46

were appointed, and others to obey the rulers; so that fear of the laws and dread of the rulers might put a stop to the great impulse of wickedness. Accordingly, rulers rule over cities; guardians over villages; generals over an army; and kings over both of these. The pilot, of the ship; the trainers, of the athletes; the schoolmaster, of the youths; the shoemaker, of his apprentices; likewise the coppersmith, of those wishing to learn the trade from him. Therefore, the master also rules the house. For it is not possible for a household to fare well without a master; and those deprived of them, being utterly desolate, bear witness. The hosts of angels also have this leadership; for we are taught by the divine Scripture that the heaven above our heads has not only angels, but also archangels as inhabitants; and some preside, while others obey. But if even the place free of transgression, and the nature superior to bodies and passions, did not refuse this order, but some obediently obey, and others rule in an orderly manner, why are you vexed, O man, seeing among men, where the inclination toward the worse is great, the ruler and the ruled? For the Creator has applied the administration of rulers as a kind of remedy for evil to the wounds of lawlessness. A father also rules his children, and disciplines the intemperate children, and praises the temperate. The teacher rules the children, and the husband his spouse, and the master his servants, accepting the more loyal, and deeming them worthy of honor, and care, and often of freedom; but disciplining the slothful and those accustomed to wrongdoing, and teaching them virtue. This order the God of all has also given to the priests; and some He deemed worthy of the priesthood, but to others He entrusted their leadership; and He has made other kinds of orders under them. But if, seeing some masters who are exceedingly cruel and very intemperate, 83.685 and some rulers who sell justice for bribes, you stumble and bring forth contradiction, I anticipate the evil offspring of your thought, and say that God did not entrust leadership to such men, but the wickedness of the ruled drew their rule upon themselves. For wishing to draw no benefit from those who had guided them well and honorably, but having insulted their teaching by the depravity of their character, they deprived themselves of divine care; then, having been stripped of the divine administration, they got such leaders, so that by the experience of worse things they might come to the memory of better things, and remember their good and noble instruction. And we find that the God of all, on account of the excess of men's wickedness, often lets go the reins and allows the race of men to be carried along as they wish. And teaching us this Himself through the prophet, He also said to Israel: "And I said: I will not shepherd you; let that which is dying die, and that which is perishing perish, and let the rest devour each the flesh of his neighbor." Therefore, when wicked rulers lead, and cruel and bitter masters govern households, it is necessary to beseech the Ruler of all, and by a change of life and an alteration of character, to make him gracious, and to rouse him to help, and to fervently beseech him to change the difficulty of the time. For He readily hearkens to those who sincerely entreat Him, being good and by nature merciful, or rather being a fount of mercy, He Himself is a witness, promising to those who thus beseech, and saying, "You will call, and I will hearken to you; while you are still speaking I will say: Behold, I am here." But that not even those who are exceedingly lawless, and have striven to surpass all in impiety, are able to harm those who are strong in reason and are lovers of piety, by the following discourse, to speak with God's help,

