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It happened when a man came near to Absalom to bow down to him, that he would stretch out his hand, and would kiss him. And Absalom did according to this word to all Israel, who came for judgment to the king; and Absalom was winning the hearts of all the men of Israel. Entering into the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, your peace will return to you. Affable in meetings, sweet in conversations. Let us not think this achievement, to become affable and sociable, to be a mere and simple thing.

TITLE. 36. -Concerning encounters, and of those falling from evils into evils. They will go into the miseries of Egypt, and Memphis will receive them, and

Machmas will bury them. As when a man flees from the face of a lion, and a bear meets him, and he leaps into his house, and rests his hands on the wall, and a serpent bites him. He who flees from the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes out of the pit will be consumed by the trap.

TITLE. 37. -Concerning freedom from worldly cares and quietude.

Be glorified sitting in your house. You will be quiet, and there will be no one to make war on you. You, Lord, have made me dwell alone in hope. I am alone, until I pass by. A prudent man keeps quiet. Good men are quiet always. On whom shall I look, but on the meek, and quiet, and one who trembles at my words? 95.1245 Do not go out into the field, and do not walk in the roads, because the sword of the enemies dwells round about. It is good for a man, when he has borne the yoke in his youth. Sitting alone, and he will be silent, because he has borne it upon himself. Jacob will return, and will be quiet, and will sleep in the salvation of the Lord, and there will be no one to trouble him. Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. We beseech you, my brothers, to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands. That which is separated and private, is more honorable than that which is communal and united with the many. Therefore, with unspeakable power, those who have their mind undistracted and pure imagine it, and have the Word of God as it were as their charioteer. - Quietude, the beginning of purification for the soul, and just as wild beasts are easily overcome when they are soothed, so desires, and angers, and griefs, and fears, the venomous evils of the soul, when they are calmed by quietude, and not made savage by continuous provocation, become more easily overcome by the power of the word. -Not being poured out upon the world, he returns to himself, and through himself he ascends to the concept of God, not dragging down the soul to the care of food, nor to anxiety for clothing; but having leisure from earthly cares, he transfers all his diligence to the acquisition of eternal goods. It is necessary also to be quiet, so as to converse with God without disturbance, and to lead the mind away a little from wandering things. Quietude free from business is more honorable than renown in affairs. Then most of all the devil attacks, when he sees us isolated, and being by ourselves. - It is fitting for the self-controlled man also to flee the crowds, so that he may have his mind undistracted, and his heart untroubled. For great is the disturbance in the crowds. A great collaborator toward the perfection of men is withdrawal. An undistracted purpose provides a great inclination toward knowledge. It is better to live lying on a pallet and be of good cheer, than to be troubled having a golden bed. A quiet life is more glorious than much wealth. The wise man pursues tranquility, and freedom from business, and leisure 95.1248 so that he may encounter the divine contemplations in quietude

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Ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἄνδρα πρὸς Ἀβεσαλὼμ τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατεφίλει αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἀβεσαλὼμ κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο παντὶ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῖς παραγενομένοις εἰς κρίσιν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· καὶ ἰδιοποιεῖτο Ἀβεσαλὼμ τὰς καρδίας πάντων τῶν ἀνδρῶν Ἰσραήλ. Εἰσερχόμενοι εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, ἀσπάσασθε αὐτήν. Καὶ ἐὰν μὲν εἴη ἡ οἰκία ἀξία, ἐλθέτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εἴη ἀξία, ἡ εἰρήνη πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπιστραφήσεται. Εὐπροσήγορον ἐν ταῖς ἐντεύξεσιν, γλυκὺν ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις. Μὴ νομίζωμεν ψιλὸν εἶναι καὶ εὐτελὲς τὸ κατόρθωμα τοῦτο, γίνεσθαι εὐπροσήγορον καὶ φιλοπροσήγορον.

ΤΙΤΛ. Λϛʹ. -Περὶ ἀπαντημάτων, καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ κακῶν εἰς κακὰ ἐμπιπτόντων. Πορεύσονται εἰς ταλαιπωρίας Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐκδέξεται αὐτοὺς Μέμφις, καὶ

θάψει αὐτοὺς Μαχμάς. Ὃν τρόπον ὅταν ἐκφύγῃ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ προσώπου λέοντος, καὶ ἐμπέσῃ αὐτῷ ἄρκτος, καὶ εἰσπηδήσῃ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπερείσῃ χεῖρας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ δάκῃ αὐτὸν ὄφις. Ἔσται ὁ φεύγων τὸν φόβον, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς τὸν βόθυνον· καὶ ὁ ἐκβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ βοθύνου, ἀναλωθήσεται ὑπὸ τῆς παγίδος.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΛΖʹ. -Περὶ ἀπραγμοσύνης καὶ ἡσυχίας.

