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On the fourth day in Tripoli, then, Peter rose, and finding us awake, greeted us and went out to the place for drawing water, that he might wash and pray; and we likewise did the same, following him. Then, when we had prayed together and sat down before him, he delivered a discourse on the necessity of being pure. And since it was now day, he allowed the crowds to enter. And when a great crowd had entered, he greeted them as usual and began to speak: Since through your great negligence of yourselves your mind has produced many harmful suspicions concerning religions, and you have become like land left fallow for want of a farmer, you need a long time for purification, so that your mind, receiving the true word given to you like good seed, may not choke it with evil cares and render it fruitless for works that are able to save. Therefore, those who are concerned for their own salvation must listen more constantly, so that the errors which have multiplied over long periods of time may be able to be proportioned for purification by constant diligence in the short time that is left. Since, therefore, each one has the end of his own time uncertain, hasten to root out the many thorns from your hearts, not little by little; for you will not be able to be purified, for you have been fallow for a long time. And you will not otherwise endure to undertake much diligence for your purification, unless you are angry with yourselves and rebuke yourselves for the things in which, as unprofitable servants, you were ensnared by consenting to your evil desires, so that you may be able to let loose your just <wrath> upon your mind as fire upon a fallow field. If, then, you do not have a just fire (I mean wrath against evil desires), learn from what good things you have been ensnared, and for what punishment you have been prepared, and by whom you have been deceived; and thus your mind, becoming sober and being kindled into wrath like a fire by the teaching of Him who sent us, may be able to consume the thorns of desire. Believe me that by willing to set all things right

You are an image of the invisible God. Whence, let those who wish to be pious not say that idols are an image of God and that for this reason they must be worshipped. For man is the image of God. He who wishes to be pious towards God does good to man, because the body of man bears the image of God, but not all bear the likeness anymore, but the pure mind of a good soul. But as we know that man was made 'in the image and after the likeness' of God, we say that you should be pious towards him, so that the grace may be reckoned to God, whose image he is. Therefore, one must offer honor to the image of God (which is man) in this way: food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, care to the sick, shelter to the stranger, and appearing to the one in prison to help as much as is possible. And, not to speak of particulars, whatever good things one wishes for himself, let him provide likewise for another who is in need, and then a good reward can be reckoned to him for having been pious towards the image of God; by which reasoning, if he does not undertake to do these things, he will be punished as having neglected the image. How is it possible, then, ever to say that for the sake of piety towards God you worship every form, while in all things insulting and murdering man, who is truly the image of God,

[HOMILY XI.]

you will be able.

