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dances, and those satanic banquets, but all gravity, all wisdom, all gentleness. For, it says, Isaac entered into the house of his mother, and he took Rebekah; and she became his wife, and he loved her. Let women imitate her, let men emulate him, and so let them be zealous to lead their brides, so that both the desire of the groom may increase, and the modesty of the maiden may be intensified, and they may pass their life with pleasure, being held together by the influence of God. But if you wish to show a liberality at a wedding that brings profit, call choirs of the poor. But you are ashamed and blush? And what could be worse than this absurdity? While dragging the devil into your house, you think you are doing nothing shameful; but when you are about to bring in Christ, you blush? But no one in the city has done this, he says. But be zealous to begin it, and to become the founder of this good custom, so that those who come after may refer to you. And if anyone should emulate and imitate this work, your descendants, and their descendants, will be able to say to those who inquire, that "So-and-so first introduced this good law," and that which is rightly done by others will bring to you, who first planted it, the reward of those fruits. And just as when the effeminate and mimes are dancing there, the devil revels in the midst; so also when the poor enter, Christ is present. And from that expense there is no profit, but even great harm might come; but from the expenditures on these, you will quickly receive much fruit. And that this is true, learn from the maiden in Joppa; for when she once lay dead, the poor who were fed by her stood around, and weeping, raised her up, and brought her back to life; in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY XV. Concerning avarice. For what reason do you desire to be rich from avarice, O man, so that for others

the gold and silver may lie hidden, but for you there are curses and accusations? and so that the one who has been defrauded may be tormented for his necessary food and lament, and draw down countless 63.666 accusers upon you? And, what is much more dreadful than this, when on that day before the fearful tribunal the one who has suffered evil and lost all his possessions is brought into the midst, while you have no advocate, what will you say to the judge? For now you will be able to corrupt this tribunal, the 63.667 one of men, but that one then no longer; or rather, not even this one; for God sees what is being done, and is near to the wronged even when not called upon. For the one who has suffered evil, even if he himself is unworthy to receive any vengeance, nevertheless, since what is done does not please God, he surely has a defender. And do not say to me: How does so-and-so prosper, being wicked? For even if he prospers, it is not to the end. For, it says, "Do not be envious of evildoers, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." Avarice is a kind of old leaven, and wherever it may fall and into whatever house it may enter, it makes it unclean; even if you gain a little from injustice, it has leavened your whole substance. For this reason, often the little that was brought in wickedly has cast out the much that was laid up well. What then, he says, when many who are avaricious do not suffer the same things? Most certainly they will suffer, even if they do not suffer them immediately; but if they escape now, then be the more afraid; for they are being kept for a greater punishment. Or rather, even if they themselves escape, yet their heirs will suffer the same things. And where is this just, he says? It is very just. For indeed the one who has received an inheritance full of injustice, even if he himself did not seize it, yet he knows well that he has what belongs to others, and for this reason it was just for him to suffer. And these things even the laws of those outside know, which, letting go of those who seized and stole, those

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χορεῖαι, καὶ τὰ σατανικὰ ἐκεῖνα συμπόσια, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα σεμνότης, πᾶσα σοφία, πᾶσα ἐπιείκεια. Εἰσῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσαὰκ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν Ῥεβέκκαν· καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ γυνὴ, καὶ ἠγάπησεν αὐτήν. Ταύτην μιμείσθωσαν γυναῖκες, τοῦτον ζηλούτωσαν ἄνδρες, καὶ οὕτω τὰς νύμφας ἄγεσθαι σπουδαζέτωσαν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ πόθος τοῦ νυμφίου αὔξηται, καὶ τῆς κόρης ἡ σωφροσύνη ἐπιτείνηται, καὶ μεθ' ἡδονῆς τὸν βίον διάξωσιν, ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπῆς συγκροτούμενοι. Εἰ δέ γε βούλει φιλοτιμίαν ἐπὶ γάμου ἐπιδείξασθαι κέρδος ἔχουσαν, κάλεσον χοροὺς πενήτων. Ἀλλὰ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ ἐρυθριᾷς; καὶ τί ταύτης τῆς ἀλογίας χεῖρον γένοιτ' ἄν; Τὸν μὲν διάβολον ἕλκων εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, μηδὲν νομίζεις αἰσχρὸν ποιεῖν· τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν μέλλων εἰσάγειν, ἐρυθριᾷς; Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως τοῦτο εἰργάσατο, φησίν. Ἀλλὰ σὺ κατάρξαι σπούδασον, καὶ ἀρχηγὸς γενέσθαι τῆς καλῆς ταύτης συνηθείας, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς σὲ ἀναφέρωσι. Κἂν ζηλώσῃ τις καὶ μιμήσηται τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον, πρὸς τοὺς ἐξετάζοντας ἔχουσι λέγειν οἱ ἔγγονοι, καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐγγόνων, ὅτι Ὁ δεῖνα τὸν καλὸν τοῦτον νόμον πρῶτος εἰσήγαγε, καὶ τὸ ὑφ' ἑτέρων κατορθούμενον, σοὶ τῷ πρώτῳ φυτευσαμένῳ τῶν καρπῶν ἐκείνων οἴσει τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Καὶ ὥσπερ μαλακῶν καὶ μίμων ἐκεῖ χορευόντων, ὁ διάβολος ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κωμάζει· οὕτω καὶ πενήτων εἰσιόντων, ὁ Χριστὸς παραγίνεται. Καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς δαπάνης ἐκείνης κέρδος οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ γένοιτ' ἂν ἡ βλάβη· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν εἰς τούτους ἀναλωμάτων πολύν τινα λήψῃ τὸν καρπὸν ταχέως. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἀπὸ τῆς κόρης μάνθανε τῆς ἐν Ἰόππῃ· καὶ γὰρ ταύτην ποτὲ νεκρὰν κειμένην, περιστάντες οἱ παρ' αὐτῆς τρεφόμενοι πένητες καὶ δακρύσαντες ἀνέστησαν, καὶ πρὸς ζωὴν ἐπανήγαγον· ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΕʹ. Περὶ πλεονεξίας. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας πλουτεῖν ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, ἵνα ἑτέροις μὲν

τὸ χρυσίον ἀποκέηται καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον, σοὶ δὲ ἀραὶ καὶ κατηγορίαι; καὶ ἵν' ὁ ἀποστερηθεὶς ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀναγκαίων δάκνηται τροφῆς καὶ ὀλοφύρηται, καὶ μυρίους ἐφέλκη 63.666 ταί σοι κατηγόρους; Καὶ, ὃ τούτου πολὺ φρικωδέστερον, ὅταν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην πρὸ τοῦ βήματος τοῦ φοβεροῦ ὁ κακῶς παθὼν καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἀπολωλεκὼς παράγηται εἰς μέσον, σοῦ μηδένα ἔχοντος συνήγορον, τί πρὸς τὸν δικάζοντα ἐρεῖς; Νῦν μὲν γὰρ καὶ διαφθεῖραι τὸ δικαστήριον δυνήσῃ τοῦτο, τὸ 63.667 τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκεῖνο δὲ τότε οὐκέτι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ὁρᾷ τὰ γινόμενα, καὶ ἐγγύθεν ἐστὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις καὶ μὴ καλούμενος. Ὁ γὰρ κακῶς παθὼν, κἂν αὐτὸς ἀνάξιος ᾖ τοῦ τυχεῖν τινος ἐκδικήσεως, ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ τῷ Θεῷ τὰ γινόμενα οὐκ ἀρέσκει, ἔχει τὸν ἀμύνοντα πάντως. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε· Πῶς ὁ δεῖνα εὐπραγεῖ πονηρὸς ὤν; εἰ γὰρ καὶ εὐπραγεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος. Μὴ παραζήλου γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν πονηρευομένοις, ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται. Ἡ πλεονεξία ζύμη τίς ἐστι παλαιὰ, καὶ ὅπουπερ ἂν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ εἰς οἵαν οἰκίαν εἰσέλθῃ, ἀκάθαρτον αὐτὴν ἐργάζεται· κἂν μικρὰ ἐξ ἀδικίας κερδάνῃς, ὁλόκληρόν σου τὴν οὐσίαν ἐζύμωσε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις τὰ εἰσενεχθέντα κακῶς ὀλίγα, τὰ καλῶς κείμενα ἐξέβαλε πολλὰ ὄντα. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὅταν πολλοὶ πλεονεκτοῦντες, μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχωσι· Μάλιστα μὲν πείσονται, κἂν μὴ παραυτὰ πάθωσιν· ἂν δὲ νῦν ἐκφύγωσι, τότε φοβήθητι μᾶλλον· ἐπὶ μείζονι γὰρ κολάσει τηροῦνται. Μᾶλλον δὲ κἂν αὐτοὶ διαφύγωσιν, ἀλλ' οἱ κληρονομήσαντες τὰ αὐτῶν τὰ αὐτὰ πείσονται. Καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο δίκαιον, φησί; Καὶ σφόδρα δίκαιον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ διαδεξάμενος κλῆρον ἀδικίας γέμοντα, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ ἥρπασεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως οἶδεν ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι τὰ ἑτέρων ἔχει, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δίκαιος ἦν παθεῖν. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἴσασι νόμοι, οἳ τοὺς ἁρπάσαντας καὶ ὑφελομένους ἀφέντες, ἐκείνους