49

If you put these things before the brethren, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished on the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed. -These things, what things? What he said, that the mystery is great, that to abstain from these things is of demons, that by the word of God and prayer foods are made clean. Nourished, he says, on the words of faith and of the doctrine which you have followed. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables; and exercise yourself toward godliness. If you put these things before them, he says. Do you see here no authority, but condescension? If you put these things before them, he says. He did not say, commanding, nor did he say, ordering, but, Putting these things before them; that is, as one counseling, put these things before them, and stir up the words concerning faith. Nourished, he says, showing the perpetual nature of attention to such things. 2. For just as we take this food each day, so, he says, let us always receive the words concerning faith, let us always be nourished by these. What is, Nourished? Ruminating, continually turning over the same things, always meditating on the same things; for it has no ordinary nourishment. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. What does he mean here? The observances of the Jews. And does he call them fables? Certainly, either because of their corruptions, or because of their being untimely. For what is in season is useful; but apart from its season, it is not only useless, but also harmful. For consider how ridiculous a man is who, after twenty years, brings himself to his nurse’s breast, because it is out of season. Do you see how he called them both unclean, and old-womanish? the one because of their 62.560 oldness, the other because they are a hindrance to faith. For to bring a soul that has risen above these things under fear, belongs to unclean precepts. But exercise yourself toward godliness, that is, toward a pure faith and a right life; for this is godliness. We have need, therefore, of exercise. For bodily exercise, he says, is profitable for a little. Some say this was said concerning fasting; but away with it, it is not bodily exercise, but spiritual. For if it were bodily, it would nourish the body; but if it wears it down and makes it thin and lean, it is not bodily. He is not, therefore, speaking of the training of the body. So we need the exercise of the soul; for that has no profit, but has benefited the body a little; but the exercise of godliness yields its fruit both in the future, and is gained here, and there. Faithful is the saying. That is, true, that it is both here and there. See how he adds this everywhere; it does not need proof, but he makes a declaration; for his word was to Timothy. Therefore even here we are in good hopes. For he who is conscious of no evil in himself, who achieves countless good deeds, rejoices even here; just as the wicked man is punished not only there, but also here, living in constant fear, not daring to look anyone in the face with boldness, trembling, pale, in agony. Or are not such the covetous, the thieves, not confident about what they have? Do not adulterers, murderers live a most difficult life, seeing the sun itself with suspicion? Is this then life? By no means, but a grievous death. For to this end, he says, we labor and are reproached, because we have hoped in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. As if he were saying: For why do we wear ourselves out, if we did not expect the things to come? And why does everyone reproach us? Have we not suffered, he says, such terrible things? Not insults and revilings and countless evils? Did we then endure these things in vain? If we have not hoped in the living God, for what reason did we endure these things? But if He saves the unbelievers here, much more the believers there. What salvation does he mean? The one there. Who is, he says, the Savior of all, especially of believers. That is, He shows greater diligence concerning the faithful. For now he speaks of the one here. And how is He, he says, the Savior of the faithful? For if He were not the Savior, nothing would