86

Τῇ μὲν οὖν τετάρτῃ ἐν Τριπόλει ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Πέτρος ἐγερθεὶς καὶ ἐγρη- γορότας ἡμᾶς εὑρών, προσαγορεύσας ἐξῄει εἰς τὸ ὑδροχοεῖον, ὅπως λου- σάμενος εὔξηται, ὁμοίως τε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀκολούθως ἐποιήσαμεν. συνευξαμένοις οὖν καὶ προκαθεσθεῖσιν τὸν περὶ τοῦ δεῖν ἁγνεύειν ἐποιεῖτο λόγον. καὶ ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν ἡμέρα γεγόνει, τοῖς ὄχλοις εἰσελθεῖν ἐπέτρεψεν. εἰσελθόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄχλου πολλοῦ συνήθως προσαγορεύσας λέγειν ἤρξατο· Ἐπειδὴ πολλῇ τῇ καθ' ὑμῶν ὑφ' ὑμῶν γενομένῃ ἀμελείᾳ ὁ νοῦς τὰς πολλὰς καὶ βλαβερὰς τῶν θρησκειῶν ὑπονοίας ἐξέφυσεν καὶ γεγόνατε ὥσπερ γῆ ἀπορίᾳ γεωργοῦ χερσεύσασα· πολλοῦ πρὸς κάθαρσιν δεῖσθε χρόνου, ἵνα τὸν μεταδιδόμενον ὑμῖν λόγον ἀληθῆ ὥσπερ καλὸν σπόρον ὁ νοῦς λαβὼν μὴ κακαῖς φροντίσιν συνπνίξας ἄκαρπον καταστήσῃ πρὸς τὰ σσζειν δυνάμενα ἔργα. διὸ χρὴ τοὺς πεφροντικότας τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας συνεχέστερον ἐπακούειν, ὅπως τὰ ἐκ μακρῶν χρόνων ἀτοπήματα πληθυνθέντα βραχεῖ τῷ περιλειπομένῳ χρόνῳ συνεχεῖ σπουδῇ πρὸς κάθαρσιν ἀναλογῆσαι δυνηθῇ. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἕκαστος ἄδηλον ἔχει τοῦ ἰδίου χρόνου τὸ τέλος, σπεύσατε τὰς πολλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν ἐξελεῖν ἀκάνθας, μὴ κατ' ὀλίγον· οὐ γὰρ δυνήσεσθε καθαρθῆναι, ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ ἐχερσεύσατε. οὐκ ἄλλως δὲ τὸ πολὺ τῆς σπουδῆς πρὸς κάθαρσιν ὑμῶν ἀναδέξασθαι ὑπομενεῖτε, ἐὰν μήγε αὑτοῖς ὀργισθέν- τες ἐπιπλήξητε περὶ ὧν ὡς ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοι ἐνηδρεύθητε συνθέμενοι ταῖς κακαῖς ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίαις, ἵνα τὴν δικαίαν ὑμῶν <ὀργὴν> τῷ νῷ ὡς πῦρ χερσευσάσῃ ἀρούρῃ ἐπαφεῖναι δυνηθῆτε. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔχετε δίκαιον πῦρ (τὴν κατὰ τῶν κακῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ὀργὴν λέγω), μάθετε ἀπὸ ποίων καλῶν ἐνηδρεύθητε καὶ πρὸς ποίαν κόλασιν κατηρτίσθητε καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος ἠπατήθητε, καὶ οὕτως ὑμῶν ὁ νοῦς νήψας καὶ ὥσπερ πῦρ ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πέμψαντος ἡμᾶς διδασκαλίας ἐξαφθεὶς εἰς ὀργήν, τὰς ἀκάνθας τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀναλῶσαι δυνηθῇ. πιστεύσατέ μοι ὅτι θελήσαντες πάντα κατορθῶσαι

Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ἐστὲ εἰκών. ὅθεν οἱ εὐσεβεῖν βουλόμενοι μὴ τὰ εἴδωλα λεγέτωσαν θεοῦ εἰκόνα εἶναι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεῖν αὐτὰ σέβειν. εἰκὼν γὰρ θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ὁ εἰς θεὸν εὐσεβεῖν θέλων ἄνθρωπον εὐεργετεῖ, ὅτι εἰκόνα θεοῦ τὸ ἀνθρώπου βαστάζει σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ὁμοιότητα οὐκέτι πάντες, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθῆς ψυχῆς ὁ καθαρὸς νοῦς. πλὴν ὡς ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον «κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν» γεγονότα τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς τοῦτον ὑμᾶς εὐσεβεῖν λέγομεν, ἵνα εἰς θεόν, οὗπέρ ἐστιν εἰκών, ἡ χάρις λογισθῇ. τιμὴν οὖν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰκόνι (ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος) προσφέρειν δεῖ οὕτως· πεινῶντι τροφήν, διψῶντι ποτόν, γυμνητεύοντι ἔνδυμα, νοσοῦντι πρόνοιαν, ξένῳ στέ- γην καὶ τῷ ἐν εἱρκτῇ ὄντι ἐπιφαινόμενον βοηθεῖν ὡς δυνατόν ἐστιν. καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὸ κατ' εἶδος λέγω, πάντα ὅσα ἑαυτῷ τις θέλει καλά, ὡσαύτως ἄλλῳ χρῄζοντι παρεχέτω, καὶ τότε αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰκόνα εὐσεβή- σαντι δύναται ἀγαθὸς λογισθῆναι μισθός· ᾧ λόγῳ εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖν μὴ ἀναδέξηται, ὡς ἀμελήσας τῆς εἰκόνος κολασθήσεται. οἷον οὖν ἔστιν λέγειν ποτὲ ὅτι εὐσεβείας τῆς εἰς θεὸν χάριν πᾶσαν μορφὴν σεβόμενοι, τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν ὄντως εἰκόνα θεοῦ ὄντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐνυβρίζοντες, φονεύοντες,

[OΜIΛIA IA.]

δυνήσεσθε.