50

For by being tempted, as men holding fast to moderation, they provide themselves with resistance. For those who were urging them to sin appeared to be masters of enveloping them with these things; yet they did not yield, but chose to maintain what is genuine toward God, even if it should mean death; so ardently did they cling to the desire for purity, and the end demonstrated even to the unbelievers their judgment and the saving test of God, who had accepted them for their virtue. But Cain was not such a one, but is introduced as a procrastinator; for "after some days" "he brought of the fruits of the ground", as if remembering God from some sort of afterthought. Censuring this, the divine scripture teaches: "Do not 121 withhold doing good to the needy, when your hand has power to help. Do not say: Come back again, and tomorrow I will give, when you are able to do good". But concerning Abel it is not said "after some days", but: "And Abel, he also brought"; and what sort of things he brought, the oracle indicates, hinting at their proper and precious nature: "of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat". And since Cain had made the offering neglectfully, but Abel genuinely, "the Lord had regard for Abel and his gifts, but for Cain and his sacrifices He had no regard". For the genuineness of Abel is evident; for he brought firstlings, judging to render to God the most precious things, of which the fat is a part, as Cain also should have done, offering from the first-fruits. For it is fitting to offer first-fruits to God primarily, which the blessed David does spiritually, saying: "From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God", nothing else is preferred by me but my flight to you; and indeed to you, God, before all else are rendered the things that are due. A gift differs from a sacrifice in this way: that the gift is brought from living creatures, but the sacrifice not; and it is clear by how much living creatures are by nature more precious than inanimate things. But what is the meaning of "God had no regard", from which Cain was grieved and his countenance fell, one might say, or how did Cain know that God did not accept it, so that he was grieved? To which one might say things from the book of the covenant, in which it is written that fire coming down from heaven received the sacrifices that were duly offered, from which it is likely Cain knew, when the fire did not come upon his sacrifices, while Abel's were consumed by it. This also happened in Leviticus; for those who brought strange fire to the altar paid no small penalty, and Elijah the great prophet, contending against the 122 priests of Baal, demonstrated how the fire came down from heaven upon his sacrifices, since he was holy. This, then, the narration of the literal text provides; but the anagogical meaning would be as follows: those who feign virtue, by displaying the outward appearance not from a genuine intention but for the sake of something else, are certain procrastinators and reprobate, not offering first-fruits to God; for the first-fruit of virtue is that which comes from the will; the impulse toward it springs from there. David teaches this, saying: "But his will was in the law of the Lord"; but hypocrites, not having the will for virtue, feign the things of virtue either for the sake of shameful gain, as has been said, or for glory. Being of this party, Cain brought his offering after some days, but Abel without delay brings living firstlings and fat; for the virtuous man, offering first-fruits, thinks no action of his own to be unfitting for God, just as the blessed Paul says: "Not I, but the grace of God which was with me", and the Psalmist: "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." Abel, therefore, having tamed the living and irrational possessions by reason and made them stable, offered to God what was proper to him and not to the passions. Grief comes to those who do not use things in the way they ought, the conscience convicting and exposing them like a fire, even if wickedness still possesses them,

