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they were doing; but keeping the law, and still tolerating them. But there were some in Antioch, Cyprians and Cyrenians. These especially cared little for the Jews. Who spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. Perhaps because they did not know Hebrew, they called them Greeks. But when Barnabas arrived, it says, and saw the grace of God (not the zeal of men), he exhorted them to remain with the Lord. Perhaps by praising the crowd and accepting them, by this he converted more. And why do they not write to Paul, but send Barnabas? They did not yet know the man's virtue; wherefore it is arranged that Barnabas alone should arrive. And since there was a multitude, and no one hindering, the faith naturally sprouted, and especially because they endured no temptation here, and because Paul was preaching and was no longer forced to flee. And it is well that they themselves do not speak of the famine, but the prophets, so that they might not seem to be burdensome. And it is worthy of admiration how the people of Antioch were not indignant at being overlooked, but are content with their teachers; so did they all burn for the word. Who did not even wait for the famine to occur, but sent before this, As each one had means. 60.195 3. And see, that among the apostles others are entrusted with this; but here Paul and Barnabas. And this was no small dispensation; and otherwise it was also the beginning, and for the time being it was not right to be scandalized. But now no one does this, although there is a famine more severe than that one. For it is not the same thing to bear the misfortune in common, and, when all are in abundance, for the poorer to be in famine. Then there was only famine, and those who gave were poor (For As each one of them had means, it says); but now there is a double famine, just as the abundance is double, a grievous famine, a famine not of hearing the word of the Lord, but of being nourished through alms. Then both the poor in Judea enjoyed, and those in Antioch who gave the money, and these more than those; but now both we and the poor are in famine; they lacking necessary food, and we being in want of the mercy of God. And nothing could be more necessary than this food. It is not possible to suffer the evils from surfeit; it is not possible for the excess of this food to pass into the privy. Nothing is more beautiful, nothing more healthy than a soul so nourished; it stands above all sickness, all famine, all irregularity and distemper; no one will be able to capture it; but just as iron cannot strike an adamantine body, nor anything else, so also nothing at all will be able to capture a soul solidified by almsgiving. For what, tell me, will ever overpower this? poverty? It is not possible; for it is laid up in the royal treasuries. But a robber and a housebreaker? But no one is able to dig through those walls. But a moth? But this treasure is also superior to this destruction. But the evil eye and envy? But it is not captured by these either. But slanders and plots? Not this either; for the treasure is inviolable. But it is shameful if I point out only these things as belonging to almsgiving, and not also the opposites. For it is not only delivered from the evil eye, but it also enjoys much blessing even from those who have not been well-treated. For just as the cruel and harsh have as enemies not only those they have wronged, but also those who have suffered nothing, who grieve with them and accuse them; so those who have done great good deeds have as praisers not only those who have been well-treated, but also those who have suffered nothing. What am I saying about the evil eye? It is delivered from plotters and robbers and housebreakers. It not only has this good quality, but in addition to not being diminished, it also grows and increases to a multitude. What was more shameful than Nebuchadnezzar? What more hideous? What more lawless? The man was impious, he saw countless proofs and signs, and was not willing to reform, but cast the servants of God into the furnace, even if afterwards he did worship. What then says the prophet? O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; redeem your transgressions with alms, and your iniquities with

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ἐποίουν· ἀλλὰ τὸν νόμον τηροῦντες, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἔτι διαβαστάζοντες. Ἦσαν δέ τινες ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ Κύπριοι καὶ Κυρηναῖοι. Οὗτοι μάλιστα οὐκ ἐφρόντιζον Ἰουδαίων. Οἵτινες ἐλάλουν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑλληνιστὰς, εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν. Ἴσως διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι Ἑβραϊστὶ, Ἕλλνας αὐτοὺς ἐκάλουν. Παραγενόμενος δὲ, φησὶ, Βαρνάβας, καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ (οὐχὶ τὴν σπουδὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων), παρεκάλει αὐτοὺς προσμένειν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τάχα τῷ ἐπαινεῖν τὸν ὄχλον καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι, τούτῳ πλείους ἐπέστρεψε. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ Παύλῳ γράφουσιν, ἀλλὰ Βαρνάβαν πέμπουσιν; Οὔπω τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ᾔδεσαν τὴν ἀρετήν· διὸ καὶ μόνον οἰκονομεῖται Βαρνάβαν παραγενέσθαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ πλῆθος ἦν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων, εἰκότως ἐβλάστησεν ἡ πίστις, καὶ μάλιστα, ὅτι οὐδένα ἐνταῦθα ὑπέμειναν πειρασμὸν, καὶ ὅτι Παῦλος κηρύττει, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἀναγκάζεται φεύγειν. Καλῶς δὲ οὐκ αὐτοὶ περὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ λέγουσιν, ἀλλ' οἱ προφῆται, ἵνα μὴ φορτικοί τινες δόξωσι. Καὶ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον, πῶς οὐκ ἠγανάκτησαν ὡς ὑπεροφθέντες Ἀντιοχεῖς, ἀλλ' ἀρκοῦνται τοῖς διδασκάλοις· οὕτω πάντες ἔζεον πρὸς τὸν λόγον. Οἳ καὶ οὐδὲ περιέμειναν γενέσθαι τὸν λιμὸν, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτου ἔπεμψαν, Καθὼς ηὐπορεῖτό τις. 60.195 γʹ. Καὶ ὅρα, ὅτι ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἕτεροι τοῦ ἐπιτρέπονται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ Παῦλος καὶ Βαρνάβας. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο οἰκονομία ἦν ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἀρχὴ ἦν, καὶ τέως οὐκ ἔδει σκανδαλισθῆναι. Ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐδεὶς τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καίτοι λιμός ἐστι χαλεπώτερος ἐκείνου. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον κοινῇ φέρειν τὴν συμφορὰν, καὶ πάντων ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ ὄντων, τοὺς πενεστέρους εἶναι ἐν λιμῷ. Τότε μόνον λιμὸς ἦν, καὶ οἱ δεδωκότες πένητες (Καθὼς ηὐπορεῖτο γάρ τις αὐτῶν, φησί)· νῦν δὲ λιμὸς διπλοῦς, καθάπερ ἡ ἀφθονία διπλῆ, λιμὸς χαλεπὸς, λιμὸς οὐ τοῦ λόγον ἀκοῦσαι Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τραφῆναι δι' ἐλεημοσύνης. Τότε καὶ οἱ ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ πένητες ἀπέλαυσαν, καὶ οἱ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ δόντες τὰ χρήματα, καὶ οὗτοι μᾶλλον ἐκείνων· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ πένητες ἐν λιμῷ· οἱ μὲν τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἀποροῦντες τροφῆς, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν σπάνει τοῦ ἐλέους ὄντες τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς τροφῆς οὐδὲν ἀναγκαιότερον γένοιτ' ἄν. Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑποστῆναι τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς πλησμονῆς κακά· οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα προχωρῆσαι τὸ πλέον ταύτης τῆς τροφῆς. Οὐδὲν ὡραιότερον, οὐδὲν ὑγιεινότερον ψυχῆς οὕτω τρεφομένης· πάσης ἀνωτέρα ἕστηκε νόσου, παντὸς λιμοῦ, πάσης ἀνωμαλίας καὶ δυσκρασίας· οὐδεὶς αὐτὴν δυνήσεται ἑλεῖν· ἀλλὰ καθάπερ ἀδαμάντινον σῶμα οὐ σίδηρος πλῆξαι δύναται, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ ἐλεημοσύνης συμπεπηγυῖαν οὐδὲν ὅλως δυνήσεται ἑλεῖν. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ταύτην χειρώσεταί ποτε; πενία; Οὐκ ἔστιν· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἀπόκειται ταμείοις. Ἀλλὰ λῃστὴς καὶ τοιχωρύχος; Ἀλλ' ἐκείνους οὐδεὶς διορύξαι τοὺς τοίχους οἷός τε. Ἀλλὰ σκώληξ; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτης ἀνώτερος τῆς λύμης οὗτος ὁ θησαυρός. Ἀλλὰ βασκανία καὶ φθόνος; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τούτοις ἁλίσκεται. Ἀλλὰ συκοφαντίαι καὶ ἐπιβουλαί; Οὐδὲ τοῦτο· ἄσυλος γὰρ ὁ θησαυρός. Ἀλλ' αἰσχρὸν εἰ ταῦτα ἐπιδείξω μόνα τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ προσόντα, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ τἀναντία. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ βασκανίας ἀπήλλακται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐλογίας ἀπολαύει πολλῆς καὶ παρὰ τῶν οὐκ εὖ πεπονθόντων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ὠμοὶ καὶ ἀπηνεῖς οὐ τοὺς ἠδικημένους ἔχουσιν ἐχθροὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς οὐδὲν παθόντας συναλγοῦντας αὐτοῖς καὶ κατηγοροῦντας· οὕτως οἱ μεγάλα ἐργασάμενοι καλὰ οὐχὶ τοὺς εὖ πεπονθότας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς οὐδὲν παθόντας ἔχουσιν ἐπαινέτας. Τί λέγω βασκανίας; Καὶ ἐπιβουλευόντων ἀπήλλακται καὶ λῃστῶν καὶ τοιχωρύχων. Οὐ τοῦτο ἔχει μόνον τὸ καλὸν, ἀλλ' ἔτι πρὸς τῷ μὴ ἐλαττοῦσθαι καὶ αὔξεται καὶ εἰς πλῆθος ἐπιδίδωσι. Τί τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ γέγονεν αἰσχρότερον; τί δυσειδέστερον; τί παρανομώτερον; Ἀσεβὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, μυρία τεκμήρια καὶ σημεῖα εἶδε, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἀνενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλους εἰς κάμινον ἐνέβαλεν, εἰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα προσεκύνησε. Τί οὖν ὁ προφήτης; Βασιλεῦ, ἡ βουλή μου ἀρεσάτω σοι· τὰς ἀνομίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσον, καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας σου ἐν