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and to the king, uttering such grateful voices as were pleasing, abundantly, as to those who had given us the present day, and praising us with certain words, they departed. But he, suddenly clinging to my feet, a speechless suppliant, was a certain astonished person. And when I said, "Who are you and from where, and what do you need?", there was nothing more than greater cries. He lamented, he groaned, the grip of his hands grew tighter; a tear also crept upon me. When he was pulled away by force (for it was not by words), one of those present said: "This is the murderer of you, who see the light by God's protection. He is here willingly, a prisoner of conscience, an ungrateful murderer, a noble accuser; his tear gives honor to the blood." He said these things; and I was broken by his words, and I uttered a voice that was a release from the evil: "May God save you; for me, who have been saved, to appear kind to the murderer is no great thing. Your boldness has made you mine; see to it that you become worthy of me and of God." I said these things; and the city (for nothing good escapes notice) is immediately softened, like iron by fiery workings. But as for the so many rumored riches, which the greatest temples of the whole inhabited world had treasured up from all time, and treasures and revenues from all sides, having found not a single account of them in the records of the former leaders of the church, nor with the new treasurers, in whose hands matters were, to be content with this, and to receive no stranger at all as an accountant for these things to the dishonor of the mystery, as some advised and urged me, how great a matter do you think it is? For one is responsible only for what one has, not for what it is right to receive. These things, whoever is a slave to money, also blames; but whoever is superior to it, will also readily accept. For while greed is evil for all, to be greedy in spiritual matters is worse. If all thought this way about money, it would not have been possible for the churches ever to find such a full body of ministers (for this is not my way of thinking), I mean, one that serves, drawing near to God. And this too was a rumor of our adversaries, that the people, who were formerly divided when we were in want, would not even be sufficient for the gates. So despised were we by all, whose temples and the fullness of temples now are.

These things were our concern, not to mention overseers of the poor, of monks, of virgins, of those in sickness, of strangers, of sojourners, of prisoners, and of all-night psalm-singing and tears, of the dignity practiced by men and women, and of others, in whose good order God delights. But destructive envy was not quiet, by which all things are captured, either openly or secretly; ruling brings upon me a beginning of evils. For as much of the East as there was, apart from Egypt, a leader of peoples, as far as the second Rome, moved from the inmost recesses of land and sea, I know not by what words of God, was coming together as if to establish a pious throne. Of whom the president was a most pious man, simple, artless in manner, full of God, his gaze calm, casting on those who saw him a courage mixed with reverence, a field cultivated by the Spirit. Who did not know this man, whom the account indicates, the head of the church of the Antiochenes, who was what he was called, and being called what he was? For both his character and his name were of honey. who endured much for the sake of the divine Spirit (even if he was snatched away for a little while by a foreign hand) scraping away error by glorious contests. These men install me on the august throne, crying out and groaning, except for one thing alone not entirely unwilling. Bear witness to this, O my account. What is this? For it is not right to hide the truth. I thought, with vain fantasies of the heart (for the will is prone to hope, and all things are easiest with the fervor of the spirit, and I myself am otherwise high-minded in such matters), if I should take power of this throne—for even the appearance of it contributes great influence—, that like a dancer in the middle of two choirs, bringing both near to himself, on one side this one, and on the other that one, by the law of the dance I would bring together into one those who were badly divided. And how not most badly and worthy of abundant tears and many lamentations and rendings of garments, such as no one of old or of new times ever raised over any grievous things, with many evils having befallen many, not even the one which all sing of, the dispersion of Israel, which the Christ-slaying wrath winnowed out. For the

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καὶ βασιλεῖ, ἃς ἦν φίλον, φωνὰς ἀφέντες εὐχαρίστους ἀφθόνως ὡς τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν δεδωκόσιν ἡμᾶς τ' ἐπαινέσαντες ἔστιν οἷς λόγοις ἀπῆλθον. ὃς δὲ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἄφνω ποσίν προσφύς, ἱκέτης ἄφωνος, ἔκπληκτός τις ἦν. ἐμοῦ δέ, «τίς τε καὶ πόθεν, χρῄζεις δ' ὅτου;» λέγοντος, οὐδὲν πλεῖον ἢ μείζους βοαί. ᾤμωξεν, ἐστέναξεν, ἡ σφίγξις χεροῖν πλείων· ὑπεισῄει τι κἀμὲ δάκρυον. βίᾳ δ' ἀποσπασθέντος (οὐ γὰρ ἦν λόγῳ) τῶν τις παρόντων· «οὗτος,» εἶπεν, «ὁ σφαγεύς σοῦ τοῦ τὸ φῶς βλέποντος ἐκ θεοῦ σκέπης. ἑκὼν πάρεστι, δέσμιος συνειδότος, φονεὺς ἀγνώμων, εὐγενὴς κατήγορος, τὸ δάκρυον δίδωσι τιμὴν αἵματος.» ταῦτ' εἶπεν· ἐκλάσθην δὲ τοῖς λόγοις ἐγώ, φωνὴν δ' ἀφῆκα τοῦ κακοῦ λυτήριον· «θεός σε σῴζοι· τὸν σεσωσμένον δ' ἐμέ χρηστὸν φανῆναι τῷ σφαγεῖ οὐδὲν μέγα. ἐμὸν πεποίηκέν σε τὸ θράσος· σκόπει, ὅπως ἐμοί τε καὶ θεῷ γένῃ πρέπων.» ταῦτ' εἶπον· ἡ πόλις δὲ (οὐ γὰρ λανθάνει τῶν καλῶν οὐδέν) εὐθὺς ἐκμαλάσσεται, ὥσπερ σίδηρος ἐμπύροιςκινήμασιν. Τὸ δ' ἐκ τοσούτων χρημάτων θρυλουμένων, ὧν οἱ μέγιστοι τῆς ὅλης οἰκουμένης ναῶν ἐθησαύριζον ἐκ παντὸς χρόνου, κειμηλίων τε καὶ πόρων τῶν πάντοθεν οὐδ' ὁντινοῦν λογισμὸν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν εὑρόντα τῶν πρὶν προστατῶν ἐκκλησίας, οὔτ' ἐν ταμίαις νέοις, ἐν οἷς τὰ πράγματα, στέρξαι, ξένον τε μηδ' ὅλως λαβεῖν τινα, ὅ μοι παρῄνουν καὶ παρώξυνόν τινες, τούτων λογιστὴν εἰς ὕβριν μυστηρίου, πόσον δοκεῖ σοι; ὧν γὰρ ἔσχε τις μόνων, οὐχ ὧν λαβεῖν δίκαιον, ἔσθ' ὑπεύθυνος. ταῦθ', ὅστις ἥττων χρημάτων, καὶ μέμφεται· ὅστις δὲ κρείσσων, καὶ λίαν προσδέξεται. πᾶσιν γὰρ οὔσης τῆς ἀπληστίας κακῆς ἄπληστον εἶναι χεῖρον ἐν τοῖς πνεύματος. εἰ πάντες οὕτως ἐφρόνουν εἰς χρήματα, οὐκ ἄν ποτ' οὐδὲν τοῖον ἦν ἐκκλησίαις πλήρωμ' ἀνευρεῖν (οὐ φρενὸς γὰρ τῆς ἐμῆς), λέγω δ' ὅσον λειτουργόν, ἐγγίζον θεῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο δ' ἦν θρύλημα τῶν ἐναντίων, μηδ' ἂν πυλῶσι τὸν λεὼν ἐξαρκέσαι, τὸν πρὶν μερισθένθ', ἡνίκ' ἦμεν ἐνδεεῖς. τοσοῦτον ἦμεν πᾶσιν εὐτελισμένοι, ὧν νῦν νεῴ τε καὶ νεὼν πληρώματα.

