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a city, and the world. But if he could not govern a soul, how will he be able to govern the world? These things I have said, that we may not be terrified at rulers, that we may know what rule really is; for this is not rule, but a laughing-stock and slavery, and countless other things one might call it. Tell me, what is the mark of a ruler? Is it not to benefit and do good to those who are ruled? What then, if this does not happen? How will he who has not benefited himself benefit others? How will he who has countless tyrannies of passions in his soul cut off those of others? So also with luxury; this is not luxury, but another thing. For just as it was shown that not this one is a ruler, but another; so also he who lives in luxury is another kind of person. For it seems to be luxury, to enjoy pleasure and to feast; but this it is not, but the contrary, to have a wonderful soul and to be in a state of pleasure. For let there be someone eating, drinking, living wantonly, and then let him be anxious and despondent; can this man be in luxury? Therefore, eating and drinking is not luxury, but being in a state of pleasure. Let someone take dry bread, and be filled with cheerfulness; is this not pleasure? Therefore also luxury. Let us see then, to whom this comes, to the rich or to the not-rich? Neither simply to these, nor to those, but to those who so dispose their own soul, as to not have many causes for despondency. And what is this life? Perhaps someone will say; for I see all gaping and wishing to hear what this life is that has no despondency. Let it therefore first be confessed by you, that this is pleasure, this is luxury, when despondency does not trouble, and does not demand from me meat and wine and spices and silken garments and a multitude of dishes at table. But if I show such a life present apart from these things, love this pleasure, this life; for most of our sorrows come to us from not reasoning as we ought. Who then will be more grieved, he who cares for none of these things, or he who does care? He who fears reverses, or he who does not fear? He who fears the evil eye, envy, slanders, plots, ruin, or he who is outside of these things? He who is in need of more things, or he who needs nothing? He who serves countless masters, or he who serves none? He who has need of countless things, or he who is free? He who fears one master, or countless masters? Therefore the pleasure is greater here. Let us therefore pursue this, and not be terrified about present things; but let us laugh at all the illusion of this life, and be moderate in all things, that we may be able to lead this life without grief, and to attain to the good things that have been promised, 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.
60.367 HOMILY 53. And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: and when they were gone aside, they spoke one to another, saying, This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. 1. See how again they give their verdict for him; and after saying, You are mad,
they acquit him, not of death only, but also of bonds; and they would have completely released him, if he had not appealed to Caesar. But this happened by a wise providence; and not only this, but also his going away with bonds. For this reason he said: even unto bonds, as an evil-doer. For if his Lord was numbered with the transgressors, much more this man; but just as He did not share in their reputation, so neither did this man. For the wonderful thing appears then, when what is mingled with these things is in no way harmed by them. And when it was determined that we should sail
