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let us not leave him, but let us raise him from there, not for his own sake (for he is worthy to suffer such things), but so that the love of God for mankind and the honor shown to us may be demonstrated. For there are, there are things in which the irrational animals have nothing in common with us. What are these? Piety, and the virtuous life. Here you cannot speak of fornicators, nor of the effeminate, nor of murderers; for we are separated from them. What then is this? We know God, we acknowledge His providence, we philosophize about immortality; here let the irrational animals give way. Without dispute we are temperate in these things; here the irrational animals have nothing in common. For though inferior to them in all things, 62.238 we rule over them. For in this is the rule greater, that though inferior to them, we are kings over them; so that you may learn that you are not the cause of these things, but the God who made you and graced you with reason. Nets, snares we set for them, and we cast them, and we subdue them. Temperance is with us, gentleness, meekness, contempt for money. But since you, being one of the desperate, have none of these things, it is reasonable that you either think more highly of men, or even lower than the irrational animals. For such is desperation and audacity; it either exalts itself beyond what is proper, or is humbled again in like manner, nowhere keeping due measure. In this we are equal to angels; a kingdom has been promised to us, the choir with Christ. A man is scourged, and does not succumb; a man scorns death, does not tremble, is not afraid, does not long for more. So that as many as are not such, are worse than the irrational animals. For when you have the advantage in bodily things, but do not have the advantages of the soul, how are you not worse than the irrational animals? For bring into the midst one of the more irrational in wickedness, of those living in luxury and greed; his horse is more warlike, the boar stronger, the hare swifter, the peacock more beautiful, the swan more melodious, the elephant larger, the eagle sharper-sighted, all birds are richer. From where then are you worthy to rule the irrational animals? from reason? But it is not. For when you do not use it as you ought, you are again worse than them; for when, having reason, you are more irrational than them, it were better if you had not been rational from the beginning. For it is not the same thing, having received a rule to betray it, and not to have received it in the first place. A king who is worse than his own bodyguards, it were better if he had never worn the purple. So it is here also. Knowing therefore, that without virtue we are even worse than the irrational animals, let us practice it, so that we may become men, or rather angels, and may enjoy the promised good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 8. Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that you may be blameless and harmless, the children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, to my boasting

for me in the day of Christ. 1. Exhortations should be made with commendations; 62.238 for thus they become more readily acceptable, when we appeal to the proper zeal of those being exhorted;

