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foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 1. Further he cleanses out the root of bitterness, further he cuts out the cause of anger. For what does he say? See that you walk circumspectly. He knew his Teacher, that sending the disciples as sheep in the midst of wolves, he still commanded them also to be as doves; for "be," he says, "harmless as doves." Since, therefore, they were both among wolves, and still commanded not to defend themselves, but to suffer evil, for this reason they needed such an exhortation. And yet even the former was sufficient to make them stronger; but when there is also the addition of the two, consider the excellence. See, at any rate, also how carefully he makes them safe, saying: See how you walk. Whole cities were at war with them, and this war entered into their houses; father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother were divided. What then? From where are these divisions? They had heard Christ saying, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." Therefore, lest they should think that he is simply introducing wars and battles, since great anger was about to be born if they too were to retaliate, for this reason he says: See how you walk circumspectly. That is, Besides the preaching, from no other source give a handle for the enmity against you; let this alone be the cause of the enmity; let no one bring any other charge against you, but show all honor and obedience, when it does not harm the preaching, when it does not hinder piety. For "Render," he says, "to all their dues, to whom tax is due, tax; to whom customs, customs." For when they see us reasonable in other matters, they will be shamed. Not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time. He does not give this advice wishing us to be varied and of all sorts; but this is what he says: The time is not yours; now you are sojourners and pilgrims and strangers and aliens; do not seek honors, do not seek glory, do not seek power, nor vengeance; bear all things, and by this redeem the time; put down much, whatever they may wish. What has been said is unclear; come then, I will make it clear by an example. Consider for me someone having a splendid 62.128 house, then some people coming in to kill him, and him giving many things, and saving himself; then we say that he has redeemed himself. So you too have a great house, and true faith; they come to take everything; give whatever anyone may demand, only save the principal thing, I mean the faith. For "the days," he says, "are evil." What is the evil of the day? The evil of the day must be concerning the day. If you learn what is evil for each of the things in us, you will also know what the evil of a day is. What is the evil of a body? Sickness. What is the evil of a soul? Wickedness. What is the evil of water? Bitterness. And the evil of each thing is the corruption related to that nature of which it is the evil. If, therefore, the evil is concerning the day, it must be concerning the day itself, concerning the hours, concerning the light. Thus also Christ says: "Sufficient for the day is its own evil." From this we shall know that also. How then does he call the days evil? How the time evil? Not the substance, nor the creatures, but because of the things that happen in them; just as it is also our custom to say: I have passed through a difficult and bad day; and yet how could it be difficult, except from the things that happen in it? And the things that happen in it are good, from God; but evil, from evil men. Therefore, men are the creators of the evil things that happen in the times, and for this reason the times are called evil. Thus we also call the times evil. For this reason, he says, do not become foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery. For excess in this also makes men passionate and insolent and reckless, irascible and harsh. Wine was given for gladness, not for drunkenness; but now the matter of not getting drunk seems to be both unmanly and laughable. What hope of salvation is there then? A laugh, tell me, not to get drunk, where especially

