17

to confirm. If the thing has not happened, let a denial follow; if the thing has happened, let an assent confirm it. Without complication towards another, try to present the truth by itself, using bare assertions. Let the unbeliever have the harm of his unbelief. For it is utterly shameful and foolish to accuse oneself as unworthy of belief, and to bring in the security of oaths. But there are some sayings that have the form of oaths, but are not oaths, but rather a concession to the hearers. As Joseph, making himself familiar with the Egyptian, swore by the health of Pharaoh. And the Apostle, demonstrating his own love for the Corinthians, said: By your boasting, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. For he who was entrusted with the Gospel did not disobey the evangelical teaching, but he delivered a bare saying in the form of an oath, showing by such a manner that his boasting in them was worth everything to him. To the one who asks you, give; and from the one who wants to borrow, do not turn away. The word calls us to what is communal, and loving of one another, and kindred to our nature. For man is a social and gregarious animal. And in common life and in interaction with one another, generosity is necessary for the correction of what is lacking. To the one who asks you, give. He wishes you, on the one hand, through love to be generous in simplicity towards those who ask, but on the other hand, with reason to discern the need of each of 29.264 those who beg. And this we have learned in the Acts, in what way it is possible to be rightly done by those who fulfill the aim of piety with knowledge: For as many, it says, as were possessors of lands or houses, selling them brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made to each, according as any had need. For since many, going beyond the use of necessities, make their request an occasion for trade and a pretext for licentious luxury, the collection of money was necessarily made by those entrusted with the care of the poor, so that from there the distribution of necessities could be made knowledgeably and with good stewardship according to the needs of each. For just as in the case of the sick, there is often a need for wine, but it is not for everyone to aim at the right time and measure and quality; but there is need of a physician for the giving of the wine; so also the stewardship concerning the care of the needy cannot be beneficially performed by everyone. For to those who compose mournful songs for the deception of women, and who display the maimings of the body and their sores as an occasion for trade, a lavish ministry is not at all beneficial. For the supply will become for them an occasion for evil. But with a small gift one must ward off the barking of such people, while showing compassion and brotherly love to those taught to bear affliction with patience; for whom it will also be said to them, that I was hungry, and you gave me to eat, and so on. And from the one who wants to borrow, do not turn away. And this command is connected with the previous ones. For indeed he who asks here, being poor, asks for a loan from you, showing you the rich one in heaven, who pays you the debt on his behalf. For he who has mercy, it says, on the poor lends to God. And the security for the loan is the kingdom of heaven. Of which may we all be deemed worthy by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

OF THE SAME, A HOMILY ON A PART OF

the fourteenth psalm, and against those who practice usury. Yesterday on the

the fourteenth psalm, discoursing to you, to reach the end of the discourse

17

διαβεβαιώσασθαι. Οὐ γέγονε τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἄρνησις ἐπακολουθείτω· γέγονε τὸ πρᾶγμα, συγκατάθεσις διαβεβαιούτω. Χωρὶς τῆς πρὸς ἕτερον ἐπιπλοκῆς αὐτὴν καθ' ἑαυτὴν πειρῶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν παριστᾷν, ψιλαῖς ταῖς διαβεβαιώσεσι κεχρημένος. Ὁ ἄπιστος ἐχέτω τὴν βλάβην τῆς ἀπιστίας. Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ παν τελῶς καὶ ἀνόητον ἑαυτοῦ κατηγορεῖν ὡς ἀναξίου πίστεως, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν ὅρκων ἀσφάλειαν ἐπιφέ ρεσθαι. Εἰσὶ δέ τινες λόγοι, σχήματα μὲν ὅρκων ἔχοντες, οὐχ ὅρκοι δὲ ὄντες, ἀλλὰ θεραπεία πρὸς τοὺς ἀκούοντας. Ὡς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον οἰκειούμενος, νὴ τὴν ὑγίειαν ὤμνυε Φαραώ. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπό στολος τὴν πρὸς Κορινθίους ἀγάπην ἑαυτοῦ παρ ιστῶν, ἔφη· Νὴ τὴν ὑμετέραν καύχησιν, ἣν ἔχω ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ παρ ήκουσε τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας ὁ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον πεπιστευμένος, ἀλλὰ λόγον ψιλὸν ἐν σχήματι παρ έδωκεν ὅρκου, τὴν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς καύχησιν ὡς τοῦ παντὸς αὐτῷ ἀξίαν οὖσαν διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου τρόπου δεικνύς. Τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δός· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θέλοντος δανείσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. Ἐπὶ τὸ κοινω νικὸν, καὶ φιλάλληλον, καὶ τῇ φύσει οἰκεῖον ὁ λόγος ἡμᾶς προκαλεῖται. Πολιτικὸν γὰρ ζῶον καὶ συναγε λαστικὸν ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ἐν δὲ τῇ κοινῇ πολιτείᾳ καὶ τῇ μετ' ἀλλήλων ἀναστροφῇ ἀναγκαῖον τὸ εὐμετά δοτον εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν τοῦ ἐνδέοντος. Τῷ αἰ τοῦντί σε δός. Βούλεταί σε διὰ μὲν τὴν ἀγάπην ἐν ἁπλότητι ἀνειμένον εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς αἰτοῦντας, λο γισμῷ δὲ πάλιν διακρίνειν ἑκάστου τὴν χρείαν τῶν 29.264 προσαιτούντων. Καὶ τοῦτο μεμαθήκαμεν ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι, τίνα τρόπον δυνατὸν κατορθοῦσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐπιστημόνως τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας σκοπὸν ἐκπληρούντων· Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶ, κτήτορες χωρίων ἢ οἰκιῶν ὑπῆρχον, πωλοῦντες ἔφερον τὰς τιμὰς τῶν πιπρασκομένων, καὶ ἐτίθουν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων. ∆ιεδίδοτο δὲ ἑκάστῳ, καθ ότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ ὑπερ βαίνοντες τὴν χρῆσιν τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀφορμὴν ἐμ πορίας καὶ ὑπόθεσιν τρυφῆς ἀσελγοῦς ποιοῦνται τὴν αἴτησιν, ἀναγκαίως παρὰ τοῖς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν πτωχῶν πεπιστευμένοις ἡ συγκομιδὴ τῶν χρημάτων ἐγίνετο, ὥστε ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιστημόνως καὶ οἰκονομικῶς ταῖς ἑκάστου χρείαις τὴν διανομὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων γίνεσθαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀῤῥωστούντων χρεία μὲν πολλάκις οἴνου, ἀλλ' οὐ παντός ἐστι καιροῦ καὶ μέτρου καὶ ποιότητος καταστοχάσασθαι· χρεία δὲ ἰατροῦ πρὸς τὴν δόσιν τοῦ οἴνου· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τῶν δεομένων οἰκονομία οὐ παρὰ πάντων ὠφελίμως ἐνεργεῖσθαι δύναται. Τοῖς γὰρ δὴ τὰ θρηνώδη μέλη πρὸς τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν ἀπά την συντιθεῖσι, καὶ τὰ πηρώματα τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὰ ἕλκη πρὸς ἐμπορίας ἀφορμὴν προτιθεῖσιν, οὐ πάντως τὸ δαψιλὲς τῆς διακονίας ὠφέλιμον. Ἀφορμὴ γὰρ αὐτοῖς εἰς κακίαν ἡ χορηγία γενήσε ται. Ἀλλὰ μικρᾷ δόσει χρὴ τὴν τῶν τοιούτων ὑλακὴν ἀπωθεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ συμπαθὲς καὶ φιλάδελφον ἐπι δεικνυμένους, ἐν τοῖς μεθ' ὑπομονῆς τὴν θλίψιν φέρειν δεδιδαγμένοις· ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ λεχθήσεται αὐ τοῖς, ὅτι Ἐπείνασα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θέλοντος δανείσασθαι, μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. Καὶ τοῦτο τὸ παράγγελμα ἔχεται τῶν προτέρων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἐνταῦθα αἰτῶν, πτωχὸς ὢν, δάνειον αἰτεῖ παρὰ σοῦ, δεικνύς σοι τὸν ἐν οὐ ρανοῖς πλούσιον, διαλύοντά σοι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τὸ χρέος. Ὁ γὰρ ἐλεῶν, φησὶ, πτωχὸν Θεῷ δανείζει. Ἐχέγγυον δὲ τοῦ δάνους ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι χάριτι καὶ φι λανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΜΕΡΟΣ

τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου ψαλμοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τοκιζόν των. Χθὲς εἰς τὸν

τεσσαρεσκαιδέκατον ψαλμὸν ὑμῖν διαλεγόμενοι, ἐξικέσθαι πρὸς τὸ πέρας τοῦ λόγου