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(for God has made you rich in these things also, if you should so wish), do not refrain from doing good in these things to the one in need; but rather, first and foremost, give to the one who asks you, and before you are asked, showing mercy all day long and lending your word, and diligently demanding the loan back with the interest of the addition made by the one who was helped. which he always adds to the word, increasing for himself, little by little, the seeds of piety. But if not, then at least the second and lesser things, and whatever comes within your power: give aid, offer food, offer a rag, bring medicine, bind up wounds, ask something about the misfortune, philosophize about endurance, take courage, approach. You will by no means become worse than yourself because of this; you will by no means partake of the suffering, even if the overly delicate think this, deceived by empty words; but rather they put this forward as a defense for their own, whether it be caution or impiety, taking refuge in cowardice, as if in something great and wise. Let these words persuade you, and the sons of physicians, and the attendants who live with them, none of whom has ever been endangered by approaching such people. You, therefore, even if the matter is fearful and worthy of suspicion, O servant of Christ, lover of God, and lover of mankind, do not suffer anything ignoble; take courage in faith; let pity conquer cowardice, the fear of God, softness; let piety stand before fleshly reasonings; do not overlook, do not run past your brother, do not turn away as from a curse, as from a pollution, as from some other of the things to be shunned and forbidden; he is your member, even if he is bent by misfortune; To you the poor man has been left, as to God, and if you run past him too magnanimously, for perhaps I will shame you with these words. Before you is set a subject for philanthropy, even if the stranger alienates you from being well-treated.

28. Every man who sails is near to shipwreck, and all the more so, the more boldly he sails; and every man clothed in a body is near to the ills of the body, and all the more so, the more uprightly he walks, and does not see those lying before him. While you sail with a fair wind, give a hand to the shipwrecked; while you are well and rich, help the one who suffers. Do not wait to learn in your own person how great an evil is inhumanity, and what a good thing it is for bowels of compassion to be opened to those in need. Do not wish God to lift a hand against the stiff-necked, and those who run past the poor. Be instructed in these things by the misfortunes of others; give something, even a little, to the one in need; for it is not little to the one who lacks everything, nor to God, if it be according to your ability. Give zeal instead of a great gift; if you have nothing, weep; a great medicine for the unfortunate is mercy offered from the soul; and to suffer genuinely with them lightens the misfortune a great deal. Man is not more worthless to you than a beast, O man, which, having fallen into a pit, or gone astray, the law commands you to raise up and bring back; if indeed it hides something else more secret and profound, as are many things of the Law's depth and duplicity, it is not for me to know this, but for the Spirit who searches and knows all things; but what I do understand, and as much as pertains to my discourse, is that it trains us from philanthropy in small things, to that which is more perfect and greater. For how great is the philanthropy owed to those of the same race and same honor, that which is required even towards the irrational animals?

29. These things, then, both reason and the law, and the most moderate of men teach, among whom doing good is more honorable than suffering it, and mercy is more sought after than gain. But what would you say about the wise men among us? For I omit to speak of those outside, who, finding gods as advocates for their passions, and to the god of Gain, to whom they assign the first place; and indeed, what is worse than this, some also think it lawful to kill men for certain demons, and among what nations, and for them inhumanity is a part of piety, and they themselves rejoice in such sacrifices, and think their gods do, becoming wicked priests and initiates of wicked things. But there are some of our own, which is a thing worthy of tears, who are so far from suffering with and helping the sick, that they even

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(πεποίηκε γάρ σε καὶ ταῦτα πλούσιον ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ θελήσειας), μηδὲ ταῦτα εὖ ποιεῖν ἀπόσχῃ τὸν ἐνδεῆ· μᾶλλον δὲ πρῶτα καὶ μάλιστα τῷ αἰ τοῦντί σε δίδου, καὶ πρὶν αἰτηθῆναι, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλεῶν καὶ δανείζων τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἀπαιτῶν φι λοπόνως τὸ δάνειον μετὰ τόκου τῆς τοῦ ὠφελημέ νου προσθήκης. ἣν ἀεὶ τῷ λόγῳ προστίθησιν, αὔξων ἑαυτῷ κατὰ μικρὸν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας σπέρματα. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, τά γε δεύτερα καὶ μικρότε ρα, καὶ ὅσα εἰς δύναμιν ἥκει τὴν σήν· ἐπικούρη σον, ὄρεξον τροφὴν, ὄρεξον ῥάκος, προσένεγκε φάρμα κον, κατάδησον τραύματα, ἐρώτησόν τι περὶ τῆς συμ φορᾶς, περὶ καρτερίας φιλοσόφησον, θάρσησον, πρόσ ελθε· οὐ μὴ χεῖρόν τι σεαυτοῦ παρὰ τοῦτο γένῃ· οὐ μὴ μεταλάβοις τοῦ πάθους, κἂν οἱ λίαν ἁβροὶ τοῦτο νομίζωσι λόγοις ματαίοις ἠπατημένοι· μᾶλλον δὲ ταύτην προβάλλονται τῆς ἑαυτῶν εἴτε εὐλαβείας, εἴτε ἀσεβείας ἀπολογίαν, ἐπὶ τὴν δειλίαν, ὡς δή τι μέγα καὶ σοφὸν καταφεύγοντες. Τοῦτο πειθέτωσάν σε καὶ οἱ λόγοι, καὶ ἰατρῶν παῖδες, καὶ σύνοι κοι τούτων θεραπευταὶ, ὧν οὐδείς πω τοῖς τοιού τοις προσιὼν ἐκινδύνευσε. Σὺ τοίνυν, εἰ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα φοβερὸν καὶ ὑπονοίας ἄξιον, ὦ δοῦλε Χριστοῦ, καὶ φιλόθεε, καὶ φιλάνθρωπε, μὴ πάθῃς μηδὲν ἀγεν νές· τῇ πίστει θάρσησον· νικησάτω τὴν δειλίαν ὁ οἶκτος, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος τὴν ἁπαλότητα· στήτω πρὸ τῶν φιλοσάρκων λογισμῶν ἡ εὐσέβεια· μὴ παρίδῃς, μὴ παραδράμῃς τὸν ἀδελφὸν, μὴ ἀποστραφῇς ὡς ἄγος, ὡς μίασμα, ὡς ἄλλο τι τῶν φευκτῶν καὶ ἀπει ρημένων· σόν ἐστι μέλος, καὶ εἰ τῇ συμφορᾷ κάμ 35.896 πτεται· Σοὶ ἐγκαταλέλειπται ὁ πτωχὸς, ὡς Θεῷ, καὶ εἰ λίαν παρατρέχεις μεγαλοψύχως, τάχα γάρ σε τούτοις δυσωπήσω τοῖς ῥήμασι. Σοὶ πρόκειται φιλανθρωπίας ὑπόθεσις, καὶ εἰ ἀλλοτριοῖ σε τοῦ εὖ παθεῖν ὁ ἀλλότριος.