49

Ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, καλὸς ἔσῃ διάκονος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐντρεφόμενος τοῖς λόγοις τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς καλῆς διδασκαλίας ᾗ παρηκολούθηκας. -Ταῦτα, ποῖα; Ἅπερ εἶπεν, ὅτι τὸ μυστήριον μέγα ἐστὶν, ὅτι τὸ τούτων ἀπέχεσθαι, δαιμόνων ἐστὶν, ὅτι διὰ λόγου καὶ ἐντεύξεως Θεοῦ τὰ βρώματα καθαρίζεται. Ἐντρεφόμενος, φησὶ, τοῖς λόγοις τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας ᾗ παρηκολούθηκας. Τοὺς δὲ βεβήλους καὶ γραώδεις μύθους παραιτοῦ· γύμναζε δὲ σεαυτὸν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος, φησίν. Ὁρᾷς οὐδαμοῦ τὴν αὐθεντίαν ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ τὴν συγκατάβασιν; Ὑποτιθέμενος, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐπιτάττων, οὐκ εἶπε, παραγγέλλων, ἀλλὰ, Ὑποτιθέμενος· τουτέστιν, ὡς συμβουλεύων ταῦτα ὑποτίθεσο, καὶ τοὺς λόγους ἀνακίνει τοὺς περὶ πίστεως. Ἐντρεφόμενος, φησὶ, τὸ διηνεκὲς τῆς εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα προσοχῆς δηλῶν. βʹ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν τροφὴν ταύτην καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσφερόμεθα, οὕτω, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς περὶ πίστεως λόγους ἀεὶ λαμβάνωμεν, ἀεὶ τούτοις τρεφώμεθα. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐντρεφόμενος; Μηρυκώμενος, συνεχῶς τὰ αὐτὰ στρέφων, ἀεὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μελετῶν· τροφὴν γὰρ ἔχει οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν. Τοὺς δὲ βεβήλους καὶ γραώδεις μύθους παραιτοῦ. Τίνας ἐνταῦθα λέγει; Τὰς Ἰουδαίων παρατηρήσεις. Καὶ μύθους αὐτάς φησι; Καὶ πάνυ, ἢ διὰ τὰς παραποιήσεις, ἢ διὰ τὸ ἄκαιρον. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν καιρῷ, χρήσιμον· χωρὶς δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ, οὐ μόνον ἄχρηστον, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλαβερόν. Ἐννόησον γάρ μοι ἄνδρα μετὰ εἴκοσιν ἔτη τῷ μαστῷ προσάγοντα ἑαυτὸν τῆς τίτθης, πῶς ἐστι καταγέλαστος, διὰ τὸ ἄκαιρον. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ ἀκάθαρτα αὐτὰ εἶπε, καὶ γραώδη; τὸ μὲν διὰ τὸ 62.560 παλαιὸν, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐμποδίζειν τῇ πίστει. Τὸ γὰρ ὑπὸ φόβον ἄγειν τὴν ἀνωτέρω τούτων γενομένην ψυχὴν, τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἐστὶ παραγγελμάτων. Γύμναζε δὲ σεαυτὸν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, τουτέστι, πρὸς πίστιν καθαρὰν καὶ βίον ὀρθόν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν εὐσέβεια. Γυμνασίας ἄρα χρεία ἡμῖν. Ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ γυμνασία, φησὶ, πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος. Τινὲς περὶ τῆς νηστείας τοῦτό φασιν εἰρῆσθαι· ἀλλ' ἄπαγε, οὐκ ἔστι σωματικὴ γυμνασία, ἀλλὰ πνευματική. Εἰ γὰρ σωματικὴ ἦν, τὸ σῶμα ἔτρεφεν ἄν· εἰ δὲ τήκει αὐτὸ καὶ λεπτύνει καὶ κατισχνοῖ, οὐκ ἔστι σωματική. Οὐκ ἄρα περὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀσκήσεώς φησιν. Ὥστε ἡμῖν δεῖ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν γυμνασίας· ἐκείνη γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει κέρδος, ἀλλ' ὀλίγον ὠφέλησε τὸ σῶμα· ἡ δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἄσκησις τὸν καρπὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἀποδίδωσι, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀνακτᾶται, καὶ ἐκεῖ. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος. Τουτέστιν, ἀληθὴς, ὅτι καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐκεῖ. Ὅρα πῶς πανταχοῦ τοῦτο ἐπάγει· οὐ δεῖται κατασκευῆς, ἀλλ' ἀποφαίνεται· πρὸς γὰρ Τιμόθεον ἦν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ. Ἄρα καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἐσμὲν χρησταῖς. Ὁ γὰρ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς πονηρὸν, ὁ μυρία κατορθῶν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα γάννυται· ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ πονηρὸς οὐκ ἐκεῖ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα κολάζεται, φόβῳ συζῶν διηνεκῶς, οὐδενὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἀντιβλέψαι τολμῶν, τρέμων, ὠχριῶν, ἀγωνιῶν. Ἢ οὐ τοιοῦτοι οἱ πλεονέκται, οἱ κλέπται, οὐ θαῤῥοῦντες ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔχουσιν; οἱ μοιχοὶ, οἱ ἀνδροφόνοι οὐ χαλεπωτάτην ζῶσι ζωὴν, μετὰ ὑποψίας τὸν ἥλιον ὁρῶντες αὐτόν; τοῦτο οὖν ζωή; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ θάνατος χαλεπός. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, κοπιῶμεν, καὶ ὀνειδιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ Θεῷ ζῶντι, ὅς ἐστι Σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα πιστῶν. Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε· Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν κόπτομεν ἑαυτοὺς, εἰ μὴ τὰ μέλλοντα προσεδοκῶμεν; τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν πάντες ἡμῖν ὀνειδίζουσιν; οὐ δεινὰ, φησὶ, τοσαῦτα πεπόνθαμεν; οὐχ ὕβρεις καὶ λοιδορίας καὶ μυρία κακά; εἰκῆ οὖν ταῦτα ὑπεμείναμεν; εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ Θεῷ ζῶντι ἠλπίκαμεν, τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ὑπεμείναμεν; Εἰ δὲ τοὺς ἀπίστους σώζει ἐνταῦθα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐκεῖ. Ποίαν λέγει σωτηρίαν; Τὴν ἐκεῖ. Ὅς ἐστι, φησὶ, Σωτὴρ πάντων, μάλιστα πιστῶν. Τουτέστι, πλείονα σπουδὴν περὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐνδείκνυται. Τέως τὴν ἐνταῦθά φησι. Καὶ πῶς τῶν πιστῶν ἐστι, φησὶ, Σωτήρ; Εἰ μὴ γὰρ Σωτὴρ ἦν, οὐδὲν ἂν