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will of God. 31.1024 However, each one must attend to his own work, and to care for it with desire, and as if God is watching, with unwearied zeal and more attentive care to complete it blamelessly, so that he may have the boldness to say always: Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, so are our eyes on the Lord our God; and not to jump from one thing to another. For our nature is not able to accomplish many tasks at once; and it is more useful to perform one diligently than to take up many imperfectly. For the division into several things, and the transition from one thing to another leading to the perfecting of none of the works, furthermore either convicts one of having a lightness of character beforehand, or even creates it where it does not exist. But if ever need should arise, it is fitting for one who is skilled to help in other crafts as well. And this not of his own accord; but if he should ever be summoned, not that we do this principally, but according to circumstance; just as with the members of the body, when the foot gives way, we support ourselves with the hand. And again, just as to jump in of one's own accord is unprofitable, so to not accept what is commanded is worthy of accusation, so that neither the passion of willfulness may be nourished, nor the rule of obedience and compliance be destroyed. And the care of the tools belongs principally to the artisan of each work; but if anything should happen to be overlooked, as the common property of all, so let it be deemed worthy of the proper forethought by those who first see it. For even if their use is particular, yet the benefit from them is common. For to despise the things of another craft as if they are of no concern has proof of alienation. Nor indeed is it proper for those practicing the crafts to claim ownership of the tools, as either not to permit the superior of the brotherhood to use them for whatever he wishes, or to allow themselves to sell them or exchange them, or to dispose of them in any other way; or even to acquire others in addition to the existing ones; for one who has once judged himself not to be master even of his own hands, but has permitted another to manage their activity, how would such a one act consistently, by lording it over the tools of his craft, and using them with the dignity of a master?

QUESTION 42. For what purpose and with what disposition must those

who work, work. RESPONSE. However, one must know this, that the one who works, 31.1025 ought to work not in order to serve his own needs through his works, but in order to fulfill the commandment of the Lord, who said: I was hungry, and you gave me to eat, and so forth. For to be anxious for oneself is altogether forbidden by the Lord, who said: Do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor for your body, what you will put on; and adding: For all these things the Gentiles seek. Therefore, the purpose set before each one in his work ought to be the service of those in need, not his own need. For thus he will both flee the crime of self-love, and receive the blessing of brotherly love from the Lord, who says: As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. And let no one think that the Apostle contradicts our word, when he says: so that by working they may eat their own bread. For this was said to the disorderly and idle; as preferable to a life of idleness is for each one at least to serve himself, and not to be a burden to others; For we hear, he says, that some among you are walking in a disorderly manner, doing no work, but are busybodies; to such persons, he says, we command and exhort, that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. And the phrase, working night and day so as not to be a burden to anyone, leads to the same understanding; the Apostle out of brotherly love, for the cutting off of the disorderly, subjecting himself to labors beyond what was appointed for him. But for perfection

