11

and plants, as when he plucks out the tares of the sower, 93.509 but plants the genuine seeds of the word; cutting out wickedness, but implanting virtue; and often in one way and another; as when Paul cuts off the fornicator from the Church, but plants him again when he repents. "A time to kill, and a time to heal." To kill sin, but to heal one's own soul with the medicines of repentance. Such an action always has its time, and is always done at the right time; and especially now, as Paul cries out, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." But in bodily matters, it is time for the ruler to kill the murderer, but to heal and care for the doer of good, or also, through a more moderate correction, one who has sinned more moderately. "A time to break down, and a time to build up." The divine edifice is divided into practical and theoretical virtue. He who practices virtue, therefore, builds up the ethical. But he who contemplates the intelligible beauties, builds up theory; this one always builds well for himself a house not made with hands in the heavens. But he who repents, tears down his pre-existing sin; and it is good for us to be broken down from wickedness, but to be built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. "A time to weep, and a time to laugh." There is a certain time, not the chronological one, but that which is taken from the matter at hand. For he who does not weep deeply, but superficially, will be heard of like Jerusalem; Late in her voice she wailed, and her tears are on her cheeks. But he who weeps at the right time, and repents from his disposition, will be heard when he hears, Jerusalem wept with weeping, when He saw the cry of your tears, He had mercy on you. And there is a time to weep in our present life, that we may laugh in the future; and we weep at the right time over the transgressions of disciples, or even of brothers, but we laugh at the right time over their progress. "A time to mourn, and a time to dance." Those who are devoted to repentance mourn, those who are girded with temperance, and adorned with prudence, and moved by courage, and perfected by justice, dance. David also danced, and not simply, but before the Lord. Therefore also the prophets, being children in the marketplace in this life, on account of being infants in wickedness, said to the Jews: 'We have mourned to you, and you have not lamented;' that is, we foretold sad things to you, and you did not repent. And the apostles also say to 93.512 them: 'We have piped to you, and you have not danced;' that is, we proclaimed the kingdom of heaven, crying out loud like a flute, and you did not dance, nor did you leap for joy at the gift. For the Savior's gospel parable teaches us these things. "A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together." He who has sinned incurably is cast out of the spiritual house, like the leprous stone according to that which is laid down symbolically by Moses; but he who sins curably is gathered through repentance into the building of the apostles and prophets. And every stone-hearted person is cast out; but the precious stones are gathered together. And the law also commanded that the woman who fornicated be stoned. And the teacher also casts stones at the sinners, that is, words of reproof; but having disciplined them sufficiently through reproofs, he gathers the cast-out stones, ceasing from striking words. "A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing." According to the letter, it is a time to embrace one's own wife, when prayer does not hinder, and the need is good; either for procreation, or by concession, on account of our lack of self-control, that we may not be tempted into fornication by Satan. And it is a time to refrain from embracing, either for prayer, or because the wife is pregnant. Otherwise: A time to embrace was at the beginning of the world, that we might increase, and multiply, and fill the earth; now is a time to refrain from embracing, when it is the last hour, and the world is drawing towards its end. But as to the meaning, "Honor," he says, "wisdom, that she may