Ἐνδοξάσθητι καθήμενος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου. Ἡσυχάσεις, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ πολεμῶν σε. Σὺ, Κύριε, καταμόνας ἐπ' ἐλπίδι κατῴκησάς με. Καταμόνας εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, ἕως οὗ παρέλθω. Ἀνὴρ φρόνιμος ἡσυχίαν ἄγει. Ἀγαθοὶ ἡσυχάζουσι διὰ παντός. Ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν πρᾶον, καὶ ἡσύχιον, καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους; 95.1245 Μὴ ἐκπορεύεσθε εἰς ἀγρὸν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς μὴ βαδίζετε, ὅτι ῥομφαία τῶν ἐχθρῶν παροικεῖ κύκλωθεν. Ἀγαθὸν ἀνδρὶ, ὅταν ἄρῃ τὸν ζυγὸν ἐν νεότητι. Καθήμενος καταμόνας, καὶ σιωπήσεται, ὅτι ἦρεν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ. Ἀναστρέψει Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἡσυχάσει, καὶ ὑπνώσει εἰς τὸ σωτήριον Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ παρενοχλῶν αὐτόν. Μάρθα, Μάρθα, μεριμνᾷς, καὶ τυρβάζεις περὶ πολλά. Παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί μου, ἡσυχάζειν, καὶ πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια, καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν. Τὸ ἀπεσχισμένον καὶ ἰδιάζον, τοῦ κοινωνικοῦ, καὶ ἡνωμένου τοῖς πολλοῖς προτιμώτερον. Ἀφάτῳ τοίνυν δυνάμει φαντασιούμενοι τὸν νοῦν οἱ ἀπερίσπαστον αὐτὸν καὶ καθαρὸν ἔχοντες, οἱονεὶ ἡνιοχοῦντα αὐτοὺς ἔχουσι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ. - Ἡσυχία, καθάρσεως ἀρχὴ τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ θηρία εὐκαταγώνιστά ἐστι καταψηχθέντα, οὕτως ἐπιθυμίαι, καὶ ὀργαὶ, καὶ λύπαι, καὶ φόβοι τὰ ἰοβόλα τῆς ψυχῆς κακὰ, κατευνασθέντα διὰ τῆς ἡσυχίας, καὶ μὴ ἀγριαινόμενα τῷ συνεχεῖ ἐρεθισμῷ, εὐκαταγωνιστότερα τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ λόγου γίνεται. -Ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον μὴ διαχεόμενος, ἐπάνεισι μὲν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, δι' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὴν περὶ Θεοῦ ἔννοιαν ἀναβαίνει, μήτε πρὸς τροφῆς φροντίδα, μήτε πρὸς περιβολαίων μέριμναν τὴν ψυχὴν καθελκόμενος· ἀλλὰ σχολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν γηΐνων φροντίδων ἄγων, τὴν πᾶσαν ἑαυτοῦ σπουδὴν ἐπὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν μετατίθησι. Χρή τι καὶ ἡσυχάζειν, ὥστε ἀθολώτως προσομιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μικρὸν ἀπανάγειν τὸν νοῦν ἀπὸ τῶν πλανωμένων. Ἡ ἀπράγμων ἡσυχία, τῆς ἐν πράγμασιν περιφανείας τιμιωτέρα. Τότε μάλιστα ἐπιτίθεται ὁ διάβολος, ὅταν ἴδῃ μεμονωμένους ἡμᾶς, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὄντας. - Ἁρμόζει τῷ ἐγκρατεῖ, καὶ τοὺς ὄχλους φεύγειν, ἵνα τὸν νοῦν ἀπερίσπαστον ἔχῃ, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἀτάραχον. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ὄχλοις ἡ ταραχή. Μέγας συνεργὸς πρὸς τελειότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν ἡ ἀναχώρησις. Μεγάλην εἰς γνῶσιν ῥοπὴν ἀπερίσπαστος παρέχει προαίρεσις. Ζῇν ἄμεινον ἐπὶ στιβάδος κατακείμενον, καὶ θαῤῥεῖν, ἢ ταράττεσθαι χρυσῆν ἔχοντα κλίνην. Βίος ἡσύχιος χρημάτων πολλῶν περιφανέστερος. Ὁ σοφὸς ἠρεμίαν, καὶ ἀπραγμοσύνην, καὶ σχολὴν 95.1248 μεταδιώκει, ἵνα τοῖς θείοις θεωρήμασιν ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ ἐντύχῃ