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θελήματος Θεοῦ. 31.1024 Ἕκαστον μέντοι χρὴ τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐργασίᾳ προσ έχειν, καὶ ταύτης ἐπιθυμητικῶς φροντίζειν, καὶ ὡς Θεοῦ ἐφορῶντος, ἐν σπουδῇ ἀόκνῳ καὶ ἐπιμελείᾳ προσεχεστέρᾳ ἀμέμπτως ταύτην ἀποπληροῦν, ἵνα ἔχῃ παῤῥησίαν λέγειν ἀεὶ τό· Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν· καὶ μὴ ἄλλοτε εἰς ἄλλο ἀποπηδᾷν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν πολλὰ ὁμοῦ κατορθοῦν ἐπιτηδεύματα δύναται· καὶ τὸ μίαν φιλοπόνως ἐκτελεῖν τοῦ πολλῶν ἀτελῶς ἐφάπτεσθαι χρησιμώτερον. Ὁ γὰρ εἰς πλείονα με ρισμὸς, καὶ ἡ ἄλλοτε ἐπ' ἄλλο μετάβασις πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν τελειοῦν τῶν ἔργων, ἔτι καὶ ἤθους ἐλαφρίαν ἢ προ ϋπάρχουσαν ἐλέγχει, ἢ καὶ μὴ οὖσαν ἐμποιεῖ. Ἐὰν δέ ποτε χρεία καταλάβῃ, ἐπιβοηθεῖν καὶ ἄλλαις τέχναις τὸν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχοντα ἀκόλουθον. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ· ἀλλ' εἴ ποτε προσκληθείη, οὐ προηγουμένως ἡμῶν ποιούντων τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κατὰ περίστασιν· ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μελῶν τοῦ σώματος, ὅταν, ὀκλάσαντος τοῦ ποδὸς, ἐπιστηριζώμεθα τῇ χει ρί. Καὶ πάλιν, ὥσπερ τὸ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιπηδᾷν ἀσύμφορον, οὕτω τὸ προσταχθὲν μὴ καταδέχεσθαι κατηγορίας ἄξιον, ἵνα μήτε πάθος αὐθαδείας τρέ φηται, μήτε ὁ τῆς ὑπακοῆς καὶ εὐπειθείας ὅρος διαλύηται. Καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐργαλείων δὲ φροντὶς διαφέ ρει μὲν προηγουμένως τῷ ἑκάστης ἐργασίας τεχνί τῃ· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα ποτὲ παροφθῆναι συμβαίη τι, ὡς κοινὸν πάντων κτῆμα, οὕτω τῆς προσηκούσης προ νοίας ἀξιούσθω ὑπὸ τῶν πρώτως θεασαμένων. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ χρῆσις αὐτῶν ἰδιάζουσα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐ τῶν χρήσιμον κοινόν. Τὸ γὰρ ὡς οὐδὲν προσηκόντων τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἄλλης τέχνης καταφρονεῖν ἀλλοτριώσεως ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοὺς μεταχειριζομένους τὰς τέχνας δεσποτείαν ἐκδικεῖν τῶν ἐργαλείων προσ ήκει, ὡς ἢ τῷ προεστῶτι τῆς ἀδελφότητος μὴ συγ χωρεῖν αὐτοῖς κεχρῆσθαι πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν θέλῃ, ἢ ἑαυ τοῖς ἐπιτρέπειν πωλεῖν αὐτὰ ἢ διαμείβειν, ἢ κατὰ ἄλλον τινὰ τρόπον προΐεσθαι· ἢ καὶ προσκτᾶσθαι τοῖς οὖσιν ἕτερα· ὁ γὰρ ἅπαξ κρίνας μηδὲ τῶν χει ρῶν εἶναι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κύριος, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ τὴν ἐνέρ γειαν αὐτῶν οἰκονομεῖν ἐπιτρέψας, πῶς ἂν ὁ τοιοῦ τος ἀκόλουθα πράσσοι, τοῖς ἐργαλείοις τῆς τέχνης ἐναυθεντῶν, καὶ δεσποτείας ἀξιώματι ἐπ' αὐτῶν κεχρημένος;

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΒʹ. Ποίῳ σκοπῷ καὶ ποίᾳ διαθέσει ἐργάζεσθαι δεῖ τοὺς

ἐργαζομένους. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐκεῖνο μέντοι εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι ὁ ἐργαζόμενος, 31.1025 οὐχ ἵνα ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ χρείαις ὑπηρετῇ διὰ τῶν ἔργων, ἐργάζεσθαι ὀφείλει, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου πληρώσῃ, τοῦ εἰπόντος· Ἐπείνασα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τὸ γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ με ριμνᾷν παντάπασίν ἐστιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου κεκωλυ μένον, εἰπόντος· Μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε, μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί ἐνδύσησθε· καὶ ἐπενεγκόντος· Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπι ζητεῖ. Σκοπὸς οὖν ἑκάστῳ προκεῖσθαι ὀφείλει ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ ἡ ὑπηρεσία τῶν δεομένων, οὐχὶ ἡ ἰδία αὐτοῦ χρεία. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῆς φιλαυτίας τὸ ἔγκλημα φεύ ξεται, καὶ τῆς φιλαδελφίας τὴν εὐλογίαν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου λήψεται, λέγοντος· Ἐφ' ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Καὶ μηδεὶς τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἐναν τιοῦσθαι ἡμῶν τῷ λόγῳ νομιζέτω, εἰπόντος· Ἵνα ἐρ γαζόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσι. Τοῦτο γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς ἀτάκτους καὶ ἀργοὺς εἴρηται· ὡς αἱρετώ τερον τῆς ἐν ἀργίᾳ ζωῆς τὸ ἑαυτῷ γοῦν ὑπηρετεῖν ἕκαστον, καὶ μὴ ἄλλοις ἐπιβαρῆ γίνεσθαι· Ἀκούο μεν γὰρ, φησὶ, τινὰς ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντας ἐν ὑμῖν, μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους, ἀλλὰ περιεργαζομέ νους· τοῖς οὖν τοιούτοις, φησὶ, παραγγέλλομεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν, ἵνα μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐργαζόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσι. Καὶ τὸ, Νύκτα δὲ καὶ ἡμέραν ἐργαζόμενοι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαί τινα, εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν φέρει νοῦν· τοῦ Ἀποστόλου διὰ φιλ αδελφίαν εἰς ἐκκοπὴν τῶν ἀτάκτων ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τὸ διατεταγμένον αὐτῷ πόνοις ὑποβάλλοντος. Τοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τελείωσιν