17

the story, exhorting him many times to spare the child. Offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord. Although as mortal men you think many things while being angry during the day; yet on your beds in quietness, having come to yourselves, be pricked in heart, reasoning about the things you have done during the day. Be not angry, he says, against those who sin against you, nor against the one who rose up against his father; nor sinning yourselves, even if others who are impious provoke you to works of anger and to sins, but instead of these things rather, if you wish to have safety, offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord, and be troubled no longer, having been reconciled to the Lord through righteousness. Since instead of every sacrifice He rejoices in righteous deeds and in actions according to virtue. And it is much better to do this than to be angry and to hasten to avenge yourselves. Wherefore I also, when my son rose up against me, was zealous about this alone, propitiating God through righteousness; whence, When I called upon him, the God of my righteousness heard me, and, in affliction you have enlarged me; since, having offered a sacrifice of righteousness, I hoped in him. Many say, "Who will show us good things?" Others indeed, he says, thinking otherwise, and especially the heavy-hearted sons of men, who love the vanity of this life. not knowing what is truly good, nor hoping, nor believing they will see these things, they say, "Who will show us good things?" For they do not perceive 23.109 them, because they are not illumined by the light of your countenance; wherefore, supposing only earthly and corruptible things to be good, they are occupied with these and pursue these. But if someone should speak to them about the more divine and heavenly things, they are accustomed to ask, "And who is it that will show us these things?" But they are of such a kind. But we, upon whom the light of your countenance has been signed, O Lord, know both the one who will show and the one who will give them to us, having come to the knowledge of them by your light; You have put gladness into my heart. From the fruit of their grain and wine and oil they have been multiplied. Since in many places of the Scriptures, in blessings, grain and wine are set forth in promise to the saints, just as the opposite, the deprivation of these, is for sinners; it is worthwhile to draw away from the bare literal understanding, both the more simple of the believers, and those who because of the smallness of the promise wish to worship another God fashioned by themselves; and we must be ambitious to elevate the variety of bodily foods to these things, by partaking of which according to its worth each soul is both sanctified and is in a good state and is strengthened to be able to accomplish the works incumbent upon it; But I think that these things are also to be referred to the age to come. And lest we should seem to declare such great things without witness, Paul will suffice for us, teaching this most clearly in his Epistle to the Philippians thus: Let no one therefore judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or of sabbaths; which are a shadow of things to come. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you, Lord, alone have made me dwell in hope. It seems to indicate the harmless relief and rest of the soul, which will be in harmony with the divine word after the contemplations of the most beautiful things. For perhaps in the way that, in respect to the body, after eating and drinking we need the relief of sleep; so the soul, not being always able to be sufficient for contemplation, at the proper time gazes intently upon what is self-sufficient according to its own power; then we believe a rest is indicated through the words: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep." They indeed, he says, the many, since they travel the broad and wide way, by which the many walk, not hoping who will show them the truly good things, being multiplied in wine and oil and grain, think that they are enjoying these as good things; but to me who has been counted worthy of the light of the

17

ἱστορίαν πολλὰ παραινοῦντα αὐτὸν φείσασθαι τοῦ παιδός. Θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ Κύριον. Εἰ καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωποι θνητοὶ πολλὰ διανοεῖσθε μεθ' ἡμέραν ὀργιζόμενοι· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν ἐφ' ἡσυχίας, παρ' ἑαυτοῖς γενόμενοι, κατανύγητε, τὰ δι' ἡμέρας ὑμῖν πεπραγμένα διαλογιζόμενοι. Μὴ γοῦν, φησὶν, ὀργίζεσθε κατὰ τῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς πλημμελούντων, μηδὲ κατὰ τοῦ ἐπαναστάντος τῷ πατρί· μήτε αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτάνοντες, κἂν ἕτεροι ἀσεβοῦντες προκαλοῦνται ὑμᾶς εἰς ὀργῆς ἔργα καὶ εἰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τούτων μᾶλλον, εἴπερ βούλεσθε τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἔχειν, θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ μηκέτι ταράττεσθε, οἰκειωθέντες τῷ Κυρίῳ διὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης. Ἐπείπερ ἀντὶ πάσης θυσίας χαίρει δικαιοπραγίαις καὶ ταῖς κατ' ἀρετὴν πράξεσι. Καὶ τοῦτο πολὺ βέλτιον πράττειν ἢ ὀργίζεσθαι καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδικεῖν σπουδάζειν. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς, ἐπαναστάντος τοῦ υἱοῦ, περὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἐσπούδασα διὰ δικαιοσύνης τὸν Θεὸν ἱλασκόμενος· ὅθεν, Ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαί με εἰσήκουσέ μου ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου, καὶ, ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς μοι· ἐπειδὴ, θύσας θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἤλπισα. Πολλοὶ λέγουσιν· Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν ἀγαθά; Ἄλλοι μὲν, φησὶν, ἄλλως διανοούμενοι, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ βαρυκάρδιοι υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἱ τὴν τοῦ βίου ματαιότητα ἀγαπῶντες. οὐκ εἰδότες τ' ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὰ, οὐδὲ ἐλπίζοντες, οὐδὲ πιστεύοντες ταῦτα ὄψεσθαι, φασί· Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; Οὐ γὰρ συνορῶσιν 23.109 αὐτὰ, τῷ μὴ καταυγάζεσθαι τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ προσώπου σου· διὸ δὴ μόνα τὰ γεώδη καὶ φθαρτὰ ὑπολαμβάνοντες εἶναι ἀγαθὰ, περὶ ταῦτα ἀσχολοῦνται καὶ ταῦτα μεταδιώκουσιν. Εἰ δέ τις αὐτοῖς περὶ τῶν θειοτέρων καὶ ἐπουρανίων λέγοι, ἐρωτᾷν εἰώθασιν· Καὶ τίς ἆρά ἐστιν ὁ δείξων ἡμῖν ταῦτα; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τοιοῦτοί τινες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ παρ' οἷς ἐσημειώθη τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, ὦ Κύριε, καὶ τὸν δείξοντα καὶ τὸν δώσοντα ἡμῖν αὐτὰ ἐπιστάμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ σου φωτὸς εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῶν ἐληλυθότες· Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου. Ἀπὸ καρποῦ τοῦ σίτου καὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλαχοῦ τῶν Γραφῶν ἐν εὐλογίαις σῖτος καὶ οἶνος τοῖς ἁγίοις κεῖνται ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, ὡς τοῦ ἐναντίου τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς ἡ τούτων στέρησις· ἄξιον ἀποστῆσαι τῆς κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ψιλὸν ὑπολήψεως, τούς τε ἀκεραιοτέρους τῶν πεπιστευκότων, καὶ τοὺς διὰ τὴν μικρότητα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἑτέρῳ Θεῷ ἀναπλαττομένῳ ὑπ' αὐτῶν βουλομένους προσκυνεῖν· καὶ φιλοτιμητέον τὸ ποικίλον τῶν σωματικῶν βρωμάτων ἀναγαγεῖν ἐπὶ ταῦτα, ὧν μεταλαμβάνουσα κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστη ψυχὴ ἁγιάζεταί τε καὶ εὐεκτεῖ καὶ ἰσχυροποιεῖται πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα αὐτῇ ἔργα ἐπιτελεῖν· Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι αὐτὰ καὶ εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα ἀνάγεσθαι. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ περὶ τῶν τηλικούτων ἀμαρτύρως δόξωμεν ἀποφαίνεσθαι, ἀρκέσει ἡμῖν Παῦλος σαφέστατα τοῦτο διδάσκων ἐν τῇ πρὸς Φιλιππησίους Ἐπιστολῇ οὕτως· Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει ἢ ἐν πόσει, ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νουμηνίας σαββάτων· ἅ ἐστι σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων. Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσω, ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε, κατὰ μόνας ἐπ' ἐλπίδι κατῴκισάς με. Ἔοικε δηλοῦν τὴν ἀβλαβῆ ἄνεσιν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν τῆς ψυχῆς, συμφώνως τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ ἐσομένην μετὰ τὰς πρὸς τὰ κάλλιστα θεωρίας. Τάχα γὰρ ὃν τρόπον κατὰ τὸ σῶμα φαγόντες καὶ πιόντες ἀνέσεως δεόμεθα τῆς κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον· οὕτως οὐ πάντοτε δυναμένη διαρκεῖν ἡ ψυχὴ πρὸς τὸ θεωρεῖν, ἐν καιρῷ ἐνατενίζει τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῆς δύναμιν τῷ αὐτάρκει· εἶτα διανάπαυσιν ἡγούμεθα δηλοῦσθαι διὰ τοῦ· Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσω. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν, φησὶν, οἱ πολλοὶ ἅτε δὴ πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδεύοντες, δι' ἧς οἱ πολλοὶ βαδίζουσι, οὐκ ἐλπίζοντες, τίς δείξει αὐτοῖς τὰ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθὰ, ἐν οἴνῳ καὶ ἐλαίῳ καὶ σίτῳ πληθύνοντες, ὡς ἀγαθῶν τούτων ἀπολαύειν ἡγοῦνται· ἐμοὶ δὲ τῷ καταξιωμένῳ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