Gregory of Nazianzus, Songs About Himself

is found, having labored at nothing, new in his dignity? O, the swift reversal of character! 1195 The rolls of draughts; the things of God are in dice. Or a comic mask, suddenly put on by one of the most worthless and small, has this pious new man appeared to us. Great indeed is the grace of the Spirit, if even the beloved Saul is among the prophets. Yesterday you were in the midst of mimes and theaters (but let another examine the things from the theaters), now you yourself are a strange spectacle to us. Formerly a lover of horses, and sending dust to God, as another sends prayers, or pious thoughts. And the reason, some charioteer falling, or some horse taking second place in the races; and the light air of the horses beat against you, 1196 as one fallen from his senses and mad. Now you are well-composed and look only with modesty, unless you might secretly run back to your old ways, like a crooked branch, I think, escaping the force of a hand that straightens it, runs to the same. Yesterday, speaking as an orator, you sold justice, twisting the laws up and down, by which you destroyed those whom justice saved, using the greater amount as a just scale; now suddenly a judge for me, and a Daniel. Yesterday judging me with a bared sword, you made the tribunal a lawful den of thieves, stealing, tyrannizing, and above all, the laws; How gentle you are to me today! Not even a garment 1197 does one change so easily as you your character. Yesterday you were turning among effeminate dancers, and you were a herald of marriages among Lydian women, warbling songs, and exulting in drinking bouts; now a teacher of modesty to virgins and wives. How your good is suspicious from your former character! Yesterday Simon Magus, today Simon Peter. Alas for the speed! Alas, a lion instead of a fox! But tell me, best of men, and tax collector, or one who has left some rank of the army, from where, being poor, then surpassing Cyrus the Mede, or Croesus, or Midas in wealth, possessing a house full of tears, you have passed to the high office, and hold a throne, 1198 then seizing all things you hold them by force, finally, tyrannizing even the mysteries of God which perhaps those not prepared from long before should not even dare to look upon? Did the bath, or purification, change you? Wait; let it be seen; and why should we envy you? The gain is mine; only give something to time; I ask of you a short period for this desire. But if, being cleansed today by the gift of God, you spew forth the same mire out of indolence, the source remaining, which gushes forth the former evils (for the washing is not entirely a purification of character, but of the growths which have sprung from character), know this clearly, your salvation is mournful. 1199 Inasmuch as before there were at least good hopes; but now not even this. One grace from one God. But let one not be evil; will this suffice? Therefore we also love wax, which, when the old impressions are smoothed away, is inscribed with good ones. Become a Zacchaeus; to those who have been wronged not more, just the principal, if it seems good, only pay down; for you cannot bear that of the law; and to the poor, in turn, contribute as much as you wish, and then you will host Christ worthily. But if, with the spoils inside, if by giving a little to the poor, you think you obtain freedom, the divine has been sold by us, if it is right to say so; for how is it just, for my injury 1200 to be unresolved, but for you to have the grace, that you do not pay the penalty for your audacities? Do you have grace? Then of others' property become far from it; thus is the purification complete. But if, when you were in the midst of the grace, you had things not your own, and were not entirely washed clean, I hesitate at what follows, but I think it is clear to all. Seek grace; for now I know a debtor, even if the throne bears you very high. For of the things wherein we have done wrong, not of those wherein we have stumbled, the bath is an effacement. So that completely you may purify yourself, but let me not laugh now, as you purify others while being stained yourself; unless this privilege is from God for you alone, 1201 like that which the king's hand writes as a favor, that you are also to be praised for your tyranny; But if not even the bath completely cleanses those who, as I said, have received the grace (for no one ever outwits God, who binds even the wise with wiser ones), who then could cleanse from the evils after anointing those who are again stained in the depth of the mire, and have insulted the dignity of the image from above with that of reptiles or wild beasts

εὑρίσκεται, Μηδὲν πονηθεὶς, πρόσφατος τὴν ἀξίαν; Ὢ τῆς ταχείας τῶν τρόπων μεταστροφῆς 1195 Πεσσῶν κυλίσματ'· ἐν κύβοις τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἢ κωμικὸν πρόσωπον, ἀθρόως τεθὲν Τῶν εὐτελεστάτων τε καὶ μικρῶν ἑνὶ, Πέφηνεν ἡμῖν οὗτος εὐσεβὴς νέος. Πολλή τις ὄντως ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος, Εἴγ' ἐν προφήταις καὶ Σαοὺλ ὁ φίλτατος. Χθὲς ἦσθα μίμων καὶ θεάτρων ἐν μέσῳ (Τὰ δ' ἐκ θεάτρων ἄλλος ἐξεταζέτω), Νῦν αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ἡ ξένη θεωρία. Πρώην φίλιππος, καὶ Θεῷ πέμπων κόνιν, Ὡς ἄλλος εὐχὰς, ἢ νοήματ' εὐσεβῆ. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον, πίπτων τις ἁρματηλάτης, Ἤ τις τὰ δεύτερ' ἵππος ἐν δρόμοις φέρων· Ἵππων δ' ἀήρ σοι κοῦφος ἀντετύπτετο, 1196 Ὡς ἐκ φρενῶν πεσόντι καὶ μεμηνότι Νῦν εὐσταλής τις καὶ βλέπων αἰδὼ μόνην, Πλὴν εἰ λαθών που πρὸς τὸ ἀρχαῖον δράμοις, Ὡς λοξὸς, οἶμαι, πτόρθος ἐκφυγὼν βίαν Χειρὸς κατευθύνουσαν εἰς ταυτὸν τρέχει. Χθὲς ῥητορεύων τὰς δίκας ἀπημπόλεις, Στρέφων ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω τὰ τῶν νόμων, Ἐξ ὧν ἀπώλλυς, οὓς ἔσωζεν ἡ δίκη, Στάθμῃ δικαίᾳ χρώμενος τῷ πλείονι· Νῦν μοι δικαστὴς, καὶ ∆ανιήλ τις ἀθρόως. Χθές μοι δικάζων σὺν ξίφει γυμνουμένῳ, Τὸ βῆμ' ἐποίεις ἔννομον λῃστήριον, Κλέπτων, τυραννῶν, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τοὺς νόμους· Ὡς ἥμερός μοι σήμερον! Οὐδ' ἐσθῆτά τις 1197 Οὕτως ἀμείβει ῥᾳδίως, ὡς σὺ τρόπον. Χθὲς ἐν χορευταῖς ἐστρέφου θηλυδρίαις, Γάμων δὲ κήρυξ ἦσθα Λυδαῖς ἐν μέσαις, Ὠδὰς λυγίζων, καὶ πότοις γαυρούμενος· Νῦν σωφρονιστὴς παρθένων καὶ συζύγων· Ὥς σου τὸ καλὸν ὕποπτον ἐκ τοῦ πρὶν τρόπου! Σίμων Μάγος χθὲς, σήμερον Πέτρος Σίμων. Φεῦ τοῦ τάχους! φεῦ, ἀντ' ἀλώπεκος λέων! Σὺ δ' εἰπέ μοι, βέλτιστε, καὶ πράκτωρ φόρων, Ἢ καὶ στρατοῦ τιν' ἐκλελοιπὼς ἀξίαν, Πόθεν πένης ὢν, εἶθ' ὑπερβαλὼν Κύρον Τὸν Μῆδον, ἢ τὸν Κροῖσον, ἢ Μίδαν πόροις, Πλήρη τὸν οἶκον δακρύων κεκτημένος, Μετῆλθες εἰς τὸ βῆμα, καὶ κρατεῖς θρόνου, 1198 Ἔπειτα πάντα συλλαβὼν ἔχεις βίᾳ, Τέλος, τυραννῶν καὶ Θεοῦ μυστήρια Οἷς οὐδὲ θαῤῥεῖν προσβλέπειν ἐχρῆν ἴσως Τοὺς μὴ λίαν πόῤῥωθεν ηὐτρεπισμένους; Τὸ λουτρὸν, ἢ κάθαρσις ἐξήμειψέ σε; Μεῖνον· φανήτω· καὶ τί σοι φθονήσομεν; Ἐμὸν τὸ κέρδος· τῷ χρόνῳ τι δὸς μόνον· Αἰτῶ σε μικρὰν τοῦ πόθου προθεσμίαν. Εἰ δὲ καθαρθεὶς σήμερον δώρῳ Θεοῦ, Βρύεις τὸν αὐτὸν βόρβορον ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας, Πηγῆς μενούσης, ἢ βρύει τὰ πρὶν κακὰ (Ἡ γὰρ πλύσις κάθαρσις οὐ πάντως τρόπου, Τῶν δ' ἐκφυέντων ἐκ τρόπου βλαστημάτων), Σαφῶς τόδ' ἴσθι, πένθιμος ἡ σωτηρία. 1199 Ὅσῳ τὸ πρὶν μὲν δεξιαὶ γοῦν ἐλπίδες· Νῦν δ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Ἓν χάρισμ' ἑνὸς Θεοῦ. Ἔστω δὲ μὴ κακός τις· ἀρκέσει τόδε; Καὶ κηρὸν οὖν στέργομεν, ὃς τύπους πάλαι Τοὺς πρὶν λεανθεὶς, τοὺς καλοὺς μετεγγραφῇ. Γενοῦ Ζαχαῖος· τοῖς μὲν ἠδικημένοις Μὴ πλεῖον, αὐτὸ τὸ κεφάλαιον, εἰ δοκεῖ, Μόνον κατάθες· οὐ γὰρ φέρεις τὸ τοῦ νόμου· Τοῖς δ' αὖ πένησιν εἰσένεγχ', ὅσον θέλεις, Καὶ τότε Χριστὸν ἑστιάσεις ἀξίως. Εἰ δ' ἔνδον ὄντων τῶν σκύλων, ἢν μικρὰ δοὺς Πένησιν, οἴει τυγχάνειν ἐλεύθερος, Τὸ θεῖον ἡμῖν πέπρατ', εἰ θέμις λέγειν· Πῶς γὰρ δίκαιον, τὴν βλάβην μὲν τὴν ἐμὴν 1200 Ἄλυτον εἶναι, σοὶ δὲ τὸ χάρισμ' ἔχειν, Τὸ μὴ δίκας δοῦναί σε τῶν τολμημάτων; Ἔχεις χάρισμα; τῶν δ' ἀλλοτρίων γενοῦ Πόῤῥωθεν· οὕτως ἡ κάθαρσις παντελής. Εἰ δ', ἡνίκ' ἦσθα τοῦ χαρίσματος μέσος, Εἶχες τὰ μὴ σὰ, μηδὲ πάντ' ἐξεπλύνου, Ὀκνῶ τὸ ἑξῆς, παντὶ δ' οἴομαι σαφές. Ζήτει χάρισμα· νῦν γὰρ οἶδ' ὀφειλέτην, Κἂν ὁ θρόνος σε λίαν ὑψηλὸν φέρῃ. Ὧν ἠδικήκαμεν γὰρ, οὐχ ὧν πταίομεν, Τὸ λουτρὸν ἐξάλειψις. Ὥστε παντελῶς Σαυτὸν καθαίροις, ἀλλὰ νυνὶ μὴ γελῷ, Ἄλλους καθαίρων αὐτὸς ἐσπιλωμένος· Εἰ μὴ μόνῳ σοι τοῦτο ἐκ Θεοῦ γέρας, 1201 Ὡς ἃ γράφει χεὶρ βασιλέως πρὸς χάριν, Τὸ καὶ προσεπαινεῖσθαί σε τῆς τυραννίδος· Εἰ δ' οὐδὲ τὸ λουτρὸν ἐκκαθαίρει παντελῶς Τοὺς, ὥσπερ εἶπον, τὴν χάριν δεδεγμένους (Θεὸν γὰρ οὔποτ' οὐδὲ εἷς σοφίζεται, Τὸν συνδέοντα καὶ σοφοὺς σοφωτέροις), Τίς ἂν καθήραι τῶν μετὰ χρίσιν κακῶν Τοὺς αὖθις ἐγχρωσθέντας ἰλύος βάθει, Καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν εἰκόνος τὴν ἀξίαν Καθυβρίσαντας ἑρπετῶν ἢ θηρίων