In the present case, it was necessary † for such a thing to happen in the church of God. The one who was condemned has been condemned, so-and-so † while sitting was doing such things; it was necessary for an ecclesiastical vindication to occur, and it has occurred; the one who was entrusted has done the work which it was necessary for him to have done. That man goes about speaking evil of the one who vindicated the truth. But let us not do this, let us not lend our ears to those who, because they have been cast out, speak evil of the one who cast them out or of the one who voted with him. who also, when injustice was indeed proven and had occurred †. The wonderful apostles, being insulted in countless ways for the sake of the truth, say: “I am well pleased in weaknesses, in insults and hardships, in persecutions and distresses, for Christ's sake.” May it only be for me, when insulted, to know that I am insulted for nothing else than for Christ, and when in hardships, to know that the cause of the hardships is Christ. May it be for me, when reviled, to know that the pretext for the reviling is no other than that I vindicate the truth and contend on behalf of the things that have been written, so that all things may happen according to the word of God, for this reason I am blasphemed. And so let us all, with as much strength as we have, hasten toward the prophetic life, toward the apostolic life, not fleeing from what is troublesome; <for> if an athlete flees the trouble of the contest, he will not receive the sweetness of the crown. 14.15 “And your word will be to me for gladness.” It is not now, but “it will be”; for since at the present time your word is for me prisons, trials, troubles, slanders, toils, yet the end of these things will be gladness. “and your word will be to me for gladness and joy of my heart, because your name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty.” And if Christ says it, the name of the Father has been called upon him. “I did not sit in the council of those who jest.” If ever the prophet saw the council was not of serious people but of jesters, he fled from assembling rather than hastened to a congregation of jesters. Therefore you must understand the difference between a council of jesters and of [not] serious people. This council is serious and does all things with seriousness and worthy of seriousness and according to what is said; the word is serious, the life is serious, and in every way the council is not of jesters, but of serious people. But when the council, having abandoned its seriousness concerning necessary things, devotes itself to the games of this age and to the games that come from wickedness, it becomes a council of jesters. Therefore this one says: “I did not sit in the council of those who jest, but I was cautious because of your <hand>.” With two things set before me, to sit in a council of jesters and to offend you, O God, and not to please you, or to rise up from a council of jesters and to do those things which were dear to you, I chose rather to stand up from the council of jesters and to be a friend to you, than by doing the opposite to become an enemy to your blessedness. “I did not sit in the council of those who jest, but I was cautious because of your hand.” And our Savior did not sit “in the council of those who jest,” but rose up from them. And it is a sign of the Savior having been raised up from a council of jesters, that he said: “Your house is left to you desolate.” For the Word of God has left the council of the Jews and has made for himself another council and church, the one from the Gentiles. 14.16 “I sat alone.” And the words here are edifying. When there is a multitude of sinners and they do not bear the righteous man living <right>eously, it is not at all strange for one fleeing the council of wickedness to imitate the one who said: “I sat alone,” and to imitate Elijah who said: “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars, and I am left all alone, and they seek my life to take it.” But perhaps if you should examine more deeply the phrase “I sat alone,” you will find some meaning worthy of prophetic depth. When we imitate the life of the many, so that it is not withdrawn and better and exceptional compared to the many, I cannot say: “I sat alone,” but: I sat with many. But whenever my life
