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driven into the wilderness, becoming a wanderer, a fugitive, stateless, homeless, an exile. 10.42 Why say more? At last he fell away from his fatherland and his entire native country, living among barbarians who were his enemies and bitterest foes, and enduring a life harder than slavery; for he was also in want of necessary food. And he suffered these things after the coming of Samuel, after the anointing with oil, after the promise of the kingdom, after the scepter, after the diadem, after the election of God and the decree concerning him. 10.43 And yet none of these things scandalized him, nor did he say: "What is this? I who am king and about to enjoy so great a rule, am not even able to be a private citizen in safety; but I have become a wanderer and a fugitive, stateless, homeless, an exile, and I have been carried off to a barbarian land, lacking necessary food, and I see the ultimate danger hanging over me each day. Where are the promises of the kingdom? Where are the announcements of that rule?" He neither said nor thought any of these things; he was not scandalized by what was happening, but he too awaited the fulfillment of the promises. 10.44 And it is possible to speak of countless others who, having fallen into difficult circumstances, were not disturbed, but holding to the pronouncement of God, even if what was happening was contrary to the promises, through this most beautiful patience they reaped brilliant crowns. You, therefore, beloved, await the end; for it will surely come to pass, either here or in the age to come. And yield everywhere to the incomprehensible providence of God and do not say: "How will such great evils be corrected?" nor be overly curious about the manner of God's working of wonders.

11.t Chapter 11. That this did not happen immediately and that in the beginning, seeing all things to be contrary, the saints were not scandalized

11.1 For not even those righteous men of that time sought this: How and in what way

these things will be; but seeing all things tending toward despair according to human reasoning, they were not disturbed even so, nor were they troubled; but they bore all things nobly, having as the greatest proof of the good things to come the power of the one who promised, and not falling into despair from the contrariness of events. 11.2 For they knew clearly that being resourceful and wise, He would be able, even after affairs were despaired of, to restore these things more than before and with much ease to bring the promises to their fulfillment. You, therefore, beloved, if in the present life your sorrows find a solution, glorify God; and if they end in difficulties, even so give thanks and do not be scandalized, knowing clearly the infinite and inexplicable providence of God, and that all things will surely receive their proper end, whether in the present life, or in the one to come. 11.3 But if anyone, hearing of the future and being fainthearted, should be eager to see this happen here, we will say that the true life and the sure and immovable things await us then. For the present things are a road, but those are a fatherland; the things here are like spring flowers, but those are like immovable rocks; there are crowns and rewards without end, there are prizes and awards, there are unbearable punishments and retributions for those who have wrought such evils. 11.4 What then will you say to those who are for the present scandalized? You do not speak of those who shine more brightly, but those who wear masks of piety and are now being exposed, these you bring into the midst. Do you not see the gold being purified? The lead being tested? The chaff being separated from the wheat? The wolves from the sheep? The false from those who truly live in piety? So when you see the scandals of these, consider also the good repute of those. 11.5 They were tripped up

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ἐρημίαν ἐλαυνόμενος, ἀλήτης, φυγάς, ἄπολις, ἄοικος, μετανάστης γενόμενος. 10.42 Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; Τέλος καὶ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ τῆς οἰκείας χώρας ἁπάσης ἐξέπεσεν ἐκείνης, παρὰ βαρβάροις τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ ἐχθροτάτοις διατρίβων καὶ δουλείας χαλεπωτέραν ὑπομένων ζωήν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἠπόρει τροφῆς. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔπασχε μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Σαμουήλ, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐλαίου χρῖσιν, μετὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ὑπόσχεσιν, μετὰ τὰ σκῆπτρα, μετὰ τὸ διάδημα, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χειροτονίαν καὶ τὴν ψῆφον τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῷ. 10.43 Καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲν αὐτὸν τούτων ἐσκανδάλισεν, οὐδὲ εἶπεν οὐδὲ οὗτος· «Τί τοῦτο; Ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐγὼ καὶ τοσαύτης μέλλων ἀρχῆς ἀπολαύσεσθαι, οὐδὲ ἰδιώτης μετὰ ἀσφαλείας εἶναι δύναμαι· ἀλλὰ ἀλήτης γέγονα καὶ φυγάς, ἄπολις, ἄοικος, μετανάστης καὶ εἰς βάρβαρον ἀπηνέχθην χώραν καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἀπορῶν τροφῆς καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ὁρῶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπικρεμάμενόν μοι τὸν κίνδυνον. Ποῦ τῆς βασιλείας αἱ ὑποσχέσεις; ποῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι ἐκείνης;» Οὐδὲν τούτων οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν· οὐκ ἐσκανδαλίσθη τοῖς γινομένοις, ἀλλὰ ἀνέμενε καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ τέλος τῶν ὑποσχέσεων. 10.44 Καὶ ἑτέρους δὲ μυρίους ἔστιν εἰπεῖν οἳ χαλεποῖς περιπεσόντες πράγμασιν οὐκ ἐθορυβήθησαν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν κατέχοντες, εἰ καὶ ἐναντία τὰ γινόμενα ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν ἦν, διὰ τῆς καλλίστης ταύτης ὑπομονῆς λαμπροὺς ἐδρέποντο τοὺς στεφάνους. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ἀγαπητέ, ἀνάμενε τὸ τέλος· πάντως γὰρ ἀπαντήσεται, ἢ ἐνταῦθα ἢ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι· καὶ παραχώρει πανταχοῦ τῷ ἀκαταλήπτῳ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας καὶ μὴ λέγε· «Πῶς δὲ τὰ τοσαῦτα κακὰ λήψεται διόρθωσιν;» μηδὲ περιεργάζου τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδοξοποιίας τὸν τρόπον.

11.t Κεφ. ιαʹ. Ὅτι οὐκ εὐθέως τοῦτο γέγονε καὶ ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐναντία ἅπαντα βλέποντες οἱ ἅγιοι οὐκ ἐσκανδαλίζοντο

11.1 Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι τότε ἐκεῖνοι τοῦτο ἐζήτουν τό· Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ

ταῦτα ἔσται· ἀλλ' ὁρῶντες εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν κατὰ ἀνθρώπινον λογισμὸν πάντα φερόμενα, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐθορυβοῦντο, οὐδὲ ἐταράττοντο· ἀλλ' ἔφερον ἅπαντα γενναίως, μεγίστην ἔχοντες ἀπόδειξιν τῶν ἐσομένων χρηστῶν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὑποσχομένου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν γινομένων ἐναντιότητος εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν οὐκ ἐμπίπτοντες. 11.2 Ἤδεσαν γὰρ σαφῶς ὅτι εὐμήχανος ὢν καὶ σοφός, δυνήσεται καὶ μετὰ τὸ τὰ πράγματα ἀπαγορευθῆναι ἀνακτήσασθαι ταῦτα μᾶλλον ἢ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας τοῖς ἐπαγγελθεῖσιν ἐπιθεῖναι τὸ τέλος. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ἀγαπητέ, ἄν τε ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ λάβῃ τὰ λυπηρὰ λύσιν, δόξαζε τὸν Θεόν· ἄν τε εἰς τὰ δυσχερῆ καταλύσῃ, καὶ οὕτως εὐχαρίστει καὶ μὴ σκανδαλίζου, εἰδὼς σαφῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν τὴν ἄπειρον καὶ ἑρμηνευθῆναι μὴ δυναμένην καὶ ὅτι πάντως λήψεται τὸ προσῆκον ἅπαντα τὸ τέλος, εἴτε ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, εἴτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. 11.3 Εἰ δέ τις τὸ μέλλον ἀκούων καὶ μικροψυχῶν ἐπείγοιτο τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα ἰδεῖν γινόμενον, ἐροῦμεν ὅτι ἡ ἀληθὴς ζωὴ καὶ τὰ βέβαια πράγματα καὶ ἀκίνητα τότε ἡμᾶς μένει. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ παρόντα, ὁδός, ἐκεῖνα δέ, πατρίς· τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἄνθεσιν ἔοικεν ἐαρινοῖς, ἐκεῖνα δὲ πέτραις ἀκινήτοις· ἐκεῖ στέφανοι καὶ ἀμοιβαὶ τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσαι, ἐκεῖ ἔπαθλα καὶ βραβεῖα, ἐκεῖ κολάσεις καὶ τιμωρίαι ἀφόρητοι τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα κακουργησάντων. 11.4 Τί οὖν πρὸς τοὺς τέως σκανδαλιζομένους ἐρεῖς; Τοὺς μειζόνως διαλάμποντας οὐ λέγεις, τοὺς δὲ προσωπεῖα εὐλαβείας περικειμένους καὶ νῦν ἐλεγχομένους, τούτους ἄγεις εἰς μέσον. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸ χρυσίον καθαιρόμενον; τὸν μόλιβδον ἐλεγχόμενον; τὰ ἄχυρα διακρινόμενα τοῦ σίτου; τοὺς λύκους τῶν προβάτων; τοὺς πεπλασμένους τῶν ἀληθῶς ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ ζώντων; Ὥστε ὅταν ἴδῃς τούτων τὰ σκάνδαλα, ἐννόησον κἀκείνων τὰς εὐδοκιμήσεις. 11.5 Ὑπεσκελίσθησάν