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of costly and various kinds, he compelled us to eat; if only we would tolerate him anointing his hands with mud or even human dung, and reclining with us in this state, would anyone have endured this torment, and not rather have considered the matter an outrage? I for one think so, and would have leapt away at once. But now you see not his hands filled with real mud, but the very dishes, and you do not leap away, you do not flee, you do not rebuke; but if he is in power, you even consider it a great thing, and destroy your own soul, eating such things. For covetousness is worse than any mud; for it defiles the soul, not the body, and makes it hard to wash clean. You, therefore, seeing him who reclines stained with this mud, both his hands and his face, and his house filled with it, and his table filled with it (for those dishes are more unclean and foul than dung, and if anything is worse than these), are you disposed as one who has been honored, 63.177 and as one about to live in luxury? and do you not fear Paul, who allows us to go without hindrance to the table of Greeks, if we wish, but to the tables of the covetous forbids us even if we wish? For if any man that is called a brother, he says, be a fornicator; here calling "brother" simply every one of the faithful, not the monk. For what is it that makes the brotherhood? The washing of regeneration, the ability to call God Father. So that the catechumen, even if he be a monk, is not a brother; but the faithful, even if he be a layman, is a brother. If any man, he says, that is called a brother. For at that time there was not even a trace of a monk, but this blessed one addressed everything to laypeople. If any man, he says, that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or a drunkard, with such a one no not to eat. But it is not so in the case of the Greeks, but what? If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, meaning the Greeks, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat. But if any man that is called a brother, he says, be a drunkard. 4. Alas, what strictness! But we not only do not flee from the drunkards, but we even go to them, to partake of their things. For this reason all things have been turned upside down, all things are confounded and overthrown and have perished. For tell me, if one of these men invited you to a prepared feast, you who are considered poor and of no account, and then heard from you that because the things served are from covetousness, I will not endure to defile my soul, would he not be struck with awe? would he not be turned? would he not be ashamed? This alone would be sufficient to correct him, and to make him 63.178 bewail himself for his wealth, and admire you for your poverty, if he saw himself despised by you with such earnestness. But we have become slaves of men, I know not how, though Paul cries aloud again and again: Be not ye the servants of men. Whence then have we become slaves of men? Because we first became slaves to the belly and to money and to glory and to all other things; we have betrayed the freedom which Christ has graciously given us. What then awaits him who has become a slave, tell me? Hear Christ saying: The servant abideth not in the house for ever. You have a final sentence, that he never enters into the kingdom; for the house is this. For in my Father's house, he says, are many mansions. The servant, therefore, abideth not in the house for ever; he means that one who is the servant of sin; and he who abides not in the house for ever, abides in hell for ever, having comfort from nowhere. But indeed matters have come to such a pass of wickedness, that they even give alms from these things, and many accept them. For this reason our boldness is cut off, and we are not able to rebuke anyone. But nevertheless, let us from this time on flee the harm that comes from this; and you who stir up this mud, cease from such corruption, and restrain your impulse for such banquets, if somehow we might even now be able to propitiate God, and attain to the good things which have been promised; of which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and

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πολυτελῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν, ἠνάγκαζεν ἐσθίειν· εἰ μόνον ἀνεξόμεθα αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς βόρβορον χρίοντος ἢ καὶ κόπρον ἀνθρωπίνην, καὶ οὕτω συγκατακλινομένου, ἆρα ἄν τις ταύτην ἠνέσχετο τὴν κόλασιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὕβριν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζεν ἄν; Ἔγωγε οἶμαι, καὶ εὐθέως ἂν ἀπεπήδησε. Νῦν δὲ βορβόρου τοῦ ὄντως οὐχὶ τὰς χεῖρας ὁρᾷς ἐμπεπλησμένας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἐδέσματα, καὶ οὐκ ἀποπηδᾷς, οὐκ ἀποφεύγεις, οὐκ ἐπιτιμᾷς· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἐν δυναστείᾳ ᾖ, καὶ μέγα τὸ πρᾶγμα τίθεσαι, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπολλύεις τὴν σαυτοῦ, τοιαῦτα σιτούμενος. Παντὸς γὰρ βορβόρου πλεονεξία χείρων· ψυχὴν γὰρ, οὐ σῶμα μολύνει, καὶ ποιεῖ δυσέκπλυτον. Σὺ τοίνυν ὁρῶν τοῦ βορβόρου τούτου ἀνακεχρωσμένον μὲν τὸν κατακλινόμενον, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν ὄψιν, ἐμπεπλησμένην δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν, ἐμπεπλησμένην δὲ καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν (βολβίτων γὰρ, καὶ εἴ τι τούτων χεῖρον, ἀκαθαρτότερα ἐκεῖνα καὶ μιαρώτερα τὰ ἐδέσματα), ὡς δὴ τιμηθεὶς 63.177 διάκεισαι, καὶ ὡς μέλλων τρυφᾷν; καὶ οὐδὲ τὸν Παῦλον δέδοικας, εἰς μὲν Ἑλλήνων τράπεζαν, εἰ βουλοίμεθα, ἀκωλύτως συγχωροῦντα ἀπελθεῖν, εἰς δὲ τὰς τῶν πλεονεκτῶν οὐδὲ βουλομένους ἐῶντα; Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος, ᾖ, φησὶ, πόρνος· ἀδελφὸν ἐνταῦθα λέγων πάντα τὸν πιστὸν ἁπλῶς, οὐ τὸν μονάζοντα. Τί γάρ ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν ἀδελφότητα; τὸ λουτρὸν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας, τὸ δυνηθῆναι καλέσαι Πατέρα τὸν Θεόν. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν κατηχούμενος, κἂν μοναχὸς ᾖ, οὐκ ἀδελφός· ὁ δὲ πιστὸς, κἂν κοσμικὸς ᾖ, ἀδελφός ἐστιν. Εἴ τις, φησὶν, ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴχνος τότε μονάζοντος ἦν, ἀλλὰ πάντα πρὸς κοσμικοὺς διελέγετο ὁ μακάριος οὗτος. Ἐάν τις, φησὶν, ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος, ᾖ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ἢ μέθυσος, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐάν τις ὑμᾶς καλέσῃ τῶν ἀπίστων, τοὺς Ἕλληνας λέγων, καὶ θέλητε πορεύεσθαι, πᾶν τὸ παρατιθέμενον ὑμῖν ἐσθίετε. Ἐὰν δέ τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος, ᾖ, φησὶ, μέθυσος. δʹ. Βαβαὶ, πόση ἡ ἀκρίβεια! ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐ φεύγομεν τοὺς μεθύσους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπερχόμεθα πρὸς αὐτοὺς, μεθέξοντες τῶν παρ' αὐτῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω γεγένηται, πάντα συγκέχυται καὶ ἀνατέτραπται καὶ ἀπόλωλεν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἰ καλέσειέ σέ τις τῶν τοιούτων ἐπὶ ἑστίασιν ἡτοιμασμένην, σὲ τὸν πένητα καὶ εὐτελῆ νομιζόμενον, εἶτα ἀκούσειε παρὰ σοῦ ὅτι ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας ἐστὶ τὰ παρατιθέμενα, οὐκ ἀνέξομαι μολύνειν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, οὐκ ἂν ᾐδέσθη; οὐκ ἂν ἐνετράπη; οὐκ ἂν κατῃσχύνθη; Τοῦτο μόνον ἱκανὸν ἦν διορθῶσαι, καὶ ποιῆσαι 63.178 ταλανίσαι μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ ἑαυτὸν, θαυμάσαι δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ πενίᾳ σε, εἴ γε ἑώρα ἑαυτὸν μετὰ τοσαύτης σπουδῆς καταφρονούμενον παρὰ σοῦ. Ἀλλὰ γεγόναμεν δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν, τοῦ Παύλου ἄνω καὶ κάτω βοῶντος· Μὴ γίνεσθε δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων. Πόθεν οὖν γεγόναμεν δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων; Ἐπειδὴ πρότερον γαστρὸς ἐγενόμεθα δοῦλοι καὶ χρημάτων καὶ δόξης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων· προεδώκαμεν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἣν ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστός. Τί οὖν μένει τὸν γενόμενον δοῦλον, εἰπέ μοι; Ἄκουε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Ὁ δοῦλος οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἔχεις ἀπόφασιν αὐτοτελῆ, ὅτι οὐδέποτε εἰς βασιλείαν εἰσέρχεται· ἡ γὰρ οἰκία τοῦτό ἐστιν. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ οἰκίᾳ, φησὶ, τοῦ Πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν. Ὁ τοίνυν δοῦλος οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· δοῦλον ἐκεῖνον λέγει τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας δοῦλον· ὁ δὲ μὴ μένων ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, οὐδαμόθεν ἔχων παραμυθίαν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἰς τοσοῦτον κακίας τὰ πράγματα ἦλθεν, ὡς καὶ ἐλεημοσύνας αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τούτων ποιεῖν, καὶ πολλοὺς δέχεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡ παῤῥησία ἡμῶν ἐκκέκοπται, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐπιτιμῆσαί τινι δυνάμεθα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν φεύγωμεν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν βλάβην· ὑμεῖς τε οἱ τὸν βόρβορον τοῦτον ἀνελίττοντες, παύσασθε τῆς τοιαύτης λύμης, καὶ ἐπίσχετε τὴν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις συμποσίοις ὁρμὴν, εἴ πως κἂν νῦν δυνηθῶμεν ἐξιλεώσασθαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