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ἄφρονες, ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέ λημα τοῦ Κυρίου. αʹ. Ἔτι τὴν τῆς πικρίας ἐκκαθαρίζει ῥίζαν, ἔτι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῆς ὀργῆς ἐκκόπτει. Τί γάρ φησι; Βλέπετε ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατεῖτε. Ἤδει τὸν ∆ιδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ, ὅτι πέμπων τοὺς μαθητὰς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων, ἔτι ἐκέλευεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ὡς περιστερὰς εἶναι· Καὶ ἀκέραιοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσεσθε, ὡσεὶ περιστεραί. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ μεταξὺ λύκων ἦσαν, καὶ ἔτι προστεταγμένοι μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάσχειν κακῶς, διὰ τοῦτο τῆς τοιαύτης ἐδέοντο παραινέσεως. Καίτοι γε καὶ τὸ πρότερον ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς εὐσθενεστέρους ποιῆσαι· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν δύο προσθήκη ᾖ, ἐννόησον τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ὅρα γοῦν καὶ πῶς αὐτοὺς ἐπιμελῶς ἀσφαλίζεται, λέγων· Βλέπετε πῶς περιπατεῖτε. Ὁλόκληροι πόλεις πρὸς αὐτοὺς πόλεμον εἶχον, ἐπεισῆλθε καὶ εἰς τὰς οἰκίας οὗτος ὁ πόλεμος· πατὴρ κατὰ υἱοῦ, υἱὸς κατὰ πατρὸς, μήτηρ κατὰ θυγατρὸς, θυγάτηρ κατὰ μητρὸς ἦσαν διεσπαρμένοι. Τί οὖν; πόθεν αἱ διαιρέσεις αὗται; Ἤκουσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ νομίσωσιν, ὅτι ἁπλῶς πολέμους εἰσάγει καὶ μάχας, ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλε μεγάλη τίκτεσθαι ὀργὴ, εἰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔμελλον ἐπεξιέναι, τούτου χάριν λέγει· Βλέπετε πῶς ἀκριβῶς περιπατεῖτε. Τουτέστι, Πλὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος, μηδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν δῶτε λαβὴν τῆς ἔχθρας τῆς καθ' ὑμῶν· αὕτη μόνη τῆς ἔχθρας ὑπόθεσις ἔστω· μηδεὶς ὑμῖν ἕτερόν τι ἐγκαλείτω, ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ὑπακοὴν πᾶσαν ἐπιδείκνυσθε, ὅταν μηδὲν βλάπτῃ τὸ κήρυγμα, ὅταν μηδὲν ἐμποδίζῃ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἀπόδοτε γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλὰς, τῷ τὸν φόρον, τὸν φόρον, τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς ἐπιεικεῖς, ἐντραπήσονται. Μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι, ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοὶ, ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν. Οὐχὶ ποικίλους ἡμᾶς καὶ παντοδαποὺς εἶναι βουλόμενος ταῦτα παραινεῖ· ἀλλὰ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φησιν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμέτερος ὁ καιρός· νῦν πάροικοί ἐστε καὶ παρεπίδημοι καὶ ξένοι καὶ ἀλλότριοι· μὴ ζητεῖτε τιμὰς, μὴ ζητεῖτε δόξαν, μὴ ζητεῖτε δυναστείαν, μηδὲ ἐκδίκησιν· πάντα φέρετε, καὶ τούτῳ τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοράζεσθε· πολλὰ κατάθεσθε, πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν θέλωσιν. Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον· φέρε οὖν, ἐπὶ ὑποδείγματος ποιήσω αὐτὸ φανερόν. Ἐννόησόν μοί τινα οἰκίαν 62.128 ἔχοντα λαμπρὰν, εἶτά τινας ἐπεισερχομένους ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν κἀκεῖνον πολλὰ διδόντα, καὶ ἐξαιρούμενον ἑαυτόν· τότε λέγομεν, ὅτι ἐξηγόρασεν ἑαυτόν. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ οἰκίαν ἔχεις μεγάλην, καὶ πίστιν ἀληθῆ· ἐπέρχονται ὥστε λαβεῖν πάντα· δὸς ὁτιοῦν ἂν ἀπαιτήσῃ τις, μόνον τὸ κεφάλαιον διάσωσον, τὴν πίστιν λέγω. Αἱ γὰρ ἡμέραι, φησὶ, πονηραί εἰσι. Τί πονηρία τῆς ἡμέρας; Πονηρία τῆς ἡμέρας περὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ὀφείλει εἶναι. Ἂν τί ἐστιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν πονηρὸν μάθῃς, γνώσῃ καὶ τί ἐστι πονηρία ἡμέρας. Τί ἐστι πονηρία σώματος; νόσος. Τί δὲ πονηρία ψυχῆς; κακία. Τί ἐστι πονηρία ὕδατος; πικρία. Καὶ ἑκάστου ἡ πονηρία ἡ φαυλότης ἐστὶ περὶ ἐκείνην τὴν φύσιν, ἧς ἐστι πονηρία. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ πονηρία περὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐστὶ, περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν χρὴ εἶναι, περὶ τὰς ὥρας, περὶ τὸ φῶς. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησιν· Ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς. Ἀπὸ τούτου κἀκεῖνο γνωσόμεθα. Πῶς οὖν ἡμέρας καλεῖ πονηράς; πῶς καιρὸν πονηρόν; Οὐ τὴν οὐσίαν, οὐδὲ τὰ κτίσματα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς γινόμενα· καθάπερ καὶ ἡμῖν ἔθος λέγειν· Χαλεπὴν ἡμέραν διήγαγον καὶ κακήν· καίτοι πῶς ἂν γένοιτο χαλεπὴ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ συμβαινόντων; Τὰ δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ συμβαίνοντα, ἐστὶν ἀγαθὰ μὲν, παρὰ Θεοῦ· κακὰ δὲ, παρὰ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν. Ἄρα τῶν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς συμβαινόντων πονηρῶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι δημιουργοὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καιροὶ πονηροὶ λέγονται. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς καιροὺς πονηροὺς καλοῦμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες, ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. Καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία. Καὶ τούτου γὰρ ἡ ἀμετρία θυμώδεις ποιεῖ καὶ θρασεῖς καὶ ἀκροσφαλεῖς, ὀργίλους καὶ χαλεπούς. Εἰς εὐφροσύνην ὁ οἶνος δέδοται, οὐκ εἰς μέθην· νῦν δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ἀνανδρίας εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ γέλωτος, τὸ μὴ μεθύσκεσθαι. Ποία τοίνυν ἐλπὶς σωτηρίας; Γέλως, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ μὴ μεθύσκεσθαι, ἔνθα μάλιστα