For we know that tribulation produces endurance, as would be agreed by all that endurance creates a tested character in the one who has endured *** And for this reason also the divine scripture forbids boasting in things indifferent, but encourages to understand it happening for the good according to reason, saying in Jeremiah: "| Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth, but let him who boasts boast in this, to understand and know me, that I am the Lord who does mercy and judgment and righteousness on the earth, for in these things is my will, says the Lord" *** ‖ 230 para [··]· in a certain way he forbids the wise man to boast not simply [····]······in his own [····]wise in themselves and knowledgeable in their own sight *** and for this reason indeed the wise man ought not to boast in his own wisdom, since even if he is perfect among the sons of men, the wisdom from | God being absent, he will be counted as nothing *** human wisdom is indifferent, but to the one using it well and employing it for a needed purpose it makes room for the wisdom of God since to everyone who has, it will be given and perhaps this is said in Ecclesiastes [··]· "Wisdom will help the wise man more than ten rulers who are | in the city." For the wisdom of God helps the one who has human wisdom and has prepared himself for the reception of the divine wisdom; the wisdom is not indifferent of those who made the woven and embroidered and variegated things of the tent of witness, whom the divine spirit filled with understanding and knowledge to devise and to build the things concerning the tent *** For that which produces virtue can be neither intermediate nor base; perhaps then tribulation is of the necessary virtue of endurance *** tribulation is a good thing, producing endurance, one of the virtues *** concerning the righteous it is written "Many are the tribulations of the righteous," but concerning the opposite "Many | are the scourges of sinners," so that according to these things neither is the righteous man scourged, nor is the sinner afflicted with tribulation *** "enter through the narrow gate for wide 232 is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many are those who go in through it *** "but you lacked opportunity; not that I speak | because of want, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content" *** unless he is most approved, not less than the one nobly enduring poverty is the one who manages wealth according to reason, and not less than the one persevering in the pains of sicknesses is the one who for the health of his soul accepts no passion at the | time of the body being healthy, when it is accustomed to arise from this to desire against the spirit *** which tribulation is the boast of the saints, and of such a kind that one would say not less about the boast because of tribulations, "By our boasting, brothers" *** and if indeed perfect love casts out fear, and | fear has punishment and the one who fears has not been perfected in love ***

γινώσκομεν γὰρ ὅτι ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ὡς παρὰ πᾶσιν ἂν ὁμολογηθείη ὅτι ἡ ὑπομονὴ δοκίμιον ἐμποιεῖ τῷ ὑπομείναντι *** ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ θεία γραφὴ ἀπαγορεύει μὲν τὴν ἐπὶ ἀδιαφόροις καύχησιν, προτρέπει δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ νοεῖν διὰ τὸ καλὸν κατὰ τὸ εὔλογον γινομένην ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ φάσκουσα· «| Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος συνίειν καὶ γινώσκειν με, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ποιῶν ἔλεος καὶ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἐν τούτοις τὸ θέλημά μου, λέγει Κύριος» *** ‖ 230 παρα [··]· τινα τρόπον ἀπαγορεύει καυχᾶσθαι τὸν σοφὸν οὐχ ἁπλῶς [····]······τῇ ἑαυτοῦ [····]σοφοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον αὑτῶν ἐπιστήμονες *** καὶ διὰ τοῦτό γε οὐ χρὴ καυχᾶσθαι τὸν σοφὸν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ, ἐπεὶ κἂν τέλειος ᾖ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, τῆς ἀπὸ | [τοῦ] Θεοῦ σοφίας ἀπούσης, εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσεται *** ἀδιάφορος μὲν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σοφία, τῷ δὲ καλῶς αὐτῇ χρωμένῳ καὶ εἰς δεὸν αὐ[τὴ]ν παραλαμβάνοντι χώραν παρέχει τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίᾳ ἐπεὶ παντὶ ἔχοντι δοθήσεται καὶ τάχα τοῦτο λέγεται ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ [··]· «Σοφία βοηθήσει τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ δέκα ἐξουσιάζοντας τοὺς ὄντας | ἐν τῇ πόλει». Βοηθεῖ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία τῷ ἔχοντι τὴν ἀνθρωίνην σοφίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν εὐτρεπίσαντι εἰς παραδοχὴν τῆς θε̣ίας σοφίας· οὐκ̣ ἀδιάφορος ἡ σοφία τῶν τὰ ὑφαντὰ καὶ ῥαφιδευτὰ καὶ ποικιλτικὰ ποιησάντων τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, οὓς ἐνέπλησεν τὸ πνεῦμα θεῖον συνέσεως καὶ ἐπιστήμης διανοεῖσθαι καὶ ἀρχιτεκτο|νεῖν τὰ κατὰ τὴν σκηνήν *** Τὸ γὰρ κατεργαζόμενον ἀρετὴν οὔτε μέσον οὔτε φαῦλον εἶναι δύναται· μήποτ' οὖν ἀναγκαίας ἀρετῆς ὑπομονῆς ἐστιν ἡ θλῖψις *** σπουδαι῀̣όν ἐστιν ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν μίαν τῶν ἀρετῶν κατεργαζομένη *** ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν δικαίων γέγραπται «Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων», ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων «Πολλαὶ | αἱ μάστιγες τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν», ὡς κατὰ ταῦτα μήτε τὸν δίκαιον μαστιγοῦσθαι, μήτε τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν θλίβεσθαι *** «εἰσέλθατε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης ὅτι πλατεῖα 232 ἡ πύλη καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν καὶ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰσπορευόμενοι δι' αὐτῆς *** «ἠκαιρεῖσθε δέ· οὐχ ὅτι καθ' ὑστέρησιν | λέγω, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμι αὐτάρκης εἶναι» *** εἰ μὴ δοκιμώτατός ἐστιν οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῦ πενίαν γενναίως ὑπομένοντος ὁ τὸν πλοῦτον οἰκονομῶν κατὰ τὸν λόγον καὶ οὐχ ἧττον τοῦ ἐγκαρτεροῦντος ἐν πόνοις τοῖς ἐν νόσοις ὁ διὰ τὴν ὑγίειαν τῆς ψυχῆς μηδὲν παραδεχόμενος πάθος κατὰ τὸν | καιρὸν τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν τὸ σῶμα, ὅτε φιλεῖ ἐπιτίθεσθαι ἐκ τούτου ἐπιθυμεῖν κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος *** ἥτις θλῖψις καύχημά ἐστιν τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ τοιαύτη γε ὥστ' ἂν μὴ ἔλαττον εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ διὰ τὰς θλίψεις καυχήσει τὸ «Νὴ τὴν ἡμετέραν καύχησιν, ἀδελφοί» *** καὶ εἴπερ ἡ μὲν τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὁ | δὲ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει καὶ ὁ φοβούμενος οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ***