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are a healthful diet. So great an evil is luxury, that even in irrational creatures it displays its ruin. For even them, when living in luxury, we make useless both to themselves and to us. For indeed the excretions are undigested, and a more watery decay comes from that fat. But those not so fed, but, as one might say, living in fasting, and in a moderate diet, and toiling and enduring hardship, these are most useful both to themselves and to others, both for food and for all other things. So then those who eat the former are healthier; but those who are fed by the latter are like them, becoming sluggish and sickly, and making the bond more difficult. For nothing is so hostile and harmful to the body as luxury; nothing so breaks it apart and buries it and corrupts it as debauchery. Wherefore especially 57.471 one might be astonished from this at their folly, because these men do not wish to display for themselves even as much care as others have for wineskins. For the wine-sellers do not allow those to receive more than is needful, so that they do not burst; but these men do not deem their wretched stomach worthy even of this forethought; but when they have filled it and burst it, up to the ears, up to the nostrils, up to the throat itself they fill everything, preparing from this a double distress for the breath and for the power that governs the living being. For surely the throat was not made for you for this, that you might fill it up to the mouth with putrefied wine and the other corruption? Not for this, O man, but that you might chiefly sing to God, and send up the holy prayers, and read the divine laws, and give profitable counsel to your neighbors. But you, as if having received it for this purpose, do not allow it even a little time to be at leisure for that ministry, but for your whole life you subject it to this wicked slavery. And just as if someone, having taken a lyre with golden strings and well-tuned, instead of striking up on it the all-harmonious melody, were to bury it with much dung and mud; so also do these men do. But by dung I did not mean the food, but the luxury, and that great licentiousness. For what is more than needful is not nourishment, but only ruin. For the stomach was made only for the reception of food; 57.472 but the mouth, and throat, and tongue, also for other things much more necessary than these; or rather, not even the stomach for the reception of food simply, but for the reception of moderate food. And this it makes clear, crying out against us ten thousand times, when we abuse it through this gluttony; and it not only cries out, but also, avenging the injustice, it exacts from us the ultimate penalty. And first it punishes the feet, which carry and lead us away to those wicked feasts, then binding the hands which minister to it, because they brought so many and such kinds of dishes; and many have distorted even the mouth itself, and eyes and head. And just as a servant, when he is ordered something beyond his strength, in desperation often insults the one who gave the order; so also it, being violated, along with these members, often destroys and corrupts the brain itself. And this God has well ordered, that from excess so much harm should arise, so that when you do not willingly practice self-control, at least unwillingly through the fear of so great corruption you may learn to be moderate. Knowing these things, therefore, let us flee luxury, let us practice moderation, so that we may both enjoy the health of the body, and, having freed the soul from all sickness, we may attain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 58.471 OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY EVANGELIST MATTHEW. HOMILY 45. And the disciples came and said to him: Why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered and said to them: Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to them

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ὑγιεινήν εἰσι δίαιταν. Τοσοῦτον κακὸν ἡ τρυφὴ, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἀλόγοις τὴν λύμην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνας τρυφώσας καὶ ἑαυταῖς καὶ ἡμῖν ἀχρήστους ποιοῦμεν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ περιττώματα ἀκατέργαστα, καὶ ἡ ὑγροτέρα σῆψις ἀπὸ τῆς πιμελῆς ἐκείνης γίνεται. Τὰ δὲ οὐχ οὕτω τρεφόμενα, ἀλλ', ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐν νηστείᾳ διάγοντα, καὶ συμμέτρῳ διαίτῃ, καὶ πονοῦντα καὶ ταλαιπωρούμενα, ταῦτα καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἄλλοις χρησιμώτατα, καὶ πρὸς τροφὴν καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα. Οἱ γοῦν ἐκεῖνα σιτούμενοι μᾶλλον ὑγιαίνουσιν· οἱ δὲ τούτοις τρεφόμενοι, αὐτοῖς ἐοίκασι, νωθροὶ καὶ ἐπίνοσοι γινόμενοι, καὶ τὸν δεσμὸν χαλεπώτερον ἐργαζόμενοι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω σώματι πολέμιον καὶ βλαβερὸν, ὡς ἡ τρυφή· οὐδὲν οὕτω διαῤῥήγνυσι καὶ καταχώννυσιν αὐτὴν καὶ διαφθείρει, ὡς ἀσωτία. ∆ιὸ μάλιστα ἄν τις 57.471 κἀντεῦθεν ἐκπλαγείη τῆς ἀνοίας αὐτοὺς, ὅτι οὐδὲ ὅσην ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσκῶν ἔχουσιν ἕτεροι τὴν φειδὼ, τοσαύτην ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν θέλουσιν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι οὗτοι. Ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ οἱ τῶν οἴνων πρᾶται οὐκ ἐῶσι πλέον τοῦ δέοντος λαβεῖν, ὥστε μὴ διαῤῥαγῆναι· τὴν δὲ ἀθλίαν οὗτοι γαστέρα οὐδὲ ταύτης ἀξιοῦσι τῆς προνοίας· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν αὐτὴν ἐμπλήσωσι καὶ διαῤῥήξωσι, μέχρι τῶν ὤτων, μέχρι τῶν ῥινῶν, μέχρι τῆς φάρυγγος αὐτῆς πληροῦσιν ἅπαντα, διπλῆν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ πνεύματι καὶ τῇ τὸ ζῶον οἰκονομούσῃ δυνάμει κατασκευάζοντες τὴν στενοχωρίαν. Μὴ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτό σοι γέγονε φάρυγξ, ἵνα μέχρι τοῦ στόματος ἄνω σεσηπότος οἴνου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀποπληρώσης αὐτὸν διαφθορᾶς; Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο, ἄνθρωπε, ἀλλ' ἵνα προηγουμένως ᾄδῃς τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς ἀναπέμπῃς εὐχὰς, καὶ τοὺς θείους ἀναγινώσκῃς νόμους, καὶ τοῖς πλησίον τὰ συμφέροντα συμβουλεύῃς. Σὺ δὲ ὥσπερ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴν λαβὼν, ἐκείνῃ μὲν οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἐᾷς καιρὸν σχολάζειν τῇ λειτουργίᾳ, πάντα δὲ τὸν βίον τῇ πονηρᾷ ταύτῃ αὐτὴν ὑποτάττεις δουλείᾳ. Καὶ ὥσπερ εἴ τις κιθάραν λαβὼν, χρυσᾶς νευρὰς ἔχουσαν, καὶ ἡρμοσμένην καλῶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ τὴν παναρμόνιον μελῳδίαν εἰς αὐτὴν ἀνακρούεσθαι, κόπρῳ πολλῇ καταχώσειε καὶ πηλῷ· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ποιοῦσι. Κόπρον δὲ οὐ τὴν τροφὴν ἐκάλεσα, ἀλλὰ τὴν τρυφὴν, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην ἀσέλγειαν. Τὸ γὰρ πλέον τοῦ δέοντος οὐκ ἔστι τροφὴ, ἀλλὰ λύμη μόνον. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ γαστὴρ μόνη διὰ τὴν τῶν σι 57.472 τίων μόνον γέγονεν ὑποδοχήν· στόμα δὲ, καὶ φάρυγξ, καὶ γλῶττα, καὶ δι' ἕτερα ἀναγκαιότερα τούτων πολλῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ γαστὴρ διὰ σιτίων ὑποδοχὴν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ διὰ σιτίων ὑποδοχὴν συμμέτρων. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ, καταβοῶσα ἡμῶν μυρία, ὅταν ἐπηρεάσωμεν αὐτὴν διὰ τῆς πλεονεξίας ταύτης· οὐ καταβοᾷ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀμυνομένη τῆς ἀδικίας τὴν ἐσχάτην ἡμᾶς ἀπαιτεῖ δίκην. Καὶ πρῶτον τοὺς πόδας τιμωρεῖται, τοὺς βαστάζοντας καὶ ἀπάγοντας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκεῖνα συμπόσια, ἔπειτα τὰς χεῖρας τὰς διακονουμένας αὐτῇ συνδέουσα, ἀνθ' ὧν τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα προσῆγον ἐδέσματα· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ στόμα διέστρεψαν, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ κεφαλήν. Καὶ καθάπερ οἰκέτης, ὅταν ἐπιταγῇ τι τὴν δύναμιν ὑπερβαῖνον, ἀπονοηθεὶς ὑβρίζει εἰς τὸν ἐπιτάξαντα πολλάκις· οὕτω καὶ αὕτη μετὰ τῶν μελῶν τούτων καὶ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον πολλάκις αὐτὸν βιασθεῖσα ἀπόλλυσι καὶ διαφθείρει. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς ᾠκονόμησε καλῶς, ἐκ τῆς ἀμετρίας τοσαύτην γίνεσθαι βλάβην, ἵν' ὅταν ἑκὼν μὴ φιλοσοφῇς, κἂν ἄκων διὰ τὸν φόβον τῆς τοσαύτης διαφθορᾶς μετριάζειν μάθῃς. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, φεύγωμεν τρυφὴν, ἐπιμελώμεθα συμμετρίας, ἵνα καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ὑγείας ἀπολαύσωμεν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν πάσης ἀπαλλάξαντες ἀῤῥωστίας, τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 58.471 ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟΝ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΤΗΝ. ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΜΕʹ. Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· ∆ιατί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς; Ὁ δὲ ἀπο κριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ὅτι ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐκείνοις