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a shepherd of the most savage creatures having become in the ark, and for a whole year shepherding these and those in the same way, and compelling the carnivorous to eat grass. And the number of the clean animals, preserved safe and sound, bears witness. The great Daniel also bears witness, who was given as a meal to lions, but astounded them by the flash of his virtue, and terrified them exceedingly with the character of the divine image; for when they saw in the image the imitation of the archetype, exceedingly pure and preserved, they acknowledged their servitude, and put off their wildness, and supposed they were seeing that Adam who, before the sin, imposed their names. Thus when the blessed Paul was offering a bundle of sticks as food for the fire, and tempering the chill of the air with the help of the fire, the viper hidden in the wood fled the fire as something deadly, but fastened on the apostolic hand, as if defending itself for what it was about to suffer; but not finding the slack and yielding part of sin, but the waterproof and unbreakable armor of virtue, it immediately sprang off, like a dart hurled against a resistant surface and returning again to the one who hurled it, and it went down into the fire, as if exacting from itself a penalty for its audacity, because it had used its wrath against a master's hand. The species of wild beasts, therefore, are like straps and rods and pedagogical disciplines. And these are very easy to despise for those who have already been perfected and have passed beyond the age of childhood; but for those still childish in their minds, they are exceedingly necessary and useful. And just as a law is not laid down for the just, according to the divine Apostle, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for parricides, and such like; so also the nature of wild beasts is set before men as a kind of discipline, terrifying and frightening those prone to sin, but is despised as a child's game by the disciples of virtue. Therefore, from this, having found the care of God, and having learned His manifold providence, cease, O friend, from slandering, and repay the benefactor with hymns. For how is it not absurd to praise the schoolmaster, who flogs the children at the proper time, and drives out laziness with the rod, and with the strap instills a firm memory of the elements, and to acknowledge thanks to a physician, not only when he offers food and drink to the sick, but when he cuts and cauterizes, and wages war on the disease, and checks its forward progress; but to blaspheme God, who provides for souls with greater wisdom 83.644 and greater care, and by the supply of good things and the fear of scourges, both teaches the elements of virtue, and pulls up the disease of wickedness by the roots, and works out the pure health of the soul? «Keep thy tongue therefore from evil, and thy lips from speaking blasphemy. Turn away from evil, and do good.» Behold the care for you, and praise the one who provides, so that seeing your gratitude for His graces, He may both now overwhelm you with benefits, and deem you worthy of the promised good things; may we also obtain these in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. DISCOURSE 6. That both wealth and poverty are useful for life. Often already have I said with the Prophet to the lawless: «Do not act lawlessly,» and to the sinners: «Do not lift up a horn, do not lift up your horn on high, and do not speak injustice against God,» saying that He has left the creation which He has made without a pilot. But as for the very ungrateful, neither do the heavens persuade them as they declare, according to the Prophet, the glory

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ἀγριωτάτων νο μεὺς ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ γενόμενος, καὶ ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα κατὰ ταυτὸ ποιμάνας, καὶ τὰ σαρκοφάγα ποηφαγεῖν ἀναγκάσας. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ σῶος καὶ ἄρτιος φυλαχθεὶς ὁ τῶν καθαρῶν ἀρι θμός. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆ανιὴλ, λέουσι μὲν θοίνη παραδοθεὶς, καταπλήξας δὲ αὐτοὺς τῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀστραπῇ, καὶ τῷ τῆς θείας εἰκόνος χαρα κτῆρι λίαν ἐκδειματώσας· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ ἀρχετύπου τὸ μίμημα λίαν ἀκραιφνὲς καὶ πεφυλαγμένον, ὡμολόγησαν τὴν δουλείαν, καὶ τὴν θηριωδίαν ἀπέθεντο, καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκεῖνον ὁρᾷν ὑπελάμβανον, τὸν πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὰς προσ ηγορίας ἐπιτιθέντα. Οὕτω τοῦ μακαρίου Παύ λου τῶν ξύλων τὸν φάκελον τροφὴν προσφέροντος τῇ πυρᾷ, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἀέρος κρυμῶδες κεραννύντος τῇ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπικουρίᾳ, ὁ τοῖς ξύλοις ἐγκεκρυμμένος ἔχις ἔφυγε μὲν τὸ πῦρ ὡς ὀλέθριον, ἥψατο δὲ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς χειρὸς, ὥσπερ ἀμυνόμενος ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔμελλε πείσεσθαι· οὐχ εὑρὼν δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ χαλαρὸν καὶ ὑπεῖκον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ στεγανὸν ὅπλον καὶ ἀῤῥαγὲς, ἀπεπήδησε μὲν παραυτίκα, οἷόν τι βέλος κατ' ἀντιτύπων ἀκοντισθὲν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀκοντίσαντα πάλιν ἐπανελθὸν, ἐχώρησε δὲ κάτω τῆς πυρᾶς, ὥσπερ δίκας τῆς τόλμης ἑαυτὸν εἰσπραττό μενος, ὅτι κατὰ δεσποτικῆς χειρὸς ἐχρήσατο τῷ θυμῷ. Τῶν θηρίων τοιγαροῦν τὰ γένη, ἱμάσι καὶ ῥάβδοις καὶ παιδαγωγικαῖς ἔοικε παιδείαις. Αὗται δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἤδη τελειωθεῖσι, καὶ τὴν παιδικὴν ὑπεξελθοῦσιν ἡλικίαν, λίαν εἰσὶν εὐκαταφρόνητοι· τοῖς δὲ νηπίοις ἔτι τὰς φρένας, ἄγαν εἰσὶν ἀναγκαῖαι καὶ χρήσιμοι. Καὶ καθάπερ δικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, ἀνόμοις δὲ καὶ ἀνυποτάκτοις, ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς, ἀνοσίοις καὶ βεβήλοις, πατραλοίαις, καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις· οὕτω καὶ τῶν θηρίων ἡ φύσις οἷόν τις παιδεία πρόκειται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τοὺς μὲν εὐκόλους πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν ἐκδειματοῦσα καὶ δεδιττο μένη, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς τροφίμων, καθάπερ τις παιδιὰ καταφρονεῖται. Κἀντεῦθεν τοιγαροῦν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν εὑρὼν, καὶ τὴν παντοδαπὴν αὐτοῦ προμήθειαν καταμαθὼν, παῦσαι μὲν, ὦ φίλος, συ κοφαντῶν, ὕμνοις δὲ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀμείβου. Πῶς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, τὸν μὲν γραμματιστὴν ἐπαινεῖν, εἰς καιρὸν μαστιγοῦντα τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ τῇ ῥάβδῳ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐξελαύνοντα, καὶ τῷ ἱμάντι παγίαν τῶν στοιχείων ἐντιθέντα τὴν μνήμην, καὶ ἰατρῷ δὲ χάριν ὁμολογεῖν, οὐ μόνον ὅταν σιτία καὶ ποτὰ προσ φέρῃ τῷ κάμνοντι, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἂν τέμνῃ καὶ καίῃ, καὶ πολεμῇ τῇ νόσῳ, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσω φορὰν ἐπέχῃ· τὸν δὲ Θεὸν βλασφημεῖν, μετὰ πλείονος σοφίας 83.644 καὶ μείζονος ἐπιμελείας τῶν ψυχῶν προμηθούμενον, καὶ τῇ χορηγίᾳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῷ δέει τῶν μαστί γων, τά τε στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπαιδεύοντα, καὶ τὴν νόσον τῆς κακίας πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπῶντα, καὶ ἀκραιφνῆ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὑγείαν πραγματευόμενον; «Παῦσον τοίνυν τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι βλασφημίαν. Ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν.» Βλέπε τὴν περὶ σὲ κηδεμονίαν, καὶ τὸν προμηθούμενον ὕμνησον, ἵνα σου τὸ εὔγνωμον περὶ τὰς χάριτας θεασάμενος, καὶ νῦν ἐπικλύσῃ σε ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελ μένων ἀγαθῶν ἀξιώσῃ· ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς τύχοιμεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΛΟΓΟΣ ςʹ. Ὅτι καὶ πλοῦτος καὶ πενία τῷ βίῳ χρήσιμοι. Πολλάκις μὲν ἤδη μετὰ τοῦ Προφήτου τοῖς παρα νομοῦσιν εἶπον· «Μὴ παρανομεῖτε, καὶ τοῖς ἁμαρ τάνουσι· Μὴ ὑψοῦτε κέρας, μὴ ἐπαίρετε εἰς ὕψος τὸ κέρας ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ λαλεῖτε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν,» ἀκυβέρνητον καταλιπεῖν αὐτὸν φάσκοντες ἣν πεποίη κε κτίσιν. Ἀλλὰ τοὺς λίαν ἀγνώμονας, οὔτε οὐ ρανοὶ πείθουσι διηγούμενοι, κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην, τὴν δόξαν