ΚΗʹ. Πᾶς ὁ πλέων ἐγγύς ἐστι τοῦ ναυαγίου, καὶ τόσῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳπερ ἂν τολμηρότερον πλέῃ· καὶ πᾶς ὁ σῶμα περικείμενος ἐγγύς ἐστι τῶν τοῦ σώμα τος κακῶν, καὶ τόσῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳπερ ἂν ὀρθῶς βαδίζῃ, καὶ μὴ βλέπῃ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ κειμένους. Ἕως πλῇς ἐξ οὐρίας, τῷ ναυαγοῦντι δὸς χεῖρα· ἕως εὐ εκτῇς καὶ πλουτῇς, τῷ κακοπαθοῦντι βοήθη σον. Μὴ ἀναμείνῃς ἐπὶ σεαυτοῦ μαθεῖν, ὅσον ἐστὶ κακὸν ἀπανθρωπία, καὶ οἷον ἀγαθὸν σπλάγχνα τοῖς χρῄζουσιν ἀνοιγόμενα. Μὴ βουληθῇς ἐπᾶραι χεῖρα Θεὸν κατὰ τῶν ὑψαυχενούντων, καὶ παρατρεχόν των τοὺς πένητας. Ἐν ἀλλοτρίαις συμφοραῖς ταῦτα παιδεύθητι· δός τι καὶ μικρὸν τῷ δεομένῳ· οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν τῷ πάντων ἐπιδεεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῷ Θεῷ, ἂν ᾖ κατὰ δύναμιν. ∆ὸς ἀντὶ μεγάλου τὴν προθυμίαν· εἰ μηδὲν ἔχῃς, δάκρυσον· μέγα τῷ ἀτυχοῦντι φάρμακον, ἔλεος ἀπὸ ψυχῆς εἰσφερόμενος· καὶ τὸ συναλγεῖν γνησίως, πολύ τι κουφίζει τῆς συμφορᾶς. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀτιμώτερός σοι τοῦ κτήνους ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὃ πεσὸν εἰς βόθρον, ἢ πλανηθὲν, ἀνεγείρειν σοι καὶ ἐπανάγειν ὁ νόμος διακελεύεται· εἰ μέν τι καὶ ἄλλο κρύπτων ἀποῤῥητότερον καὶ βαθύτερον, οἷα τὰ πολλὰ τοῦ νομικοῦ βάθους καὶ τῆς διπλόης, οὐκ ἐμὸν τοῦτο εἰ δέναι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πάντα ἐρευνῶντος καὶ γινώσκοντος Πνεύματος· ὃ δ' οὖν ἐγὼ καταλαμβάνω, καὶ ὅσον εἰς τὸν ἐμὸν ἥκει λόγον, γυμνάζων ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς τὰ μικρὰ φιλανθρωπίας, ἐπὶ τὴν τελειοτέραν καὶ μείζονα. Πόση γὰρ ὀφείλεται τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις καὶ ὁμοτίμοις ἡ καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἀλόγων ἀπαιτουμένη;

ΚΘʹ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ νόμος, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ μετριώτατοι, παρ' οἷς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν τοῦ πάσχειν τιμιώτερον, καὶ περισπουδαστότερος κέρδους ἔλεος. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποις περὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς σοφῶν; Ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν τοὺς ἔξωθεν, οἳ συνηγόρους τοῖς πά θεσι θεοὺς εὑρίσκοντες, καὶ τῷ Κερδώῳ, ᾧ 35.897 τὰ πρῶτα νέμουσιν· ἤδη δὲ, καὶ ὃ τούτου χεῖρόν ἐστι, καὶ ἀνθρωποκτονεῖν νομίζουσιν ἔστιν οἷς δαιμόνων, καὶ παρ' οἷς ἔθνεσι, καὶ μέρος εὐσεβείας αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀπανθρωπία, καὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις θυσίαις αὐτοί τε χαίρουσι, καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν οἴονται, πονηροὶ πονηρῶν ἱερεῖς καὶ μύσται γινόμενοι. Ἀλλ' εἰσὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων τινὲς, ὃ καὶ δακρύειν ἄξιον, οἳ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχουσι συναλγεῖν καὶ βοηθεῖν τοῖς κάμνουσιν, ὥσ τε καὶ