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he dedicated, making that worthless and superfluous material thenceforth active and useful. But the foul demons who frequented those altars and temples were driven out by a most harsh persecution, and they cried out about the calamity that had come upon them for many to hear. And all that surrounding region was freed from their gloomy deceit, and was illumined by the light of the blameless faith of the Christians. Indeed, the emperor was a good example to all, and he inflamed and kindled many to the same way of thinking. For such is authority; the subordinate always conforms to it, and tends to love the same things, and to pursue those things in which he perceives the ruler to rejoice. Hence, with God working with them, piety grew and increased among them. And the emperor was entirely devoted to the commandments of Christ 516 and to His love, a steward of the word of grace, and a pilot of many souls, mooring them in the harbor of God. For he knew that this, above all, is the work of an emperor: to teach men to fear God and to keep what is just. And this indeed he did, preparing himself to rule over his passions, and, like an excellent pilot for those under him, holding fast the rudders of good order. For this is the definition of true kingship, to rule and have mastery over pleasures; which is what he did. However, he was not at all puffed up by the nobility of his ancestors nor by the royal glory that surrounded him, knowing that we all have a forefather of clay, and that we, both rich and poor, are of the same dough, and always casting his mind into the abyss of humility, and being mindful of the blessedness that comes from there, he considered himself a sojourner among the things here, and knew that those things were his own which he would obtain after his departure from here. And since all was well with him, and, having delivered all those under his hand from the old, ancestral error, he had made them slaves of Him who redeemed us from wicked slavery by His precious blood, he considered a second work, the virtue of beneficence. For self-control and justice had already been accomplished by him, as one who had bound on the crown of self-control and clothed himself in the purple of justice. He considered, therefore, that the instability of earthly wealth imitates the course of river waters. Therefore, he hastened to lay it up there, where neither 518 moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. And indeed he began to distribute all his possessions to the poor, not sparing them at all. For he knew that he who had obtained great authority ought to imitate the giver of authority as far as he is able, and in this most of all will he imitate God, in considering nothing more precious than showing mercy. Therefore, he was gathering for himself the wealth of beneficence above gold and precious stone, which both here gladdens with the hope of future enjoyment, and there sweetens with the experience of the hoped-for blessedness. Hence prisons were searched by him, those shut up in the mines, those being strangled by creditors; and, lavishly supplying all things to all, he was a father to all the orphans and widows and the poor, a loving and good father, considering that he was benefiting himself from the benefaction done to them. For being munificent in soul and truly most kingly, he gave generously to all who were in need; for he hoped to receive infinitely greater rewards for these things when the time comes for the recompense of deeds. And when the report of such things of his had spread everywhere in a short time, all flocked to him every day, as if moved by some scent of myrrh, putting aside the poverty of both their bodies and souls, and he was in the mouths of all. For it was not fear and tyranny that drew the people, but longing and love for him from the heart.

