shame the fearful soul, who clearly and irrefutably testifies when he says: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple; and elsewhere, after, If thou wilt be perfect, first saying: Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor; and then adding, Come, follow me. And the parable of the merchant is clear to every sensible person, leading to this point. For the kingdom of heaven, he says, is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly 31.940 pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. For it is clear, that the pearl of great price refers to the

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κόσμῳ, πῶς ἔτι δύναται εἶναι μέτοχος τῶν μεριμνῶν τοῦ κόσμου; τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄκρον προάγοντος τό τε μῖσος τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἄρνησιν δι' ὧν φησιν· Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὑτοῦ· καὶ τότε ἐπαγαγόντος· Καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι· καὶ πάλιν· Εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρὸς μὲ, καὶ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ τὰ τέκνα, καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής. Ὥστε ἡ μὲν τελεία ἀποταγή ἐστιν ἐν τῷ τὸ ἀπροσπαθὲς κατορθῶσαι καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ζῇν, καὶ τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἔχειν, ὥστε μὴ ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ πεποιθέναι· ἄρχεται δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀλλοτριώσεως, οἷον, κτημάτων, δόξης ματαίας, συν ηθείας βίου, προσπαθείας τῶν ἀνωφελῶν, καθὰ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι μαθηταὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπέδειξαν ἡμῖν, Ἰάκω βος μὲν καὶ Ἰωάννης, καταλιπόντες τὸν πατέρα αὑ τῶν Ζεβεδαῖον, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πλοῖον τὴν πᾶσαν ἀφορ μὴν τοῦ βίου· Ματθαῖος δὲ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τελωνείου ἐξαναστὰς, καὶ ἀκολουθήσας τῷ Κυρίῳ, οὐ τὰ κέρδη μόνον τὰ ἐν τῷ τελωνείῳ καταλιπὼν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κινδύνων ὑπεριδὼν, οἳ ἐπακολουθεῖν ἤμελλον αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις παρὰ τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἀτελεῖς τοὺς λόγους τοῦ τελωνείου καταλιμπάνοντι. Παύλῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ σύμπας κόσμος ἐσταύρωτο, καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ κόσμῳ. 31.937 Οὕτως ὁ σφόδρα τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ ἀκολουθεῖν Χριστῷ κατεχόμενος πρὸς οὐδὲν ἔτι τῆς ζωῆς ταύ της ἐπιστραφῆναι δύναται, οὐ πρὸς γονέων ἢ οἰ κείων φίλτρον, ὅταν ἐναντιούμενον ᾖ τοῖς τοῦ Κυ ρίου προστάγμασι (τότε γὰρ καιρὸν ἔχει καὶ τό· Εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρὸς μὲ, καὶ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα αὑ τοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὰ λοιπά)· οὐ πρὸς ἀν θρώπινον φόβον, ὥστε δι' αὐτὸν ὑποσταλῆναί τι τῶν συμφερόντων, ὅπερ κατώρθωσαν οἱ ἅγιοι, εἰπόντες· Πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ Θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώ ποις· οὐ πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς καλοῖς παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν γέλωτα, ὥστε τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν ἡττηθῆναι. Εἰ δέ τις βούλοιτο ἀκριβέστερον καὶ τρανότερον γνω ρίσαι τὸν συνεζευγμένον τόνον τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῶν ἀκολουθούντων τῷ Κυρίῳ, μνημονευσάτω τοῦ Ἀπο στόλου διηγουμένου τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν εἰς διδασκα λίαν ἡμετέραν, καὶ λέγοντος· Εἴ τις δοκεῖ πε ποιθέναι ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐγὼ μᾶλλον· περιτομὴ ὀκταήμερος, ἐκ γένους Ἰσραὴλ, φυλῆς Βενια μὶν, Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος, κατὰ ζῆλον διώκων τὴν Ἐκκλη σίαν, κατὰ δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν νόμῳ γενό μενος ἄμεμπτος· ἀλλ' ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν. Ἀλλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα εἶναι, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω. Εἰ γὰρ (ἵνα τι καὶ εἴπω τολμηρὸν μὲν, ἀληθὲς δὲ), εἰ τοῖς ἐκβλητοτάτοις τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ἀποπτύ στοις, καὶ ὧν μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν ἀλλοτρίωσιν ἐπει γόμεθα, τούτοις προσείκασεν αὐτὰ τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ πρὸς καιρὸν δεδομένα νομικὰ προτερήματα, ὡς ἐμπόδια τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ γνώσεως, καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ τῆς πρὸς θάνατον αὐτοῦ συμμορφώσεως, τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώποις νενομισμένων; Καὶ τί χρὴ λογισμοῖς ἡμετέ ροις καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων ὑποδείγμασι τὸν λόγον πι στοῦσθαι; ἐξὸν αὐτὰ παραθέσθαι τοῦ Κυρίου τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὴν ἔμφοβον ψυχὴν δυσ ωπῆσαι, σαφῶς καὶ ἀναντιῤῥήτως διαμαρτυρομένου ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Οὕτως οὖν πᾶς ἐξ ὑμῶν, ὃς οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπάρχου σιν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής· καὶ ἀλλα χοῦ μετὰ τὸ, Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, πρότερον εἰπόντος· Ὕπαγε, πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς· καὶ τότε ἐπαγαγόντος τὸ, ∆εῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι. Καὶ ἡ παραβολὴ δὲ τοῦ ἐμπόρου παντὶ σαφής ἐστι τῷ εὐγνώμονι πρὸς τοῦτο φέρουσα. Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ ἐμπόρῳ, ζητοῦντι καλοὺς 31.940 μαργαρίτας, ὃς εὑρὼν ἔνα πολύτιμον μαργαρί την, ἀπελθὼν ἐπώλησε πάντα ὅσα εἶχε, καὶ ἠγόρασεν αὐτόν. ∆ῆλον γὰρ, ὅτι ὁ πολύτιμος μαρ γαρίτης πρὸς τὴν