11

καὶ φυτεύει, ὡς ὅταν ἐκτίλλει μὲν τὰ τοῦ ἐπισπορέως 93.509 ζιζάνια, καταφυτεύει δὲ τὰ γνήσια τοῦ λόγου σπέρματα· ἐκκόπτων μὲν τὴν κακίαν, ἐμφυτεύων δὲ τὴν ἀρετήν· πολλάκις δὲ καθ' ἕτερον καὶ ἕτερον· ὡς ὅταν ὁ Παῦλος ἐκκόπτῃ μὲν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸν πορνεύσαντα, φυτεύῃ δὲ αὐτὸν πάλιν μετανοοῦντα. "Καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι." Ἀποκτεῖναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἰάσασθαι δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκοις. Ἡ δὲ τοιαύτη πράξις ἀεὶ καιρὸν ἔχει, καὶ ἀεὶ εὐκαίρως γίνεται· νῦν δὲ μάλιστα, τοῦ Παύλου βοῶντος, "Ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἰδοὺ νῦν ἡμέρα σωτηρίας. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν σωματικῶν, τῷ ἄρχοντι καιρὸς ἀποκτείνειν τὸν ἀνδροφόνον, ἰᾶσθαι δὲ καὶ θεραπεύειν τὸν ἀγαθοποιὸν, ἢ καὶ διὰ μετριωτέρας ἐπιστροφῆς τὸν μετριώτερα ἁμαρτήσαντα. "Καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν." Ἡ θεία οἰκοδομὴ τέμνεται εἰς πρακτικὴν καὶ θεωρητικὴν ἀρετήν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐνεργῶν, οἰκοδομεῖ τὴν ἠθικήν. Ὁ δὲ τὰ νοητὰ κάλλη περιαθρῶν, οἰκοδομεῖ τὴν θεωρίαν· ἀεὶ οὗτος καλῶς οἰκοδομεῖ ἑαυτῷ οἰκίαν ἀχειροποίητον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὁ δὲ μετανοῶν, τὴν προϋπάρξασαν ἁμαρτίαν καθαίρει· καὶ καθαιρεῖσθαι μὲν καλὸν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κακίας, ἐποικοδομεῖσθαι δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν. "Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελᾶσαι." Ἔστι τις καιρὸς οὐχ ὁ χρονικὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος λαμβανόμενος. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐν βάθει κλαίων, ἀλλ' ἐπιπολαίως, ἀκούσεται κατὰ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· Ὀψὲ φωνῆς αὐτῆς ὠλόλυξε, καὶ τὰ δάκρυα αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τῶν σιαγόνων αὐτῆς. Ὁ δὲ καιρίως κλαίων, καὶ ἐκ διαθέσεως μετανοῶν, ἐπακουσθήσεται ἀκούων, Κλαυθμὸν ἔκλαυσε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν κραυγὴν τῶν δακρύων σου ἡνίκα εἶδε, ἠλέησέ σε. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐν καιρῷ χρονικῷ κλαίειν ἐν τῷδε ἡμῶν τῷ βίῳ, ἵνα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι γελάσωμεν· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς παραπτώμασι δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν, ἢ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὐκαίρως κλαίομεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν προκοπῶν αὐτῶν εὐκαίρως γελῶμεν. "Καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι." Κόπτονται οἱ μετανοίᾳ σχολάζοντες, ὀρχοῦνται οἱ σωφροσύνῃ ζωσθέντες, καὶ φρονήσει κοσμούμενοι, καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ κινούμενοι, καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τελειούμενοι. Ὠρχεῖτο καὶ ∆αβὶδ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. ∆ιὸ καὶ οἱ προφῆται παιδία ὄντες ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, διὰ τὸ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζειν, ἔλεγον τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· Ἐθρηνήσαμεν ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε· τουτέστι, προελέγομεν ὑμῖν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, καὶ οὐ μετενοήσατε. Καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι δὲ πρὸς 93.512 αὐτοὺς λέγουσιν· Ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε· τουτέστι, βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν ἐκηρύξαμεν, αὐλοῦ δίκην βοῶντες ἐξάκουστον, καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε, οὐδὲ ἐσκιρτήσατε χαίροντες ἐπὶ τῷ δώρῳ. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἡμᾶς διδάσκει ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ τοῦ Σωτῆρος παραβολή. "Καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθους." Ὁ ἀνίατα ἁμαρτήσας ἐκβάλλεται ἐκ τῆς πνευματικῆς οἰκίας, ὡς ὁ ψωριῶν λίθος κατὰ τὸ παρὰ Μωσεῖ κείμενον συμβολικῶς· ὁ δὲ ἰάσιμα ἁμαρτάνων συνάγεται διὰ μετανοίας εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν. Καὶ πᾶς δὲ λιθοκάρδιος ἐκβάλλεται· οἱ δὲ τίμιοι συνάγονται λίθοι. Καὶ ὁ νόμος δὲ ἐκέλευσε βάλλεσθαι λίθοις τὴν πορνεύσασαν. Καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος βάλλει μὲν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας λίθοις, τουτέστι λόγοις ἐλεγκτικοῖς· αὐτάρκως δὲ παιδεύσας διὰ τῶν ἐλέγχων, συνάγει τοὺς ἐκβληθέντας λίθους, τῶν πληκτικῶν λόγων παυόμενος. "Καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως." Κατὰ μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν, καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα, ὅταν μήτι προσευχὴ ἐμποδίζῃ, καὶ ἡ χρεία καλή· ἢ διὰ παιδογονίαν, ἢ κατὰ συγγνώμην, διὰ τὴν ἡμῶν ἀκρασίαν, ἵνα μὴ πειραζώμεθα εἰς πορνείαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. Καιρὸς δὲ τοῦ μακρύνεσθαι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως, ἢ διὰ προσευχῆς, ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐγκύμονα εἶναι τὴν γυναῖκα. Ἄλλως· Καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ κόσμου, ἵνα αὐξηθῶμεν, καὶ πληθυνθῶμεν, καὶ πληρώσωμεν τὴν γῆν· νῦν καιρὸς τοῦ μακρύνεσθαι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως, ὅτε ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστὶ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ὁ κόσμος ἐλαύνει. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Τίμησον, φησὶ, τὴν σοφίαν, ἵνα σε