Gregory of Nazianzus, On Love for the Poor

God to be, if they become dizzy at any of the things that happen; or 35.901 it is necessary to labor at the argument, as if the truth would soon be given to their industry, or to philosophize about these things with those wiser and more spiritual than themselves, since this too is one gift, and knowledge is not for all, or to hunt for it by purity of life, and to seek wisdom from Wisdom itself. But they (O, the lack of education!) turn to the readier course, and they falsely accuse the universe of irrationality, not knowing the reason themselves; and they are wise through lack of education, or rather, foolish and without understanding through excessive wisdom, so to speak. From this, some have dogmatized about chance and the automatic, truly automatic notions fashioned by chance; others about a certain irrational and indissoluble dominion of stars weaving our affairs as they wish, or rather, being themselves compelled to weave; and certain conjunctions and retrogressions of planets and fixed stars, and a sovereign motion of the universe. Others, whatever each one imagined, bringing it to the miserable race of men, introduced, dividing into various opinions and names whatever of Providence was unattainable and unobservable to them. And there are some who have even condemned Providence for great poverty, thinking that the things above us are governed by it, but shrinking from bringing it down to us who are most in need, as if fearing that by benefiting more, they might declare the benefactor to be better, or that God might grow weary of doing good to more people.

33. But let these, as I said, be cast aside, since the Word has rightly anticipated and refuted them; For, it says, their foolish heart was darkened; professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God, insulting the Providence that is over all things with certain myths and shadows. But let us neither ourselves invent these monstrous tales, if we who are rational and servants of the Word have any care for reason; nor let us accept those who think them, even if their tongues run glibly with absurd arguments and doctrines, and they delight in novelty. But let us believe that God is the maker and creator of all things; for how could the universe have subsisted, if something had not given it substance and fitted it together? And let us also introduce Providence, which holds together and binds this universe; since it is necessary 35.904 for him to be the provider for these things of which he is the maker; lest the whole, carried along by chance, like a ship in a whirlwind, should immediately be dissolved and broken apart through the disorder of matter, and be brought back to its ancient confusion and chaos. And let us accept that our own [creator] especially presides over our affairs, whether you wish to call him maker or fashioner; even if our life is conducted through opposites, perhaps for this reason also unknown, so that in what is hard to behold we might marvel at the reason which is above all. For that which is easily grasped is entirely easy to despise; but that which is beyond us, by how much it is more difficult to attain, by so much it is more wonderful; and everything that escapes our grasp exercises our desire.

34. For this reason, let us neither marvel at all health, nor spit upon sickness, nor set our hearts on flowing wealth, more than is proper, clinging to the stream, and as it were spending some part of our soul on it; nor let us be cast down by poverty, as a thing to be utterly spat upon and condemned, and of the hated portion; but let us know both to despise a foolish health, whose fruit is sin, and to honor a holy sickness, revering those who have conquered through suffering, lest some Job be hidden among the sick, someone much more venerable than the healthy, even if he scrapes his discharge, even if he suffers outdoors night and day, and is distressed by his sores, and his wife, and his friends; and likewise to send away unrighteous wealth, for which the rich man in the flame justly toils, and begs for a small drop of refreshment, and poverty

εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν, ἂν πρός τι τῶν συμβαινόντων ἰλιγγιάσωσιν· ἢ 35.901 καμεῖν περὶ τὸν λόγον δέον, ὡς τάχ' ἂν τῇ φιλοπονίᾳ δοθησομένης τῆς ἀληθείας, ἢ σοφωτέροις ἑαυτῶν ταῦτα συμφιλοσοφεῖν καὶ πνευματικωτέροις, ἐπει δὴ καὶ τοῦτο χάρισμα ἓν, καὶ οὐχὶ πάντων ἡ γνῶσις, ἢ καθάρσει βίου ταύτην θηρεύειν, καὶ παρὰ τῆς ὄντως Σοφίας σοφίαν ἐπιζητεῖν. Οἱ δὲ (ὢ τῆς ἀπαιδευσίας!) ἐπὶ τὸ ἑτοιμότερον τρέπονται, καὶ ἀλογίαν τοῦ παντὸς καταψεύδονται, αὐτοὶ τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι· καὶ εἰσὶ δι' ἀπαιδευσίαν σοφοὶ, ἢ διὰ σοφίαν, ἵνα οὕτως εἴπω, τὴν περιττὴν, ἄσοφοι καὶ ἀσύνετοι. Ἐντεῦθεν οἱ μὲν τύχην καὶ τὸ αὐτόματον ἐδογμάτισαν, ὄντως αὐτόματα καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀναπλασθέντα ἐπινοήματα· οἱ δὲ ἀστέρων τι νὰ δυναστείαν ἄλογόν τε καὶ ἄλυτον πλεκόντων, ὡς ἂν βούλωνται, τὰ ἡμέτερα, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πλέκειν συνηναγκασμένων· καὶ πλανητῶν δή τι νων καὶ ἀπλανῶν συνόδους καὶ ὑποχωρήσεις, καὶ κυ ρίαν τοῦ παντὸς κίνησιν. Οἱ δὲ, ὅ τι ἂν ἕκαστος ἐφαντάσθησαν, τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων φέροντες, ἐπεισήγαγον, ὅσον αὐτοῖς τῆς Προνοίας ἀνέφικτόν τε καὶ ἀθεώρητον, εἰς διαφόρους δόξας καὶ προσηγορίας καταμερίσαντες. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ καὶ πενίαν πολλὴν τῆς Προνοίας κατέγνωσαν, τὰ μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ταύτῃ διοικεῖσθαι νομίσαντες, ἄχρι δ' ἡμῶν τῶν καὶ μάλιστα δεομένων κατάγειν αὐτὴν ἀποκνήσαντες, ὥσ περ δεδοικότες, μὴ τῷ πλείονας εὐεργετεῖσθαι, ἀγαθώτερον ἀποφήνωσι τὸν εὐεργέτην, ἢ ἀποκάμνοι αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς εὖ ποιῶν πλείονας.

ΛΓʹ. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν, ὅπερ εἶπον, ἐῤῥίφθων, ἐπεὶ καὶ καλῶς αὐτοὺς προλαβὼν ὁ λόγος ἠμύνατο· Ἐμα ταιώθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν, καὶ ἤλλα ξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ, μύθοις τισὶ καὶ σκιαῖς τὴν διὰ πάντων Πρόνοιαν καθυβρί σαντες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ μήτε αὐτοὶ ταῦτα τερατευώμεθα, εἴπερ τι μέλει τοῦ λόγου λογικοῖς οὖσιν ἡμῖν, καὶ λό γου θεραπευταῖς· μήτε τοὺς οἰομένους ἀποδεχώ μεθα, κἂν εὐδρομῶσι τὴν γλῶτταν ἐν τοῖς ἀτόποις λόγοις καὶ δόγμασι, καὶ τῷ καινῷ τέρπωσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεὸν εἶναι τὸν πάντων ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν πιστεύωμεν· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ὑπέστη τὸ πᾶν, μή τινος οὐσιώσαντός τε καὶ συναρμόσαντος; Καὶ Πρόνοιαν συνεισάγωμεν, τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς συνεκτικήν τε καὶ συνδετικήν· ἐπεὶ καὶ προνοητὴν 35.904 εἶναι τούτων, ὧν ποιητὴν εἶναι ἀναγκαῖον· εἰ μὴ μέλλοι τὸ πᾶν τῷ αὐτομάτῳ φερόμενον, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ λαίλαπος ναῦς, αὐτίκα λυθήσεσθαί τε καὶ διασπασθή σεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἀταξίαν τῆς ὕλης, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀρ χαίαν σύγχυσίν τε καὶ ἀκοσμίαν ἐπαναχθήσεσθαι. Καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις μάλιστα ἐπιστατεῖν δεξώμεθα τὸν ἡμέτερον, εἴτε ποιητὴν, εἴτε πλάστην βούλει καλεῖν· κἂν διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ὁ βίος ἡμῖν διεξάγηται, διὰ τοῦτο τυχὸν καὶ ἀγνοουμένων, ἵνα τῷ δυσθεωρή τῳ τὸν ὑπὲρ πάντα λόγον θαυμάζωμεν. Ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν ῥᾳδίως ληπτὸν, ἅπαν εὐκαταφρόνητον· τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, ὅσῳ δυσεφικτότερον, τοσούτῳ θαυμασιώ τερον· καὶ γυμνάζει τὸν πόθον ἅπαν τὸ διαφεῦγον τὴν ἔφεσιν.

Λ∆ʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μήτε ὑγίειαν πᾶσαν θαυμάζωμεν, μήτε νόσον διαπτύωμεν, μήτε πλούτῳ ῥέοντι προστι θώμεθα καρδίᾳ, πλέον ἢ καλῶς ἔχει, τῇ ῥοῇ προσκείμενοι, καὶ οἷον τῆς ψυχῆς τι ταύτῃ προσαν αλίσκοντες· μήτε πενίας κατεξανιστώμεθα, ὡς ἀπο πτύστου πάντη καὶ κατακρίτου, καὶ τῆς μισουμένης μερίδος· ἀλλ' εἰδῶμεν καὶ ὑγίειαν περιφρονεῖν ἀ σύνετον, ἧς καρπὸς ἁμαρτία, καὶ νόσον τιμᾷν ὁσίαν, αἰδούμενοι τοὺς διὰ πάθους νικήσαντας, μή πού τις καὶ Ἰὼβ τοῖς νοσοῦσιν ἐγκέκρυπται, πο λύ τι τῶν ὑγιαινόντων αἰδεσιμώτερος, κἂν τὸν ἰχῶ ρα ξέῃ, κἂν ταλαιπωρῇ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας αἴθριος, καὶ πληγῇ, καὶ γυναικὶ, καὶ φίλοις στενο χωρούμενος· ὡς δὲ καὶ πλοῦτον ἄδικον ἀποπέμπε σθαι, δι' ὃν κάμνει δικαίως ὁ ἐν τῇ φλογὶ πλούσιος, καὶ προσαιτεῖ ῥανίδα μικρὰν ἀναψύξεως, καὶ πενίαν