78

Meekness is of love. Fight the good fight. Here he praises his boldness and his courage; because with boldness, he says, you have confessed before all. And he also reminds him of his catechesis; Lay hold, he says, on eternal life. Therefore, there is need not only of confession, but also of patience, so as to abide always in the confession, and of a vehement contest and of countless sweats, reasonably, so as not to be overthrown; for many are the scandals, many are the hindrances. For this reason the way is narrow and afflicted. Therefore, one must be gathered from every side, one must be well-girded from every side; countless pleasures appear from every direction, drawing the eyes of the soul, those of the body, those of money, those of luxury, those of sloth, those of glory, those of anger, those of power, those of love of rule, and they appear having brilliant and lovely aspects, able to attract those who are fluttered, those who do not greatly love the truth; for this truth is harsh, and has nothing delightful. Why so? Because it promises all pleasure in the future; but those other things already hold out honors, pleasures, rests, not true ones, but colored over. If, therefore, someone is base and soft and unmanly, he will lay hold of those things, being undone by the toils for virtue. So also in the contests of the outside world, for the one who does not greatly love the crowns, it is possible from the first to give himself up to banquets and drunken bouts; thus, at any rate, do the cowardly and unmanly of the boxers; but those looking to the crown endure countless blows; for by the hope of future things they are nourished and raised up. 3. Let us flee therefore the root of evils, and we shall flee all things. The love of money, he says, is a root, Paul declared, or rather Christ through Paul. But let us see how this is. And experience itself of things testifies. For what evil is not on account of money, or rather not on account of money, but on account of the evil disposition of those who do not know how to use it? Since it was possible to use money for what is needful, it was also possible through it to inherit a kingdom; but now those things which were given for the assistance of the poor, for the consolation of our sins, for the good pleasure and approval of God, these we use against the wretched poor, or rather against our own soul, and to the offense of God. For someone took away another's money, and encompassed him with poverty, but himself with death; and this one he wastes away here with poverty, but himself with perpetual punishment. Is it then equal? What evil, therefore, is not on account of these things? Are not covetousness? Are not robberies? Are not lamentations? Are not hatreds? Are not battles? Are not contentions? Have they not stretched out their hands even to the dead? and even to fathers and brothers? Have they not overturned the laws of nature, and the commandments of God, and simply all things, being possessed by that desire? Are not the law courts for the sake of these things? Take away, therefore, the love of money, and war has ceased, battle has ceased, hatred has ceased, strife and contention have ceased. Such men ought to be driven out of the world like destroyers and wolves. 62.595 For just as certain contrary and violent winds, blowing upon a calm sea, overturn it from its depths, so that the sand of the deep is mingled with the waves above; so do the lovers of money turn all things upside down. The lover of money knows no friend; but why do I say friend? he does not even know God himself; for being possessed by that desire, he is mad. Do you not see the Titans going forth with swords? That is a pretense of madness. But these are not so, but are truly mad and out of their minds; and if you were to strip their soul, you will find it so furnished, holding not one sword nor two, but countless, recognizing no one, but raging against all, leaping upon all and barking against all, slaughtering not dogs, but the souls of men, and even to heaven itself