Ταῦθ' ἡμῖν ἐσπουδάζεθ', ὡς ἂν μὴ λέγω πτωχῶν, μοναστῶν, παρθένων, τῶν ἐν νόσοις, ξένων, παροίκων, δεσμίων ἐπιστάτας, ψαλμῳδιῶν τε δακρύων τε παννύχων, ἀνδρῶν γυναικῶν σεμνότητ' ἀσκουμένων, ἄλλοις τε, οἷς ἀγάλλετ' εὐτάκτοις θεός. Ἀλλ' οὐ γὰρ ἡσύχαζεν ὁ φθορεὺς φθόνος, ᾧ πάνθ' ἁλίσκετ', ἢ φανερῶς ἢ λαθρίως· ἀρχὴν κακῶν μοι τὸ κρατεῖν ἐπεισάγει. ὅσον γὰρ ἦν ἑῷον, Αἰγύπτου δίχα, λαῶν πρόεδρον, ἄχρι Ῥώμης δευτέρας, γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐκ μυχῶν ἐσωτάτων κινηθέν, οὐκ οἶδ' οἷστισιν θεοῦ λόγοις, συνέρχεθ' ὡς πήξοντες εὐσεβῆ θρόνον. ὧν ἦν πρόεδρος ἀνὴρ εὐσεβέστατος, ἁπλοῦς, ἄτεχνος τὸν τρόπον, θεοῦ γέμων, βλέπων γαλήνην, θάρσος αἰδοῖ σύγκρατον βάλλων ὁρῶσι, πνεύματος γεώργιον. τίς ἠγνόησε τοῦτον, ὃν δηλοῖ λόγος, τῆς Ἀντιοχέων προστάτην ἐκκλησίας, τὸν ὄνθ' ὅπερ κέκλητο καὶ καλούμενον ὃ ἦν; μέλιτος γὰρ καὶ τρόπος καὶ τοὔνομα. ὃς πόλλ' ἀνέτλη πνεύματος θείου χάριν (εἰ καὶ ξένῃ τι μικρὸν ἐκλάπη χερί) ἀγῶσι λαμπροῖς τὴν πλάνην ἀποξέων. Οὗτοι μ' ἐνιδρύουσι τοῖς σεμνοῖς θρόνοις βοῶντα καὶ στένοντα, πλὴν δι' ἓν μόνον οὐ σφόδρ' ἄκοντα. τοῦτο μαρτύρει, λόγε. τί τοῦτο; τἀληθὲς γὰρ οὐ κρύπτειν θέμις. ᾤμην ματαίοις καρδίας φαντάσμασιν (τὸ γὰρ θέλειν πρόχειρον εἰς τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ πάντα ῥᾷστα τῇ ζέσει τοῦ πνεύματος, κἀγώ τις ἄλλως εἰς τὰ τοιαῦθ' ὑψίνους), εἰ τὸ κράτος λάβοιμι τοῦδε τοῦ θρόνου- πολλὴν ῥοπὴν γὰρ καὶ τὸ φαίνεσθ' εἰσφέρει-, ὥσπερ χορευτὴς ἐν μέσῳ δυοῖν χοροῖν ἄμφω πρὸς αὑτὸν συντιθεὶς τοὺς πλησίον, τῇ μὲν τὸν ἔνθεν, τῇ δὲ τόν, χοροῦ νόμῳ εἰς ἓν συνάξειν τοὺς διεστῶτας κακῶς. πῶς δ' οὐ κάκιστα καὶ δακρύων πλουσίων θρήνων τε πολλῶν καὶ σπαραγμῶν ἀξίως, οἵων τις οὔπω τῶν πάλαι ἢ τῶν νέων ἐπ' οὐδενός ποτ' ἀνιαρῶν ἐστήσατο, πολλῶν κακῶν πολλοῖς τε συμπεπτωκότων, οὐδ' ἣν ἅπαντες ᾄδουσ' Ἰσραὴλ σποράν, ὃν χριστοφόντης ἐξελίκμησεν χόλος. Οἱ γὰρ