36

was hard to please, both when in Egypt and when delivered from Egypt, both when Moses was present and when he had departed. 22.5 But bring before me those, the sober, the watchful, and consider how much benefit it is likely they reaped from this, seeing a soul that is unswerving, a spirit unenslaved, a tongue full of boldness, a man, a citizen of the desert, getting the better of a king, being bound and not giving in, being beheaded and not being silent; and do not stop at these things, but also examine what came after. 22.6 Herod beheaded, John was beheaded. Who then is in the blessings of all? who is envied? who is proclaimed? who is crowned? who is eulogized? who is praised? who is admired? who reproves to this day? 22.7 Does not the one cry out in every Church: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother Philip's wife;" while the other is pilloried even after death for his adultery and his lawlessness and his audacity? Consider then, along with what has been said, how great is the power of the prisoner and the weakness of the tyrant. 22.8 For the one was not strong enough to silence one tongue, but having destroyed it, he opened countless mouths in its place and with it; and the other terrified him immediately then after the slaughter -for fear so shook his conscience, that he thought him then to have been raised from the dead and to be working miracles-, and now also and from that time through all time he reproves him throughout the whole world both through himself and through others. 22.9 For each one reading this Gospel, says: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother Philip's wife"; and apart from the Gospel in gatherings and meetings, at home, in the marketplace, everywhere, even if you go to the land of the Persians, or to the land of the Indians, or to the land of the Moors, or to whatever land the sun looks upon and to the very ends of the earth, you will hear this voice and you will see that just man still even now crying out, resounding and reproving the wickedness of the tyrant and never being silent, nor is the reproof faded by the length of time. 22.10 How then was that just man harmed by his death? or by his violent death? or by the chain? or by the prison? And whom of those with understanding did he not set aright, from what he said, from what he suffered, from what he still even now proclaims, the same things he did then when he was alive? Do not say then: "Why was he permitted to die?" For what happened was not death, but a crown, not an end, but the prelude to a greater life. Learn to be a philosopher and not only will you be harmed in no way by such things, but you will also gain the greatest things. 22.11 What about the Egyptian woman? Did she not accuse? did she not slander? did she not bind the just man? did she not cast him into prison? did she not hang over him the ultimate danger? did she not destroy him, as far as it was in her power? did she not give him a wicked reputation? How then did it harm him either then, or now? For just as coals of fire covered by chaff, seem at first to be overshadowed, but suddenly devouring what is on top, they kindle a higher flame through that very chaff; so too indeed does virtue, even if it seems to be abused, afterwards indeed flourishes more greatly through the very hindrances and reaches to heaven itself. 22.12 For what could be more blessed than that young man on account of the slander, on account of the plot, not on account of the throne in Egypt, nor on account of the kingdom there? For everywhere glory and renown and crowns are allotted with sufferings. 22.13 Do not all everywhere in the world sing of this man? 22.14 And so great a length of time has not faded his memory, but more splendidly and more enduringly than the images of kings, images of his virtue and his chastity are set up everywhere in the world, in the land of the Romans, in the land of the barbarians, in the conscience of each person, in the tongue of each person. 22.15 22.16 And we all see him being held, being ruled, advising the wretched and miserable harlot on what is necessary and contributing everything from his own part to her salvation, putting her shamelessness to shame, quenching the