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ἀφήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἀναστήσωμεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν, οὐ δι' αὐτὸν (αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἄξιος τοιαῦτα παθεῖν), ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία καὶ ἡ εἰς ἡμᾶς δειχθῇ τιμή. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστιν ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν ἡμῖν κοινωνεῖ τὰ ἄλογα. Ποῖα δὴ ταῦτα; Εὐσέβεια, καὶ ὁ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίος. Ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἔχεις πόρνους εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ μαλακοὺς, οὐδὲ ἀνδροφόνους· ἀπεσχίσμεθα γὰρ αὐτῶν. Τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστι; Τὸν Θεὸν ἴσμεν, τὴν πρόνοιαν ἐπιγινώσκομεν τὴν αὐτοῦ, περὶ ἀθανασίας φιλοσοφοῦμεν· παραχωρείτω ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἄλογα. Οὐκ ἀμφισβητήσει περὶ τούτων σωφρονοῦμεν· ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲν τὰ ἄλογα κοινὸν ἔχει. Πάντων γὰρ αὐτῶν λει 62.238 πόμενοι, κρατοῦμεν αὐτῶν. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ μείζων ἡ ἀρχὴ, ὅτι λειπόμενοι αὐτῶν, βασιλεύομεν αὐτῶν· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐ σὺ τούτων αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιήσας σε Θεὸς, καὶ λόγον χαρισάμενος. ∆ίκτυα, θήρατρα αὐτοῖς τίθεμεν, καὶ ἐμβάλλομεν αὐτὰ, καὶ χειρούμεθα. Σωφροσύνη παρ' ἡμῖν, ἐπιείκεια, πραότης, χρημάτων ὑπεροψία. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ σὺ τῶν ἀπονενοημένων τις ὢν οὐδὲν τούτων ἔχεις, εἰκότως ἢ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεῖζον φρονεῖς, ἢ καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ταπεινότερον. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ ἀπόνοια καὶ ἡ θρασύτης· ἢ ἐπαίρεται πέρα τοῦ δέοντος, ἢ ταπεινοῦται πάλιν ὁμοίως, οὐδαμοῦ τὴν συμμετρίαν φυλάττουσα. Ἀγγέλων ἐσμὲν ἴσοι κατὰ τοῦτο· βασιλεία ἡμῖν ἐπήγγελται, ἡ μετὰ Χριστοῦ χορεία. Ἄνθρωπος μαστίζεται, καὶ οὐχ ὑποπίπτει· ἄνθρωπος θανάτου καταφρονεῖ, οὐ τρέμει, οὐ δέδοικεν, οὐκ ἐφίεται τοῦ πλείονος. Ὥστε ὅσοι μὴ τοιοῦτοί εἰσι, τῶν ἀλόγων εἰσὶ χείρους. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν μὲν τοῖς σωματικοῖς πλεονεκτῇ[ς], τὰ δὲ ψυχικὰ πλεονεκτήματα μὴ ἔχῃς, πῶς οὐχὶ τῶν ἀλόγων εἶ χείρων; Ἄγε γὰρ εἰς μέσον τινὰ τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ ἀλογωτέρων, τῶν ἐν τρυφῇ ζώντων καὶ πλεονεξίᾳ· ὁ ἵππος αὐτοῦ πολεμικώτερος, ὁ ὗς ἰσχυρότερος, ὁ λαγωὸς ταχύτερος, ὁ ταὼς ὡραιότερος, ὁ κύκνος εὐφωνότερος, ὁ ἐλέφας μείζων, ὁ ἀετὸς ὀξυδερκέστερος, πάντες ὄρνιθες πλουσιώτεροι. Πόθεν οὖν ἄξιος εἶ κρατεῖν τῶν ἀλόγων; ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν. Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ εἰς δέον αὐτῷ κέχρησαι, πάλιν ἐκείνων χείρων εἶ· ὅταν γὰρ λόγον ἔχων ἀλογώτερος ἐκείνων ᾖς, κρεῖττον ἦν εἰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγένου λογικός. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον, λαβόντα ἀρχὴν προδοῦναι, καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν μὴ λαβεῖν. Ὁ βασιλεύων καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων χείρων ὢν, κρεῖττον ἦν εἰ μηδὲ τὴν ἁλουργίδα περιέκειτο. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Εἰδότες οὖν, ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων χείρους ἐσμὲν τῆς ἀρετῆς χωρὶς, ταύτην ἀσκῶμεν, ἵνα ἄνθρωποι γενώμεθα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἄγγελοι, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ηʹ. Ὥστε, ἀγαπητοί μου, καθὼς πάντοτε ὑπηκού σατε, μὴ ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ μου μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατ εργάζεσθε. Ὁ Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας. Πάντα ποιεῖτε χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν καὶ δια λογισμῶν, ἵνα γένησθε ἄμεμπτοι καὶ ἀκέραιοι, τέκνα Θεοῦ ἀμώμητα ἐν μέσῳ γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς καὶ διεστραμμένης, ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε, ὡς φω στῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες, εἰς καύχημα

ἐμοὶ εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ. αʹ. Τὰς παραινέσεις μετὰ ἐγκωμίων δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι· 62.238 οὕτω γὰρ καὶ εὐπαράδεκτοι γίνονται, ὅταν πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον ζῆλον καλῶμεν τοὺς παραινουμένους·