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δὲ πόλιν, καὶ οἰκουμένην. Εἰ δὲ ψυχὴν οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο, πῶς οἰκουμένην δυνήσεται; Ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται, ἵνα μὴ ὦμεν ἐπτοημένοι πρὸς ἀρχὰς, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν, τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἀρχή· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἀρχὴ, ἀλλὰ κατάγελως καὶ δουλεία, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ἄν τις καλέσειεν. Εἰπέ μοι, τί ἐστιν ἄρχοντος ἴδιον; ἆρα οὐχὶ τὸ ὠφελεῖν τοὺς ἀρχομένους καὶ εὐεργετεῖν; Τί οὖν, ἂν τοῦτο μὴ γένηται; πῶς ἑτέρους ὠφελήσει ὁ ἑαυτὸν μὴ ὠφελήσας; ὁ μυρίας ἔχων τυραννίδας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν παθῶν, πῶς τὰς ἑτέρων ἐκκόψει; Οὕτω καὶ τρυφή· οὐχ αὕτη ἐστὶ τρυφὴ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄρχων ἐδείχθη οὐχ οὗτος, ἀλλ' ἕτερος· οὕτω καὶ ὁ τρυφῶν ἕτερός ἐστι. ∆οκεῖ μὲν γὰρ εἶναι τρυφὴ, τὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύειν καὶ γαστρίζεσθαι· οὐκ ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, τὸ ψυχὴν ἔχειν θαυμαστὴν καὶ ἐν ἡδονῇ εἶναι. Ἔστω γάρ τις ἐσθίων, πίνων, σπαταλῶν, ἔπειτα φροντιζέτω καὶ ἀθυμείτω· μὴ δύναται οὗτος εἶναι ἐν τρυφῇ; Οὐκ ἄρα τὸ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν τρυφὴ, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἡδονῇ εἶναι. Ἔστω τις ξηρὸν λαμβάνων ἄρτον, καὶ ἐμπιπλάσθω μετ' εὐφροσύνης· ἆρα τοῦτο ἡδονή; Οὐκοῦν καὶ τρυφή. Ἴδωμεν οὖν, τίνι παραγίνεται αὕτη, τοῖς πλουτοῦσιν ἢ τοῖς μὴ πλουτοῦσιν; Οὔτε τούτοις ἁπλῶς, οὔτε ἐκείνοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς οὕτω κατασκευάζουσι τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἑαυτῶν, ὥστε μὴ πολλὰς ἔχειν ἀθυμιῶν ὑποθέσεις. Καὶ ποῖός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βίος; ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· ὁρῶ γὰρ κεχηνότας ἅπαντας καὶ βουλομένους ἀκοῦσαι, τίς ἐστιν ὁ βίος οὗτος ὁ μὴ ἔχων ἀθυμίας. Οὐκοῦν ὁμολογείσθω παρ' ὑμῶν πρῶτον, ὅτι τοῦτο ἡδονὴ, τοῦτο τρυφὴ, ὅταν ἀθυμία μὴ ἐνοχλῇ, καὶ μὴ ἀπαιτῇ παρ' ἐμοῦ κρέα καὶ οἶνον καὶ καρυκεύματα καὶ ἱμάτια σηρικὰ καὶ πλῆθος τραπέζης. Ἀλλ' ἂν δείξω τούτων χωρὶς παρόντα τὸν βίον τὸν τοιοῦτον, ταύτην τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀγάπησον, τοῦτον τὸν βίον· τὰ γὰρ πολλὰ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ λογίζεσθαι δεόντως παραγίνεται ἡμῖν τῶν λυπηρῶν. Τίς οὖν πλείονα λυπηθήσεται, ὁ μηδενὸς αὐτῶν φροντίζων, ἢ ὁ φροντίζων; ὁ φοβούμενος τὰς μεταβολὰς, ἢ ὁ μὴ φοβούμενος; ὁ βασκανίαν, ὁ φθόνον, ὁ συκοφαντίας, ὁ ἐπιβουλὰς, ὁ ἀπώλειαν δεδοικὼς, ἢ ὁ τούτων ἐκτός; ὁ πλειόνων δεόμενος, ἢ ὁ μηδενός; ὁ μυρίοις δουλεύων, ἢ ὁ μηδενί; ὁ μυρίων χρείαν ἔχων, ἢ ὁ ἐλεύθερος; ὁ ἕνα δεσπότην δεδοικὼς, ἢ ὁ μυρίους; Οὐκοῦν μείζων ἡ ἡδονὴ ἐνταῦθα. Ταύτην τοίνυν διώκωμεν, καὶ μὴ περὶ τὰ παρόντα ὦμεν ἐπτοημένοι· ἀλλὰ καταγελῶμεν πάσης τῆς τοῦ βίου φαντασίας, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς συμμετρίας ὦμεν, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ἄλυπον τὸν βίον τοῦτον διαγαγεῖν, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, 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.
60.367 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΝΓʹ. Ἀνέστη δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁ ἡγεμὼν, ἥ τε Βερνίκη, καὶ οἱ συγκαθήμενοι αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἀναχωρήσαν τες ἐλάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, λέγοντες, ὅτι Οὐδὲν θανάτου ἄξιον ἢ δεσμῶν πράσσει ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος. Ἀγρίππας δὲ τῷ Φήστῳ ἔφη· Ἀπολελύσθαι ἐδύνατο ὁ
ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, εἰ μὴ ἐπεκέκλητο Καίσαρα. αʹ. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ πάλιν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ψηφίζονται· καὶ μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, Μαίνῃ,
ἀφιᾶσιν αὐτὸν, οὐ τοῦ θανάτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δεσμῶν· καὶ τέλεον ἂν ἀφῆκαν, εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα ἐπεκέκλητο. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οἰκονομικῶς γέγονεν· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μετὰ δεσμῶν ἀπελθεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε· Μέχρι δεσμῶν ὡς κακοῦργος. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἀνόμων ἐλογίσθη, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὗτος· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἐκοινώνησε τῆς δόξης, οὕτως οὐδὲ οὗτος. Τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν τότε φαίνεται, τὸ ἀναμεμιγμένον τούτοις μηδὲν παρ' αὐτῶν βλάπτεσθαι. Ὡς δὲ ἐκρίθη τοῦ ἀποπλεῖν