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brighter, life in His will. It seems to be a tautology to those who are not able to grasp the precision of the meanings, with the prophet saying there is wrath in the anger of God, as if wrath and anger were the same; but the difference is very great. For anger is the judgment that certain gloomy things should be brought upon the one who is worthy; but wrath is already the pain, and the punishment brought on by the just judge according to the measure of the injustice. And from an example what I am saying will become clearer. The physician, having noted the inflamed and festering part, decides that an incision is necessary for the sick person. This Scripture calls anger. And after the physician's judgment for the remedy then follows the action bringing into effect what was judged, and the steel cutting and causing pain to the one being cut. This has been called the wrath of God. Come, then, to what is before us, and you will find the consistency of the thought. That wrath is in His anger. Punishment, according to the just judgment of God; But life is in His will. What then does it say? That what God wills is this, for all to share in His life; but circumstantial things, are not brought about by His will, but are brought upon us according to the desert of those who have sinned. God therefore grants life to each one by His own will, but wrath each person treasures up for himself On the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God. But it is customary for Scripture to place the gloomy things before the better things; because the enjoyment is sweeter, when the things that cause grief have come before it. For "I will kill," it says, "and I will make alive." The benefit is second, after the punishment. "I will strike, and I will heal." For He causes pain, and again He restores; He struck, and His hands have healed. The harmful things come first, so that the graces may become more lasting for us, as we eagerly lay claim to the keeping of the things given. In the evening weeping will lodge, and in the morning, rejoicing. Remember the time of the 29.316 Passion of the Lord, and you will find the meanings. For in the evening weeping lodged with the disciples of the Lord, when they saw Him hanging on the cross; but in the morning, rejoicing, when after the resurrection they ran about with joy giving one another the good news of the vision of the Lord. Or perhaps also universally this age is called evening, in which those who have wept blessedly, when the morning has come, will be comforted. For blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who weep, for they will laugh. Those therefore who have spent the days of this age which is already at its end, and is declining towards its own setting, in bewailing their own sins, these will rejoice when that true morning has come. For those who sow in tears now, will reap in rejoicing; that is, in the future. But I said in my prosperity: "I shall never be moved." Just as the prosperity of a city is the abundance of goods in the marketplace, and we say that a land prospers that has produced many fruits; so also there is a certain prosperity of the soul that is filled with all kinds of works; which must first be cultivated diligently, and then be fattened by the abundant flows of heavenly waters, so as to bear fruit thirty, and sixty, and a hundredfold, and to receive the blessing that says: "Blessed are your storehouses, and your remnants." The one, therefore, who perceives his own steadfastness, will speak with confidence, and will be assured of not being overturned by the adversary, like a full field, which the Lord has blessed; O Lord, in Your will You have provided strength for my beauty. Those who have spent their time on the examination of the discourse concerning virtues have said that some of the virtues consist of theorems, and others are without theorems; for instance, that prudence consists of theorems, in the subject concerning good and evil things; and temperance from that concerning things to be chosen and to be avoided; and justice from that concerning things to be distributed
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φαιδρότερον, τὴν ζωὴν ἐν τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ. ∆οκεῖ ταυτολογία εἶναι τοῖς μὴ δυναμένοις τῆς ἀκριβείας τῶν σημαινομέ νων ἐφάπτεσθαι, τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος ὀργὴν εἶ ναι ἐν τῷ θυμῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὄντος ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ· πλεῖστον δὲ τὸ διάφορον. Θυμὸς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις τοῦ ἐπαχθῆναι τάδε τινὰ τὰ σκυθρωπὰ τῷ ἀξίῳ ὀργὴ δὲ ὁ πόνος ἤδη, καὶ ἡ κόλασις ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἀδικίας ἐπαγομένη. Ἀπὸ παραδείγματος δὲ σαφέστερον ὃ λέγω γενήσεται. Σημειωσάμενος ὁ ἰατρὸς τὸ φλεγμαῖνον μέρος καὶ ὕπουλον, ἐγκρίνει τὴν τομὴν ἀναγκαίαν εἶναι τῷ κάμνοντι. Τοῦτο θυ μὸν ὀνομάζει ἡ Γραφή. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ βοηθή ματι κρίσιν τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἐπακολουθεῖ λοιπὸν ἡ ἐνέρ γεια εἰς ἔργον ἄγουσα τὰ κριθέντα, καὶ ὁ σί δηρος τέμνων καὶ ὀδύνην ἐμποιῶν τῷ διακοπτο μένῳ. Τοῦτο ὀργὴ Θεοῦ ὠνόμασται. Ἐλθὲ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον, καὶ εὑρήσεις τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῆς ἐννοίας. Ὅτι ὀργὴ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ. Τιμωρία, κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ζωὴ δὲ ἐν τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ. Τί οὖν φησιν; Ὅτι ὃ μὲν θέλει ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτό ἐστι, πάντας μετέχειν αὐτοῦ τῆς ζωῆς· τὰ δὲ περιστατικὰ, οὐχὶ τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ ἐνερ γεῖται, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀξίᾳ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐπάγεται. Τὴν μὲν οὖν ζωὴν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ἰδίῳ θελήματι ἑκάστῳ χαρίζεται, τὴν δὲ ὀργὴν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ θη σαυρίζει Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σύνηθες δὲ τῇ Γραφῇ προτάσσειν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ τῶν χρηστοτέρων· διότι ἡδίων ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, προκαθηγησαμένων αὐτῆς τῶν λυπούντων. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀποκτενῶ, φησὶ, καὶ ζῇν ποιήσω. ∆ευτέρα ἡ εὐεργεσία μετὰ τὴν κό λασιν. Πατάξω, κἀγὼ ἰάσομαι. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀλγεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκαθίστησιν· ἔπαισε, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἰάσαντο. Προλαμβάνει τὰ κακοῦντα, ἵνα μονιμώτεραι ἡμῖν αἱ χάριτες γένωνται, σφοδρῶς ἀντιποιηθέντων ἡμῶν τῆς φυλακῆς τῶν δοθέντων. Τὸ ἑσπέρας αὐλισθήσεται κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωὶ ἀγαλλίασις. Μνήσθητι τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ 29.316 πάθος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ εὑρήσεις τὰ σημαινό μενα. Ἑσπέρας γὰρ ηὐλίσθη κλαυθμὸς τοῖς μαθη ταῖς τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτε ἔβλεπον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ κρεμάμενον· τὸ δὲ πρωὶ ἀγαλλίασις, ὅτε μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν διέτρεχον μετὰ χαρᾶς ἀλλήλοις διδόντες τὰ εὐαγγέλια τῆς ὀπτασίας τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἢ τάχα καὶ καθολικῶς ἑσπέρα ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος λέγεται, ἐν ᾧ οἱ μακαρίως κλαύσαντες, τῆς πρωίας ἐπελθούσης, πα ρακληθήσονται. Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ γελάσουσιν. Οἱ οὖν τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ ἤδη ὄντος, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἑαυτοῦ δυσμὰς ἀποκλίνοντος, ἐν τῷ ἀπο κλαίειν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίας διαγαγόντες, οὗτοι τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἐκείνης πρωίας ἐπελθούσης ἀγαλλιάσονται. Οἱ σπείροντες γὰρ ἐν δάκρυσι νῦν, ἐν ἀγαλ λιάσει θεριοῦσι· δηλαδὴ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου· Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὥσπερ πόλεώς ἐστιν εὐ θηνία ἡ τῶν ὠνίων κατ' ἀγορὰν ἀφθονία, καὶ χώραν εὐθηνεῖσθαι λέγομεν τὴν πολλοὺς εὐφορήσασαν τοὺς καρπούς· οὕτω καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τίς ἐστιν εὐθηνία τῆς πεπληρωμένης παντοδαπῶν ἔργων· ἣν πρῶτον μὲν γεωργηθῆναι δεῖ φιλοπόνως, καὶ τότε ταῖς ἀφθόνοις τῶν οὐρανίων ὑδάτων ἐπιῤῥοίαις πιαν θῆναι, ὥστε καρποφορῆσαι ἐν τριάκοντα, καὶ ἐν ἑξή κοντα, καὶ ἐν ἑκατὸν, καὶ τυχεῖν τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς λεγούσης· Εὐλογημέναι αἱ ἀποθῆκαί σου, καὶ τὰ ἐγκαταλείμματά σου. Ὁ οὖν αἰσθανόμενος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βεβαιότητος, πεποιθότως ἐρεῖ, καὶ διαβε βαιώσεται μὴ περιτραπῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνταγωνι ζομένου, ὡς ἀγρὸς πλήρης, ὃν εὐλόγησεν ὁ Κύριος· Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. Οἱ περὶ τὴν ἐξέτασιν τοῦ περὶ ἀρετῶν λόγου κατατριβέντες τὰς μὲν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐκ θεωρημάτων ἔφασαν συνεστάναι, τὰς δὲ ἀθεωρήτους· οἷον, φρόνησιν μὲν ἐκ θεωρημάτων συνεστάναι, ἐν τῷ περὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν τόπῳ· σωφροσύνην δὲ ἐκ τοῦ περὶ τῶν αἱρετῶν καὶ φευκτῶν· δικαιο σύνην δὲ ἐκ τοῦ περὶ τῶν ἀπονεμητέων