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brings us more effectively to a perception of the grace from the Lord. And often, having fallen into illnesses for our discipline, we have been condemned to endure even the painful therapy as part of our discipline. Therefore 31.1049 right reason dictates that we should refuse neither incisions, nor cauterizations, nor the pains from harsh and painful medicines, nor fasts, nor strict measures of diet, nor abstinence from harmful things; provided that (I say again) the goal of the soul's benefit is preserved, as it is being disciplined in its own care by way of an example. But there is no small danger that the mind fall into distraction, as if every affliction required the aids of medicine. For not all sicknesses are of nature, nor do they come to us from a poor diet, or some other bodily causes, for which we sometimes see medicine being useful. For often sicknesses are also scourges for sins, leading us to repentance. For he says, 'Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines'; and, 'For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you sleep.' 'For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.' 'But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.' Such persons, therefore, keeping quiet and refraining from medical practices, ought to endure what is brought upon them, when we recognize our own failings, according to him who said: 'I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him'; and to show correction, by producing fruit worthy of repentance, and to remember the Lord who said: 'See, you are well; sin no more, that nothing worse happen to you.' But sometimes it also happens at the demand of the evil one, as with a great athlete, whom the man-loving Master allows to descend into the contest, and He casts down his boasting through the utmost endurance of His own servants; which we have learned happened in the case of Job. Or, for an example to the indolent, those are brought forward by God who are able to persevere in painful things even unto death; like Lazarus, who, though afflicted with such sores, is nowhere written to have asked anything of the rich man, nor to have been displeased with his present circumstances; wherefore he also obtained rest in the bosom of Abraham, as having received evil things in his life. We have found also another cause of sickness happening to the saints, as in the case of the Apostle. For, lest he should seem to exceed the limit of human nature, and lest anyone should think he had something extraordinary in his natural constitution (as the Lycaonians supposed, bringing garlands and bulls), for a demonstration of his human nature, he was continually with sickness. 31.1052 What profit, then, could come to such persons from medicine? And would it not rather be a danger, for them to be distracted from right reason to the care of the body? Indeed, for those who have brought sickness upon themselves from a bad diet, the therapy of the body should be used as a type and model for the care of the soul, as was said before. For abstinence from harmful things according to the medical principle is also beneficial for us, the choice of useful things, the observance of instructions. And let the very change of the flesh from sickness to good health be a comfort, so that we do not despair of the soul, as if it were unable to return from sins to its own wholeness again through repentance. Therefore, one must neither shun the art entirely, nor is it fitting to place all one's hopes in it. But just as we make use of the art of farming, yet ask for the fruits from God; and we entrust the rudder to the pilot, but pray to God to be saved from the sea; so also when we bring in a physician, when reason allows, we do not abandon our hope in God. And to me, the art seems to contribute not a little toward self-control. For I see that it cuts off luxuries, and denounces gluttony, and variety of diet, and the elaborate invention of seasonings, as

