57

the works for release from the enemy, and not to wait until we are led away, when the final hour comes; in which the ruler, standing by, will search us; who, if he finds many of his own things in our life, will hand us over to the Judge, convicting us and not allowing denial, reminding us of the place in which we committed the sin, as being with us and cooperating with us in the evil, of the manner we practiced, of the disposition with which we sinned. While, therefore, we are masters of our work, let us work to be delivered from the adversary. And those who demand payment rule over you. Those demanding payment from the poor who are subject to many debts, drag them into slavery. It is good, then, not to incur debt; and second, not to be at a loss for the settlement of the debt. But if not, it is entirely necessary to be a slave to the demands brought against him. These things because of Your tax-collectors glean you, and those who demand payment rule over you. 3.118 My people, those who call you blessed lead you astray and confuse the path of your feet. Those ruled by youths and lorded over by mockers, those gleaned by tax-collectors and led into slavery for being unable to settle their debts and having lost their freedom through extreme poverty, act worthily of being pitied rather than of being called blessed. He, therefore, who calls such people blessed, doing the work of a flatterer, gratifying them beyond what is proper, leads them astray, harming them not a little, taking away the sense of their sins; and of those who are deceived by being called blessed beyond their worth, the path of their feet is also confused. Because afflictions call one to humility, but being called blessed produces puffing up. But he said, People, in general, indicating that not only this one who is humbly disposed, as to be in the enumerated sufferings, but therefore every people in general, by being a collection of men gathered from different pursuits and ages and lives, cannot fall under one blessing equally. For different personal misfortunes wear each one down in different ways; one the toils of old age, another the evils of slavery; another poverty, others the loss of family; others diseases. How then is the blessing addressed to a whole people not deceptive? The Lord, however, even if he implies a multitude through the blessing (Blessed are the poor in spirit, and Blessed are those who hunger, and Blessed are those who weep) yet by addressing those present he shows the small number of those being blessed. For it is clear that he was speaking about the disciples, who had been taught praiseworthy humility, and according to the likeness to him, who became poor for our sakes, had taken on poverty in spirit. For this reason he says, Yours is the kingdom of heaven; and Blessed are those who hunger now, for they shall be satisfied. But if the way is narrow and few are those who find it, where is it possible for many to be those who are blessed? So that anyone who blesses a whole people entirely leads them astray and confuses them, not allowing them to proceed peacefully. And it is easy for those who are not paying attention to be caught by the passion for praise, with each one being easily led away by self-love into the deceptions of flattery. But of a man who has been helped, neither to be humbled by falling under the slanders of some, nor to shrink because of this, nor through praise, in ignorance of his own state, to be easily puffed up and conceited. Since a path is a road worn down and traveled by those who have gone before, he who does not allow those who fall short of the zeal of their leaders to come to a painful realization, but blesses sinners as if they are succeeding, confuses the path of their feet. 3.119 But now the Lord will stand for judgment and will set his people for judgment. All things by divine judgment and understanding according to his ineffable wisdom are distributed to each according to their worth, both the things now being brought on, and those according to the age to come. Since, therefore, such things (he says)

