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to be the others; but all are called by one name. Through these things, therefore, we have learned that the divinely inspired Word knows how to include many things through a certain part. Therefore, here also, when the Word says that righteousness is set before those who are blessed for hungering, it signifies through this every form of virtue, so that it is equally blessed to hunger for prudence, and courage, and temperance, and whatever else is comprehended in the same account of virtue. For it is not possible for one form of virtue, separated from the rest, to be perfect virtue in and of itself. For in whatever thing something of what is understood as good is not also considered, there is every necessity that its opposite has a place in it; for licentiousness is opposed to temperance, foolishness to prudence, and to each of the things considered better there is certainly something understood from its opposite. If, therefore, all things were not considered together with righteousness, it would be impossible for what is lacking to be good. For one would not speak of a foolish righteousness, or a rash, or a licentious one, or any 44.1244 other of the things considered in wickedness. But if the account of righteousness is unmixed with anything worse, it has certainly included in itself all that is good; and everything considered according to virtue is good. Therefore, every virtue is signified here by the name of righteousness, for which the Word blesses those who hunger and thirst, promising them the fulfillment of their desires. For, he says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. And what is said seems to me to have some such meaning as this: Nothing of the things pursued for pleasure in life becomes satisfying to those who pursue them, but, as Wisdom says somewhere in a riddle: the preoccupation with pleasures is a perforated jar; into which those zealous about these things, always eagerly pouring, show a certain unfillable and endless labor, always pouring something into the depth of desire, and adding what leads to pleasure, but not bringing desire to satiety. Who has known a limit to avarice, through the coveted thing being added to the avaricious? Who, being mad for glory, has ceased, upon attaining what he pursued? And he who has fulfilled pleasure in things heard or seen, or in the madness and frenzy concerning the belly and what is after the belly, what did he find resulting for him from this enjoyment? Does not every form of pleasure that is fulfilled through the body fly away as soon as one approaches it, not remaining even for the briefest moment with those who have touched it? This, then, is the lofty doctrine we learn from the Lord, that only the pursuit of virtue that arises in us is something stable and substantial. For he who has achieved one of the lofty things, such as temperance, or moderation, or piety toward the Divine, or any other of the lofty and evangelical teachings, does not have a transient and unstable joy for each of his achievements, but one that is established and enduring, and extended throughout the whole course of life. Why? Because it is possible to be active in these things always, and there is no time in the whole course of life that produces a satiety of good activity. For both temperance and purity, and steadfastness in every good, and non-participation in evil are always active, as long as one looks to virtue, and has joy extended along with the activity. But in the case of those given over to unseemly desires, even if their soul always looks to licentiousness, pleasure is not always present. For satiety has put a stop to gluttony in food, and the pleasure of the drinker was extinguished along with his thirst, and the other things in the same way both need some time, and an interval, so that when it has faded from pleasure and satiety, the appetite for what gives pleasure may be called back again. But the possession of virtue, once it is firmly established in someone, is not measured by time, nor is it limited by satiety; but 44.1245 always for those living according to it is unmixed and new, and flourishing of its own

