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to set forth all the remedies; but it is not necessary for you to do so, but it is possible for you with less labor to reap a greater correction; for you know clearly the sins of those who live with you, therefore you can also make the cure quicker.

3. Therefore, beloved, let us not neglect those who live with us; for the greatest chastisement and unspeakable punishment is laid up for those who neglect their own. For if anyone, says Paul, does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Do you see to what point Paul has hurled those who neglect their own? And very rightly; for he who neglects his own, he says, how will he take care of others? I know I have often exhorted you about these things; but I will never cease exhorting you, although I am now without responsibility for the indolence of others; For you ought, He says, to have deposited my money with the bankers, and He demanded nothing more. But I have both deposited the money, and have no account to give; but still, though I am without responsibility, and freed from the punishment for these things, as though I were responsible for chastisement and punishment, so I fear and tremble for your salvation, Let no one, therefore, listen to the spiritual words simply or carelessly; for I do not make the introductions long rashly and in vain, but so that the keeping of what is deposited may become more secure, so that you might not, having applauded and made a noise, go home in vain and simply. For I do not care for your praises, but I am concerned for your salvation. For those who contend on the stage receive as their reward for this the praise from the people; but we have not stripped for these things, but to receive the reward laid up for these things from the Master. For this reason we also continually exhort you in these things, so that what is said may go down into the depth of your mind. For just as whatever plants send down their roots to the depth become unshaken by the assaults of the winds; so also with thoughts, the more they remain in the depth of the mind, they are not easily torn up by the treachery of circumstances. For tell me, beloved, if you saw your child wasting away with hunger, would you have endured to overlook it, and not rather have undergone everything, so as to relieve his hunger? Then, you would not overlook him being destroyed by a hunger for bread, but you endure to overlook him perishing from a hunger for divine teaching? And how would you be worthy to be called a father? For this hunger is more grievous than that one, inasmuch as it also ends in a greater death, whence it is necessary to apply more diligence here. For bring up, he says, your children 51.101 in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This is the most excellent care of fathers, this is the genuine solicitude of parents; for so I recognize the kinship of nature, if they show greater diligence in spiritual things. But the discourse of the introductions is sufficient; it is necessary now to pay the debt also; for it was for this reason that I lengthened this long and copious discourse for you, so that you might receive what is paid with all safekeeping. What then is the debt, which we departed formerly owing? Or have you perhaps forgotten this too? Therefore it is necessary for you to be reminded by us, and first to read the bill, by which we made the former payment, and to say what things were paid, so that we may see from what has been paid what remains. What then are the things that were paid before? I said there who it was who wrote the book of Acts, and who was the father of this account; or rather, not the father of the account, but the servant; for he himself did not beget what was said, but he himself ministered what was said. I spoke about the Acts themselves, and what the name of the Acts means to show; I spoke also about the title of the apostles. It is necessary now to say, for what reason our Fathers legislated that the book of Acts be read at Pentecost. For perhaps

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ἅπαντα προτιθέναι τὰ φάρμακα· ὑμᾶς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω ποιεῖν ἀνάγκη, ἀλλ' ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μετὰ ἐλάττονος πόνου πλείονα καρποῦσθαι τὴν διόρθωσιν· ἴστε γὰρ σαφῶς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν ὑμῖν συνοικούντων, διὸ καὶ ταχυτέραν δύνασθε ποιῆσαι τὴν θεραπείαν.

γʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀμελῶμεν τῶν συνοικούντων ἡμῖν· καὶ γὰρ μεγίστη κόλασις κεῖται καὶ ἄφατος τιμωρία τοῖς ἀμελοῦσι τῶν οἰκείων. Εἰ γάρ τις, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, τῶν ἰδίων οὐ προνοεῖται, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν οἰκείων, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται, καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων. Ὁρᾷς ποῦ τῶν ἀμελούντων τῶν οἰκείων ὁ Παῦλος ἠκόντισε; Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· ὁ γὰρ τῶν οἰκείων ἀμελῶν, φησὶ, πῶς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιμελήσεται; Οἶδα πολλάκις ταῦτα παραινέσας ὑμῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ παραινῶν οὐδέποτε παύσομαι, καίτοι γε ἐγὼ ἀνεύθυνος λοιπὸν τῆς τῶν ἑτέρων ῥᾳθυμίας εἰμί· Ἔδει γάρ σε, φησὶ, καταβαλεῖν τὸ ἀργύριόν μου ἐπὶ τοὺς τραπεζίτας, καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἀπῄτησεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον κατέβαλον, καὶ λόγον οὐδένα ἔχω· ἀλλ' ὅμως καίτοι γε ἀνεύθυνος ὢν, καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας ἀπηλλαγμένος τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις, καθάπερ ὑπεύθυνος ὢν κολάσει καὶ τιμωρίᾳ, οὕτω δέδοικα καὶ τρέμω περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας, Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἁπλῶς μηδὲ ἠμελημένως ἀκουέτω τῶν λόγων τῶν πνευματικῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην μακρὰ ποιοῦμαι τὰ προοίμια, ἀλλ' ὥστε ἀσφαλεστέραν γίνεσθαι τῶν καταβαλλομένων τὴν φυλακὴν, ὥστε μὴ μάτην μηδὲ ἁπλῶς κροτήσαντας καὶ θορυβήσαντας οἴκαδε ἀπελθεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ μέλει μοι τῶν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐπαίνων, ἀλλὰ φροντίζω τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς ἀγωνιζόμενοι τὸν ὑπὲρ τούτου μισθὸν τὸν ἔπαινον παρὰ τοῦ δήμου λαμβάνουσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπεδυσάμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μισθὸν τὸν ἐπὶ τούτοις κείμενον λαβεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ συνεχῶς ὑμῖν ταῦτα παρακελευόμεθα, ὥστε πρὸς τὸ βάθος τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν καταβῆναι τὰ λεγόμενα. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῶν φυτῶν ὅσαπερ ἂν πρὸς τὸ βάθος παραπέμψῃ τὰς ῥίζας, ἄσειστα γίνεται ταῖς τῶν ἀνέμων προσβολαῖς· οὕτω καὶ τῶν νοημάτων ὅσῳπερ ἂν ἐν τῷ βάθει μένῃ τῆς διανοίας, οὐ ῥᾳδίως ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνασπᾶται ἐπιβουλῆς. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ἀγαπητὲ, εἰ λιμῷ τὸν παῖδα τηκόμενον εἶδες, ἆρα ἂν ἠνέσχου περιιδεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ πάντα ἂν ὑπέμεινας, ὥστε λῦσαι αὐτοῦ τὸν λιμόν; Εἶτα λιμῷ μὲν ἄρτου διαφθειρόμενον οὐκ ἂν περιεῖδες, λιμῷ δὲ θείας διδασκαλίας ἀπολλύμενον ἀνέχῃ περιορᾷν; Καὶ πῶς ἄξιος ἂν ἦς καλεῖσθαι πατήρ; Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ὁ λιμὸς ἐκείνου χαλεπώτερος, ὅσῳ καὶ πρὸς μείζονα τελευτᾷ θάνατον, ὅθεν καὶ πλείονα ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖσθαι χρὴ τὴν σπουδήν. Ἐκτρέφετε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ τέκνα 51.101 ὑμῶν ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου. Αὕτη καλλίστη πατέρων ἐπιμέλεια, αὕτη γνησία κηδεμονία γεγεννηκότων· οὕτω γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐπιγινώσκω τῆς φύσεως τὴν συγγένειαν, ἐὰν ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς πλείονα ἐπιδείξωνται τὴν σπουδήν. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν προοιμίων ἀρκετὸς ὁ λόγος· ἀνάγκη δὲ λοιπὸν καταβαλεῖν καὶ τὸ χρέος· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸν μακρὸν καὶ πολὺν τοῦτον ὑμῖν ἀπεμήκυνα λόγον, ἵνα μετὰ πάσης ὑποδέξησθε τὸ καταβαλλόμενον φυλακῆς. Τί οὖν τὸ ὄφλημα, ὅπερ ἀνεχωρήσαμεν ὀφείλοντες πρώην; ἢ καὶ τοῦτο τάχα ἐπιλέλησθε; Οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη παρ' ἡμῶν ὑμᾶς ὑπομνησθῆναι, καὶ πρότερον ἀναγνῶναι τὸ γραμματεῖον, δι' οὗ καὶ τὴν προτέραν καταβολὴν ἐποιησάμεθα, καὶ τίνα ἦν τὰ καταβληθέντα εἰπεῖν, ἵνα ἴδωμεν ἐκ τῶν καταβληθέντων τὰ λειπόμενα. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι τὰ καταβληθέντα πρότερον; Εἶπον ἐκεῖ τίς ἦν ὁ τὸ βιβλίον γράψας τῶν Πράξεων, καὶ τίς ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ λόγου τούτου· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλ' ὁ διάκονος· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔτεκε τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς διηκόνησε τοῖς εἰρημένοις. Εἶπον περὶ τῶν Πράξεων αὐτῶν, καὶ τί ποτ' οὖν βούλεται ἐνδείξασθαι τὸ τῶν Πράξεων ὄνομα· εἶπον καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων προσηγορίας. Ἀνάγκη λοιπὸν εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οἱ Πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ Πεντηκοστῇ τὸ βιβλίον τῶν Πράξεων ἀναγινώσκεσθαι ἐνομοθέτησαν. Τάχα γὰρ