217

of worldly things, so as to be occupied by one care only, that of teaching; rather, he even releases them from that, saying: Take no thought how or what ye shall speak. So that what seems to be extremely burdensome and grievous, this He shows to be especially light and easy for them. For nothing makes one so cheerful, as to be delivered from anxiety and care; and especially when it is possible, having been delivered from this, to be in want of nothing, God being present, and becoming all things to them. Then, lest they should say, "Whence then shall we enjoy necessary food?" He does not say to them, "You heard that I said to you before: 'Behold the fowls of the air'" (for they were not yet able to show this command by their works); but He added something much lower than this, saying: For the workman is worthy of his food; showing that they were to be fed by their disciples; so that neither should they be high-minded against those being taught, as if providing all things, and receiving nothing from them; nor should the others in turn break away, being despised by them. 5. Then, lest they should say, "Do you then command us 57.383 to live as beggars?" and be ashamed of this; He shows the matter to be a debt, both by calling them workmen, and by naming what is given a reward. "For because the work is in words," He says, "do not think that the benefit from you is small; for the matter has many labors; and whatever those who are taught may give, they do not give as a favor, but as rendering a recompense; For the workman is worthy of his food." And He said this, not showing the apostolic labors to be worthy of so little; far from it, may it not be so; but both legislating for them to seek nothing more, and persuading those who give, that what is done by them is not a matter of honor, but a debt. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. For it is not because I said, He says, "The workman is worthy of his food," that I have opened to you the doors of all; but even here I command you to exercise much exactness. For this will profit you both for reputation, and for your very sustenance. For if he is worthy, he will certainly give food; and especially when you ask for nothing more than what is necessary. And He commands not only to seek the worthy, but also not to change from house to house, so as neither to grieve the one who receives you, nor for yourselves to get a reputation for gluttony and fickleness. For this He indicated by saying, "There abide till ye go thence." And this can also be learned from the other evangelists. Do you see how by this He made them both venerable, and those who receive them anxious, by showing that they themselves are the ones who gain more, both in reputation and in the matter of benefit? Then, going over this same point again, He says: And when ye come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. Do you see to what extent He does not shrink from giving commands? And very rightly so. For He was fashioning athletes of piety and heralds of the world; and by this preparing them to be moderate, and making them lovable, He says: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. "For it is not because you teach," He says, "that for this reason you are to wait to be saluted by others, but you take the lead in showing honor." Then, showing that this is not a mere salutation, but a blessing, "If," He says, "the house be worthy, it will come upon it; but if it be insolent, the first punishment is, not to enjoy the peace; and the second, that it will suffer the fate of Sodom." "And what," he says, "is their punishment to us?" You will have the houses of the worthy. But what is the meaning of "Shake off the dust of your feet"? Either to show that they received nothing from them, or so that it might become a testimony to them of the long journey, which they undertook for their sakes. But consider for me how He does not yet give them everything. For He does not yet grant them foreknowledge, so that they might learn who is worthy, and who is not such; but to make inquiries and the