36

δυσάρεστος ἦν, καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὢν καὶ ἀπαλλαγεὶς Αἰγύπτου καὶ παρόντος Μωυσέως καὶ ἀπελθόντος. 22.5 Ἀλλ' ἐκείνους εἰς μέσον ἄγε μοι, τοὺς νήφοντας, τοὺς ἐγρηγορότας καὶ λογίζου πόσην εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς ἐντεῦθεν καρπώσασθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ὁρῶντας ψυχὴν ἀπερίτρεπτον, φρόνημα ἀδούλωτον, γλῶτταν παρρησίας γέμουσαν, ἄνθρωπον ἐρημοπολίτην βασιλέως περιγενόμενον, δεσμούμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐνδιδόντα, ἀποτεμνόμενον καὶ οὐ σιωπῶντα· καὶ μηδὲ μέχρι τούτων στῇς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξέταζε. 22.6 Ἀπέτεμεν ὁ Ἡρώδης, ἀπετμήθη ὁ Ἰωάννης. Τίς οὖνἐστιν ἐν τοῖς ἁπάντων μακαρισμοῖς; τίς ζηλωτός; τίς ἀνακηρύττεται; τίς στεφανοῦται; τίς ἐγκωμιάζεται; τίς ἐπαινεῖται; τίς θαυμάζεται; τίς μέχρι σήμερον ἐλέγχει; 22.7 Οὐ καθ' ἑκάστην Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ μὲν βοᾷ· «Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου·» ὁ δὲ στηλιτεύεται καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν ἐπὶ τῇ μοιχείᾳ καὶ τῇ παρανομίᾳ καὶ τῇ θρασύτητι; Σκόπει δὲ μετὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅση τοῦ δεσμώτου ἡ δύναμις καὶ τοῦ τυράννου ἡ ἀσθένεια. 22.8 Ὁ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἴσχυσε μίαν ἐπιστομίσαι γλῶτταν, ἀλλ' ἀνελὼν αὐτήν, μυρία ἀντ' ἐκείνης καὶ μετ' ἐκείνης ἠνέῳξε στόματα· ὁ δὲ καὶ τότε αὐτὸν εὐθέως ἐφόβησε μετὰ τὴν σφαγήν -οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ συνειδὸς κατέσειεν ὁ φόβος, ὡς νομίζειν αὐτὸν τότε καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντα θαυματουργεῖν-, καὶ νῦν δὲ καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου κατὰ πᾶσαν αὐτὸν ἐλέγχει τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ δι' ἑτέρων. 22.9 Ἕκαστος γὰρ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἀναγινώσκων τοῦτο, λέγει· «Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου»· καὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου χωρὶς ἐν συλλόγοις καὶ συνουσίαις, ταῖς οἴκοι, ταῖς ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ταῖς ἁπανταχοῦ, κἂν εἰς τὴν Περσῶν χώραν ἀπέλθῃς, κἂν εἰς τὴν Ἰνδῶν, κἂν εἰς τὴν Μαύρων, κἂν ὅσην ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ γῆν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς ἐσχατιάς, ταύτης ἀκούσῃς τῆς φωνῆς καὶ ὄψει τὸν δίκαιον ἐκεῖνον ἔτι καὶ νῦν βοῶντα, ἐνηχοῦντα καὶ τὴν κακίαν ἐλέγχοντα τοῦ τυράννου καὶ οὐδέποτε σιγῶντα, οὐδὲ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ χρόνου τὸν ἔλεγχον μαραινόμενον. 22.10 Τί τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῆς τελευτῆς παρεβλάβη ὁ δίκαιος ἐκεῖνος; τί δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ βιαίου θανάτου; τί δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁλύσεως; τί δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου; Τίνας δὲ οὐκ ὤρθωσε τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων, ἀφ' ὧν εἶπεν, ἀφ' ὧν ἔπαθεν, ἀφ' ὧν ἔτι καὶ νῦν κηρύττει τὰ αὐτὰ ἃ καὶ τότε ζῶν; Μὴ τοίνυν λέγε· «∆ιὰ τί συνεχωρήθη ἀποθανεῖν;» Οὐ γὰρ θάνατος ἦν, ἀλλὰ στέφανος τὸ γεγενημένον, οὐ τελευτή, ἀλλὰ μείζονος ζωῆς προοίμια. Μάθε φιλοσοφεῖν καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων βλαβήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κερδανεῖς. 22.11 Τί δὲ ἡ Αἰγυπτία γυνή; Οὐ κατηγόρησεν; οὐκ ἐσυκοφάντησεν; οὐκ ἔδησε τὸν δίκαιον; οὐκ εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐνέβαλεν; οὐ τὸν περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἐπεκρέμασεν αὐτῷ κίνδυνον; οὐκ ἀνεῖλε, τό γε εἰς αὐτὴν ἦκον; οὐ πονηρὰν περιέθηκε δόξαν; Τί οὖν αὐτὸν παρέβλαψεν ἢ τότε, ἢ νῦν; Καθάπερ γὰρ πυρὸς ἄνθρακες ὑπὸ ἀχύρων καλυφθέντες, παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν σκιάζεσθαι δοκοῦσιν, ἀθρόον δὲ διαφαγόντες τὰ ἐπικείμενα, δι' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τῶν ἀχύρων ὑψηλοτέραν ἀνάπτουσι τὴν φλόγα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ ἀρετή, κἂν ἐπηρεάζεσθαι δοκῇ, ὕστερον δὴ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν κωλυμάτων μειζόνως ἀνθεῖ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν φθάνει τὸν οὐρανόν. 22.12 Τί γὰρ μακαριώτερον γένοιτ' ἂν τοῦ νεανίσκου ἐκείνου διὰ τὴν συκοφαντίαν, διὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλήν, οὐ διὰ τὸν θρόνον τὸν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἐκεῖ βασιλείαν; Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τοῖς πάθεσιν αἱ δόξαι καὶ αἱ εὐδοκιμήσεις καὶ οἱ στέφανοί εἰσι συγκεκληρωμένοι. Οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦτον 22.13 πάντες πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ᾄδουσι; 22.14 Καὶ χρόνου τοσούτου πλῆθος οὐκ ἐμάρανεν αὐτοῦ τὴν μνήμην, ἀλλὰ τῶν βασιλικῶν εἰκόνων λαμπρότερόν τε καὶ διαρκέστερον αἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης αὐτοῦ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀνάκεινται εἰκόνες, ἐν τῇ Ῥωμαίων, ἐν τῇ βαρβάρων χώρᾳ, ἐν τῷ ἑκάστου συνειδότι, ἐν τῇ ἑκάστου 22.15 γλώττῃ. 22.16 Καὶ ὁρῶμεν αὐτὸν ἅπαντες κατεχόμενον, ἀρχόμενον, συμβουλεύοντα τῇ ἀθλίᾳ καὶ ταλαιπώρῳ πόρνῃ τὰ δέοντα καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντα εἰσφέροντα εἰς τὴν ἐκείνης σωτηρίαν, ἐντρέποντα αὐτῆς τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν, σβεννύντα τὴν