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...when there is a need to lay claim to friendship, changing in this respect, he prefers the useful things before the pleasant things, which are also under censure. The word, exhorting to true friendship, says: "Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend." "For a new one is not like him." By "new" I mean the unreliable one, by "old" or "paternal" the one who has reliability, and especially if you take it in terms of time ... the one who has come through experience neglects the new one; for he who truly knows hearts from experience ... makes the judgment. But the phrase "I have perished and become an exile" he says in reference to the opinion 176 of the many who consider the removal of all possessions and money a loss, and that he was on a dunghill. Therefore he had become an exile and all his household had forsaken him. "Behold the ways of the Temanites, the paths of the Asebaeans, you who see clearly. And those who trust in cities and riches will owe shame." I, for my part, he says, endured these things, having fallen from wealth and many children and glory and the other human things. And yet, having admired none of them, I am not dismayed. For the saints, considering the nature of indifferent things, do not reckon their removal a heavy thing and exhorting others, just as the blessed David also sings in the psalms, "if riches increase, set not your heart on them." And again: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation." Therefore, gently correcting them, the saint puts forth his argument, saying: "Behold the ways of the Temanites, the paths of the Sabaeans, you who see clearly," that is: seeing with the mind, so that his whole meaning might be this: I became an exile and was deprived of all things. Consider the ways of the Temanites, condemn the paths of the Sabaeans, even if they live in comfort, reckon 177 ing that since they trust in wealth and glory they do not have straight ways or paths. He said these things, insinuating also to his friends who thought that he who falls into tribulations is involved in them because of wickedness, that: you, even if you are kings and have not fallen into misfortune, yet consider the ways of the Temanites and Sabaeans, their ways ..., for by trusting in human things you incur shame. But if you should also wish to understand the interpretations of the names, the meaning would be this: Temanites being interpreted as those who have forsaken, and Sabaeans as those who are turning back. He urges therefore to observe those who have forsaken virtue, who also trust in wealth, but also urging those who are turning back to consider the nature of things, that one does not by any means always remain thus in prosperity, but often it reverses. Therefore it is a shame to trust in riches or in cities, by cities meaning human glories and being, as it were, in a safe place. But if those who have forsaken are praiseworthy, he urges that: consider that there are also others who have left evils behind and are not by any means rich in human things. 178 If therefore you are willing to understand that things admit of great change, with many often receiving back what they were deprived of, you would not, being astonished, have desired them as if they were permanent. For "he who trusts in wealth, this one will fall, but he who helps the righteous, this one will rise," just as Lazarus rose up into the bosom of Abraham, but the rich man was delivered to punishment, having fallen into it, who through arrogance overlooked Lazarus. For the text observed that he "was laid" at his "gate" and that he was very rich, so that he might not have the excuse that: I did not know him or I did not have sufficient means. And the phrase "he will rise" is fine. For just as seeds that endure decay later blossom forth, so he who is hard-pressed by tribulations and endures will have as the reward of his endurance the rising, "shining forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father." For he was trusting in the Lord, having been exhorted by the words: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord; those who trust in the Lord are as

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ητ·· ηδ··ς ···· χρείας ὑπαρχούσης ἀντιποιεῖσθαι φιλίας ἐξαλάττων κατὰ τοῦτο, π̣ρ̣οαιρεῖται τὰ χρήσιμα πρὸ τῶν ἡδέων, ἃ καὶ ὑπὸ μέμψιν ἐστίν. εἰς τὴν ὄντως φιλίαν προτρέπων ὁ λόγος φησίν· "φίλον σὸν καὶ φίλον πατρῷον μὴ ἐνκαταλίπῃς." "ὁ γὰρ πρόσφατος οὐκ ἔστιν ὅμοιος αὐτῷ." πρόσφατον λέγω τὸν ἀβέβαιον, "ἀρχαῖον" ἢ πατρῷον τὸν ἔχοντα βεβαιότητα, ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ καὶ κατὰ χρόνον λαμβάνοις ···· τ·ς ὁ διὰ πείρας ἐλθὼν ἀμελεῖ τοῦ προσφάτου· ὁ γὰρ τὰς καρδίας ὄντως ἐπιστάμενος ἐκ τῆς πείρας ·· ω̣ς ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπίκρισιν. τὸ δ' "ἀπωλόμην δὲ καὶ ἔξοικος ἐγενάμην" φησὶν πρὸς τὴν διάλημψιν τὴν 176 τῶν πολλῶν ἀπώλειαν λογιζομένων τὴν πάντων ἀφαίρεσιν κτημάτων χρημάτων καὶ ὅτι ἐπὶ κοπρίας ἐτύγχανεν. διὸ καὶ ἔξοικος ἐγεγόνει καὶ πάντων αὐτὸν τῶν οἰκείων καταλελοιπότων. "ἴδετε ὁδοὺς Θαιμανῶν, ἀτραποὺς Ἀσεβῶν οἱ διορῶντες. καὶ αἰσχύνην ὀφειλήσουσιν οἱ ἐπὶ πόλεσιν καὶ χρήμασι πεποιθότες." ἐγὼ μέν, φησίν, ταῦτα ὑπέστην μεταπεσὼν ἀπὸ πλούτου καὶ πολυπαιδίας καὶ δόξης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρωπι´̣νων. καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲν αὐτῶν τεθαυμακὼς οὐ ξενίζομαι. καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀδιαφόρων ἐπιβάλλοντες οὐ βαρείαν τὴν τούτων ἀφαίρεσιν λογίζονται καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προτρεπόμενοι καθὰ καὶ ∆αυὶδ ὁ μακα´̣ρι̣ος ψάλλω̣ν "πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν." καὶ πάλιν· "μὴ πεποίθατε ἐπ' ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐφ' υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν σωτηρία." διορθούμενος οὖν αὐτοὺς ἠρέμα ὁ ἅγιος οὕτω ποιεῖ τὸν λόγον λέγων· "ἴδετε ὁδοὺς Θαιμανῶν, ἀτραποὺς Σαβῶν οἱ διορῶντες", ὅ ἐστιν· μετὰ διανοίας ὁρῶντες, ἵν' ᾖ πᾶς αὐτοῦ ὁ νοῦς τοιοῦτος· ἐγὼ δὲ ἔξοικος ἐγενόμην καὶ πάντων ἀφῃρέθην. κατανοήσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν Θαιμανῶν, τὰς ἀτραποὺς τῶν Σαβῶν κατακρίνατε, κἂν εὐπαθῶσιν, λογιζ̣ο´̣με̣ 177 νοι ὅτι πλούτῳ καὶ δόξῃ πεποιθότες οὐκ ὀρθὰς ὁδοὺς ἢ ἀτραποὺς ἔχουσιν. ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ὑπηχῶν καὶ τοῖς φίλοις οἰομένοις ὅτι ὁ περιπίπτων ἐν περιστάσεσιν ἐκ κακίας ταύταις ἐνέχεται ὅτι· ὑμεῖς εἰ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐστε καὶ οὐ περιεπέσετε δυσπραγίᾳ, ἀλλὰ κατανοήσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν Θαιμανῶν καὶ Σαβῶν, ὁδ̣οὺς αὐτῶν ρ̣·····σ̣ετε, ὅτι πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις αἰσχύνην ὀφλισκάνετε. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἑρμηνείας τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐκλαβεῖν θέλοις, γένοιτο ἂν νόησις τ αὕτη, Θαιμανῶν μὲν ἑρμηνευομένων ἐκλιπόντων, Σαβῶν δὲ ἐπιστρεφόντων. προτρέπεται οὖν τοὺς ἐκλιπόντας ἀρετὴν καταθεάσασθαι, οἳ καὶ ἐν πλούτωι πεποίθασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας τὴν φύσιν τῶν πραγμάτων κατανοεῖν προτρεπόμενος, ὅτι οὐ πάντως ἐν εὐετηρίᾳ ἀεὶ οὕτω διαμένει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑποστρέφει πολλάκις. διὸ αἰσχύνη ὑπάρχει τὸ πεποιθέναι ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἢ πόλεσιν, πόλεις λέγων τὰς δό ξας τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας καὶ τὸ ὡσανεὶ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ εἶναι. εἰ δὲ ἐπαινετοὶ εἶεν οἱ ἐκλιπόντες, προτρέπεται ὅτι· κατανοήσατε, ὡς εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλοι κακὰ ἀπολιπόντες καὶ οὐ πάντως τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πλουτοῦντες. 178 εἰ οὖν ἐπιστῆσαι θελήσετε, ὅτι τὰ πράγματα πολλὴν δέχεται τὴν μεταβολὴν ἀπολαμβανόντων πολλα´̣κις πολλῶν ὧν ἐστερήθησαν, οὐκ ἂν ὡς ἐπὶ μονίμοις ἐπεποθε̣ῖτε̣ τεθηπότες αὐτά. "ὁ" γὰρ "πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ πλούτωι οὗτος πεσεῖται, ὁ δὲ ἀντιλαμβανόμενος δικαίων οὗτος ἀνατελεῖ", καθὰ ὁ μὲν Λάζαρος εἰς κόλπον Ἀβραὰμ ἀνέτειλεν, ὁ δὲ πλούσιος τῇ κολ̣άσει παραδέδοται πεσὼν ἐπ' αὐτήν, ὃς διὰ ἀλαζονείαν παρεώρα τὸν Λάζαρον. καὶ γὰρ ὁ λόγος παρετηρήσατο, ὅτι "πρὸς τῷ πυλῶνι" α̣ὐτοῦ "ἐβέβλητο" καὶ ὅτι σφόδρα πλούσιος, ἵνα μὴ πρόφασιν ἔχοι ὅτι· ἠγνόουν αὐτὸν ἢ οὐκ εἶχον τὰ αὐτάρκη. καλῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ "ἀνατέλλει". ὡς γὰρ τὰ σπειρόμενα φθορὰν ὑπομένοντα ὕστερον ἐξανθεῖ, οὕτως ὁ περιστάσεσι πιεσθεὶς καὶ ὑπομείνας ἕξει τῆς καρτερίας μισθὸν τὴν ἀνατολήν, "ἐκλάμπων ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρός". πεποιθὼς γὰρ ἦν ἐπὶ κύριον προτραπεὶς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων· "εὐλογημένος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ· οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ κύριον ὡς