50

πε[ιρώ]μενοι γὰρ ὡς ἀντεχό- μενοι τῆς σωφροσύνης περιπ[οι]οῦνται [ἐνσ]τάσεσιν. Κύριοι γὰρ τοῦ ταύταις περιβαλεῖν ἐφαίνον[το] οἱ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν προτρεπόμενοι· ὅμως οὐκ εἶξαν, [ἀ]λλ' εἵλαντ[ο] τὸ γνήσιον τὸ πρὸς Θεὸν διατηρεῖν, καὶ εἰ θάνατ[ος] γένοιτο· οὕτως διαπύρῳ τῷ πόθῳ τῆς ἁγνείας ἀντείχον[το], καὶ τὸ τέλος δὲ διέδειξεν καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις τὴν κρίσιν [α]ὐτῶν καὶ τὴν δοκιμασίαν σωτήριον Θεοῦ, τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐ[το]ὺς ἀποδεξαμένου. Ἀλλ' ὁ Κάιν οὐ τοιοῦτος, μελλητὴς δ[ὲ ε]ἰσάγεται· "6Μεθ' ἡμέρας"6 γὰρ "6ἤνεγκεν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς"6, ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος μεταγνώσεως Θεοῦ μνημονεύων. Το[ῦ]το καταμεμφομένη ἡ θεία γραφὴ διδάσκει· "6Μὴ 121 ἀπόσχῃ εὖ [π]οιεῖν ἐνδεή, ἡνίκα ἂν ἔχῃ ἡ χείρ σου βοηθεῖν. Μὴ εἴπης· Ἐπανελθὼν ἐπάνηκε καὶ αὔριον δώσω, δυνατοῦ σου ὄντος εὖ ποιεῖν"6. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἄβελ οὐκ εἴρηται ὡς "6μεθ' ἡμέρας"6, ἀλλά· "6Καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκεν καὶ αὐτός"6· καὶ ποῖα ἤνεγκεν, παρασημαίνει τὸ λόγιον, αἰνιττόμενον αὐτῶν τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ τίμιον· "6ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων"6. Ἅτε δὲ τοῦ μὲν Κάιν ἠμελημένως πεποιηκότος τὰ τῆς προσαγωγῆς, τοῦ δ' Ἄβελ γνησίως, "6ἐπεῖδεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ Ἄβελ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ δὲ Κάι[ν] καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν"6. Τὸ γὰρ γνήσιον διαφ[αί]νεται τοῦ Ἄβελ· πρωτότοκα γὰρ προσήγαγεν, τὰ τιμιώτατα τ[ῷ] Θεῷ κρίνας ἀπονέμειν, ὧν ἐστιν καὶ τὰ στέατα, ὡς ἔδει κ[αὶ τ]ὸν Κάιν ποιῆσαι, ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτογενημάτων παράσχοντα. Ἀ[π]άρχεσθαι γὰρ προη- γουμένως πρέπει τῷ Θεῷ, ὅπερ πνευματικῶς ὁ μακάριος ∆αυὶδ ποιεῖ λέγων· "6Ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρ[ὸ]ς σέ, ὁ Θεός"6, οὐδέν μοι τῶν ἄλλων πρόκριτόν ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸ[ς] σὲ καταφυγή· καίτοι σοι τῷ Θεῷ πρὸ παντὸς πράγματος ἀπο[νέμητ]αι τὰ καθήκοντα. ∆ῶρον δὲ θυσίας ταύτῃ διαφέρει ὅτ[ι τὸ μ]ὲν δῶρον ἀπὸ ζῴων προσάγεται, ἡ δὲ θυσία οὐχί· ὅσῳ δὲ [ζῷ]α τῶν ἀψύχων τῇ φύσει τιμιώτερα φανερ[όν. Τί] δὲ τὸ "6[Οὐ] προσέσχεν ὁ Θεός"6, ἐξ οὗ καὶ λελύ- πηται Κάιν καὶ συν[έπ]εσεν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον, εἴποι τις ἄν, ἢ πῶς ἔγνω Κάιν ὅτι ο[ὐ] προσεδέ[χε]το Θεός, ἵνα καὶ λυπηθῇ; πρὸς ὃ λέγοι τις τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς βίβλου τῆς δ[ιαθ]ήκης, ἐν ἧ γέγραπται ὡς ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ πῦρ κατιὸν ἐδέχετο [τὰς] θυσίας τὰς δεόντως προσαγομένας, ἐξ οὗ εἰκὸς ἐγνωκ[έ]ναι τὸν Κάιν, ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπελ- θόντος τοῦ πυρός, τῶ[ν τ]οῦ Ἄβελ δαπανηθεισῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Λευι[τι]κῷ ἐγίνετο· οἱ γὰρ προαγα- γόντες ἀλλότριον πῦρ ἐπὶ τὸ θυ[σι]αστήριον δίκην ὑπέσχον οὐ μίκραν, καὶ Ἠλίας ὁ μέγας προφήτης [π]ρὸς τοὺς 122 ἱερεῖς τῆς Βάαλ ἀπομαχό<μενος> διέδειξεν ὡς ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ τὸ πῦρ κατῄει ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ, ἁγίου ὄντος, θυσίας. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡ τοῦ ῥητοῦ παρέχει διήγησις· ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς νοῦς τοιοῦτος ἂν εἴη· οἱ τὴν ἀρετὴν ὑποκρι- νόμενοι τῷ μὴ ἀπὸ γνησίας προθέσεως ἀλλ' ἄλλου χάριν τὴν ἐξωφάνειαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι μελληταί τινές εἰσιν καὶ ἀδόκιμοι, οὐκ ἀπαρχόμενοι τῷ Θεῷ· ἀπαρχὴ δ' ἐστὶν ἀρετῆς ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης· κίνησις ἐπ' [α]ὐτὴν ἐκεῖθεν φύεται. Τοῦτο ∆αυὶδ παιδεύει φάσκων· "6Ἀλλ' ἦν [ἐν] νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ"6· οἱ δ' ὑποκριταί, οὐκ ἔχοντες ἀρετ[ῆ]ς θέλημα, ἢ αἰσχροῦ χάριν κέρδους, ὡς εἴρηται, ἢ δόξης τὰ τῆς ἀ[ρε]τῆς ὑποκρίνονται. Ταύτης ὢν τῆς μερίδος Κάιν προσήγα̣[γεν] μεθ' ἡμέρας, ὁ δ' Ἄβελ ἀμελλητὶ ζῷα πρωτότοκα καὶ στέατ[α] προσάγει· οὐδεμίαν γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ πρᾶξιν οἴεται ἀπαρχόμενος ὁ [ἐ]νάρετος εἶναι μὴ τῷ Θεῷ προσήκουσαν, καθὰ καὶ Παῦλος ὁ μα[κ]άρ[ιο]ς λέγων· "6Οὐκ ἐγὼ δέ, ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ σὺν ἐμοί"6, καὶ ὁ Ψα[λμ]ῳδός· "6Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπία[σαν ο]ἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες αὐτόν."6 Ὁ Ἄβελ οὖν τὰ ζωτικὰ καὶ ἄλογα κ[τή]ματα [···ημ]ε- ρώσας τῷ λογισμῷ καὶ εὐσταθῆ ποιήσας ἀνέ[φ]ερε τῷ [Θε]ῷ οἰκείων αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ τοῖς πάθεσιν. Γίνεται λύπ[η] τοῖς μὴ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον χρωμένοις τοῖς πράγμασιν, δίκην πυρὸ[ς] τοῦ συνειδότος ἐλέγχοντος καὶ παραδεικνύντος, κἂν ἔτι [ἡ] κακία ἐνέχηται,