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ἐνεργέστερον ἡμᾶς ἄγει εἰς συναίσθησιν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου χάριτος. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πρὸς παιδείαν περιπεσόντες ταῖς νόσοις, μέρος τῆς παιδεύσεως καὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐπιπόνων θεραπείαν ὑποστῆναι κατεδικάσθημεν. Οὔτε 31.1049 οὖν τομὰς, οὔτε καύσεις, οὔτε διὰ τῶν δριμέων καὶ ἐπιπόνων φαρμάκων ἀλγήματα, οὔτε ἀσιτίας, οὔτε διαίτης ἀκριβῆ μέτρα, οὔτε ἀποχὴν τῶν φθειρόντων παραιτεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ὁ ὀρθὸς λόγος ὑπαγορεύει· σωζομένου (πάλιν λέγω) τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ὠφελείας, ὡς ἐν ὑποδείγματος λόγῳ τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπιμέλειαν παιδευομένης. Κίνδυνος δὲ οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν εἰς μετεωρισμὸν τὴν διάνοιαν ἐκπεσεῖν, ὡς παντὸς πάθους τῶν ἐξ ἰατρικῆς βοηθημάτων προσδεομένου. Οὐ γὰρ πάντα φύσεώς εἰσιν ἀῤῥωστήματα, οὐδὲ ἐκ πλημμελοῦς διαίτης ἡμῖν, ἤ τινων ἄλλων σωματικῶν ἀρχῶν προσγινόμενα, πρὸς ἅπερ ἐνίοτε ὁρῶμεν τὴν ἰατρικὴν χρησιμεύουσαν. Πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ μάστιγες ἁμαρτημάτων εἰσὶ τὰ ἀῤῥωστήματα, εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν προσαγόμενα. Ὃν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει· καὶ, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι, καὶ κοιμῶνται ἱκανοί. Εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς διεκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα. Κρινόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ Κυρίου, παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. Τοὺς οὖν τοιούτους ἡσυχάζοντας, καὶ ἀφεμένους τῶν ἰατρικῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ὑπομένειν χρὴ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα, ὅταν γνωρίσωμεν ἑαυτῶν τὰ πλημμελήματα, κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· Ὀργὴν Κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ· καὶ τὴν διόρθωσιν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, διὰ τοῦ ποιεῖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Ἴδε, ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται. Γίνεται δέ ποτε καὶ κατὰ ἐξαίτησιν τοῦ πονηροῦ, ὥσπερ ἀγωνιστὴν μέγαν, συγκαθιέντος αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦ φιλανθρώπου ∆εσπότου, καὶ τὴν μεγαλαυχίαν αὐτοῦ διὰ τῆς εἰς ἄκρον ὑπομονῆς τῶν δούλων ἑαυτοῦ καθαιροῦντος· ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ γενόμενον μεμαθήκαμεν. Ἢ καὶ εἰς ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς ἀφερεπόνοις παράγονται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ δυνάμενοι μέχρι θανάτου ἐγκαρτερῆσαι τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς· ὡς ὁ Λάζαρος, ὃς, τοιούτοις ἕλκεσι συνεχόμενος, οὐδαμοῦ γέγραπται οὔτε αἰτήσας τι τὸν πλούσιον, οὔτε δυσαρεστηθεὶς τοῖς παροῦσι· διὸ καὶ ἔτυχε τῆς ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀναπαύσεως, ὡς ἀπολαβὼν τὰ κακὰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. Εὕρομεν δὲ καὶ ἄλλην αἰτίαν ἀῤῥωστημάτων τοῖς ἁγίοις συμβαίνουσαν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ ὑπερβαίνειν τὸν ὅρον τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, καὶ μή τις αὐτὸν λογίσηται ἐν τῇ φυσικῇ κατασκευῇ ἔχειν τι περισσὸν (ὅπερ ἔπαθον οἱ Λυκάονες, στέμματα καὶ ταύρους προσάγοντες), εἰς παράστασιν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ συνῆν διαρκῶς. 31.1052 Τί οὖν τοῖς τοιούτοις παρὰ τῆς ἰατρικῆς γένοιτο κέρδος; καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον κίνδυνος, μετεωριζομένοις ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου εἰς τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμέ- λειαν; Τοῖς γε μὴν ἐκ πονηρᾶς διαίτης τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ἑαυτοῖς συναθροίσασιν οἷον τύπῳ τινὶ καὶ ὑπογραμμῷ χρηστέον τῇ τοῦ σώματος θεραπείᾳ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμέλειαν, καθὰ πρότερον εἴρηται. Ἡ γὰρ ἀποχὴ τῶν βλαπτόντων κατὰ τὸν ἰατρικὸν λόγον καὶ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὠφέλιμος, ἡ ἐκλογὴ τῶν χρησίμων, ἡ φυλακὴ τῶν παραγγελμάτων. Καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς ἀπὸ ἀῤῥωστίας πρὸς εὐεξίαν μεταβολὴ παραμυθία γινέσθω πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀπογινώσκειν ἡμᾶς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς οὐ δυναμένης ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν πάλιν ὁλοκληρίαν διὰ τῆς μετανοίας ἐπανελθεῖν. Οὔτε οὖν φευκτέον πάντη τὴν τέχνην, οὔτε ἐπ' αὐτῇ πάσας τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν ἀκόλουθον. Ἀλλ' ὡς κεχρήμεθα μὲν τῇ γεωργικῇ, αἰτούμεθα δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς καρπούς· καὶ τῷ κυβερνήτῃ μὲν τὸ πηδάλιον ἐπιτρέπομεν, τῷ Θεῷ δὲ προσευχόμεθα ἐκ τοῦ πελάγους ἀποσωθῆναι οὕτω καὶ ἰατρὸν εἰσάγοντες, ὅτε λόγος συγχωρεῖ, τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος οὐκ ἀφιστάμεθα. Ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἐγκράτειαν οὐ μικρὸν συντελεῖν ἡ τέχνη φαίνεται. Ὁρῶ γὰρ, ὅτι καὶ τρυφὰς ἀποκόπτει, καὶ πλησμονὴν διαβάλλει, καὶ ποικιλίαν διαίτης, καὶ περίεργον ἀρτυμάτων ἐπίνοιαν, ὡς