46

ἐτάχθησαν, οἱ δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑπακούειν· ἵνα τῶν νόμων ὁ φόβος, καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων τὸ δέος, τὴν πολλὴν τῆς κακίας καταπαύσῃ φοράν. Ἄρχουσι τοι γαροῦν πόλεων μὲν, ἄρχοντες· κωμῶν δὲ, κηδεμόνες· στρατηγοὶ, στρατείας· καὶ τούτων δὲ κἀκείνων οἱ βασιλεῖς· τῆς νηὸς, ὁ κυβερνήτης· τῶν ἀθλητῶν, οἱ παιδοτρίβαι· ὁ γραμματιστὴς, τῶν μειρακίων· ὁ σκυτοτόμος, τῶν φοιτητῶν· ὁ χαλκοτύπος ὡσαύτως τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν βουλομένων τὴν τέχνην. Ἄρχει τοιγαροῦν καὶ τῆς οἰκίας ὁ δεσπότης. Οὔτε γὰρ οἷόν τε δεσπότου δίχα πράττειν καλῶς οἰκίαν· καὶ μαρ τυροῦσιν αἱ τούτων ἐστερημέναι, παντάπασιν ἐρη μούμεναι. Ταύτην τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχουσι καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων οἱ δῆμοι· διδασκόμεθα γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, ὡς οὐκ ἀγγέλους ἔχει μόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχ αγγέλους οἰκήτορας ὁ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἡμῶν οὐρανός· καὶ οἱ μὲν προστατεύουσιν, οἱ δὲ ὑπακούουσιν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ παρανομίας ἐλεύθερον χωρίον, καὶ ἡ σωμάτων καὶ παθῶν ὑπερτέρα φύσις, ταύτην οὐκ ἠρνήθη τὴν τάξιν, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν εὐπειθῶς ὑπακούουσιν, οἱ δὲ κοσμίως ἡγεμονεύουσι, τί δυσχεραίνεις, ἄνθρωπε, παρ' ἀνθρώποις βλέπων, ἔνθα πολλὴ περὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἡ ῥοπὴ, τὸ ἄρχον καὶ τὸ ἀρχόμενον; Οἷον γάρ τι φάρμακον ἀλεξίκακον τοῖς τῆς ἀνομίας ἕλκεσι, τὴν τῶν ἀρχόντων οἰκονομίαν ὁ Ποιητὴς ἐπιτέθεικεν. Ἄρχει καὶ παίδων πατὴρ, καὶ παιδεύει τοὺς παῖδας ἀκολασταίνοντας, καὶ ἐπ αινεῖ σωφρονοῦντας. Ἄρχει παιδίων ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ τῆς ὁμόζυγος ὁ ἀνὴρ, καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ὁ δεσπό της, τοὺς μὲν εὐνουστέρους ἀποδεχόμενος, καὶ τι μῆς ἀξιῶν, καὶ θεραπείας, καὶ ἐλευθερίας πολ λάκις· τοὺς δὲ νωθεῖς καὶ κακουργεῖν εἰθισμένους παιδεύων, καὶ καλοκαγαθίαν διδάσκων. Ταύτην τὴν τάξιν καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι δέδωκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἱερωσύνης ἠξίωσεν, τοῖς δὲ τὴν τού των ἡγεμονίαν ἐπίστευσε· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ εἴδη ταγμά των ὑπ' ἐκείνους πεποίηκεν. Εἰ δὲ βλέπων ἐνίους τῶν δεσποτῶν, ἄγαν ὠμοὺς, καὶ λίαν ἀκολάστους, 83.685 καί τινας τῶν ἀρχόντων δώροις ἀπεμπολοῦντας τὸ δίκαιον, προσπταίεις, καὶ τὴν ἀντιλογίαν ὠδίνεις, ἐγώ σου προλαμβάνω τὸν πονηρὸν τῆς διανοίας τό κον, καί φημι, ὡς τοῖς τοιούτοις οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν ἀρχομένων πονη ρία τὴν τούτων ἀρχὴν ἐπεσπάσατο. Ὄνησιν γὰρ οὐδεμίαν παρὰ τῶν εὖ καὶ καλῶς εἰσηγησαμένων ἑλκῦσαι θελήσαντες, ἀλλὰ τῇ μοχθηρίᾳ τοῦ τρόπου τὴν ἐκείνων διδασκαλίαν ὑβρίσαντες, τῆς θείας ἐπι μελείας σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπεστέρησαν· εἶτα τῆς θείας γυμνωθέντες οἰκονομίας, τῶν τοιούτων ἡγεμόνων ἀπήλαυσαν, ἵνα τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν χειρόνων εἰς μνήμην ἔλθωσι τῶν κρειττόνων, καὶ τῆς καλῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς ἐκείνων ἀναμνησθῶσι παιδαγωγίας. Εὑρίσκομεν δὲ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, δι' ὑπερβολὴν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων πονηρίας τὰς ἡνίας ἐῶντα πολλάκις καὶ φέρεσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὡς ἂν θέλωσι συγχωροῦντα τὸ γένος. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς αὐτὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου διδάσκων, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἔλεγε· «Καὶ εἶπον· Οὐ ποι μανῶ ὑμᾶς· τὸ ἀποθνῆσκον ἀποθνησκέτω, καὶ τὸ ἀπολλύμενον ἀπολλύσθω, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα κατ εσθιέτω ἕκαστος τὰς σάρκας τοῦ πλησίον αὑτοῦ.» Χρὴ τοιγαροῦν, ἀρχόντων πονηρῶν ἡγουμένων, καὶ δε σποτῶν ὠμῶν καὶ πικρῶν οἰκίας κυβερνώντων, τὸν τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανιν ἱκετεύειν, καὶ τῇ τοῦ βίου με ταβολῇ, καὶ τῇ τῶν τρόπων ἐναλλαγῇ, ἵλεώ τε ποιεῖν, καὶ εἰς ἐπικουρίαν ἐγείρειν, καὶ θερμῶς ἱκετεύειν τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ δυσκολίαν μεταβαλεῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ ὑπακούει ῥᾳδίως τοῖς εἰλικρινῶς ἀντιβο λοῦσιν, ἀγαθός τε ὢν, καὶ ἐλεεῖν πεφυκὼς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐλέους τυγχάνων πηγὴ, αὐτὸς μάρτυς τοῖς οὕτως ἱκετεύουσιν ὑπισχνούμενος, καὶ λέγων, ὅτι «Καλέ σεις, ἐγὼ δέ σου ὑπακούσομαι· ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρῶ· Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι.» Ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ οἱ λίαν παράνομοι, καὶ δυσσεβείᾳ πάντας ἀποκρύψαι φιλονεική σαντες, οἷόν τε λωβᾶσθαι τοὺς τὸ λογικὸν ἐῤῥωμέ νους, καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπάρχοντας ἐραστὰς, διὰ τοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα λόγου, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι,