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wars, the overturning of houses, the injustices against children of noble birth, the myriad evils. That we may then escape all these things, let us put on Christ, and be with him continually; for this is what it is to put him on, never to be bereft of him, that he may appear on every side in us through our holiness, through our gentleness. For so also we say of friends, "Such a one has put on such a one," meaning their great love and uninterrupted company; for he who has put on another, appears to be that which he has put on. Let Christ therefore appear in us from every side. And how will he appear? If you do His works. And what did He do? The Son of man, he says, has nowhere to lay His head. This you should also emulate. He had need of enjoying food, and he used barley loaves; he needed to travel, and there were no horses or beasts of burden, but he walked so far that he grew weary; he had to sleep, and he lay on a 60.628 pillow in the prow of the boat; he needed to lie down, and he ordered them to fall down upon the grass. And his garments were humble; and in many places he stayed alone, drawing no one along with him. And the things on the cross, and the things in the midst of insults, and simply learning all things, emulate them; and so you will have put on Christ, if you make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts; for the matter has no pleasure in it. For these desires in turn give birth to others that are more bitter, and you will never be satisfied, but will work a great torment for yourself. For just as one who is continually thirsty, even if he has a thousand springs set before him, gains nothing from them, being unable to quench his malady; so it is with the one who lives continually in desires. But if you are within the bounds of need, you will never receive this fever, but all those things will be gone, both drunkenness and licentiousness. Therefore, eat only enough to satisfy hunger, clothe yourself only enough to be covered, and do not adorn the flesh with garments, lest you destroy it; for you make it softer, and you ruin its good condition, dissolving it with much softness. In order therefore that you may have it as a good vehicle for the soul, that the pilot may sit safely at the helm, and the soldier may easily handle his weapons, make all things well-fitted. For it is not having many things, but needing few, that makes people invincible. For the former, even if he is not wronged, is afraid; but the latter, even if he is wronged, will be better off than those who are not wronged, and for this reason will be in greater cheerfulness. Let us not, therefore, seek this, that no one should vex us, but that, even if someone wishes to vex us, he may not be able. And this will come from nowhere else, but from keeping to what is necessary, and not desiring more. For so we shall be able to live luxuriously here, and shall obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 25.

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not for disputes

over opinions. For one believes that he may eat all things; but he who is weak eats herbs. 1. I know that what has been said is a difficulty for many. Wherefore it is necessary first to state the subject of this whole passage, and what he wishes to correct in writing these things. What then does he wish to correct? There were many believers from among the Jews who, being held by the conscience of the Law even after the faith, still kept the observance of meats, not yet daring to depart completely from the Law. Then, so as not to be easily detected, abstaining only from swine's flesh, they abstained from all meats in order, and ate only vegetables, so that what was being done might seem to be more of a fast, and not an observance of the Law. Again, others were more perfect, observing no such thing, who became burdensome and grievous to those who did observe them, reproaching, accusing, and casting them into despondency. Therefore the blessed one, fearing

