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tearing, and forcing to sacrifice; but a strong desire for money and greed stands over us, digging out our eyes. No soldier has lit a pyre for us, nor placed us on a gridiron; but the inflammation of our bodies ignites the soul more than those things. No king is present promising countless good things and pleading; but vainglory is present, tickling us worse than he. A great war indeed, and a very great one, if we are willing to be sober; the present time also has crowns; hear Paul saying: Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will award to me; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. When you lose a beloved only-begotten child, raised in much wealth, showing good hopes, who alone was about to succeed to your inheritance, do not groan, but give thanks to God, and glorify the One who has taken him, and in this you will be in no way inferior to Abraham. For just as he gave to God when commanded, so you, when He took, did not groan. You have fallen into a grievous illness, and many come forcing you, some with incantations, some with amulets, and some with certain other things to soothe the evil? for the fear of God have you borne it nobly and steadfastly, and chosen to suffer anything rather than to endure to do any of the idolatrous practices? This brings you a crown of martyrdom. And do not doubt. And how and in what way? I say. Because just as that one nobly bears the pains from tortures, so as not to worship the idol, so also you bear the 62.413 pains from the illness, so as to need none of the things from him, nor to do what he commands. But are those more severe? But these are longer, so it comes to the same thing. And often even more severe. For what, tell me, when a burning fever within troubles and inflames, and when others advise it, you reject the incantation, have you not bound on a crown of martyrdom? Again, has someone lost money? many are they who advise going to soothsayers; but you, for the fear of God, since it is forbidden, have you chosen rather not to get the money back, than to disobey God? you have a reward equal to the one who gave it to the poor; if having lost it you give thanks, and being able to go to soothsayers, you endure not getting it back rather than getting it back that way, you have an equal gain to the one who for God's sake emptied himself of these things. For just as that one for the fear of God emptied it out for those in need, so you also for the fear of God, when they seized it, did not take it back. We are masters both of injuring ourselves, and of not; but no one else is. And, if you wish, let us examine the matter in the case of the theft itself. The thief broke through the wall, leapt into the chamber, carried off very valuable gold and precious stones, in short, he took out a whole treasure, and was not caught. What happened is grievous, and the matter seems to be a loss, but it is not yet, but it rests with you either to make it a loss, or a gain. And how could this become a gain? he says. I will try to show how. If you wish, it will be a great gain; but if you do not wish, a loss more grievous than what has happened. For just as with craftsmen, when material is provided, the one experienced in the craft uses it for what is needed, but the inexperienced one has ruined it, and made it a loss for himself; so also is it in these matters. How then will it be a gain? If you give thanks to God, if you do not wail loudly, if you say the words of Job: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart. What are you saying, The Lord has taken away? The thief took away, and how, he says, will you be able to say, The Lord has taken away? Do not be surprised; for even Job, what the devil took away, these things, he said, The Lord has taken away. But if he dared to say this, how will you not say of what the thief took, that the Lord has taken away? Whom do you admire, tell me, the one who emptied his own things for the poor, or Job for these words? surely

