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I will introduce to you other laws as well, or rather, not I, but Christ. Plant this good thing in your soul, and little by little you will become a paradise of God, much better than that paradise. For with us there is neither a serpent, nor a death-bearing tree, nor anything else of that sort. Fix this habit deep within. If this happens, not only you who are present will be benefited, but also all those in the inhabited world; and not only they, but also those who come after them. For a good custom, once introduced and observed by all, will be handed down for long ages, and no season will be able to cut it off. If someone gathering sticks on the Sabbath was stoned; he who does things much worse than that gathering, and gathers a burden of sins (for this is the multitude of oaths), what will he not undergo? What will he not endure? You will receive much help from God, if this has been accomplished by you. If I say, Do not insult, you immediately bring up your anger to me; if I say, Do not envy, you will state another cause. Here you have nothing of the sort to say. For this reason I began with the easy things, since they do the same in all the arts. Thus one comes to greater things, by first learning the much easier things. You will know how easy this is, when, having accomplished it by the grace of God, you also receive another law. Give me boldness, both before Greeks, and before Jews, and above all before God. Yes, I beseech you by love, by the birth-pangs with which I travailed for you, My little children. But I will not add what follows, of whom I travail in birth again; nor will I say, until Christ be formed in you. For I believe that Christ has been formed in you. But I will say other things to you: My beloved and 60.99 longed-for brethren, my joy and my crown. For believe me, that I will not speak otherwise. If someone now placed ten thousand royal crowns studded with jewels on my head, I would not rejoice as I rejoice at your progress; or rather, I do not think even the emperor rejoices in this way, as I do over you. What am I saying? If he returned having conquered all the nations warring against him, and received more crowns than the customary one, and other diadems as symbols of victory, I do not think he would rejoice so much over his trophies, as I do over your progress. For as if having ten thousand crowns on my head, so I exult; and reasonably so. For if by the grace of God this custom is accomplished by you, you have won ten thousand wars, and much more difficult than that one; having wrestled and fought against wicked demons, against avenging spirits, not by the sword, but by the tongue and will. For see how many things are accomplished, if indeed you do accomplish it. First, that you cut off a difficult 60.100 habit; second, a wicked thought, from which come all evils, in thinking the matter to be indifferent and not at all harmful; third, anger; fourth, avarice; for the oath begets all these things. But from this you will also receive a great starting-point for other right actions. For just as children learning the elements, do not learn only those things, but in them are taught little by little to read; so also you; no longer will wicked reasoning deceive you, nor will you say, This is indifferent, no longer will you speak out of habit, but you will stand nobly against all things, so that by accomplishing virtue according to God in all things, you may enjoy eternal goods, by the grace and loving-kindness of His only-begotten Son, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60.99.20 HOMILY XII. But Joseph, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation), a Levite,

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ὑμῖν καὶ ἑτέρους εἰσάξω νόμους, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐγὼ, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστός. Φυτεύσατε ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ τοῦτο τὸ καλὸν, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἔσεσθε παράδεισος τοῦ Θεοῦ, πολλῷ βελτίων ἐκείνου τοῦ παραδείσου. Οὔτε γὰρ ὄφις παρ' ἡμῖν, οὔτε δένδρον θανατηφόρον, οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Πήξατε ἐν βάθει ταύτην τὴν συνήθειαν. Ἂν τοῦτο γένηται, οὐχ ὑμεῖς οἱ παρόντες ὠφεληθήσεσθε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ· καὶ οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιγινόμενοι. Ἔθος γὰρ καλὸν εἰσελθὸν, καὶ παρὰ πάντων φυλαττόμενον, εἰς μακροὺς διαδοθήσεται χρόνους, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτὸ καιρὸς ἐκκόψαι δυνήσεται. Εἰ ξύλα τις συλλέγων ἐν σαββάτῳ λιθόλευστος γέγονεν· ὁ τὰ πολλῷ τῆς συλλογῆς ἐκείνης χαλεπώτερα ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ φορτίον ἁμαρτιῶν συλλέγων (τοῦτο γὰρ τῶν ὅρκων τὸ πλῆθος), τί οὐχ ὑποστήσεται; τί δὲ οὐχ ὑπομενεῖ; Πολλὴν λήψεσθε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν βοήθειαν, ἐὰν τοῦτο ὑμῖν κατωρθωμένον ᾖ. Ἂν εἴπω, Μὴ ὑβρίσῃς, εὐθέως τὸν θυμόν μοι φέρεις εἰς μέσον· ἂν εἴπω, Μὴ βασκήνῃς, ἄλλην αἰτίαν ἐρεῖς. Ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔχεις εἰπεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν εὐκόλων ἠρξάμην, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν ταῖς τέχναις ἁπάσαις τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν. Οὕτω τις καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα ἔρχεται, τὰ εὐκολώτερα πολλῷ πρῶτον μανθάνων. Εἴσεσθε, πῶς ἔστιν εὔκολον τοῦτο, ὅταν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι κατορθώσαντες, καὶ ἕτερον δέξησθε νόμον. ∆ότε μοι παῤῥησίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἑλλήνων, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰουδαίων, καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ναὶ παρακαλῶ πρὸς τῆς ἀγάπης, πρὸς τῆς ὠδῖνος, δι' ἧς ὑμᾶς ὤδινα, Τεκνία μου. Τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς οὐκ ἐπάξω τὸ, Οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω· οὐδὲ ἐρῶ τὸ, Ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν. Πιστεύω γὰρ, ὅτι μεμόρφωται Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἀλλ' ἕτερα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐρῶ· Ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ 60.99 ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου. Πιστεύσατε γάρ μοι, ὅτι οὐκ ἄλλως ἐρῶ. Εἰ μυρίους τις λιθοκολλήτους στεφάνους βασιλικοὺς ἐπέθηκέ μου τῇ κεφαλῇ νῦν, οὐκ ἂν εὐφράνθην ὡς εὐφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τῇ προκοπῇ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ· μᾶλλον δὲ, οὐδὲ τὸν βασιλέα οὕτως οἶμαι χαίρειν, ὡς ἐγὼ ἐφ' ὑμῖν. Τί λέγω; Εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πολεμοῦντα αὐτῷ νικήσας ἐπανῆλθε, καὶ τοῦ νενομισμένου στεφάνου πλείους ἑτέρους ἔλαβε στεφάνους, καὶ ἕτερα διαδήματα σύμβολα τῆς νίκης, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν οὕτως οἶμαι χαίρειν ἐπὶ τοῖς τροπαίοις, ὡς ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τῇ προκοπῇ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μυρίους στεφάνους ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχων, οὕτως ἀγάλλομαι· καὶ εἰκότως. Ἂν γὰρ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι τοῦτο ὑμῖν κατορθωθῇ τὸ ἔθος, μυρίους νενικήκατε πολέμους, καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρους ἐκείνου· πρὸς δαίμονας πονηροὺς, πρὸς ἀλάστορας παλαίσαντες καὶ μαχεσάμενοι, οὐ διὰ μαχαίρας, ἀλλὰ διὰ γλώττης καὶ προαιρέσεως. Ὅρα γὰρ, ὅσα κατορθοῦται, ἐὰν ἄρα καὶ κατορθώσητε. Πρῶτον, ὅτι συνή 60.100 θειαν χαλεπὴν ἐκκόπτετε· δεύτερον, λογισμὸν πονηρὸν, καὶ ὅθεν πάντα τὰ κακὰ, τῷ νομίζειν ἀδιάφορον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ μηδὲν βλάπτειν· τρίτον, τὸν θυμόν· τέταρτον, τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν· πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ὁ ὅρκος τίκτει. Ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ εἰς τὰ ἄλλα κατορθώματα λήψεσθε πολλὴν ἀφορμήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰ στοιχεῖα μανθάνοντες τῶν παίδων, οὐκ ἐκεῖνα μόνα μανθάνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνοις παιδεύονται κατὰ μικρὸν ἀναγινώσκειν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς· οὐκ ἔτι λοιπὸν ὑμᾶς ὁ πονηρὸς λογισμὸς ἀπατήσει, οὐδὲ ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι Ἀδιάφορόν ἐστι τόδε, οὐκ ἔτι τῇ συνηθείᾳ φθέγξεσθε, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἅπαντα στήσεσθε γενναίως, ἵνα διὰ πάντων τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀρετὴν διανύσαντες, τῶν αἰωνίων ἀπολαύσητε ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.99.20 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΒʹ. Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Βαρνάβας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπο στόλων (ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον, υἱὸς παρα κλήσεως), Λευίτης,