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ἀνετίθει, τὴν ἄτιμον ἐκείνην καὶ περιττὴν ὕλην ἐνεργὸν ἐντεῦθεν ποιῶν καὶ ὠφέλιμον. οἱ δὲ τοῖς βωμοῖς ἐκείνοις καὶ ναοῖς διατρίβοντες μιαροὶ δαίμονες διωγμῷ χαλεπωτάτῳ ἠλαύνοντο, καὶ τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν αὐτοῖς συμφορὰν εἰς πολλῶν ἐπήκοον ἀνεβόων. καὶ ἠλευθεροῦτο ἡ περίχωρος πᾶσα ἐκείνη τῆς ζοφερᾶς αὐτῶν ἀπάτης, τῷ φωτί τε περιελάμπετο τῆς ἀμωμήτου τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως. Ἀμέλει καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀγαθὸν πᾶσιν ὑπόδειγμα ἦν, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμοίαν γνώμην ἀνέφλεγε καὶ ἐξῆπτε. τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἐξουσία· συμμορφοῦται ταύτῃ ἀεὶ τὸ ὑποχείριον, τῶν αὐτῶν τε φιλεῖ ἐρᾶν, κἀκεῖνα ἐπιτηδεύειν οἷσπερ ἂν τὸν ἄρχοντα αἴσθηται χαίροντα. ἐντεῦθεν, τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεργοῦντος, ἡ εὐσέβεια ηὐξάνετο ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐπεδίδου. καὶ ὅλως ἦν τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐντολῶν 516 καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγάπης ἐξηρτημένος ὁ βασιλεύς, οἰκονόμος τε τοῦ λόγου τῆς χάριτος, καὶ ψυχῶν κυβερνήτης πολλῶν, εἰς τὸν λιμένα τοῦ Θεοῦ ταύτας καθορμίζων. ᾔδει γὰρ τοῦτο εἶναι πρὸ πάντων βασιλέως ἔργον, ἵνα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διδάξῃ τὸν Θεὸν φοβεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ δίκαιον τηρεῖν. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐποίει· ἑαυτόν τε εἰς τὸ βασιλεῦσαι τῶν παθῶν καταρτίζων, καὶ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὡς κυβερνήτης ἄριστος διακατέχων ἀκριβῶς τῆς εὐνομίας τοὺς οἴακας. τοῦτο γὰρ ὅρος ἀληθινῆς βασιλείας, τὸ βασιλεύειν καὶ κρατεῖν τῶν ἡδονῶν· ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίει. ἐπὶ προγόνων μέντοι εὐγενείᾳ καὶ τῇ περὶ αὐτὸν οὔσῃ βασιλικῇ δόξῃ μηδόλως ἐναβρυνόμενος, εἰδὼς ὅτι πήλινον ἔχομεν πάντες τοῦ γένους προπάτορα, καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος ἐσμὲν πλούσιοί τε καὶ πένητες, ἐν ἀβύσσῳ δὲ ταπεινοφροσύνης ἀεὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐμβάλλων, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν μακαριότητος μεμνημένος, πάροικον μὲν ἑαυτὸν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἐλογίζετο, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἐγίνωσκεν ἴδια εἶναι ὧν ἂν μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε τύχοι ἐκδημίαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα καλῶς εἶχεν αὐτῷ, καὶ, πάντας τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα τῆς παλαιᾶς ἀπαλλάξας πλάνης πατροπαραδότου, δούλους εἰργάσατο τοῦ ἐξαγοράσαντος ἡμᾶς τῆς πονηρᾶς δουλείας τῷ τιμίῳ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, δεύτερον ἐννοεῖ ἔργον, τὴν τῆς εὐποιΐας ἀρετήν. σωφροσύνη γὰρ καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἤδη προκατώρθωτο αὐτῷ, ὡς τὸν στέφανον τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀναδησαμένῳ καὶ τὴν πορφύραν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀμφιασαμένῳ. ἐνενόει οὖν τοῦ ἐπιγείου πλούτου τὸ ἄστατον ποταμίων ὑδάτων μιμεῖσθαι τὸν δρόμον. ἐκεῖ τοίνυν ἔσπευδε τοῦτον ἀποθέσθαι, ὅπου οὔτε 518 σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσι. καὶ δὴ ἤρξατο πάντα τοῖς πένησι διανέμειν τὰ χρήματα, μηδόλως αὐτῶν φειδόμενος. ᾔδει γὰρ ὡς ὁ μεγάλης ἐξουσίας ἐπιλαβόμενος τὸν δοτῆρα τῆς ἐξουσίας ὀφείλει μιμεῖσθαι κατὰ δύναμιν, ἐν τούτῳ δὲ μάλιστα τὸν Θεὸν μιμήσεται, ἐν τῷ μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦ ἐλεεῖν προτιμότερον. ὑπὲρ χρυσίον οὖν καὶ λίθον τίμιον τῆς εὐποιΐας τὸν πλοῦτον ἑαυτῷ συναθροίζων ἦν, τὸν καὶ ὧδε κατευφραίνοντα τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς μελλούσης ἀπολαύσεως, κἀκεῖ καταγλυκαίνοντα τῇ πείρᾳ τῆς ἐλπισθείσης μακαριότητος. ἐντεῦθεν ἠρευνῶντο αὐτῷ φυλακαί, οἱ ἐν μετάλλοις κατακεκλεισμένοι, οἱ ὑπὸ δανειστῶν συμπνιγόμενοι· καί, πᾶσιν ἀφθόνως ἐπιχορηγῶν πάντα, πατὴρ ἦν ἁπάντων τῶν ὀρφανῶν τε καὶ χηρῶν καὶ πενήτων, πατὴρ φιλόστοργος καὶ ἀγαθός, ἑαυτὸν δοκῶν εὐεργετεῖν ἐκ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς γενομένης εὐεργεσίας. πλουσιόδωρος γὰρ ὢν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τῷ ὄντι βασιλικώτατος, πᾶσιν ἐδίδου δαψιλῶς τοῖς χρῄζουσιν· ἀπειροπλασίους γὰρ ἤλπιζεν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀμοιβὰς κομίσασθαι ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς τῶν ἔργων ἀνταποδόσεως. Πανταχοῦ δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης αὐτοῦ φήμης ἐν ὀλίγῳ διαβαινούσης, πάντες πρὸς αὐτόν, ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος ὀσμῆς μύρου κεκινημένοι, καθ' ἑκάστην συνέρρεον, σωμάτων τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ψυχῶν πενίαν ἀποτιθέμενοι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἁπάντων στόμασιν ἦν. οὐχ ὁ φόβος γὰρ καὶ ἡ τυραννὶς εἷλκε τὸν λαόν, ἀλλ' ὁ πόθος καὶ ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ καρδίας ἀγάπη.