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καταξαίνων, καὶ θῦσαι καταναγκάζων· ἀλλ' ἐφέστηκεν ἐπιθυμία σφοδρὰ χρημάτων καὶ πλεονεξίας, ἐξορύττουσα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῖν. Οὐδεὶς στρατιώτης πυρὰν ἡμῖν ἀνῆψεν, οὐδὲ ἔθηκεν ἐπὶ κρατίκλης· ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν σωμάτων φλογμὸς μᾶλλον ἐκείνων ἐξάπτει τὴν ψυχήν. Οὐ πάρεστι βασιλεὺς μυρία ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἀγαθὰ καὶ δυσωπῶν· ἀλλὰ πάρεστιν ἡ δοξομανία χεῖρον ἐκείνου γαργαλίζουσα. Μέγας πόλεμος ὄντως, καὶ πολὺ μέγας, ἂν ἐθέλωμεν νήφειν· ἔχει στεφάνους καὶ ὁ παρὼν καιρός· ἄκουε Παύλου λέγοντος· Λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ δίκαιος κριτής· οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ. Ὅταν ἀπολέσῃς παιδίον ἀγαπητὸν μονογενὲς, ἐν πλούτῳ πολλῷ τρεφόμενον, ἐλπίδας ὑποφαῖνον χρηστὰς, αὐτό σοι μέλλον μόνον διαδέχεσθαι τὸν κλῆρον, μὴ στενάξῃς, ἀλλ' εὐχαρίστησον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δόξαζε τὸν εἰληφότα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσῃ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ κατὰ τοῦτο χείρων. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῷ Θεῷ ἔδωκε κελεύσαντι, οὕτω σὺ λαβόντος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐστέναξας. Νόσῳ περιέπεσες χαλεπῇ, καὶ πολλοὶ παραγίνονται ἀναγκάζοντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπῳδαῖς, οἱ δὲ περιάμμασιν, οἱ δὲ ἑτέροις τισὶ παραμυθήσασθαι τὸ κακόν; διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ἤνεγκας γενναίως καὶ ἀκλινῶς, καὶ πάντα ἂν εἵλου παθεῖν ἢ ὑποστῆναί τι τῶν εἰδωλικῶν πρᾶξαι; τοῦτό σοι μαρτυρίου στέφανον φέρει. Καὶ μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε. Καὶ πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὅτι καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν βασάνων ὀδύνας φέρει γενναίως, ὥστε μὴ προσκυνῆσαι τὸ εἴδωλον, οὕτω καὶ σὺ τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου φέρεις 62.413 ἀλγηδόνας, ὥστε μηδενὸς δεηθῆναι τῶν παρ' ἐκείνου, μηδὲ πρᾶξαι ἅπερ ἐπιτάττει. Ἀλλὰ σφοδρότεραι ἐκεῖναι; Ἀλλ' αὗται μακρότεραι, ὥστε εἰς ἴσον καταλήγει. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ σφοδρότεραι. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὅταν καύσων ἔνδον ἐνοχλῇ καὶ φλέγῃ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παραινούντων ἀποσείσῃ τὴν ἐπῳδὴν, οὐχὶ μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἀνεδήσω; Πάλιν ἀπώλεσέ τις χρήματα; πολλοὶ οἱ παραινοῦντες πρὸς μάντεις ἀπελθεῖν· σὺ δὲ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον, ἐπειδὴ κεκώλυται, εἵλου μᾶλλον μὴ λαβεῖν τὰ χρήματα, ἢ παρακοῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἴσον ἔχεις τὸν μισθὸν τῷ εἰς πένητας αὐτὰ δεδωκότι· ἂν ἀπολέσας εὐχαριστήσῃς, καὶ δυνάμενος πρὸς μάντεις ἀπελθεῖν, ἀνάσχῃ μὴ λαβεῖν αὐτὰ μᾶλλον, ἢ οὕτω λαβεῖν, ἴσον ἔχεις εἰς κέρδος τῷ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν κενώσαντι ταῦτα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον εἰς τοὺς δεομένους ἐκένωσεν, οὕτω καὶ σὺ διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον, ἁρπασάντων ἐκείνων, οὐκ ἀνέλαβες. Ἡμεῖς κύριοι καὶ τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ τοῦ μή· ἕτερος δὲ οὐδείς. Καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς κλοπῆς τὸ πρᾶγμα γυμνάσωμεν. ∆ιέτεμε τὸν τοῖχον ὁ κλέπτης, εἰσεπήδησεν εἰς τὸν θάλαμον, ἐξεφόρησε χρυσία πολυτίμητα καὶ λίθους τιμίους, ἁπλῶς θησαυρὸν ὁλόκληρον ἐξέβαλε, καὶ οὐχ ἑάλω. Τὸ μὲν γενόμενον βαρὺ, καὶ δοκεῖ ζημία τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ οὐδέπω, ἀλλ' ἐν σοὶ κεῖται ἢ ζημίαν αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι, ἢ κέρδος. Καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο κέρδος; φησίν. Ἐγὼ τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι πειράσομαι πῶς. Σοῦ βουλομένου, κέρδος ἔσται μέγα· μὴ βουληθέντος δὲ, χαλεπωτέρα τῆς γενομένης ζημία. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνιτῶν ὕλης ὑποκειμένης, ὁ μὲν ἔμπειρος τῆς τέχνης εἰς δέον αὐτῇ κέχρηται, ὁ δὲ ἄπειρος ἠφάνισε, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ζημίαν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων. Πῶς οὖν ἔσται κέρδος; Ἂν εὐχαριστήσῃς τῷ Θεῷ, ἂν μὴ κωκύῃς ὀξὺ, ἂν τὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἴπῃς ῥήματα· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. Τί λέγεις, Ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο; Ὁ κλέπτης ἀφείλετο, καὶ πῶς δυνήσῃ, φησὶν, εἰπεῖν, Ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο; Μὴ θαυμάσῃς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ, ἃ ὁ διάβολος ἀφείλετο, ταῦτα, ἔφησεν, Ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος οὕτως ἐθάῤῥησεν εἰπεῖν, πῶς ἃ ὁ κλέπτης ἔλαβεν, οὐκ ἐρεῖς σὺ, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο; Τίνα θαυμάζεις, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν τὰ αὐτοῦ κενώσαντα εἰς πένητας, ἢ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐπὶ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων; ἆρα