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πολέμους, τῶν οἰκιῶν τὰς ἀνατροπὰς, τῶν εὐγενῶν παίδων τὰς ἀδικίας, τὰ μυρία κακά. Ἵν' οὖν ταῦτα διαφύγωμεν ἅπαντα, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνδυσώμεθα, καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ διηνεκῶς ὦμεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐνδύσασθαι, τὸ μηδέποτε αὐτοῦ ἀπολειφθῆναι, τὸ πάντοθεν αὐτὸν φαίνεσθαι ἐν ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς ἁγιωσύνης ἡμῶν, διὰ τῆς ἐπιεικείας. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ φίλων λέγομεν, Ὁ δεῖνα τὸν δεῖνα ἐνεδύσατο, τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην λέγοντες καὶ τὴν ἀδιάλειπτον συνουσίαν· ὁ γὰρ ἐνδυσάμενος, ἐκεῖνο φαίνεται, ὅπερ ἐνδέδυται. Φαινέσθω τοίνυν πάντοθεν ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ πῶς φανεῖται; Ἂν τὰ ἐκείνου ποιῇς. Τί δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησεν; Ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ. Τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ζήλωσον. Τροφῆς ἀπολαῦσαι ἔδει, καὶ κριθίνοις ἄρτοις ἐκέχρητο· ἀποδημῆσαι ἐχρῆν, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ ἵπποι καὶ ὑποζύγια, ἀλλὰ τοσαῦτα ἐβάδιζεν, ὥστε καὶ κοπιᾶσαι· καθευδῆσαι ἔδει, καὶ ἐπὶ προσ 60.628 κεφαλαίου ἔκειτο ἐπὶ τῆς πρώρας· κατακλιθῆναι ἐχρῆν, καὶ ἐπὶ χόρτου καταπεσεῖν ἐκέλευσε. Καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια δὲ εὐτελῆ· καὶ πολλαχοῦ μόνος διέτριβεν, οὐδένα ἐπισυρόμενος. Καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ δὲ, καὶ τὰ ἐν ταῖς ὕβρεσι, καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς καταμαθὼν, ζήλωσον· καὶ οὕτως ἐνεδύσω τὸν Χριστὸν, ἂν τῆς σαρκὸς πρόνοιαν μὴ ποιῇς εἰς ἐπιθυμίας· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡδονὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔχει. Καὶ γὰρ αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι αὗται τίκτουσι πάλιν ἑτέρας δριμυτέρας, καὶ οὐδέποτε λήψῃ κόρον, ἀλλὰ βάσανον ἐργάσῃ σαυτῷ μεγάλην. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ διηνεκῶς ὢν ἐν τῷ διψῇν, κἂν μυρίας ἔχῃ παρακειμένας πηγὰς, οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν κερδαίνει, μὴ δυνάμενος τὸ νόσημα σβέσαι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ διηνεκῶς ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις ζῶν. Ἂν δὲ τῆς χρείας ᾖς ἐντὸς, οὐδέποτε τοῦτον δέξῃ τὸν πυρετὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐκεῖνα οἰχήσεται, καὶ μέθαι καὶ ἀσέλγειαι. Τοσοῦτον τοίνυν ἔσθιε ὅσον λῦσαι λιμὸν, τοιαῦτα ἐνδύου οἷον σκέπεσθαι μόνον, μηδὲ καλλώπιζε ἱματίοις τὴν σάρκα, ἵνα μὴ αὐτὴν ἀπολέσῃς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ μαλακωτέραν αὐτὴν ποιεῖς, καὶ τὴν εὐεξίαν αὐτῆς λυμαίνῃ, τῇ πολλῇ βλακείᾳ διαλύων αὐτήν. Ἵν' οὖν ἔχῃς αὐτὴν ὄχημα καλὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἵνα ὁ κυβερνήτης ἀσφαλῶς ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων κάθηται, καὶ ὁ στρατιώτης εὐκόλως μεταχειρίζῃ τὰ ὅπλα, εὐάρμοστα πάντα ποίει. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὀλίγων δεῖσθαι, ἀναλώτους ποιεῖ. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ, κἂν μὴ ἀδικηθῇ, δέδοικεν· οὗτος δὲ, κἂν ἀδικηθῇ, τῶν οὐκ ἠδικημένων ἄμεινον διακείσεται, καὶ ἐν πλείονι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔσται εὐθυμίᾳ. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο ζητῶμεν, ὅπως μηδεὶς ἐπηρεάσῃ, ἀλλ' ὅπως, κἂν ἐπηρεάζειν βούληται, μὴ δύνηται. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδαμόθεν ἑτέρωθεν ἔσται, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐκ τοῦ τῆς χρείας ἔχεσθαι, καὶ μὴ πλειόνων ἐπιθυμεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τρυφῆσαι δυνησόμεθα, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΕʹ.

Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις

διαλογισμῶν. Ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα· ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει. αʹ. Οἶδα, ὅτι πολλοῖς ἄπορον τὸ εἰρημένον. ∆ιὸ πρότερον ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν τοῦ χωρίου τούτου παντὸς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ τί βουλόμενος διορθῶσαι, ταῦτα γράφει. Τί τοίνυν βούλεται διορθοῦν; Ἦσαν πολλοὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότων, οἳ τῇ τοῦ νόμου κατεχόμενοι συνειδήσει καὶ μετὰ τὴν πίστιν τῶν βρωμάτων ἐφύλαττον ἔτι τὴν παρατήρησιν, οὔπω θαῤῥοῦντες τέλεον ἀποστῆναι τοῦ νόμου. Εἶτα, ὥστε μὴ γενέσθαι εὐφώρατοι, τῶν χοιρείων ἀπεχόμενοι μόνον, πάντων ἑξῆς ἀπείχοντο τῶν κρεῶν, καὶ λάχανα ἤσθιον μόνον, ἵνα νηστεία μᾶλλον εἶναι δοκῇ τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ μὴ νόμου παρατήρησις. Ἕτεροι πάλιν ἦσαν τελειότεροι, οὐδὲ ἓν τοιοῦτον παρατηροῦντες, οἳ τούτοις τοῖς παρατηροῦσι φορτικοὶ καὶ ἐπαχθεῖς ἐγίνοντο, ὀνειδίζοντες, ἐγκαλοῦντες, εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβάλλοντες. ∆εδοικὼς τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος