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of others, than to grieve for one's own misfortunes. He indeed suffered something of this sort even in the case of his son, that you may learn that he loved his son no more than his subjects. And yet the young man was licentious and a parricide, but nevertheless he said, "Who will give me death instead of you?" What are you saying, O blessed and meekest of all men? Your son was eager to destroy you, and encompassed you with countless evils; and when he is out of the way, and the trophy is set up, then you pray to be slain? "Yes," he says. "For the army has not conquered for me, but I am still warred against more vehemently than before, and my bowels are now torn apart more greatly." These men, therefore, cared for those entrusted to them. 5. But the blessed Abraham showed great providence even for those not entrusted to him, and so much so that he even involved himself in grievous dangers. For that he did what he did not only for his nephew, but also for the Sodomites, he did not stop driving out those Persians until he had freed them all. And yet it was possible for him, having taken him, to withdraw, but he was not willing; for he cared for all alike. And this he also made clear through what came after. For when it was not an army of barbarians that was about to besiege them, but the God-sent wrath to tear up their cities from their foundations, and it was no longer a time for arms, nor for battle and array, but for supplication, he made such great effort for them, as much as if he himself were about to perish. For this reason, he approaches God once and twice and three times and many times, and takes refuge in his own nature, saying, "But I am earth and ashes." And since he saw that they were betrayed from within, he asks that they be saved for the sake of others. For this reason God also said, "Shall I hide from my child Abraham what I am about to do?" that we might learn how philanthropic the righteous man is. And he would not have ceased entreating, if God had not first ceased. And he seems to pray for the righteous, but he did the whole thing for the sake of those others. For the souls of the saints are exceedingly gentle and philanthropic, both towards their own and towards strangers, and they extend this gentleness even to their irrational creatures. For this reason also 60.660 a certain wise man said, "A righteous man pities the souls of his cattle"; and if of cattle, how much more of men? But since I have mentioned cattle, let us also consider the shepherds of sheep in the country of Cappadocia, what sort of things and how great they suffer for the protection of the irrational creatures. For often, having been buried by snow, they remained for three days in a row. And those in Libya are said to endure no lesser hardships than these, patrolling that harsh desert, full of the most savage beasts, for whole months. And if there is such zeal for irrational creatures, what defense could we have, who have been entrusted with rational souls, and are sleeping this deep sleep? for ought we to breathe at all? to be quiet at all, and not to run about everywhere, and to give ourselves over to countless deaths for these sheep? Or do you not know the dignity of this flock? Did not your Master accomplish countless things for it, and afterward pour out His own blood? but you seek rest? And what could be worse than these shepherds? Do you not consider this, that wolves much fiercer and more savage than these surround these sheep? do you not reckon with yourself what sort of soul he must have who is to handle this authority? But while demagogues, deliberating about ordinary matters, add the nights to the days in sleeplessness, do we, who have our struggle for heaven, sleep even in the day? and who then will deliver us from the punishment for these things? For if it were necessary for the body to be cut to pieces, if it were necessary to endure countless deaths, ought we not to run as to a festival? But let not only shepherds hear these things, but also sheep, that they may make the shepherds more eager, that they may rather anoint their purpose, providing nothing else but persuasion and all obedience. Thus also Paul commanded, saying, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they

