34

happening to others, he will live a life more grievous than any death, expecting this to happen to himself also. But are not the things of death common? Do not untimely deaths happen to the rich and to the poor, and after death is not this body and that dissolved in the same way for all, and become ashes and dust, and breed worms? But the burial rites are not common, he says. And what is the benefit? For when you pile on the rich man much costly and gold-embroidered raiment, you procure for him nothing else than more hatred, and greater accusation, and you open the mouths of all against the deceased, and you draw down countless curses upon him, and you kindle a more vehement slander of his covetousness, with everyone bursting with indignation, and choking with rage, and cursing the deceased, because not even in death did he put an end to his madness for money. And not only is this the terrible thing, but also that it opens the eyes of tomb-robbers. So that the greater attendance becomes for him a pretext for greater shame. For no one would choose to strip the body of the poor man afterwards; for the cheapness of the clothes becomes a protection for the covering of the body. But here there are keys and bolts and doors and guards, 54.676 and all in vain and for nothing, since the desire for money persuades those who know how to do such evil deeds to dare all things. So that the greater honor brings greater insult upon the deceased; and he who received a cheap burial lies enjoying the honor, but he who received a costly one is stripped and dishonored; but if none of these things should happen, not even so will there be any advantage for him, other than to provide a more lavish table for the worm, and for the decay to become greater. Are these things, then, tell me, worthy of being called blessed? And who is so wretched and miserable as to think a man enviable for these things? And not only these things, but also by going over the others one by one, and searching them out with accuracy, we shall find that the poor have much more than the rich. Considering all these things, therefore, with accuracy, and going through all the rest—for, it says, ‘Give opportunity to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser’—and constantly remembering that not even from the abundance of money itself will there be any advantage to its possessors, but rather cares, and anxieties, and fears, and dangers, let us not think we have less than the rich. For if we are sober, we shall have more, both in the things pertaining to God, and in all present things. For one will find pleasure and security, and good reputation, and health of body, and philosophy of soul, and good hopes, and not sinning readily more among the poor than among the rich. Let us not, then, grumble like ungrateful servants, nor accuse the Master, but in all things give thanks, and let us consider one thing alone to be terrible, sin, and one thing alone to be good, righteousness. For if we are so disposed, not sickness, not poverty, not dishonor, nor anything else of those things that seem grievous will bite us; but reaping pure pleasure through all things, we shall attain the good things to come, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto ages of ages. Amen.

34

ἑτέρων συμβαίνοντα, θανάτου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον βιώσεται βίον, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦτο συμβήσεσθαι προσδοκῶν. Ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ θανάτου οὐ κοινά; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐπὶ πλουσίων καὶ ἐπὶ πενήτων ἄωροι γίνονται θάνατοι, καὶ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον δὲ οὐχ ἅπασιν ὁμοίως καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο τὸ σῶμα διαλύεται, καὶ γίνεται τέφρα καὶ κόνις, καὶ σκώληκας τίκτει; Ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἐνταφίων οὐ κοινὰ, φησί. Καὶ τί τὸ ὄφελος; Ὅταν γὰρ πολλὴν ἐπιστιβάσῃς τῷ πλουσίῳ στολὴν καὶ πολυτελῆ καὶ διάχρυσον, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ πλέον αὐτῷ προξενεῖς τὸ μῖσος, καὶ μείζονα τὴν κατηγορίαν, καὶ τὰ πάντων ἀνοίγεις στόματα κατὰ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, καὶ ἀρὰς μυρίας ἐπισπᾶσαι κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ σφοδροτέραν τῆς πλεονεξίας ἀνάπτεις τὴν διαβολὴν, ἑκάστου διαῤῥηγνυμένου, καὶ ἀποπνιγομένου, καὶ καταρωμένου τὸν τελευτήσαντα, ὅτι μηδὲ ἀποθανὼν τὴν περὶ τὰ χρήματα μανίαν κατέλυσε. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ δεινὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοὺς τῶν τοιχωρύχων ἀνοίγει ὀφθαλμούς. Ὥστε ἡ πλείων θεραπεία πλείονος ἀσχημοσύνης αὐτῷ γίνεται πρόφασις. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα τοῦ πένητος οὐκ ἄν τις ἕλοιτο γυμνῶσαι λοιπόν· ἡ γὰρ εὐτέλεια τῶν ἱματίων φυλακὴ τῇ περιβολῇ τοῦ σώματος γίνεται. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ κλεῖθρα καὶ μοχλοὶ καὶ θύραι καὶ φύλα 54.676 κες, καὶ πάντα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, τῆς τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίας τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα κακουργεῖν ἐπισταμένους πάντα. τολμᾷν ἀναπειθούσης. Ὥστε ἡ πλείων τιμὴ πλείονα ἐπάγει τῷ τετελευτηκότι τὴν ὕβριν, καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐτελῆ λαβὼν ἐντάφια, κεῖται τῆς τιμῆς ἀπολαύων· ὁ δὲ πολυτελῆ, γυμνοῦται καὶ ἀτιμάζεται· εἰ δὲ μηδὲν τούτων γένοιτο, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔσται τι πλέον αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ δαψιλεστέραν παρασχεῖν τῷ σκώληκι τὴν τράπεζαν, καὶ πλείω γενέσθαι τὴν σηπεδόνα. Ταῦτα οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, μακαρισμῶν ἄξια; Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς ἀπὸ τούτων ζηλωτὸν νομίζειν εἶναι ἄνθρωπον; Οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπιόντες, καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας διερευνώμενοι, τοὺς πένητας τῶν πλουτούντων πολὺ πλέον εὑρήσομεν ἔχοντας. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας σκοποῦντες, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἐπεξιόντες ∆ίδου γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῷ ἀφορμὴν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται, κἀκεῖνο μεμνημένοι διηνεκῶς, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς τῶν χρημάτων περιουσίας ἔσται τι πλέον τοῖς κεκτημένοις, ἀλλὰ φροντίδες, καὶ ἀγωνίαι, καὶ φόβοι, καὶ κίνδυνοι· μηδὲν νομίζωμεν ἔλαττον ἔχειν τῶν πλουτούντων. Ἐὰν γὰρ νήφωμεν, καὶ πλέον ἕξομεν, ἔν τε τοῖς κατὰ Θεὸν πράγμασιν, ἔν τε τοῖς παροῦσιν ἅπασι. Καὶ γὰρ ἡδονὴν καὶ ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ δόξαν ἀγαθὴν, καὶ ὑγίειαν σώματος, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν ψυχῆς, καὶ χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας, καὶ τὸ μὴ ταχέως ἁμαρτάνειν παρὰ τοῖς πένησιν εὑρήσει τις μᾶλλον, ἢ παρὰ τοῖς πλουτοῦσι. Μὴ τοίνυν κατὰ τοὺς ἀγνώμονας τῶν οἰκετῶν γογγύζωμεν, μηδὲ τοῦ ∆εσπότου κατηγορῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἐν πᾶσιν εὐχαριστῶμεν, καὶ ἓν μόνον νομίζωμεν εἶναι δεινὸν, ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἀγαθὸν, δικαιοσύνην. Ἂν γὰρ οὕτως ὦμεν διακείμενοι, οὐ νόσος, οὐ πενία, οὐκ ἀτιμία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν ἡμᾶς δήξεται· ἀλλὰ καθαρὰν ἡδονὴν καρπωσάμενοι διὰ πάντων, τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.