150

to him, how will he not give to you? he says. And to these, indeed, he speaks thus; for it was for the time being a common crowd; but to the devil not so, but how? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. But here he mentions the birds, and very pointedly; which has the greatest force for a word of exhortation. But indeed some of the ungodly have come to such a degree of folly as to even find fault with the example. For one ought not, he says, when training our moral choice, to use for this end the advantages that come by nature; for to them this belongs by nature, he says. 3. What then might we say to this? That even if it belongs to them by nature, yet it is possible for us also for this to come about by choice. For He did not say, Behold that the birds fly, which was impossible for man; but that they are fed without anxiety, which is easy for us also, if we are willing, to achieve. And this those have shown who have accomplished it through their works. Wherefore it is most worthy to admire the lawgiver's wisdom, that though he had examples from men to offer, and could have mentioned Elijah, and Moses, and John, and others like them who were not anxious, in order to rebuke them, he made mention of the irrational creatures. For if he had mentioned those righteous men, these would have been able to say that we have not yet become like them. But now by passing them over in silence, and bringing forward the birds of the air, he cut off all their excuse, and in this was imitating an old 57.298 law. For the Old Testament also sends us to the bee, and to the ant, and to the turtledove, and to the swallow. And this too is no small sign of honor, when what those have by nature, we are able to achieve by choice. If then he takes such great care of those things that are for our sake, much more of us; if of the slaves, much more of the master. For this reason he said, Behold the birds; and he did not say, that they do not act as retailers, nor as merchants; for these things were among those strictly forbidden; but what? They do not sow, nor do they reap. What then? Ought we not to sow? he says. He did not say, that one ought not to sow, but that one ought not to be anxious; nor that one ought not to work, but that one ought not to be fainthearted and wear oneself out with cares. For he commanded us to be nourished, but not while being anxious. This saying David also lays down from of old, speaking enigmatically thus: You open your hand, and fill every living thing with your good pleasure; and again, To him who gives to the cattle their food, and to the young ravens that call upon him. Who then were not anxious? he says. Have you not heard how many of the righteous I have brought forward? Do you not see among them Jacob departing from his father's house stripped of all things? do you not hear him praying and saying: If the Lord will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on? which was the act not of one who is anxious, but of one who seeks everything from God. This the apostles also achieved, casting all things away, and not being anxious; and the five thousand, and the three thousand. But if you cannot bear, after hearing so many words, to release yourself from these difficult bonds, then considering the unprofitableness of the thing, put an end to the care. For which of you, he says, by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature? Have you seen how from the manifest he has made the unmanifest also plain? For just as with the body, he says, you will not be able to add even a little by being anxious; so neither will you be able to gather food, even if you think so. From this it is clear that not our eagerness, but the providence of God, accomplishes everything, even in those things where we seem to be active; so that if he were to abandon us, neither care, nor anxiety, nor labor, nor any other such thing will ever avail at all, but all will be gone. 4. Let us not therefore think that the commandments are impossible; for there are many who achieve them even now. But if you are ignorant of them, it is no wonder; since even Elijah thought he was alone, but he heard, that I have left for myself seven thousand men. From which it is clear that even now many are exhibiting the apostolic life,

150

αὐτῷ, πῶς ὑμῖν οὐ δώσει; φησίν. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τούτους οὕτως· ὄχλος γὰρ ἦν τέως δημώδης· τῷ διαβόλῳ δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πῶς; Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῶν ὀρνίθων μέμνηται, καὶ σφόδρα ἐντρεπτικῶς· ὅπερ μεγίστην εἰς παραινέσεως λόγον ἔχει τὴν ἰσχύν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀνοίας ἦλθόν τινες τῶν ἀσεβῶν, ὡς καὶ ἐπιλαβέσθαι τοῦ παραδείγματος. Οὐ γὰρ ἔδει, φησὶ, προαίρεσιν ἀλείφοντα, ἀπὸ φυσικῶν πλεονεκτημάτων εἰς τοῦτο ἐνάγειν· ἐκείνοις γὰρ τοῦτο κατὰ φύσιν πρόσεστι, φησί. γʹ. Τί οὖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἂν εἴποιμεν; Ὅτι εἰ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἐκείνοις πρόσεστιν, ἀλλὰ δυνατὸν καὶ ἡμῖν ἐκ προαιρέσεως γενέσθαι τοῦτο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἐμβλέψατε ὅτι πέταται τὰ πετεινὰ, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον ἦν ἀνθρώπῳ· ἀλλ' ὅτι τρέφεται χωρὶς μερίμνης, ὅπερ καὶ ἡμῖν, ἐὰν ἐθέλωμεν, εὔκολον κατορθωθῆναι. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔδειξαν οἱ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτὸ ἀνύσαντες. ∆ιὸ δὴ ἄξιον μάλιστα θαυμάσαι τὴν τοῦ νομοθέτου σύνεσιν, ὅτι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἔχων τὸ ὑπόδειγμα παρασχεῖν, καὶ δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν τὸν Ἠλίαν, καὶ τὸν Μωϋσέα, καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην, καὶ ἑτέρους τοιούτους μὴ μεριμνήσαντας, ἵνα αὐτῶν καθάψηται, τῶν ἀλόγων ἐμνημόνευσεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἶπε τοὺς δικαίους ἐκείνους, εἶχον οὗτοι λέγειν, ὅτι οὐδέπω κατ' ἐκείνους γεγόναμεν. Νυνὶ δὲ σιγήσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ παραγαγὼν, πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ἐξέκοψε πρόφασιν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα παλαιὸν μιμού 57.298 μενος νόμον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡ Παλαιὰ ∆ιαθήκη καὶ πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν πέμπει, καὶ πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τρυγόνα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν χελιδόνα. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τιμῆς δεῖγμα, ὅταν ἅπερ ἐκεῖνα ἀπὸ φύσεως ἔχει, ταῦτα δυνώμεθα ἡμεῖς κατορθοῦν τῇ προαιρέσει. Εἰ τοίνυν τῶν δι' ἡμᾶς τοσαύτην ποιεῖται πρόνοιαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμῶν· εἰ τῶν δούλων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦ δεσπότου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν. Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινά· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐ καπηλεύουσιν, οὐδὲ ἐμπορεύονται· ταῦτα γὰρ τῶν σφόδρα ἀπειρημένων ἦν· ἀλλὰ τί; Οὐ σπείρουσιν, οὐδὲ θερίζουσι. Τί οὖν; οὐ δεῖ σπείρειν; φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι σπείρειν οὐ δεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅτι μεριμνᾷν οὐ δεῖ· οὐδ' ὅτι ἐργάζεσθαι οὐ χρὴ, ἀλλ' ὅτι μικρόψυχον εἶναι καὶ κατατείνειν ἑαυτὸν ταῖς φροντίσιν οὐ χρή. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τρέφεσθαι ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλὰ μὴ μεριμνῶντας. Τοῦτον καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἄνωθεν προκαταβάλλεται τὸν λόγον, αἰνιγματωδῶς οὕτω λέγων· Ἀνοίγεις σὺ τὴν χεῖρά σου, καὶ ἐμπιπλᾷς πᾶν ζῶον εὐδοκίας· καὶ πάλιν, Τῷ διδόντι τοῖς κτήνεσι τροφὴν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοῖς νεοσσοῖς τῶν κοράκων τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν. Τίνες οὖν οὐκ ἐμερίμνησαν; φησίν. Οὐκ ἤκουσας ὅσους παρήγαγον τῶν δικαίων; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς μετ' ἐκείνων τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἀπὸ τῆς πατρῴας οἰκίας γυμνὸν ἁπάντων ἀναχωροῦντα; οὐκ ἀκούεις αὐτοῦ εὐχομένου καὶ λέγοντος· Ἐὰν δῴη μοι Κύριος ἄρτον φαγεῖν, καὶ ἱμάτιον περιβαλέσθαι; ὅπερ οὐχὶ μεριμνῶντος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πᾶν ζητοῦντος ἦν. Τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι κατώρθωσαν, ἅπαντα ῥίψαντες, καὶ μὴ μεριμνήσαντες· καὶ οἱ πεντακισχίλιοι, καὶ οἱ τρισχίλιοι. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχῃ, τοσούτων ἀκούων ῥημάτων, ἀπολῦσαι σαυτὸν τῶν χαλεπῶν τούτων δεσμῶν, τὸ ἀνόνητον τοῦ πράγματος ἐννοήσας, κατάλυσον τὴν φροντίδα. Τίς γὰρ ἐξ ὑμῶν, φησὶ, μεριμνῶν δύναται προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ πῆχυν ἕνα; Εἶδες πῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ φανεροῦ καὶ τὸ ἀφανὲς κατάδηλον ἐποίησεν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ σώματι, φησὶν, οὐδὲ μικρὸν προυθεῖναι δυνήσῃ μεριμνῶν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τροφὴν συναγαγεῖν, εἰ καὶ οὕτω νομίζεις. Ἀπὸ τούτου δῆλον, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα σπουδὴ, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια, καὶ ἐν οἷς δοκοῦμεν ἐνεργεῖν, τὸ πᾶν ἀνύει· ὡς ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἡμᾶς ἐγκαταλίπῃ, οὐ φροντὶς, οὐ μέριμνα, οὐ πόνος, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν φανεῖταί ποτε, ἀλλὰ πάντα οἰχήσεται. δʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίζωμεν ἀδύνατα εἶναι τὰ ἐπιτάγματα· πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ κατορθοῦντες αὐτὰ καὶ νῦν. Εἰ δὲ ἀγνοεῖς, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἠλίας ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι μόνος, ἀλλ' ἤκουσεν, ὅτι Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι καὶ νῦν πολλοὶ τὸν ἀποστολικόν εἰσιν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι βίον,