78

ἀγάπης ἡ πραότης. Ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα. Ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῦ τὴν παῤῥησίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπαινεῖ· ὅτι μετὰ παῤῥησίας, φησὶν, ἐπὶ πάντων ὡμολόγησας. Ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ καὶ τῆς κατηχήσεως αὐτόν· Ἐπιλαβοῦ, φησὶ, τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς. Οὐκ ἄρα ὁμολογίας χρεία μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπομονῆς, ὥστε διαπαντὸς ἐμμένειν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, καὶ ἀγῶνος σφοδροῦ καὶ μυρίων ἱδρώτων εἰκότως, ὥστε μὴ περιτραπῆναι· πολλὰ γὰρ τὰ σκάνδαλα, πολλὰ τὰ κωλύματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδός. Πάντοθεν οὖν χρὴ συνεστράφθαι, πάντοθεν χρὴ εὔζωνον εἶναι· μυρίαι πανταχόθεν φαίνονται ἡδοναὶ ἕλκουσαι τῆς ψυχῆς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, αἱ τῶν σωμάτων, αἱ τῶν χρημάτων, αἱ τῆς τρυφῆς, αἱ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, αἱ τῆς δόξης, αἱ τῆς ὀργῆς, αἱ τῆς δυναστείας, αἱ τῆς φιλαρχίας, καὶ φαίνονται λαμπρὰς ὄψεις ἔχουσαι καὶ ἐπεράστους, ἱκανὰς ἐπισπάσασθαι τοὺς ἐπτοημένους, τοὺς μὴ σφόδρα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐρῶντας· αὕτη μὲν γὰρ ἀπεσκληκυῖά ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιτερπὲς ἔχουσα. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ὑπισχνεῖται· ἐκεῖναι δὲ προτείνουσιν ἤδη τιμὰς, ἡδονὰς, ἀναπαύσεις οὐκ ἀληθεῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπικεχρωσμένας. Ἂν τοίνυν βάναυσος ᾖ τις καὶ μαλακὸς καὶ ἄνανδρος, ἐκείνων ἀνθέξεται, ἐκλυθεὶς πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνους. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν ἔξωθεν τῷ μὲν μὴ σφόδρα ἐρῶντι τῶν στεφάνων, ἔξεστιν ἐκ πρώτης συμποσίοις καὶ μέθαις προσανέχειν· οὕτω γοῦν οἱ δειλοὶ καὶ ἄνανδροι τῶν πυκτευόντων ποιοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸν στέφανον ὁρῶντες, μυρίας αἴρουσι πληγάς· τῇ γὰρ ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων τρέφονται καὶ διανίστανται. γʹ. Φύγωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν κακῶν, καὶ πάντα φευξόμεθα. Ἡ φιλαργυρία, φησὶν, ἐστὶ ῥίζα, Παῦλος ἐφθέγξατο, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ Παύλου. Ἴδωμεν δὲ τοῦτο πῶς. Καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων μαρτυρεῖ ἡ πεῖρα. Τί γὰρ κακὸν οὐ διὰ τὰ χρήματα, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ διὰ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν κακὴν προαίρεσιν τῶν οὐκ εἰδότων αὐτοῖς κεχρῆσθαι; Ἐπεὶ ἐξῆν τοῖς χρήμασιν εἰς δέον κεχρῆσθαι, ἐξῆν καὶ βασιλείαν δι' αὐτῶν κληρονομεῖν· νυνὶ δὲ ἅπερ ἐδόθη εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν πενήτων, εἰς παραμυθίαν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἡμῖν, εἰς εὐδοκίμησιν καὶ ἀρέσκειαν Θεοῦ, τούτοις κεχρήμεθα κατὰ τῶν ἀθλίων πενήτων, μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς, καὶ εἰς προσκρουσμὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ χρήματα ἀφείλετό τις, καὶ πενίᾳ περιέβαλεν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ θανάτῳ· καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ἐνταῦθα τῇ πενίᾳ κατατήκει, ἑαυτὸν δὲ τῇ διηνεκεῖ τιμωρίᾳ. Ἆρα μὴ ἴσον ἐστί; Τί τοίνυν κακὸν οὐ διὰ ταῦτα; οὐχὶ πλεονεξίαι; οὐχ ἁρπαγαί; οὐκ ὀλοφυρμοί; οὐκ ἔχθραι; οὐ μάχαι; οὐ φιλονεικίαι; οὐχὶ μέχρι τῶν νεκρῶν τὰς χεῖρας ἐξέτειναν; οὐχὶ καὶ μέχρι πατέρων καὶ ἀδελφῶν; οὐχὶ φύσεως νόμους, καὶ Θεοῦ προστάγματα, καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς ἀνέστρεψαν, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκείνης κατεχόμενοι; τὰ δικαστήρια οὐ τούτων ἕνεκεν; Ἄνελε τοίνυν τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν, καὶ πέπαυται πόλεμος, πέπαυται μάχη, πέπαυται ἔχθρα, πέπαυται ἔρις καὶ φιλονεικία. Ὥσπερ λυμεῶνας καὶ λύκους ἐλαύνεσθαι 62.595 τοὺς τοιούτους ἐκ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐχρῆν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἀνεμοί τινες ἐναντίοι καὶ σφοδροὶ εἰς γαληνὸν ἐμπνέοντες πέλαγος ἐκ βάθρων αὐτὸ ἀναστρέφουσιν, ὡς καὶ τὴν βύθιον ἄμμον τοῖς ἄνω μίγνυσθαι κύμασιν· οὕτως οἱ φιλοχρήματοι πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω ποιοῦσιν. Οὐδένα οἶδεν ὁ φιλοχρήματος φίλον· τί δὲ λέγω φίλον; οὐδὲ αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπίσταται· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκείνης κατεχόμενος, μέμηνεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς Τιτᾶνας ξιφήρεις προϊόντας; Ἐκεῖνα μανίας ἐστὶν ὑπόκρισις. Οὗτοι δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλ' ἀληθῶς μαινόμενοι καὶ ἐξεστηκότες· κἂν ἀποδύσῃς αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, οὕτως εὑρήσεις ἐσκευασμένην, οὐχ ἓν ξίφος οὐδὲ δύο, ἀλλὰ μυρία κατέχουσαν, οὐδένα ἐπιγινώσκουσαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πάντων λυττῶσαν, πᾶσιν ἐπιπηδῶσαν καὶ ὑλακτοῦσαν κατὰ πάντων, οὐ κύνας σφάζουσαν, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων, καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν αὐτὸν