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and such things as are sufficient to nourish; such things to be clothed with as ought only to cover us and conceal our nakedness, nothing superfluous; and any ordinary garment can do this. Then he exhorts from what is here: *But they that will*, he says, *be rich*. 2. He did not simply say, They that are rich, but, *They that will be*. For it is possible for one who has riches to manage them well, despising them, and distributing them to the poor. Therefore, he does not slander such men, but those who desire it. *But they that will*, he says, *be rich fall into temptation and a snare 62.593 of the devil, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men*. Well did he say, *Drown*, so that they cannot even come up again. *in destruction and perdition*. *For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows*. Behold, he sets down two things, but what seems to them to be stronger, this he has placed here last, that is, *with many sorrows*. And it is not possible to learn these things otherwise than by living near the rich, how much they lament, how much they mourn. *But thou, O man of God*. A great dignity; for all men are of God, but properly the just, not only by reason of creation, but also by reason of appropriation. If you are a man of God, he says, do not seek superfluous things, and things that do not lead to God; but *flee these things; and follow after righteousness*. Both with emphasis. He did not say, Depart, and approach, but, *Flee*, and *follow after righteousness*, so as not to be covetous. *godliness*, that of the doctrines; *faith*, which is contrary to searching; *love, patience, meekness*. *Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life*. Behold also the reward. *whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession*, in hope of eternal life, *before many witnesses*. That is, do not shame that boldness; why do you labor for what is unprofitable? But what temptation and snare does he say they who will be rich endure? For it leads them astray from the faith, surrounds them with dangers, and makes them more timid. And *foolish lusts*, he says. For how is it not a foolish lust, when they have fools, when they have dwarfs, not for the sake of philanthropy, but for pleasure? when they shut up fish in their courtyards, when they feed wild beasts, when they are occupied with dogs, when they adorn horses, and are no less concerned about them than about their children? All these things are foolish and superfluous, nothing necessary, nothing useful. *Foolish and hurtful lusts*, he says. What hurtful things? When they love unseemly loves, when they desire the things of their neighbor, when they wrestle with luxury, when they long for drunkenness, when for slaughter and the destruction of others. And many from such loves have also attempted tyranny, and perished. Truly such a one labors for unprofitable things, or rather even for hurtful ones. And well did he say, *They have erred from the faith*; for the love of money does not allow them to see the way, drawing their eyes to itself, and little by little stealing them away. For just as someone walking a straight road, and having his mind on something else, walks on, but unknowingly often passes by that city to which he was hurrying, his feet being dragged along simply and in vain; such a thing is also the love of money. *And pierced themselves through with many sorrows*. Do you see what he hinted at with *pierced through*? But what he wants to show by the emphasis is this: the lusts are thorns, and just as with thorns, wherever one touches them, he bloodies his hands and causes wounds; so also from lusts he who falls into them will suffer the same thing, and will surround his soul with pains. How many cares, how many sorrows do those who have been surrounded have, 62.594 tell me? It is not possible to say. For this reason he says, *Flee these things; but follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness*. For from the

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καὶ τοιαῦτα, ἃ θρέψαι ἀρκεῖ· τοιαῦτα ἀμφιέννυσθαι, ἃ σκεπάσαι μόνον ἡμᾶς ὀφείλει καὶ περιστεῖλαι τὴν γύμνωσιν, μηδὲν περιττόν· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὸ τυχὸν ποιῆσαι δύναται ἱμάτιον. Εἶτα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνταῦθα προτρέπει· Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι, φησὶ, πλουτεῖν. βʹ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Οἱ πλουτοῦντες, ἀλλ', Οἱ βουλόμενοι. Ἔστι γάρ τινα καὶ χρήματα ἔχοντα καλῶς οἰκονομεῖν, καταφρονοῦντα αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς πένητας διανέμοντα. Οὐκ ἄρα τοὺς τοιούτους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐπιθυμοῦντας διαβάλλει. Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι, φησὶ, πλουτεῖν, ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς πειρασμὸν καὶ παγίδα 62.593 τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ ἐπιθυμίας πολλὰς καὶ ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβερὰς, αἵτινες βυθίζουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Καλῶς εἶπε, Βυθίζουσιν, ὡς μηδὲ ἀνενεγκεῖν δύνασθαι. Εἰς ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν. Ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ περιέπειραν ἑαυτοὺς ὀδύναις πολλαῖς. Ἰδοὺ δύο τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ὃ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς ἰσχυρότερον εἶναι δοκεῖ, τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα ὕστερον τέθεικε, τὸ, Ὀδύναις πολλαῖς. Καὶ ταῦτα ἑτέρως οὐκ ἔστι μαθεῖν, ἢ τοῖς πλουσίοις παροικοῦντα, πόσα ἀποδύρονται, πόσα θρηνοῦσι. Σὺ δὲ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μέγα ἀξίωμα· πάντες μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωποι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ κυρίως οἱ δίκαιοι, οὐ κατὰ τὸν τῆς δημιουργίας λόγον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς οἰκειώσεως. Εἰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, εἶ, μὴ ζήτει τὰ περιττὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἄγοντα πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ἀλλὰ Ταῦτα φεῦγε, δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην. Ἀμφότερα μετ' ἐπιτάσεως. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀφίστασο, καὶ πρόσιθι, ἀλλὰ, Φεῦγε, καὶ δίωκε δικαιοσύνην, ὥστε μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν. Εὐσέβειαν, τὴν τῶν δογμάτων· πίστιν, ἥπερ ἐστὶν ἐναντία τῇ ζητήσει· ἀγάπην, ὑπομονὴν, πραότητα. Ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πίστεως, ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς. Ἰδοὺ καὶ ὁ μισθός. Εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθης, καὶ ὡμολόγησας τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, ἐπὶ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων. Τουτέστι, μὴ καταισχύνῃς τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἐκείνην· τί ἀνόνητα κάμνεις; Ποῖον δὲ πειρασμὸν καὶ παγίδα φησὶν ὑπομένειν τοὺς βουλομένους πλουτεῖν; Τῆς γὰρ πίστεως αὐτοὺς ἀποπλανᾷ, κινδύνοις αὐτοὺς περιβάλλει, καὶ ἀτολμοτέρους ἐργάζεται. Καὶ ἐπιθυμίας ἀνοήτους, φησί. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀνόητος ἐπιθυμία, ὅταν μωροὺς ἔχωσιν, ὅταν νάνους, οὑ φιλανθρωπίας ἕνεκεν, ἀλλὰ τέρψεως; ὅταν ἰχθῦς ἀποκλείωσιν ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς, ὅταν θηρία τρέφωσιν, ὅταν περὶ κύνας ἠσχόληνται, ὅταν ἵππους κοσμῶσι, καὶ τῶν παίδων οὐχ ἧττον περὶ αὐτοὺς διακέωνται; Πάντα ταῦτα ἀνόητα καὶ περιττὰ, οὐδὲν ἀναγκαῖον, οὐδὲν χρήσιμον. Ἐπιθυμίας, φησὶν, ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβεράς. Ποῖαι βλαβεραί; Ὅταν ἐρῶσιν ἔρωτας ἀτόπους, ὅταν τῶν τοῦ πλησίον ἐφίενται, ὅταν τῇ τρυφῇ προσπαλαίωσιν, ὅταν μέθης ὀρέγωνται, ὅταν σφαγῆς καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων ἀπωλείας. Πολλοὶ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἐρώτων καὶ τυραννίδι ἐπέθεντο, καὶ ἀπώλοντο. Ὄντως ὁ τοιοῦτος κάμνει εἰς ἀνόνητα, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ βλαβερά. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν, Ἀπεπλανήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως· οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς τὴν ὁδὸν ἰδεῖν ἀνθέλκουσα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡ φιλαργυρία, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ὑποκλέπτουσα. Καθάπερ γάρ τις εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν βαδίζων, καὶ πρὸς ἕτερόν τι τὸν νοῦν ἐσχηκὼς, βαδίζει μὲν, οὐκ εἰδὼς δὲ παρέρχεται τὴν πόλιν πολλάκις ἐκείνην, εἰς ἣν ἔσπευδεν, ἑλκομένων αὐτῷ τῶν ποδῶν ἁπλῶς καὶ μάτην· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ φιλαργυρία ἐστί. Καὶ περιέπειραν ἑαυτοὺς ὀδύναις πολλαῖς. Ὁρᾷς, τῷ Περιέπειραν τί ᾐνίξατο; Ὃ δὲ βούλεται δηλοῦν διὰ τῆς ἐμφάσεως, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἄκανθαί εἰσιν αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν ἀκάνθαις, ὅθεν ἄν τις ἅψηται αὐτῶν, ᾕμαξε τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τραύματα ἐργάζεται· οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τὸ αὐτὸ πείσεται ὁ ταύταις ἐμπεσὼν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλγηδόσι περιβαλεῖ. Πόσας ἔχουσι φροντίδας, πόσας ὀδύνας οἱ περι 62.594 παρέντες, εἰπέ μοι; Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, Ταῦτα φεῦγε, δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην, εὐσέβειαν, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, ὑπομονὴν, πραότητα. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς