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to fulfill the vow. How great the penalty is for those not fulfilling their vows, Ananias and Sapphira show, having been condemned to death. 93.541 "Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin." A babbling tongue defiles the whole body, and especially unguarded conversation with women incites the flesh to sin. "And do not say before God that it is ignorance." Sinning, he says, from an unbridled mouth, repent, and do not make excuses, and say that I sinned through ignorance. Otherwise: Those who have driven to the depth of evils, and have come to contempt, say, God does not deign to know the sins among men; you, therefore, he says, do not say this; for nothing escapes the divine eye. "Lest God be angry at your voice, and destroy the works of your hands." Do not sin, he says, through the tongue, lest you also destroy your virtuous deeds. For God, being angry at rash words, also makes disappear anything good that seems to have been done by us. Otherwise: Do not say that God is ignorant of the sins among men; for God is angered by such a voice, and does not approve of our actions. And killing the more dense, He sometimes also brings poverty upon them, destroying the works of their hands. "For in a multitude of dreams, and vanities, and many words." He set forth three things similar to each other: the non-existent phantasms of dreams, the vain toils of men, and the untimely babbling of many words. For the words of the babbler are like dreams; and the vain pursuits of men differ not at all from dreams. Therefore, in a multitude of dreams, that is of men dreaming, and toiling in vain, and babbling, God is angered. And do not consider a multitude of words to be long-windedness, but idle talk; for Paul, prolonging his discourse until midnight, was insatiable to his listeners. But he who says many things, and does not declare the matter as divine, is said to have said nothing; for he who speaks inappropriately, even to one word, is said to be a babbler. But teaching the general observance of all virtues, he adds, Fear God. For the fear of the Lord has surpassed all things. "If you see the oppression of the poor and the violent perversion of justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a high one watches over a high one, and there are higher ones over them; and an abundance of earth." He calls the perversion of justice when the rich buy unjust verdicts from the judges; and in another way he works a perversion of justice who seizes judgments that do not belong to him at all. If then, he says, you see the poor being oppressed by the rich and slanderers, do not marvel, that is, do not 93.544 be displeased, nor lose heart, nor think that the world is without providence. For God, who is higher than all, being over all, and watching each of the things done by the one who seems high, and rich, and boastful, assigns to each what is worthy of what he has done. And the high ones over them, that is, those who are proud of themselves, are nothing other than an abundance of earth, that is, useless earth. For why are you proud, he says, earth and ashes? "Over all is a king of a cultivated field." And speaking generally, he says: just as God, having skillfully crafted his own world like some paradise, rules and provides for his own field. Therefore it is not fitting, on account of the inequalities among men, to think the world is without a king or without providence. But it is fitting to know that, since this world is named a field, according to the parable in the Gospels, God appointed man as king, according to, You have put all things under his feet. He reminds us, therefore, of our dignity, so that, honoring the one who crowned us, we may work virtues. Otherwise? Since God is king of the observed field that has been expertly cultivated, let us not corrupt his vineyard, either by lawless deeds, or by godless doctrines, or by destructive teachings. For over all is the king of the cultivated field. Otherwise: The divine Scripture is a certain fragrant, fruitful field,

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πληρῶσαι τὴν εὐχήν. Ὅσον δὲ τὸ ἐπιτίμιον τῶν μὴ πληρωσάντων τὰς εὐχὰς, δηλοῦσιν Ἀνανίας καὶ Σάπφειρα θανάτῳ καταδικασθέντες. 93.541 "Μὴ δῷς τὸ στόμα σου ἐξαμαρτάνειν τὴν σάρκα σου." Φλύαρος γλῶττα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα σπιλοῖ, μάλιστα δὲ ἡ πρὸς γυναῖκας ἀφύλακτος ὁμιλία ἐρεθίζει τὴν σάρκα πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. "Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἄγνοιά ἐστι." Ἁμαρτάνων, φησὶ, ἐξ ἀχαλίνου στόματος, μετανόει, καὶ μὴ προφασίζου, καὶ λέγε ὅτι Κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἥμαρτον. Ἄλλως· Οἱ πρὸς βάθος κακῶν ἐλάσαντες, καὶ εἰς καταφρόνησιν ἐλθόντες, Οὐκ ἀξιοῖ, φασὶν, ὁ Θεὸς εἰδέναι τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτήματα· σὺ οὖν, φησὶ, μὴ τοῦτο εἰπέ· οὐδὲν γὰρ λέληθεν τὸν θεῖον ὀφθαλμόν. "Ἴνα μὴ ὀργισθῇ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ φωνῇ σου, καὶ διαφθείρῃ τὰ ποιήματα τῶν χειρῶν σου." Μὴ ἁμάρτανε, φησὶ, διὰ γλώττης, ἴνα μὴ καὶ τὰς κατὰ ἀρετὴν πράξεις διαφθείρῃς. Ὀργιζόμενος γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς προπετέσι λόγοις, καὶ εἴ τι καλὸν ἡμῖν εἰργάσθαι δοκεῖ, ἐξαφανίζει. Ἄλλως· Μὴ λέγε, ὅτι Ἀγνοεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτήματα· ὀργίζεται γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ φωνῇ, καὶ οὐ συνευδοκεῖ ταῖς ἡμῶν πράξεσι. Τοὺς δὲ παχυτέρους φονεύων, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ πενίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει, διαφθείρων ποιήματα χειρῶν αὐτῶν. "Ὅτι ἐν πλήθει ἐνυπνίων, καὶ ματαιοτήτων, καὶ λόγων πολλῶν." Τρία τινὰ ἑαυτοῖς ἐοικότα παρέθηκε· τὰ ἀνύπαρκτα τῶν ὀνείρων φαντάσματα, τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ματαιοπονίας, καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν λόγων ἄκαιρον φλυαρίαν. Ἐοίκασι γὰρ οἱ τοῦ φλυάρου λόγοι ὀνείροις· οὐδὲν δὲ ὀνείρων διαλλάττουσιν, οὐδὲ αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ματαιοσπουδίαι. Ἐν πλήθει οὖν ἐνυπνίων, τουτέστι τῶν ἐνυπνιαζομένων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ματαιοπονούντων, καὶ φλυαρούντων, ὁ Θεὸς ὀργίζεται. Πλῆθος δὲ λόγων μὴ τὴν πολυεπείαν νόμιζε, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀργολογίαν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος τὸν λόγον παρατείνων μέχρι μεσονυκτίου, ἀκόρεστος ἦν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν. Ὁ δὲ πολλὰ λέγων, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα μὴ ὡς θεῖον δηλώσας, οὐδὲν εἰρηκέναι λέγεται· ὁ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ δέον φθεγγόμενος, καὶ ἕως ἑνὸς λόγου φλύαρος εἶναι λέγεται. Γενικὴν δὲ φυλακὴν πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐκδιδάσκων, ἐπάγει, ὅτι Τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ φόβος Κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλε. "Ἐὰν συκοφαντίαν πένητος καὶ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος ἴδῃς ἐν χώρᾳ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι, ὅτι ὑψηλὸς ἐπάνω ὑψηλοῦ φυλάσσει, καὶ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς· καὶ περισσεία γῆς." Ἁρπαγὴν κρίματός φησι τὸ τοὺς πλουσίους ἐξωνεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν δικαζόντων τὰς ἀδίκους ψήφους· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος ἐργάζεται, ὁ τὰς μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ προσηκούσας κρίσεις ἁρπάζων. Ἐὰν οὖν, φησὶν, ἴδῃς ὑπὸ τῶν πλουσίων καὶ συκοφαντῶν τοὺς πένητας καταδυναστευομένους, μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ 93.544 δυσχεράνῃς, μηδὲ ἀποδυσπετήσῃς, μηδὲ ἀπρονόητον εἶναι τὸν κόσμον νομίσῃς. Ὁ γὰρ ὑψηλότερος ἁπάντων Θεὸς, ἐπάνω πάντων ὢν, καὶ ἐπιτηρῶν ἕκαστα τῶν πραττομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ δοκοῦντος ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ πλουσίου, καὶ μεγαλαύχου, ἑκάστῳ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ὧν ἔπραξεν ἀπονέμει. Καὶ οἱ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, τουτέστι οἱ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς μεγαλοφρονοῦντες, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν εἰσιν εἰ μὴ περισσεία γῆς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀχρεῖος γῆ. Τί γὰρ ὑπερηφανεύῃ, φησὶ, γῆ καὶ σποδός; "Ἐπὶ παντί ἐστι βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἰργασμένου." Καὶ γενικῶς, φησὶ, λέγων· ὥσπερ τινὰ παράδεισον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κόσμον ὁ Θεὸς καλλιτεχνήσας, τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγροῦ βασιλεύει καὶ προνοεῖ. Ὥστε οὐ προσήκει διὰ τὰς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀνωμαλίας, ἀβασίλευτον ἢ ἀπρονόητον τὸν κόσμον νομίζειν. Προσήκει δὲ εἰδέναι, ὡς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἀγροῦ ὠνομασμένου, κατὰ τὴν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις παραβολὴν, τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Θεὸς βασιλέα κατέστησε, κατὰ τὸ, Πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἀναμιμνήσκει τοίνυν τοῦ ἀξιώματος, ἵνα τιμῶντες ἡμᾶς στεφανώσαντα, τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐργασώμεθα. Ἄλλως; Ἐπειδή ἐστι βασιλεὺς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ θεωρηθέντος ἀγροῦ τοῦ ἀκροφυῶς εἰργασμένου, μὴ διαφθείρωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀμπελῶνα, ἢ πράξεσιν ἀθέσμοις, ἢ δόγμασιν ἀθέοις, ἢ διδασκαλίαις ὀλεθροφόροις. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι γάρ ἐστι βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ. εἰργασμένου. Ἄλλως· Ἡ θεία Γραφὴ ἀγρός τίς ἐστιν εὐώδης, εὔκαρπος,