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Proverbs 21. There is no wisdom for man, nor is there courage, nor is there counsel against the Lord. (745) A horse is prepared for the day of war; but help is from the Lord. Sirach 13. Do not associate with one stronger than you. What fellowship has a clay pot with a cauldron? The one will strike, and the other will be shattered. Ephesians 6. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, etc. Of Basil. He endured, therefore, not impassively nor insensibly. For what is the reward of insensibility? but indeed with toil and with myriad pains, yet he endured, like some noble combatant, demonstrating strength and courage, not only by striking his opponents, but also by bearing their blows stoutly; and like some wise and untroubled pilot, because of his great experience in sailing, keeping his soul upright and un-sunk and higher than any storm. Of the Theologian. Courage and audacity, though they are close in name, are very far separated from each other in meaning; and we say that they are manliness and unmanliness. For to be confident in what should be dared is courage, just as to yield is cowardice. But where the danger is greater, to advance to close quarters and to push on, but not be held back, is of audacity, just as to retreat is of safety. Chrysostom. One must neither refuse contests, nor leap into them. For in this way our victory is more glorious, and the defeat for the devil more ridiculous. For when dragged in, we must stand nobly; but when not called, we must be quiet and await the opportune moment, a quality of good men; so that we may display both freedom from vainglory and nobility. Socrates. Seeing the gates of the Corinthians securely closed, he said: Do women live here? Of Menander, Strength without sense delivers those who fall into it to the grave. Alexander the King. This man, when urged by his friends to attack the enemy by night, said: It is not kingly to steal the victory. And seeing someone with the same name as him being a coward, he said: Young man, either change your name or your ways. (748) And being urged by his friends to have children, he said: Do not worry; for I leave you children, the victories from my contests. Of the same. As he was going to war, Aristotle said: Wait for the fullness of age, and then wage war. But he said, I fear that while waiting for the fullness of age, I might lose the boldness of youth. A Laconian being reproached by someone because, being lame, he was going out to war, What of it? he said; there is no need of those who flee, but of those who stand and fight.

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Παροιμ. κα´. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπῳ σοφία, οὐδέ ἔστιν ἀνδρεία, οὐδέ ἔστι βουλή κατέναντι Κυρίου. (745) Ἵππος ἑτοιμάζεται εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμου· παρά δέ Κυρίου βοήθεια. Συράχ ιγ´. Ἰσχυροτέρῳ σου μή κοινώνει. Τί κοινωνήσει χύτρα πρός λέβητα; αὕτη προσκρούσει, καί αὕτη συντριβήσεται. Ἐφ. στ΄. Ἐνδύσασθε τήν πανοπλίαν Θεοῦ, πρός τό δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρός τάς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου, κ. τ. ἑ. Βασιλείου. Ὑπένεγκεν τοίνυν οὐκ ἀπαθῶς οὐδ᾿ ἀναισθήτως. Τίς γάρ μισθός ἀναλγησίας; ἀλλ᾿ ἐπιπόνως μέν καί σύν ἀλγηδόσι μυρίαις, πλήν ὑπένεγκε, ὥσπερ τις γενναῖος ἀγωνιστής, τήν ἰσχύν καί τήν ἀνδρείαν, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τοῦ τύπτειν τούς ἀντιπάλους, ἀλλά καί ἐκ τοῦ φέρειν στεῤῥῶς τάς παρ᾿αὐτῶν πληγάς ἐπιδεικνύμενος· καί ὥσπερ τις κυβερνήτης σοφός καί ἀτάραχος ὑπό τῆς ἄγαν περί τόν πλοῦν ἐμπειρίας, ὀρθήν καί ἀβάπτιστον καί παντός χειμῶνος ὑψηλοτέραν τήν ψυχήν διασώζων. Θεολόγου. Θάρσος καί θράσος, κἄν τοῖς ὀνόμασι πλησιάζει, πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων τῇ δυνάμει κεχώρισται· ἀνδρείαν τε εἶναί φαμεν καί ἀνανδρείαν. Τό μέν γάρ ἐν τοῖς τολμητέοις θαῤῥεῖν, ἀνδρείας ἐστίν, ὥσπερ τό ὑφίεσθαι, δειλίας. Οὗ δέ πλεῖον ὁ κίνδυνος, ὁμόσε χωρεῖν καί ὠθίζεσθαι, ἀλλά μή κατέχεσθαι, θράσεως, ὥσπερ τό ὑποχωρεῖν ἀσφαλείας. Χρυσοστ. Οὔτε παραιτεῖσθαι δεῖ τούς ἀγῶνας, οὔτε πρός τούτους ἐπιπηδᾷν. Οὕτω γάρ καί ἡμῖν ἡ νίκη λαμπροτέρα ἔστι, καί ἡ ἥττα τῷ διαβόλῳ καταγελαστοτέρα. Ἑλκυσθέντας μέν γάρ γενναίως ἑστάναι· μή καλουμένους δέ, ἡσυχάζειν καί τόν καιρόν ἀναμένειν, τῶν ἀγαθῶν· ἵνα καί τό ἀκενόδοξον, καί τό γενναῖον ἐπιδειξώμεθα. Σωκράτης. Θεασάμενος τάς τῶν Κορινθίων πόρτας ἐσχυρῶς κεκλεισμένα, ἔφη· Μή γυναῖκες ἐνθάδε κατοικοῦσιν; Μενάνδρου, Ἰσχύς νοῦν οὐκ ἔχουσα, τάφῳ τούς ἐμπίπτοντας παραδίδωσιν. Ἀλέξανδρ. ὁ βασιλεύς. Οὗτος παρακαλούμενος ὑπό τῶν φίλων νυκτός ἐπιθέσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, εἶπεν· Οὐ βασιλικόν ἐστι κλέπτειν τήν νίκην. Θεασάμενος δέ τινα ὁμώνυμον αὐτοῦ δειλόν ὄντα, ἔφη· Νεανίσκε, ἤ τό ὄνομα ἄλλαξον, ἤ τόν τρόπον. (748) Παρακαλούμενος δέ ὑπό τῶν φίλων τεκνοποιῆσαι, ἔφη· Μή ἀγωνιᾶτε· καταλείπω γάρ ὑμῖν τέκνα, τάς ἐκ τῶν ἀγώνων νίκας. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐνιόντος ἐπί τόν πόλεμος, Ἀριστοτέλης ἔφη· Περίμεινον τό τέλειον τῆς ἡλικίας, καί τότε πολέμει. Ὁ δέ, Φοβοῦμαι, εἶπε, μή περιμένων τό τέλειον τῆς ἡλικίας, τήν τῆς νεότητος τόλμαν ἀπολέσω. Λάκων ὀνειδιζόμενος ὑπό τινος, ὅτι χωλός ὤν ἔξεισιν ἐπί τόν πόλεμον, Τί τοῦτο; ἔφη· οὐ φευγόντων ἐστί χρεία, ἀλλά μενόντων καί ἀγωνιζομένων.