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ἑτέρων, ἢ ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀλγεῖν συμφοραῖς. Τοιοῦτον γοῦν τι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἔπαθεν, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐδὲν πλέον τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸν παῖδα ἐφίλει. Καίτοι γε ἀκόλαστος ἦν ὁ νεανίσκος καὶ πατραλοίας, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔλεγε· Τίς δώσει μοι θάνατον ἀντὶ σοῦ; Τί λέγεις, ὦ μακάριε, καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων πραότατε; ἀνελεῖν σε ἐσπούδαζεν ὁ παῖς, καὶ μυρίοις σε περιέβαλε κακοῖς· καὶ ὅτε ἐκ μέσου γέγονε, καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστη, τότε εὔχῃ σφαγῆναι; Ναὶ, φησίν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐμοὶ νενίκηκε τὸ στρατόπεδον, ἀλλ' ἔτι πολεμοῦμαι σφοδρότερον ἢ πρότερον, καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα μοι διακόπτεται νῦν μειζόνως. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐγκεχειρισμένων ἐφρόντιζον. εʹ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν οὐκ ἐμπεπιστευμένων αὐτῷ πολλὴν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πρόνοιαν, καὶ τοσαύτην, ὡς καὶ κινδύνοις ἑαυτὸν περιβαλεῖν χαλεποῖς. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἀδελφιδοῦ μόνου ἔπραττεν ἅπερ ἔπραττεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν Σοδομιτῶν, οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη τοὺς Πέρσας ἐλαύνων ἐκείνους, ἕως πάντας αὐτοὺς ἠλευθέρωσε. Καίτοι γε ἐξῆν λαβόντι τοῦτον ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησε· καὶ γὰρ πάντων ὁμοίως ἐκήδετο. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα δῆλον ἐποίησεν. Ὅτε γοῦν οὐ βαρβάρων στρατόπεδον ἔμελλεν αὐτοὺς πολιορκεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἡ θεήλατος ὀργὴ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπᾷν, καὶ οὐκέτι ὅπλων ἦν ὁ καιρὸς, οὐδὲ μάχης καὶ παρατάξεως, ἀλλ' ἱκετηρίας, τοσαύτην ἐποιήσατο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν σπουδὴν, ὅσην ἂν εἰ αὐτὸς ἀπόλλυσθαι ἔμελλε. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ τρὶς καὶ πολλάκις προσέρχεται τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν καταφεύγει λέγων· Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οἴκοθεν εἶδεν αὐτοὺς προδεδομένους, δι' ἑτέρους αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῖ σώζεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεγεν· Οὐ μὴ κρύψω ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδός μου Ἀβραὰμ ἃ μέλλω ποιεῖν; ἵνα ἡμεῖς μάθωμεν πῶς ἐστι φιλάνθρωπος ὁ δίκαιος. Καὶ οὐδ' ἂν ἀπέστη παρακαλῶν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέστη πρῶτος. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίων δεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἐποίει. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα εἰσὶν αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαὶ ἥμεροι καὶ φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ περὶ τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτῶν ταύτην ἐκτείνουσι τὴν ἡμερότητα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ 60.660 σοφός τις ἔλεγε, ∆ίκαιος οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ καὶ κτηνῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἀνθρώπων, Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κτηνῶν ἐμνήσθην, λογισώμεθα καὶ τοὺς τῶν προβάτων ποιμένας τοὺς ἐν τῇ Καππαδοκῶν χώρᾳ, οἷα καὶ ἡλίκα πάσχουσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων προστασίας. Πολλάκις γοῦν χιόνι καταχωσθέντες, τρεῖς ἐφεξῆς ἔμειναν ἡμέρας. Λέγονται δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ οὐκ ἐλάττονα τούτων ὑπομένειν δεινὰ, μῆνας ὁλοκλήρους τὴν χαλεπὴν ἔρημον ἐκείνην καὶ τῶν πικροτάτων γέμουσαν θηρίων περιπολοῦντες. Εἰ δὲ περὶ ἄλογα τοσαύτη σπουδὴ, τίνα ἂν ἔχοιμεν ἀπολογίαν οἱ ψυχὰς λογικὰς ἐμπιστευθέντες, καὶ τὸν βαθὺν τοῦτον καθεύδοντες ὕπνον; ἀναπνεῖν γὰρ ὅλως ἐχρῆν; ἡσυχάζειν δὲ ὅλως, ἀλλ' οὐ πανταχοῦ περιτρέχειν, καὶ μυρίοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι θανάτοις ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων τούτων; Ἢ οὐκ ἴστε τῆς ἀγέλης ταύτης τὸ ἀξίωμα; οὐχ ὑπὲρ ταύτης ὁ ∆εσπότης ὁ σὸς μυρία ἐπραγματεύσατο, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ὕστερον ἐξέχεε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ; σὺ δὲ ἀνάπαυσιν ζητεῖς; καὶ τί χεῖρον γένοιτ' ἂν τῶν ποιμένων τούτων; Οὐκ ἐννοεῖς τοῦτο, ὅτι περιεστήκασι τὰ πρόβατα ταῦτα λύκοι τούτων πολλῷ πικρότεροι καὶ ἀγριώτεροι; οὐ λογίζῃ πρὸς σαυτὸν οἵας δεῖ ψυχῆς τῷ μέλλοντι ταύτην μεταχειρίζειν τὴν ἀρχήν; Ἀλλ' ἄνθρωποι μὲν δημαγωγοὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν τυχόντων βουλευόμενοι πραγμάτων, τὰς νύκτας ταῖς ἡμέραις προστιθέασιν ἀγρυπνοῦντες· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑπὲρ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καθεύδομεν; καὶ τίς ἡμᾶς λοιπὸν ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις κολάσεως; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα κατακόπτεσθαι ἔδει, εἰ γὰρ μυρίους ὑποστῆναι θανάτους, οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ πανήγυριν τρέχειν ἐχρῆν; Ταῦτα δὲ μὴ μόνον ποιμένες, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόβατα ἀκουέτω, ἵνα τοὺς ποιμένας προθυμοτέρους ποιῶσιν, ἵνα μᾶλλον αὐτῶν τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀλείφωσιν, ἕτερον μὲν οὐδὲν, πειθὼ δὲ καὶ ὑπακοὴν πᾶσαν παρέχοντες. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσε λέγων· Πείθεσθε τοῖς ἡγουμένοις ὑμῶν καὶ ὑπείκετε, ὅτι αὐτοὶ