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of the discovery of things to be drunk; but that which is over-elaborate and fussy, and which creates much preoccupation, and, as it were, revolves our whole life around the care of the flesh, must be avoided by Christians; and we must be zealous to use the art in this way, if ever it should be necessary, so as not to place in it the entire cause of being healthy or sick, but to receive the use of things from it for the glory of God and as a type of the care of souls. And in the absence of medical aids, not to have all hope for the comfort of afflictions in this art, but to know that He either will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear, or just as the Lord then, sometimes making clay, anointed, and commanded to wash in Siloam, and sometimes was content with His will alone, saying, "I will, be thou clean"; and some He allowed to struggle with their toils, making them more approved through the trial; so also in our case, sometimes touching us invisibly from the unseen, when He perceives this to be profitable for our souls, and sometimes He is pleased for us to use material aids for our ailments, by the extension of the therapy creating an abiding memory of His grace, or also providing a certain type for the care, as I said, of the soul. For just as in the case of the flesh the removal of what is foreign is necessary, and the addition of what is lacking; so also in the case of our soul, what is foreign should be dispensed with, and what is according to nature should be received. Because God made man upright; and created us for good works, that we should walk in them. And just as in that case we endure cuttings, and cauteries, and the partaking of bit 31.1048 ter medicines for the therapy of the body; so also in this case we must accept the cutting words of reproof, and the bitter medicines of rebukes for the therapy according to the soul. Which the prophetic word, reproaching those who are not instructed, says: Is there no balm in Gilead? or is there no physician there? Why has the healing of the daughter of my people not gone up? And to await healing for chronic ailments through a long time and through aids at once painful and various, is an indication that we ought to correct the sins of the soul through industrious prayer and long-enduring repentance and laborious training, which the word may suggest to us as sufficient for healing. Therefore, not because some do not use the medical art well, must we flee all the benefit from it. For not because the intemperate in pleasures use cookery for the invention of luxury, or baking, or weaving, exceeding the limit of what is necessary, must we now renounce all the arts together; on the contrary, rather, by their right use we should expose what is corrupted by them. So also in the case of medicine, it is not reasonable to slander the grace from God by an evil use. For to have the hope of one's own health in the hands of physicians is brutish; which we see some of the wretched experiencing, who do not refrain from even calling them saviors; and to avoid entirely the benefits from it is contentious. But just as Hezekiah did not consider the cake of figs the primary cause of health, nor did he reckon this the cause of the healing of the body, but added to the glory of God also thanksgiving for the creation of figs; so also we, receiving afflictions from the God who governs our life well and wisely, first ask from Him knowledge of the reason for which He brings the scourges, and then both deliverance from painful things and patience, that with the temptation He might also provide the way of escape, that we may be able to bear it. And having been given the grace of healing, whether through oil and wine, as in the case of the one who fell among thieves, or through figs, as in the case of Hezekiah, we receive it with thanksgiving. And it will make no difference to us, whether the care of God comes to us from the unseen, or also through some of the bodily things; which often

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πινομένων εὑρέσεως· τὸ δὲ περινενοημένον καὶ περίεργον, καὶ ἀσχολίαν πολλὴν ἐμποιοῦν, καὶ οἱονεὶ πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν εἰς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιμέλειαν περιστρέφον, παραι τητέον Χριστιανοῖς· καὶ σπουδαστέον οὕτω κεχρῆ σθαι τῇ τέχνῃ, εἴποτε δέοι, ὡς μὴ ἐν αὐτῇ τὴν πᾶσαν αἰτίαν τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν ἢ νοσεῖν τίθεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ καὶ τύπον τῆς τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιμελείας τὴν χρῆσιν τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς παραλαμβάνειν. Ἐν ἐρη μίᾳ δὲ τῶν ἐξ ἰατρικῆς βοηθημάτων μὴ πᾶσαν ἔχειν τὴν ἐλπίδα πρὸς τὴν τῶν λυπηρῶν παραμυθίαν ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ ταύτῃ, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι, ὅτι ἢ οὐκ ἐάσει ἡμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δυνάμεθα ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἢ ὥσπερ τότε ὁ Κύριος, ποτὲ μὲν πηλὸν ποιῶν, ἐπ έχριε, καὶ νίψασθαι προσέτασσεν εἰς τὸν Σιλωὰμ, ποτὲ δὲ ἠρκεῖτο τῷ βουλήματι μόνῳ, λέγων, Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· τινὰς δὲ καὶ ἐναθλεῖν τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις ἀφῆκε, δοκιμωτέρους αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς πείρας παρασκευάζων· οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, ὁτὲ μὲν ἀοράτως ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς ἐφαπτόμενος, ὅταν τοῦτο συμφέρον ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν καταμάθῃ, ὁτὲ δὲ καὶ ὑλικαῖς κεχρῆσθαι βοηθείαις ἐπὶ τῶν παθῶν ἡμῶν εὐδοκεῖ, τῇ παρατάσει τῆς θεραπείας ἔμμονον τὴν μνήμην τῆς χάριτος ἐμποιῶν, ἢ καὶ τύπον τινὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὡς εἶπον, τῆς ψυχῆς παρεχόμενος. Ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ἥ τε τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ἀπόθεσις ἀναγκαία, καὶ ἡ πρόσθεσις τοῦ ἐνδέοντος· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἀποικονομεῖσθαι μὲν τὸ ἀλλό τριον, προσλαμβάνειν δὲ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν προσῆκον. Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐθῆ· καὶ ἔκτισεν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατή σωμεν. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τομῶν, καὶ καύσεων, καὶ πι 31.1048 κρῶν φαρμάκων μεταλήψεως ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ σώματος θεραπείας ἀνεχόμεθα· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὰ τμη τικὰ τοῦ ἐλεγκτικοῦ λόγου, καὶ τὰ πικρὰ τῶν ἐπι τιμήσεων φάρμακα ὑπὲρ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν θερα πείας καταδέχεσθαι χρή. Ὅπερ τοῖς μὴ παιδευ θεῖσιν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ἐπονειδίζων φησί· Μὴ ῥητίνη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Γαλαάδ; ἢ ἰατρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ; ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἀνέβη ἴασις θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου; Καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῶν χρονίων δὲ παθῶν διὰ μακροῦ χρόνου καὶ διὰ βοηθημάτων ἀλγεινῶν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ποικίλων τὴν ἴασιν ἀναμένειν, ἔνδειγμά ἐστι τοῦ καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἁμαρτήματα διὰ φιλοπόνου δεήσεως καὶ πολυχρονίου μετανοίας καὶ ἀγωγῆς ἐπιπόνου, ἣν ἂν ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν αὐτάρκη πρὸς ἴασιν ὑπο βάλῃ, ὀφείλειν ἡμᾶς ἐπανορθοῦσθαι. Οὐ τοίνυν, ἐπειδή τινες οὐ καλῶς χρῶνται τῇ τέχνῃ τῇ ἰατρικῇ, φευκτέον ἡμῖν πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὠφέλειαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ μαγειρικῇ πρὸς τρυφῆς ἐπίνοιαν οἱ περὶ τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀκόλαστοι κέχρηνται, ἢ τῇ ἀρτοποιίᾳ, ἢ τῇ ὑφαντικῇ, ὑπερβαίνοντες τὸν ὅρον τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἤδη ἡμᾶς πάσας ὁμοῦ χρὴ παραιτεῖσθαι τὰς τέχνας· τὸ ἐναντίον μὲν οὖν, ἐκ τῆς ὀρθῆς αὐτῶν χρήσεως τὸ ὑπ' ἐκείνων παραφθειρόμενον διελέγχειν. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἰατρικῆς τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν πονηρᾷ διαβάλλειν χρήσει οὐκ εὔλογον. Τό τε γὰρ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχειν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ὑγείας κτηνῶδες· ὅπερ πάσχοντάς τινας τῶν ἀθλίων ὁρῶμεν, οἳ καὶ σωτῆρας αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζειν οὐ παραιτοῦνται· τό τε πάντη τὰς ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὠφελείας ἀποφεύγειν φιλόνεικον. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ Ἐζεκίας τὴν παλάθην τῶν σύκων οὐχὶ πρῶτον αἴτιον ὑγείας ἡγεῖτο, οὐδὲ τούτῳ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἰάσεως τοῦ σώματος ἐλο γίζετο, προσετίθει δὲ τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ κτίσει τῶν σύκων εὐχαριστίαν· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθῶς καὶ φρονίμως οἰκονομοῦντος τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν Θεοῦ δεχόμενοι τὰς πληγὰς, παρ' αὐτοῦ πρῶτον μὲν αἰτοῦμεν τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ λόγου καθ' ὃν ἐπάγει τὰς μάστιγας, ἔπειτα δὲ τήν τε ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν ὀδυνηρῶν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν, πρὸς τὸ σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ παρασχεῖν καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν, τοῦ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς ὑπενεγκεῖν. ∆οθεῖσαν δὲ ἡμῖν τῆς ἰάσεως τὴν χάριν, ἢ διὰ τοῦ οἰνελαίου, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος εἰς τοὺς λῃστὰς, ἢ διὰ τῶν σύκων, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἐζεκίου, εὐχαρίστως ὑποδεχόμεθα. Καὶ οὐδὲν διοισόμεθα, εἴτε ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς γένοιτο ἡμῖν ἡ ἐπιμέλεια τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἴτε καὶ διά τινος τῶν σωματικῶν· ἃ πολλάκις