217

βιωτικῆς, ὥστε μιᾷ κατέχεσθαι φροντίδι μόνῃ, τῇ τῆς διδασκαλίας· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνης αὐτοὺς ἀπολύει, λέγων· Μὴ μεριμνήσητε πῶς ἢ τί λαλήσητε. Ὥστε ὃ δοκεῖ σφόδρα φορτικὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐπαχθὲς, τοῦτο μάλιστα εὔκολον αὐτοῖς ἀποφαίνει καὶ ῥᾴδιον. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως εὐθυμεῖσθαι ποιεῖ, ὡς τὸ φροντίδος ἀπηλλάχθαι καὶ μερίμνης· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἐξῇ ταύτης ἀπηλλαγμένους μηδενὸς ἐλαττοῦσθαι, τοῦ Θεοῦ παρόντος, καὶ ἀντὶ πάντων αὐτοῖς γινομένου. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγωσι, Πόθεν οὖν τῆς ἀναγκαίας τροφῆς ἀπολαύσομεν; οὐ λέγει αὐτοῖς, ὅτι Ἠκούσατε ὅτι εἶπον ὑμῖν ἔμπροσθεν· Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (οὔπω γὰρ ἦσαν δυνατοὶ τὸ ἐπίταγμα τοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξασθαι)· ἀλλὰ τὸ πολὺ τούτου καταδεέστερον ἐπήγαγε, λέγων· Ἄξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστι· δηλῶν ὅτι παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοὺς τρέφεσθαι ἔδει· ἵνα μήτε αὐτοὶ μέγα φρονῶσι κατὰ τῶν μαθητευομένων, ὡς πάντα παρέχοντες, καὶ μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες παρ' αὐτῶν· μήτε ἐκεῖνοι πάλιν ἀποῤῥαγῶσιν ὑπερορώμενοι παρὰ τούτων. εʹ. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ λέγωσι, Προσαιτοῦντας οὖν ἡμᾶς 57.383 κελεύεις ζῇν; καὶ αἰσχύνωνται τοῦτο· δείκνυσι τὸ πρᾶγμα ὀφειλὴν ὂν, ἐργάτας τε αὐτοὺς καλῶν, καὶ τὸ διδόμενον μισθὸν ὀνομάζων. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἐν λόγοις ἡ ἐργασία, φησὶ, νομίσητε μικρὰν εἶναι τὴν εὐεργεσίαν τὴν παρ' ὑμῶν· καὶ γὰρ πόνους ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα πολλούς· καὶ ὅπερ ἂν δῶσιν οἱ διδασκόμενοι, οὐ χαριζόμενοι παρέχουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀμοιβὴν ἀποδιδόντες· Ἄξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστι. Τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηκεν, οὐ τοσούτου τοὺς ἀποστολικοὺς ἀποφαίνων πόνους ἀξίους· ἄπαγε, μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνοις νομοθετῶν μηδὲν πλέον ζητεῖν, καὶ τοὺς παρέχοντας πείθων, ὅτι οὐ φιλοτιμία τὸ γινόμενον παρ' αὐτῶν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὀφειλή. Εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν ἢ κώμην εἰσέλθητε, ἐξετάσατε τίς ἄξιος ἐν αὐτῇ ἐστι, κἀκεῖ μείνατε ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθητε. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ εἶπον, φησὶν, Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστι, τὰς πάντων ὑμῖν θύρας ἀνέῳξα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλὴν κελεύω ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ εἰς δόξαν ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσει, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ τρέφεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἄξιός ἐστι, πάντως δώσει τροφήν· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν μηδὲν πλέον τῶν ἀναγκαίων αἰτῆτε. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀξίους κελεύει ζητεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ οἰκίαν ἐξ οἰκίας ἀμείβειν, ὥστε μήτε τὸν δεχόμενον λυπεῖν, μήτε αὐτοὺς δόξαν λαβεῖν γαστριμαργίας καὶ εὐκολίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπὼν, Ἐκεῖ μένετε ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθητε. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων εὐαγγελιστῶν ἔστι καταμαθεῖν. Εἶδες πῶς αὐτοὺς καὶ ταύτῃ σεμνοὺς ἐποίησε, καὶ τοὺς δεχομένους ἐναγωνίους, δείξας ὅτι αὐτοὶ μᾶλλόν εἰσιν οἱ κερδαίνοντες, καὶ εἰς δόξαν καὶ εἰς ὠφελείας λόγον; Εἶτα αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐπεξιών φησιν· Εἰσερχόμενοι δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, ἀσπάσασθε αὐτήν. Καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἀξία, ἐλθέτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἀξία, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐπιστραφήτω. Ὁρᾷς μέχρι τίνος οὐ παραιτεῖται διατάττεσθαι; Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ἀθλητὰς γὰρ εὐσεβείας καὶ κήρυκας κατεσκεύαζε τῆς οἰκουμένης· καὶ ταύτῃ μετριάζειν αὐτοὺς παρασκευάζων, καὶ ἐπεράστους ποιῶν, φησί· Καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς, μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ τῶν λόγων ὑμῶν, ἐξερχόμενοι τῆς οἰκίας ἢ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης, ἐκτινάξατε τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν. Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ διδάσκετε, φησὶ, διὰ τοῦτο περιμένετε παρ' ἑτέρων ἀσπάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ προηγεῖσθε τῇ τιμῇ. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἀσπασμὸς τοῦτό ἐστι ψιλὸς, ἀλλ' εὐλογία, Ἐὰν ᾖ, φησὶν, ἀξία ἡ οἰκία, ἥξει ἐπ' αὐτήν· ἐὰν δὲ ὑβρίζῃ, πρώτη μὲν κόλασις, τὸ μὴ ἀπόνασθαι τῆς εἰρήνης· δευτέρα δὲ, ὅτι τὰ Σοδόμων πείσεται. Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς, φησὶν, ἡ ἐκείνων κόλασις; Ἕξετε τὰς τῶν ἀξίων οἰκίας. Τί δὲ βούλεται τὸ Ἐκτινάξατε τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν; Ἢ ὥστε δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔλαβον παρ' αὐτῶν, ἢ ὥστε εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι τῆς μακρᾶς ὁδοιπορίας, ἣν ἐστείλαντο δι' αὐτούς. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πῶς οὐδέπω τὸ πᾶν αὐτοῖς δίδωσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρόγνωσιν τέως αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται, ὥστε μαθεῖν τίς ἄξιος, καὶ τίς οὐ τοιοῦτος· ἀλλὰ περιεργάζεσθαι καὶ τὴν