57

τὰ ἔργα πρὸς ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ μὴ ἀναμένειν ποτὲ ἀχθῶμεν, ὁπότε ἔλθῃ ἡ τελευταία ὥρα· ἐν ᾗ ἐπιστὰς ὁ ἄρχων διερευνήσεται ἡμᾶς· ὃς ἐὰν πολλὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἡμῶν εὕρῃ, παραδώσει ἡμᾶς τῷ Κριτῇ, ἐλέγχων ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἄρνησιν μὴ συγχωρῶν, ὑπομιμνήσκων ἡμᾶς τοῦ τόπου, ἐν ᾧ ἐποιοῦμεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς μεθ' ἡμῶν ὑπάρχων καὶ συνεργῶν ἡμῖν τὸ κακὸν, τοῦ τρόπου ὃ ἐπετη δεύσαμεν, τῆς διαθέσεως μεθ' ἧς ἡμάρτομεν. Ἕως οὖν ἐσμεν κύριοι τοῦ ἐργάζεσθαι, δῶμεν ἐργασίαν ἀπηλλάχθαι τοῦ ἀντιδίκου. Καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύουσιν ὑμῶν. Οἱ τοὺς πένητας πολλοῖς ὀφλήμασιν ὑποκειμένους ἀπαιτοῦντες, ἕλκουσιν εἰς δουλείαν. Καλὸν μὲν οὖν, μὴ ὀφλισκάνειν· δεύτερον δὲ τὸ μὴ ἀπορεῖν πρὸς τὴν διάλυσιν τοῦ ὀφλήματος. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη δοῦλον εἶναι τῶν ἐπαγομένων αὐτῷ ἀπαιτή σεων. Ταῦτα διὰ τὸ Οἱ πράκτορες ὑμῶν καλαμῶνται ὑμᾶς, καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύουσιν ὑμῶν. 3.118 Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς, πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ταράσσουσιν. Οἱ ὑπὸ νεανίσκων ἀρχόμενοι καὶ ὑπὸ ἐμπαικτῶν κυριευόμε νοι, οἱ ὑπὸ τῶν πρακτόρων καλαμώμενοι καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀπορεῖν πρὸς τὴν διάλυσιν εἰς δουλείαν ἀγόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν πενίας ἀπολωλεκότες, τοῦ ἐλεεῖσθαι ἀξίως πράσσουσι μᾶλλον, ἢ τοῦ μακαρίζεσθαι. Ὁ οὖν μακαρίζων τοὺς τοιούτους, κόλακος ποιῶν ἔργον, καταχαριζόμενος παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον, πλανᾷ βλάπτων οὐ μέτρια, τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρ τήμασιν αἴσθησιν ἀφαιρούμενος· τῶν δὲ ἀπατωμένων ἐπὶ τῷ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν μακαρισμῷ καὶ ἡ τρίβος τῶν ποδῶν συνταράσσεται. ∆ιότι αἱ μὲν θλίψεις ἐπὶ ταπείνωσιν προκα λοῦνται, ὁ δὲ μακαρισμὸς φυσίωσιν ἐμποιεῖ. Καθόλου δὲ εἶπεν, Λαός, δηλῶν ὅτι οὐχὶ οὗτος μόνον ταπει νῶς διακείμενος, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀπηριθμημένοις εἶναι παθήμασιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶς οὖν ὁ καθόλου λαὸς, τῷ ἄθροισμα εἶναι ἀνθρώ πων, ἐκ διαφόρων ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ ἡλικιῶν καὶ βίων συνει λεγμένος, ὑφ' ἕνα πίπτειν μακαρισμὸν ὁμοτίμως οὐ δύναται. Ἄλλαι γὰρ ἄλλως ἴδιαι ἕκαστον συμφοραὶ κατατρύχουσι· τὸν μὲν τὰ τοῦ γήρως ἐπίπονα, τὸν δὲ τὰ τῆς δουλείας κακά· ἄλλον πενία, ἑτέρους οἰκείων ἀποβολή· ἄλλους νόσοι. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἀπατηλός ἐστιν ὁ μακαρισμὸς ὁ λαῷ παντὶ προσαγόμενος; Ὁ μέντοι Κύριος, εἰ καὶ πλῆθος ἐμφαίνει διὰ τοῦ μα καρισμοῦ (Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ Μα κάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες, καὶ Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες) ἀλλὰ τῷ πρὸς παρόντας ἀποτείνεσθαι δείκνυσι τὸ εὐαρίθμητον τῶν μακαριζομένων. ∆ῆλον γὰρ, ὅτι περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν λόγον, τῶν δεδιδαγμένων τὴν ἐπαινετὴν τα πεινοφροσύνην, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐξομοίωσιν, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντα, τὴν ἐν τῷ φρονήματι πτωχείαν ἀνει ληφότων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες νῦν, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται. Εἰ δὲ στενὴ ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ὀλίγοι οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτὴν, ποῦ δυνατὸν πολλοὺς εἶναι τοὺς μακα ριζομένους; Ὥστε πάντως ὁ λαὸν ὅλον μακαρίζων, πλανᾷ καὶ ταράσσει αὐτὸν, μὴ ἐῶν ὁδεύειν εἰρηνικῶς. Ἔστι δὲ ῥᾴδιον ἁλῶναι τῷ πάθει τῶν ἐπαίνων τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας, ὑπὸ φιλαυτίας ἑκάστου ῥᾳδίως ταῖς ἐκ τῶν κο λακειῶν ἀπάταις ὑπαγομένου. Ἀνδρὸς δὲ ὠφελημένου, μήτε ταῖς κακηγορίαις τινῶν ὑποπίπτοντα ταπεινοῦσθαι, μηδὲ συστέλλεσθαι παρὰ τοῦτο, μήτε ὑπὸ ἐπαίνων ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐξοιδαίνειν ῥᾳδίως καὶ φυσιοῦσθαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τρί βος ἐστὶν ἡ προτετριμμένη καὶ διωδευμένη ὑπὸ τῶν προλα βόντων ὁδός, ὁ μὴ ἐῶν εἰς αἴσθησιν ἐλθεῖν λυπηρὰν τοὺς ἀπολειπομένους τοῦ ζήλου τῶν προαγόντων, ἀλλ' ὡς κατ ορθοῦντας μακαρίζων τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, τὴν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῶν συνταράσσει. 3.119 Ἀλλὰ νῦν καταστήσεται εἰς κρίσιν Κύριος καὶ στήσει εἰς κρίσιν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Πάντα κρίσει θείᾳ καὶ συνέσει κατὰ τὴν δυσδιήγητον σο φίαν ἐπιμερίζεται ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν, τά τε νῦν ἐπα γόμενα, τά τε κατὰ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοι αῦτα (φησὶν)