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of you, I know well, to hear that story; and we have prolonged this labor, not wishing to intensify the pain for you, but striving to increase the desire, so that our banquet might appear most pleasant to you. For wealthy hosts, if they find their guests full, could arouse their desire by the lavishness of the preparations; but nothing makes the table of the poor appear so splendid as for those who are about to partake of it to arrive hungry. Who then is Uzziah and a descendant of whom and king of whom and how long a time did he reign and what did he accomplish, and what did he fail at, and how did he end his life? We will now tell you all these things, or rather as much as it is possible to say, so as not to overwhelm your memory with the quantity; which also happens in the case of a lamp's fire. For if you there drip oil on the wick drop by drop, you have given the fire sufficient nourishment; but if you pour it all at once, you have also extinguished the existing flame. This Uzziah, therefore, was a descendant of David, and king of the Jews; he reigned for fifty-two years; and being well-regarded at first, he later fell into sin. For thinking himself greater than his own station, he encroached upon the office of the priesthood. So great an evil is arrogance; for it persuades each one to be ignorant of himself and after many labors it empties the whole treasury of virtue. And while other evils are wont to overcome us when we are negligent, this one springs up when we are succeeding. For nothing is so accustomed to give birth to arrogance as a good conscience, if we are not on our guard. For this reason Christ also, knowing that after achievements this passion enters into us, said to the disciples: "When you have done all things, say that we are unprofitable servants." For when the beast is about to enter you, he says, then with these words, shut the doors to it. And he did not say: When you have done all things, you are unprofitable, but: "You say that we are unprofitable." Say it, do not be afraid, for I do not cast my vote based on your judgment. For if you call yourself unprofitable, I will crown you as profitable. Thus also elsewhere he says: "Declare your iniquities first, that you may be justified." For in the external courts, death follows the accusation of the sinner; but in the divine court, a crown follows the accusation of sins. Wherefore Solomon also said: "Do not justify yourself before the Lord." But Uzziah listened to none of these things, but entered into the temple and wanted to burn incense and did not tolerate the priest who forbade him. What then did God do? He sent leprosy upon his forehead, punishing the shameless face and teaching him that the tribunal is divine and the war was not against men. And these are the things concerning Uzziah. Come, then, let us go over the story itself from the beginning. For this is why I myself have briefly recounted to you all that happened beforehand, so that when you hear the Scripture announcing these things, you may follow them with precision. But pay attention. "And Uzziah did," it says, "what was right in the sight of the Lord." Through these words it bore witness to his great virtue. For he not only did what was right, but also in the sight of God, not for the display of men, like those among the Jews who sounded a trumpet before their almsgiving, who disfigured their faces in their fasts, who made their prayers in the streets; than whom what could be more wretched, when they endure the labors, but are deprived of all reward? 3.2 What are you doing, O man? You are about to give an account of your deeds to one, and you call another as a witness of what is done? You have one judge and you seat another as a spectator? Do you not see the charioteers, who, with the whole city sitting above in the of the

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ὑμῶν, εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι, τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκοῦσαι ἐκείνης· καὶ τὴν ὠδῖνα ταύτην ἡμεῖς παρετείναμεν, οὐχὶ τὴν ὀδύνην ὑμῖν ἐπιτεῖναι βουλόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐξῆσαι σπουδάζοντες, ὥστε ἡδίστην ὑμῖν φανῆναι τὴν ἡμετέραν ἑστίασιν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ εὔποροι τῶν ἑστιατόρων, ἐὰν ἐμπεπλησμένους λάβωσι τοὺς δαιτυμόνας, δύναιντ' ἂν τῇ πολυτελείᾳ τῶν παρασκευασθέντων διεγεῖραι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῖς· τὴν δὲ τῶν πενήτων τράπεζαν οὐδὲν οὕτω ποιεῖ φαίνεσθαι λαμπράν, ὡς τὸ πεινῶντας ἀπαντῆσαι τοὺς μέλλοντας μετέχειν αὐτῆς. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν Ὀζίας καὶ τίνων ἀπόγονος καὶ τίνων βασιλεὺς καὶ πόσον ἐβασίλευσε χρόνον καὶ τί μὲν κατώρθωσεν, τί δὲ διήμαρτεν, πῶς δὲ τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν; Ἅπαντα ταῦτα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐροῦμεν νῦν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσα δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν, ὥστε μὴ τῷ πλήθει καταχῶσαι τὴν μνήμην ὑμῶν· ὃ γίνεται καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λυχνιαίου πυρός. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖ κατὰ πικρὸν ἐπιστάξῃς τῇ θρυαλλίδι τὸ ἔλαιον, ἱκανὴν ἔδωκας τῷ πυρὶ τὴν τροφήν· ἂν δὲ ἀθρόον καταχέῃς, καὶ τὴν οὖσαν φλόγα κατέσβεσας. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Ὀζίας ἀπόγονος μὲν ἦν τοῦ ∆αυίδ, βασιλεὺς δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων· ἐβασίλευσε δὲ δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα ἔτη· καὶ τὰ πρῶτα εὐδόκιμος ὤν, ὕστερον εἰς ἁμαρτίαν κατέπεσεν. Μείζονα γὰρ τῆς οἰκείας φρονήσας ἀξίας, ἐπεπήδησε τῇ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀρχῇ. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀπόνοια κακόν· καὶ γὰρ ἑαυτόν τινα ἕκαστον ἀγνοεῖν ἀναπείθει καὶ μετὰ πολλοὺς πόνους ἅπαντα κενοῖ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν θησαυρόν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα κακὰ ῥᾳθυμούντων ἡμῶν περιγίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, αὕτη δὲ κατορθοῦσιν ἡμῖν ἐπιφύεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀπόνοιαν τίκτειν εἴωθεν, ὡς συνειδὸς ἀγαθόν, ἐὰν μὴ προσέχωμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εἰδὼς ὅτι μετὰ τὰ κατορθώματα ἐπεισέρχεται τοῦτο τὸ πάθος ἡμῖν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν· "Ὅταν πάντα ποιήσητε, λέγετε ὅτι ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν." Ὅταν γὰρ ἐπεισιέναι μέλλῃ τὸ θηρίον ὑμῖν, τότε διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων, φησίν, ἀποκλείετε τὰς θύρας αὐτῷ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· Ὅταν πάντα ποιήσητε, ἀχρεῖοί ἐστε, ἀλλ'· "Ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἀχρεῖοί ἐσμεν." Εἰπέ, μὴ φοβηθῇς, οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς σῆς φέρω τὴν ψῆφον ἐγώ. Ἂν γὰρ σὺ σαυτὸν εἴπῃς ἀχρεῖον, ἐγώ σε ὡς χρήσιμον στεφανῶ. Οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· "Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἀνομίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς." Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν δικαστηρίων μετὰ τὴν κατηγορίαν τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος θάνατος· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ θείου δικαστηρίου μετὰ τὴν κατηγορίαν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων στέφανος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν ἔλεγε· "Μὴ δικαίου σεαυτὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου." Ἀλλ' οὐδενὸς τούτων ἤκουσεν ὁ Ὀζίας, ἀλλ' ἐπεισῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ναὸν καὶ θυμιᾶν ἐβούλετο καὶ τοῦ ἱερέως κωλύοντος οὐκ ἠνείχετο. Τί οὖν ὁ Θεός; Ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῷ λέπραν κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου, τὴν ἀναίσχυντον κολάζων ὄψιν καὶ παιδεύων αὐτὸν ὅτι θεῖόν ἐστι τὸ δικαστήριον καὶ οὐ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ὁ πόλεμος ἦν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν ταῦτα. Φέρε δὴ οὖν ἄνωθεν τὴν ἱστορίαν αὐτὴν ἐπέλθωμεν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς προλαβὼν ἐν βραχεῖ διηγησάμην ὑμῖν τὰ συμβεβη κότα πάντα, ἵν' ὅταν ἀκούητε τῆς Γραφῆς ταῦτα ἀπαγγελλούσης, παρακολουθῆτε μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετε. "Καὶ ἐποίησε, φησίν, Ὀζίας τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου." Μεγάλην αὐτῷ διὰ τούτων ἐμαρτύρησεν ἀρετήν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐποίει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἀνθρώπων, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις πρὸ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης σαλπίζοντες, οἱ ἐν ταῖς νηστείαις τὰ πρόσωπα ἀφανίζοντες, οἱ τὰς εὐχὰς ἐν ταῖς ἀμφόδοις ποιούμενοι· ὧν τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀθλιώτερον, ὅταν τοὺς μὲν πόνους ὑπομένωσιν, τῆς δὲ ἀμοιβῆς ἀποστερῶνται πάσης; 3.2 Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; ἑτέρῳ μέλλεις εὐθύνας διδόναι τῶν πεπραγμένων καὶ ἕτερον μάρτυρα καλεῖς τῶν γινομένων; ἕτερον ἔχεις δικαστὴν καὶ ἕτερον καθίζεις θεατήν; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἡνιόχους, οἳ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσης ἄνω καθημένης ἐν ταῖς τῶν