παρόντος ἔδει † γενέσθαι τοιοῦτον εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ. κατεγνώσθη ὁ καταγνωσθείς, ὁ δεῖνα † καθεζόμενος ἐποίει τὰ τοιάδε· ἔδει γενέσθαι ἐκκλη σιαστικὴν ἐκδικίαν, καὶ γέγονεν· πεποίηκεν ὁ ἐγκεχειρισμένος τὸ ἔργον ὃ ἔδει αὐτὸν πεποιηκέναι. περιέρχεται ἐκεῖνος λέγων κακῶς τὸν ἐκδικήσαντα τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τοῦτο μὴ ποιῶμεν, μὴ παρέχωμεν τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῖς διὰ τὸ ἐκβεβλῆσθαι λέγουσι κακῶς τὸν ἐκβαλόντα ἢ τὸν σύμψηφον γενόμενον. οἱ καὶ ἀδικίας γε ἐλεγχο μένης καὶ γεγενημένης †. οἱ θαυμάσιοι ἀπόστολοι μυρία ὑβριζόμενοι διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγουσιν· «εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν ὕβρεσι καὶ ἀνάγκαις, ἐν διωγμοῖς καὶ στενοχωρίαις, ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ». μόνον εἴη με ὑβριζόμενον εἰδέναι ὅτι οὐ δι' ἄλλο τι ὑβρίζομαι ἢ διὰ Χριστόν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις γενόμενον εἰδέναι ὅτι ἡ ὑπόθεσις τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν. εἴη με λοιδορούμενον εἰδέναι ὅτι ἡ πρόφασις τῆς λοιδορίας οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη, ἢ ὅτι ἐκδικῶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ πρεσβεύω ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἵνα κατὰ λόγον θεοῦ πάντα γίνηται, διὰ τοῦτο βλασφημοῦμαι. καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν πάντες, ὅση δύναμις, σπεύσωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν βίον τὸν προφητικόν, ἐπὶ τὸν βίον τὸν ἀποστολικόν, τὸ ὀχληρὸν μὴ φεύγοντες· ἀθλητὴς <γὰρ> ἐὰν φύγῃ τὸ τῆς ἀθλήσεως ὀχληρόν, τὸ ἡδὺ τοῦ στεφάνου οὐκ ἀπολήψεται. 14.15 «Καὶ ἔσται ὁ λόγος σου ἐμοὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην». οὐκ ἔστι νῦν, ἀλλ' «ἔσται»· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὁ λόγος σου ἐμοὶ εἰς φυλα κάς, εἰς δίκας, εἰς πράγματα, εἰς δυσφημίας, εἰς πόνους, ἀλλὰ τὸ τέλος τούτων εὐφροσύνη ἔσται. «καὶ ἔσται ὁ λόγος σου ἐμοὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην καὶ χαρὰν καρδίας μου, ὅτι ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπ' ἐμέ, κύριε παντοκράτορ». κἂν Χριστὸς λέγῃ, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπικέκληται ἐπ' αὐτόν. «οὐκ ἐκάθισα ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων». εἴ ποτε ἑώρακε τὸ συνέδριον ὁ προφήτης οὐ σπουδαζόντων ἀλλὰ παιζόντων, ἔφευγε μᾶλλον τὸ συνάγεσθαι ἤπερ ἔσπευδεν ἐπὶ συναγωγὴν παιζόν των. νοῆσαί σε οὖν δεῖ διαφορὰν συνεδρίου παιζόντων καὶ [μὴ] σπουδαζόντων. τὸ συνέδριον τοῦτο σπουδαῖόν ἐστι καὶ πάντα ποιεῖ μετὰ σπουδῆς καὶ σπουδῆς ἄξια καὶ κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον· σπουδὴ ὁ λόγος, σπουδὴ ὁ βίος, καὶ πάντῃ ἐστὶ τὸ συνέδριον οὐ παιζόντων, ἀλλὰ σπουδαζόντων. ὅταν δὲ τὸ συνέδριον καταλιπὸν τὴν σπουδὴν τὴν περὶ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα σχολάζῃ τοῖς παιγνίοις τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ παιγνίοις τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας, γίνεται συνέδριον παιζόντων. φησὶν οὖν οὗτος· «οὐκ ἐκάθισα ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων, ἀλλ' εὐλαβούμην ἀπὸ προσώπου <χειρός> σου». δύο προκειμένων, καθέζεσθαι ἐν συνεδρίῳ παιζόντων καὶ σοὶ τῷ θεῷ προσκόπτειν καὶ σοὶ μὴ ἀρέσκειν, ἢ ἐγείρεσθαι ἀπὸ συνεδρίου παιζόν των καὶ ποιεῖν ταῦτα ἃ σοὶ φίλον ἦν, εἱλόμην μᾶλλον ἀνίστασθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου τῶν παιζόντων καὶ σοὶ φίλος εἶναι, ἤπερ τὸ ἐναντίον ποιῶν ἐχθρὸς γενέσθαι τῇ μακαριότητί σου. «οὐκ ἐκάθισα ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων, ἀλλ' εὐλαβούμην ἀπὸ προσώπου χειρός σου». καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισεν «ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων», ἀλλ' ἀπανέστη ἀπ' αὐτῶν. καὶ σημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦ ἐγη γέρθαι τὸν σωτῆρα ἀπὸ συνεδρίου παιζόντων, τὸ εἰρηκέναι αὐτόν· «ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος». καταλέλοιπε γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ Ἰουδαίων συνέδριον καὶ ἄλλο συνέδριον καὶ ἐκκλησίαν ἑαυτῷ πεποίηκε τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν. 14.16 «Κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην». καὶ τὰ ῥήματα ἐνταῦθα οἰκοδομεῖ. ὅταν πλῆθος ᾖ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ μὴ φέρωσι τὸν δίκαιον βιοῦντα <δι>καίως, οὐδὲν ἄτοπόν ἐστι φεύγοντα τὸ συνέδριον τῆς κακίας μιμήσασθαι τὸν εἰπόντα· «κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην», μιμήσασθαι καὶ τὸν λέγοντα Ἠλίαν· «κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου κατέσκαψαν, κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μονώτατος, καὶ ζητοῦσι τὴν ψυχήν μου λαβεῖν αὐτήν». τάχα δὲ κἂν βαθύτερον ἐξετάσῃς τὸ «κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην», εὑρήσεις τινὰ ἄξιον νοῦν βάθους προφητικοῦ. ὅταν τὸν τῶν πολλῶν βίον μιμώμεθα, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι ἀνακεχωρηκότα αὐτὸν καὶ κρείττονα καὶ ἐξαίρετον παρὰ τοὺς πολλούς, οὐ δύναμαι λέγειν· «κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην», ἀλλά· μετὰ πολλῶν ἐκαθήμην. ἐπὰν δὲ ὁ βίος μου