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τὰ ἄλλα εἶναι· ἀλλὰ πάντα δι' ἑνὸς ὀνόματος ὀνο μάζεται. ∆ιὰ τούτων οὖν μεμαθήκαμεν, ὅτι διὰ μέ ρους τινὸς πολλὰ περιλαμβάνειν οἶδεν ὁ θεόπνευστος Λόγος. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν δικαιοσύνην τοῖς μακαριστῶς πεινῶσι προκεῖσθαι ὁ Λόγος εἰπὼν, πᾶν εἶδος ἀρετῆς, διὰ ταύτης ἀποσημαίνει, ὡς ἐπίσης μακαριστὸν εἶναι τὸν καὶ φρόνησιν, καὶ ἀνδρείαν, καὶ σωφροσύνην πεινῶντα, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς λόγῳ καταλαμβάνεται. Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἕν τι τῆς ἀρετῆς εἶδος τῶν λοιπῶν διεζευ γμένον, αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τελείαν τὴν ἀρετὴν εἶναι. Ὧ γὰρ ἂν μὴ συνθεωρῆταί τι τῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν νοουμένων, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸ ἀντιδιαστελλόμενον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ χώραν ἔχειν· ἀντιδιέστηκε δὲ τῇ σωφροσύνῃ μὲν τὸ ἀκόλαστον· τῇ φρονήσει δὲ ἡ ἀφροσύνη, καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ὑπειλημμένων ἐστί τι πάντως τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου νοούμενον. Εἰ οὖν μὴ πάντα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ συνθεωροῖτο, ἀμήχανον ἂν εἴη τὸ λειπόμενον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι. Οὐκ ἂν γάρ τις εἴποι ἄφρονα δικαιοσύνην, ἢ θρασεῖαν, ἢ ἀκόλαστον, ἢ ἄλ 44.1244 λο τι τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ θεωρουμένων. Εἰ δὲ παντὸς τοῦ χείρονος ἀμιγὴς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης λόγος ἐστὶν, ἅπαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ πάντως τὸ ἀγαθὸν περιείληφεν· ἀγαθὸν δὲ πᾶν τὸ κατ' ἀρετὴν θεωρούμενον. Οὐκοῦν πᾶσα ἀρετὴ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐνταῦθα διασημαίνεται, ἧς τοὺς πεινῶντάς τε καὶ διψῶντας μακαρίζει ὁ Λό γος, τὴν πλησμονὴν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐπιθυμουμένων ἐπ αγγελλόμενος. Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται. Τὸ δὲ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτόν μοί τινα νοῦν ἔχειν δοκεῖ· Οὐδὲν τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ σπουδαζομένων πλήσμιον γίνεται τοῖς σπουδάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ, καθώς φησί που δι' αἰνίγματος ἡ Σοφία· Πίθος τετρημένος ἐστὶν ἡ περὶ τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀσχολία· ᾧ πάντοτε κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐπαντλοῦντες, ἀπλήρωτόν τινα καὶ ἀνήνυ τον ἐπιδείκνυνται κόπον οἱ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδάζοντες, ἐγχέοντες μὲν ἀεί τι τῷ βυθῷ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐπεμβάλλοντες, εἰς κόρον δὲ τὴν ἐπι θυμίαν οὐκ ἄγοντες. Τίς ἔγνω τῆς φιλαργυρίας ὅρον, διὰ τοῦ προσγενέσθαι τοῖς φιλαργυροῦσι τὸ σπουδα ζόμενον; Τίς δοξομανῶν ἔληξεν, ἐν τῷ τυχεῖν ὧν ἐσπούδαζεν; ὁ δὲ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐκπλήσας ἐν ἀκροάμασιν ἢ θεάμασιν, ἢ τῇ περὶ γαστέρα καὶ μετὰ γαστέρα μανίᾳ καὶ λύσσῃ· τί εὗρεν ἐκ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως αὐτῷ ταύτης περιγενόμενον; Οὐ πάσης ἡδονῆς εἶδος τῆς διὰ σώματος ἐκπληρουμένης ὁμοῦ τῷ προσπελάσαι παρίπταται, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ βραχύτατον τοῖς ἁψαμένοις αὐτῆς παραμενούσης; Τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ ὑψηλὸν δόγμα παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μανθάνομεν, ὅτι μόνη ἡ κατ' ἀρε τὴν ἡμῖν ἐγγινομένη σπουδὴ πάγιόν τί ἐστι καὶ ἐν υπόστατον. Ὁ γάρ τι τῶν ὑψηλῶν κατορθώσας, οἷον σωφροσύνην, ἢ μετριότητα, ἢ τὴν πρὸς τὸ Θεῖον εὐ σέβειαν, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ὑψηλῶν τε καὶ εὐαγγελικῶν διδαγμάτων, οὐ παροδικὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν κατορθω μάτων καὶ ἄστατον τὴν εὐφροσύνην ἔχει, ἀλλ' ἐνιδρυ μένην καὶ διαμένουσαν, καὶ παντὶ συμπαρατεινομέ νην τῷ τῆς ζωῆς διαστήματι. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ταῦτα μὲν ἔξεστι διαπαντὸς ἐνεργεῖν, καὶ οὐδείς ἐστι καιρὸς ἐν παντὶ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς διαστήματι, τῆς ἀγαθῆς κόρον ἐμποιῶν ἐνεργείας. Ἥ τε γὰρ σωφροσύνη καὶ ἡ καθα ρότης, καὶ τὸ ἐν παντὶ ἀγαθῷ ἀμετάπτωτον, καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν ἀκοινώνητον ἀεὶ ἐνεργεῖται, ἕως ἄν τις πρὸς ἀρετὴν βλέπῃ, καὶ συμπαρατεινομένην ἔχει τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τὴν εὐφροσύνην. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ταῖς ἀτό ποις ἐπιθυμίαις ἐκκεχυμένων, κἂν διαπαντὸς αὐτοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ βλέπῃ πρὸς τὸ ἀκόλαστον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ ἥδεσθαι πάρεστιν. Τήν τε γὰρ περὶ τὴν βρῶσιν λιχνείαν ὁ κόρος ἔστησεν, καὶ ἡ τοῦ πίνοντος ἡδονὴ συγκατεσβέσθη τῇ δίψῃ, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ χρόνου τινὸς χρῄζει, καὶ διαλείμματος, ὥστε μαρανθείσης ἀπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῆς πλησμο νῆς, πάλιν ἀνακληθῆναι τὴν τοῦ ἡδύνοντος ὄρεξιν. Ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσις, οἷς ἂν ἅπαξ βεβαίως ἐνιδρυθῇ, οὐ χρόνῳ μετρεῖται, οὔτε κόρῳ περιορίζεται· ἀλλὰ 44.1245 πάντοτε τοῖς κατ' αὐτὴν ζῶσιν ἀκραιφνῆ τε καὶ νεα ρὰν, καὶ ἀκμάζουσαν τῶν ἰδίων