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5.t HOMILY 5. By the same, an exhortation to abstain from luxury and extravagance and drunkenness, and to prefer moderation in all things; and to

the newly-enlightened. 5.1 Even if the fast has passed, beloved, but let reverence remain. Even if the

season of the holy forty days has run past, let us at least not cast aside its memory. But let no one be annoyed, I beseech you, at this exhortation; for I do not say these things to compel you to fast again, but because I want you both to be at ease and to display now more than ever the truer, more precise fast. For it is possible for one not fasting to fast. And how? I will tell you: when we partake of food, but abstain from sins. For this is the profitable fast, and for its sake the abstinence from food exists, so that we might run more easily on the course of virtue. If, therefore, we wish both to take proper care of the body and to keep the soul pure from sins, let us act thus in obedience. 5.2 For this manner of fasting will be easier for us; because concerning that fast, I mean the abstinence from food, I have heard many saying they bear the pain of going without food with difficulty, and citing weakness of body, and lamenting many other things, and saying they are ruined by not bathing and by drinking only water. But concerning this fast, there is nothing of the sort to put forward. For it is possible both to enjoy all these things and to offer the appropriate care to the body and to take proper care of the soul. For I do not now exhort you to abstain from any of these things for the time being. Only stand aloof from sin and continually demonstrate abstinence from it. And thus you will be able in the whole time of your life to fulfill the true fast. For of those things which we have enumerated, moderate enjoyment is not forbidden; but sin is altogether forbidden. But this is born from nowhere else than from luxury and gluttony and great indolence. Therefore, I beseech you, knowing these things precisely, let us not use unjust things as a pretext for indolence. 5.3 For what I have often said, this I will also say now: just as necessity and moderation in partaking provide great benefit both to the health of the body and to the state of the soul, so again immoderation corrupts a person from both sides. For gluttony and drunkenness weaken the tone of the body and corrupt the health of the soul. Therefore, let us flee immoderation and not be indolently disposed concerning our own salvation; but knowing that it is the root of all evils, let us cut it out with precision. For just as from some spring, so from luxury and drunkenness all forms of sins sprout, and what combustible material is to fire, this luxury and drunkenness are to the slippery slope of sins; and just as in that case an abundance of material kindles a greater pyre and raises the flame on high, so also in this case, to give oneself over to luxury and drunkenness causes the pyre of sins to grow. 5.4 And I know that, being prudent, you will not tolerate transgressing the limits of necessity after our exhortation. But I now opportunely exhort you to turn away not only from this drunkenness but also from that which occurs without wine. For this, again, happens to be more severe. And let what is said not seem strange to you; for it is possible to be drunk even without wine. And that it is possible to be drunk without wine, hear the prophet saying: "Woe to those who are drunk, but not from wine." What, then, is drunkenness not from wine? It is much and varied; for anger also produces drunkenness, and vainglory and desperation and each of the destructive passions born in us, works in us a kind of drunkenness and surfeit and darkens our reasoning. For drunkenness is nothing other than a departure from the natural mind and a perversion of thoughts

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5.t ΛΟΓΟΣ Εʹ Τοῦ αὐτοῦ παραίνεσις ὥστε τρυφῆς ἀπέχεσθαι καὶ πολυτελείας καὶ μέθης καὶ τὴν συμμετρίαν πάντων προτιμᾶν· καὶ πρὸς

τοὺς νεοφωτίστους. 5.1 Εἰ καὶ ἡ νηστεία παρῆλθεν, ἀγαπητοί, ἀλλὰ μενέτω ἡ εὐλάβεια. Εἰ καὶ ὁ

τῆς ἁγίας τεσσαρακοστῆς καιρὸς παρέδραμε, τὴν γοῦν μνήμην αὐτῆς μὴ ἀποθώμεθα. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς δυσχεραινέτω, παρακαλῶ, πρὸς τὴν παραίνεσιν· οὔτε γὰρ νηστεύειν ἀναγκάζων πάλιν φημὶ ταῦτα ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀνίεσθαι καὶ ἀκριβεστέραν νῦν μᾶλλον τὴν ἀληθῆ νηστείαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ μὴ νηστεύοντα νηστεύειν. Καὶ πῶς; Ἐγὼ λέγω· ὅταν βρωμάτων μὲν μεταλαμβάνωμεν ἁμαρτημάτων δὲ ἀπεχώμεθα. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ἐπωφελὴς νηστεία καὶ διὰ ταύτην καὶ ἡ τῶν βρωμάτων ἀποχὴ γίνεται ἵν' εὐκολώτερον πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς δρόμον τρέχωμεν. Ἂν τοίνυν βουλώμεθα καὶ τοῦ σώματος τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καθαρὰν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διατηρεῖν, οὕτω ποιῶμεν πειθόμενοι. 5.2 Καὶ γὰρ εὐκολώτερος ἡμῖν οὗτος ἔσται τῆς νηστείας ὁ τρόπος· διότι ἐπ' ἐκείνης τῆς νηστείας, τῆς ἀποχῆς τῶν βρωμάτων λέγω, πολλῶν ἤκουον λεγόντων βαρέως φέρειν τῆς ἀσιτίας τὸν πόνον καὶ ἀσθένειαν αἰτιωμένων σώματος καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ἀποδυρομένων καὶ λεγόντων ὑπὸ τῆς ἀλουσίας καὶ ὑδροποσίας διαφθείρεσθαι. Ἐπὶ δὲ ταύτης τῆς νηστείας οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔστι προβαλέσθαι. Ἔξεστι γὰρ καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων ἀπολαύειν καὶ τὴν κατάλληλον τῷ σώματι θεραπείαν προσάγειν καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι. Οὐδενὸς γὰρ τούτων τέως ἀπέχεσθαι νῦν παραινῶ. Ἁμαρτίας μόνον ἀπόστηθι καὶ τὴν ἐκείνης ἀποχὴν διηνεκῶς ἐπιδείκνυσο. Καὶ οὕτω δυνήσῃ ἐν παντὶ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς χρόνῳ τὴν ἀληθῆ νηστείαν ἐπιτελεῖν. Ἐκείνων μὲν γὰρ ὧν ἀπηριθμησάμεθα, ἡ σύμμετρος ἀπόλαυσις οὐ κεκώλυται· ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία πάντη ἀπηγόρευται· αὕτη δὲ οὐδαμόθεν τίκτεται ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἀδηφαγίας καὶ πολλῆς τῆς βλακείας. ∆ιό, παρακαλῶ, ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς ἐπισταμένους μὴ τὰ ἄδικα εἰς πρόφασιν ῥᾳθυμίας χρησώμεθα. 5.3 Ὅπερ γὰρ πολλάκις εἶπον τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐρῶ· ὥσπερ ἡ χρεία καὶ ἡ συμμετρία τῆς μεταλήψεως καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ὑγιείᾳ καὶ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς καταστάσει πολλὴν παρέχει τὴν ὠφέλειαν, οὕτω πάλιν ἡ ἀμετρία ἑκατέρωθεν διαφθείρει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἡ γὰρ ἀδηφαγία καὶ ἡ μέθη τοῦ σώματος ἐκλύει τὸν τόνον καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς διαφθείρει τὴν ὑγίειαν. ∆ιὸ φεύγωμεν τὴν ἀμετρίαν καὶ μὴ ῥᾳθύμως περὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν διακεώμεθα· ἀλλ' εἰδότες ὅτι ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν, ἐκτέμωμεν αὐτὴν μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ πηγῆς τινος, οὕτως ἀπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ τῆς μέθης ἅπαντα βλαστάνει τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εἴδη, καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ καυστικὴ ὕλη τῷ πυρί, τοῦτο ἡ τρυφὴ καὶ ἡ μέθη πρὸς τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὄλισθον· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ πλείονα τὴν πυρὰν ἀνάπτει καὶ τὴν φλόγα εἰς ὕψος ἐγείρει ἡ τῆς ὕλης ἀφθονία, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν πυρὰν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὔξεσθαι παρασκευάζει τὸ πρὸς τὴν τρυφὴν καὶ τὴν μέθην ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι. 5.4 Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι συνετοὶ ὄντες οὐκ ἀνέξεσθε μετὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν παραίνεσιν τῆς χρείας ὑπερβῆναι τοὺς ὅρους. Ἐγὼ δὲ νῦν εὐκαίρως παραινῶ οὐ ταύτην μόνον τὴν μέθην ἐκτρέπεσθαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἄνευ οἴνου ἐγγινομένην. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη πάλιν χαλεπωτέρα τυγχάνει. Καὶ μὴ ξενιζέτω ὑμᾶς τὸ λεγόμενον· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἄνευ οἴνου μεθύειν. Καὶ ὅτι μεθύειν ἄνευ οἴνου ἔστιν, ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· «Οὐαὶ οἱ μεθύοντες οὐκ ἀπὸ οἴνου.» Ποία τοίνυν ἐστὶ μέθη οὐκ ἀπὸ οἴνου; Πολλὴ καὶ διάφορος· καὶ γὰρ ὀργὴ ποιεῖ μέθην καὶ κενοδοξία καὶ ἀπόνοια καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ὀλεθρίων παθῶν τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τικτομένων, ὥσπερ μέθην τινὰ καὶ κόρον ἐν ἡμῖν ἐργάζεται καὶ σκοτοῖ τὸν λογισμὸν τὸν ἡμέτερον. Οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι μέθη ἢ ἔκστασις τῶν κατὰ φύσιν φρενῶν καὶ παρατροπὴ λογισμῶν