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whatever the leaders may be, such must the led also be. Since, therefore, the rulers of the faithful city were once disobedient, the city, being assimilated to them, cast off its faithfulness and turned to fornication. Let us not also become disobedient, and unbelief will not rule over us. Your rulers are disobedient. Clearly they are disobedient to God, turning away from Him, and not abiding by the things ordained by Him. And in the commandments was to shake their hands free from gifts, not to run with thieves; but they, from love of money, for the sake of shameful gain, became companions of thieves. 1.50 We must not think of thieves as only these cut-purses, or those who steal clothes in the baths; but also if some, being entrusted with the command of armies, or taking up the rule of cities and nations, secretly pilfer some things, and publicly seize others by force. And the one considered the ruler of the Church, receiving from such men, either for his own enjoyment, on the pretext of the honor due to him because of his leadership, or for the reason of administering to the poor in the Church, is a partner in theft; instead of reproving and admonishing and turning the thieves from injustice, readily holding out his hand for the gain and calling him blessed, when he ought to hate him all the more, the more he steals. And he might praise him, acting as a bodyguard and escort, and hovering about his doors and touching the hands, with which all things alike, privately and publicly, were stolen. In truth, doing these things, we are called companions of thieves. We ought to trample upon the unevenness of the whole world and the illusions in it. When we see in the courts the small thieves being punished by the great ones, we both hate the servants for these things, and admire the latter. For we turn away from the one group because they are thieves; but we are amazed at the other because they are rich from their theft. Of what else are the rulers accused? 1.51 Loving gifts. Very precisely it is said, *those who love gifts*, not *those who take gifts*. For thus also would the things properly given in the societies of life have been slandered; but *loving gifts*, that is, having been melted into the desire of receiving. And the accusation of the rulers is having their holy love poured out upon corruptible and earthly things. For one must love the Lord God with all the power for loving that exists in us, and love one's neighbor, and love one's enemies, so that we may be perfect, imitating the goodness of the Father in heaven, who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good. But to squander the power of loving on other things is not permitted. But if it is evil to love anything at all besides the things mentioned, he who loves money in such a way as he ought to love the Lord God, from his whole heart and from his whole soul and from his whole mind, such a one, instead of serving the Lord, serves Mammon, having transferred the measure of love owed to God onto money. For this reason greed becomes idolatry, whenever it transfers the gifts offered to the Lord God to earthly things. We are commanded, therefore, not to love gifts, so as for their sake to forgive many of the forbidden things to those who come forward. And in general, the word does not permit us to love such gifts, nor to be passionately disposed towards them, but to receive their service as a necessity. For it is impossible for "From the whole heart" to admit any division to another. For just as in a vessel filled with some liquid, as much as flows out, so much must be lacking from its fullness, so also it is with the soul; as much of its love is emptied out on things it ought not, so much must it be lacking towards God. But he who once has set out to love money, empties all his love out there. For he who loves money will not be satisfied with money. 1.52 Pursuing requital. The greatest accusation against a ruler, to be ready for defense and to devise in every way against those who have caused grief to the

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ποτ' ἂν οἱ ἄγοντες ὦσι, τοιοῦτον ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸ ἀγό μενον εἶναι. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ποτε τῆς πιστῆς πόλεως οἱ ἄρχον τες ἦσαν ἀπειθοῦντες, συνεξομοιωθεῖσα αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ πόλις, ἀποθεμένη τὸ εἶναι πιστὴ, μετέπεσεν εἰς πορνείαν. Μὴ γε νώμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπειθεῖς, καὶ ἀπιστία ἡμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει. Οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν ἀπειθοῦσι. ∆ηλονότι Θεῷ ἀπειθοῦσιν, ἐκκλίνοντες ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῖς διατεταγμένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐμμένοντες. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς προστάγμασιν ἦν τὰς χεῖρας ἀποσείεσθαι ἀπὸ δώρων, μὴ συντρέχειν τοῖς κλέπτουσιν· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ φιλαργυρίας, αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν, κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν ἐγένοντο. 1.50 Οὐ πάντως κλέπτας νοητέον τοὺς βαλαντιοτόμους τούτους, ἢ ἐν τοῖς λουτροῖς λωποδυτοῦντας· ἀλλὰ κἄν τινες, στρατοπέδων ἡγεμονίαν πιστευθέντες, ἢ πόλεων καὶ ἐθνῶν ἀρχὰς παραλαμβάνοντες, τὰ μὲν λάθρᾳ ὑφαιρῶνται, τὰ δὲ δημοσίᾳ βιάζωνται. Λαμβάνων δὲ παρὰ τῶν τοιούτων ὁ νομιζόμενος ἄρχων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἤτοι εἰς ἰδίαν αὐτοῦ ἀπόλαυσιν, ἐπὶ προφάσει τῆς ἐπιβαλλούσης αὐτῷ τιμῆς διὰ τῆς προστασίας, ἢ ἐπὶ λόγῳ τῆς τῶν πτωχευόντων ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οἰκονομίας, κοινωνός ἐστι κλοπῆς· ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐλέγχειν καὶ νουθετεῖν καὶ ἀφιστᾶν τῆς ἀδικίας τοὺς κλέπ τοντας, ῥᾳδίως ὑπέχων τὴν χεῖρα τῷ λήμματι καὶ μακαρί ζων αὐτόν, δέον μειζόνως αὐτὸν μισεῖν, ὅσῳ μείζονα κλέπτει. Ὁ δὲ ἐπαινοίη αὐτὸν δορυφορῶν καὶ παραπέμπων καὶ περὶ τὰς θύρας στρεφόμενος καὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἁπτόμενος, αἷς πάντα ὁμοίως ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ διεκλάπη. Τῷ ὄντι, ταῦτα ποιοῦντες, κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν ὀνομαζόμεθα. ∆έον καταπα τεῖν ἡμᾶς τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ φαντασιῶν. Ὅταν ἴδωμεν ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις τοὺς μικροὺς κλέπτας ὑπὸ τῶν μεγάλων κολαζομένους, καὶ τοὺς μὲν οἰκέτας μισοῦμεν, διὰ ταῦτα, τούτους δὲ θαυμάζομεν. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ, ὅτι κλέπται εἰσὶν, ἐκτρεπόμεθα· τοὺς δὲ, ὅτι πλουτοῦσιν ἐκ τῆς κλοπῆς, ἐκπλησσόμεθα. Τί ἄλλο κατηγοροῦνται οἱ ἄρχοντες; 1.51 Ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα. Πάνυ ἀκριβῶς εἴρηται τὸ Οἱ ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα, οὐχὶ λαμβά νοντες δῶρα. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν καὶ τὰ καθηκόντως ἐν ταῖς τοῦ βίου κοινωνίαις διδόμενα διεβέβλητο· ἀλλ' Ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα, του τέστι προστετηκότες τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ τοῦ λαμβάνειν. Κατηγο ρία δὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων, περὶ τὰ φθαρτὰ καὶ τὰ γήϊνα τὴν ἱερὰν ἀγάπην ἐκκεχυμένην ἔχειν. Κύριον γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπᾷν δεῖ πάσῃ τῇ ἐνυπαρχούσῃ ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸ ἀγαπᾷν δυνάμει καὶ ἀγα πᾷν καὶ τὸν πλησίον καὶ ἀγαπᾷν καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἵνα ὦμεν τέλειοι, μιμούμενοι τὴν χρηστότητα τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς Πατρὸς, τοῦ τὸν ἥλιον ἑαυτοῦ ἀνατέλλοντος ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγα θούς. Εἰς ἄλλα δὲ τὴν τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν δύναμιν παραναλίσκειν, οὐ συγκεχώρηται. Εἰ δὲ πονηρόν ἐστι καὶ ὁτιοῦν ἀγαπᾷν παρὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον οὕτως, ὡς ἀγαπᾷν ὤφειλε Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας αὐτοῦ, ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀντὶ τοῦ δουλεύειν τῷ Κυρίῳ, δουλεύει τῷ Μαμ μωνᾷ, τὸ τῷ Θεῷ ὀφειλόμενον τῆς ἀγάπης μέτρον ἐπὶ τὸ ἀργύριον μεταθείς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γίνεται ἡ πλεονεξία εἰδωλολα τρεία, ἐπειδὰν τὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ προσφερόμενα δῶρα ἐπὶ τὰ γήϊνα μετενέγκῃ. Προστετάγμεθα οὖν μὴ ἀγαπᾷν τὰ δῶρα, ὥστε τού των ἕνεκα πολλὰ τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων συγχωρεῖν τοῖς προσιοῦσι. Καθόλου δὲ, οὐδὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα δῶρα ἀγαπᾷν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος δίδωσιν, οὐδὲ ἐμπαθῶς διακεῖσθαι περὶ αὐτά, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀναγκαίαν αὐτῶν τὴν λειτουργίαν ὑποδεχόμενοι. Ἀμήχανον γὰρ τὸ Ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, μερισμόν τινα εἰς ἕτερον ἐπιδέξασθαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ἀγγείῳ πεπληρωμένῳ τινὸς ὑγροῦ, ὅσον ἂν ἐκρυῇ πρὸς τὰ ἔξω, τοσοῦτον ἀνάγκη τῆς πληρώσεως ἀποδεῖν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς· ὅσον ἂν αὐτῇ κενωθῇ τῆς ἀγάπης, ἐφ' ἃ μὴ προσῆκε, τοσοῦτον ἐν δεῖν ἀνάγκη πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὁ δὲ ἅπαξ ὁρμήσας ἀγαπᾷν ἀργύριον, πᾶσαν ἐκεῖ μετακενοῖ τὴν ἀγάπην. Ὁ γὰρ ἀγα πῶν ἀργύριον, οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου. 1.52 ∆ιώκοντες ἀνταπόδομα. Μέγιστον κατηγόρημα ἄρχοντος, πρόχειρον εἶναι πρὸς ἄμυ ναν καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ ἐπινοεῖν κατὰ τῶν λελυπηκότων τὴν τῶν