293

seeing, but they will meet with great courage, being adorned, being high-minded, being beautified, through all these things God showing His assistance on their behalf. For the sum of good things, and the crown of blessedness, is to be able henceforth to be adorned by the alliance of God. For this reason he also ended the discourse here, teaching everyone to seek that adornment before all other things, and to be gladdened by it. Let us therefore also emulate this, that we may obtain the eternal good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen. ON THE 127TH PSALM. Blessed are all they that fear the Lord. 1. See him beginning from here, where he left off. For just as there he blessed them for this reason, that they are not put to shame, for having God as their helper, and with them; so also here he begins from this, saying: Blessed are all they that fear the Lord. And again he makes the discourse universal, taking his beginning from those things. And he well said, All: whether one is a slave, or a master, or poor, or disabled in body, or whoever, none of these things prevents one from having this blessedness, which he himself declares. For the other kind, the false and fabricated one, and which many emulate, many things coming together scarcely produce it; and if not all things should concur, one would not become blessed among men; for example, what I mean is: if one is rich, this is not sufficient for him for blessedness, but health must also be present. For if he is rich, but maimed in body, the things of blessedness are lame for him, and he is more wretched than the poor. At any rate, many who are rich, and wrestling with disease, call blessed the poor who walk through the narrow streets, and consider themselves wretched with their countless talents. Again, if he is healthy in body, and is rich, but does not enjoy glory, there is another hindrance again. For there are some who possess much wealth, and have a sound body, but suffer incurable things from those who are in military service and are clothed with power. For by partaking of no honor they consider themselves more wretched than all, bowing down to those whose slaves they often have who are more prosperous. Again, if there is glory, and wealth, and health of body, but security is not present, with countless people plotting, envying, bewitching, hating, accusing, slandering, such a person will be more wretched than all, living the life of a hare, and suspecting shadows, and trembling and fearing all. But if he is rid of these things, and is loved by all, and everything flows smoothly for him, both glory, and wealth, and security, and honor—which is impossible to concur, but nevertheless let it be supposed for the sake of argument—if, therefore, all these things flow in, and there is nothing to interrupt, but also the goodwill of the people, and greatness of glory, and abundance of wealth, 55.366 and health of body, and all security, and invincibility concur for him, having often taken to himself a wicked and perverse wife, he becomes more wretched than all those who have none of those things. And if she too is a good woman, and it happens according to his mind and according to his judgment, it is necessary for such a one, having acquired wicked children, to be more wretched than all; or having acquired none at all, to weep and lament.

293

ὁρῶντες, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀπαντήσονται τῆς ἀνδρειότητος, καλλωπιζόμενοι, μέγα φρονοῦντες, κοσμούμενοι, διὰ πάντων τούτων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀντίληψιν ἐπιδεικνυμένου. Τὸ γὰρ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῆς μακαριότητος ἡ κορωνὶς, τὸ δύνασθαι λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίᾳ κοσμεῖσθαι. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον κατέλυσε, παιδεύων ἅπαντας πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐκεῖνον τὸν κόσμον ἐπιζητεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ φαιδρύνεσθαι. Τοῦτον τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ζηλώσωμεν, ἵνα τῶν αἰωνίων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΚΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Μακάριοι πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον. αʹ. Ὅρα αὐτὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἀρχόμενον, ἔνθα κατέληξεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐμακάρισεν, ὅτι οὐ καταισχύνονται, τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν βοηθὸν, καὶ μεθ' ἑαυτῶν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐντεῦθεν προοιμιάζεται, λέγων· Μακάριοι πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ πάλιν καθολικὸν ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, ἀπ' ἐκείνων λαβὼν τὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Πάντες· κἂν δοῦλός τις ᾖ, κἂν δεσπότης, κἂν πένης, κἂν τὸ σῶμα ἀνάπηρος, κἂν ὁστισοῦν, οὐδὲν τούτων κωλύει τὸ μακαρισμὸν τοῦτον ἔχειν, ὃν αὐτός φησι. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλον τὸν ψευδῆ καὶ πεπλασμένον, καὶ ὃν πολλοὶ ζηλοῦσι, πολλὰ συνελθόντα μόλις ποιεῖ· κἂν μὴ πάντα συνδράμῃ, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτό τις μακάριος παρ' ἀνθρώποις· οἷόν τι λέγω· ἐάν τις ᾖ πλούσιος, οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο αὐτῷ πρὸς μακαρισμὸν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ ὑγίειαν προσεῖναι. Κἂν γὰρ πλούσιος μὲν ᾖ, τὸ σῶμα δὲ πεπηρωμένος, χωλεύει τὰ τῆς μακαριότητος αὐτῷ, καὶ τῶν πενομένων ἐστὶν ἀθλιώτερος. Πολλοὶ γοῦν πλουτοῦντες, καὶ νόσῳ παλαίοντες, τοὺς διὰ τῶν στενωπῶν χωροῦντας πένητας μακαρίζουσι, καὶ ἀθλίους ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι νομίζουσι μετὰ τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων. Πάλιν ἂν ὑγιαίνῃ μὲν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ πλούσιος ᾖ, δόξης δὲ μὴ ἀπολαύῃ, ἕτερον κώλυμα πάλιν. Καὶ γάρ εἰσί τινες χρήματα μὲν κεκτημένοι πολλὰ, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀσινὲς ἔχοντες, τὰ δὲ ἀνήκεστα πάσχοντες ὑπὸ τῶν εἰς στρατείαν τελούντων, καὶ δυναστείαν περιβεβλημένων. Τῷ γὰρ μηδεμιᾶς μετέχειν τιμῆς καὶ ἀθλιωτέρους πάντων ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι νομίζουσιν, ὑποκύπτοντες, ὧν πολλάκις δούλους ἔχουσιν εὐπορωτέρους. Πάλιν ἂν δόξα μὲν ᾖ, καὶ πλοῦτος, καὶ ὑγίεια σώματος, ἀσφάλεια δὲ μὴ παρῇ, ἐπιβουλευόντων μυρίων, φθονούντων, βασκαινόντων, μισούντων, κατηγορούντων, συκοφαντούντων, πάντων ἀθλιώτερος ἔσται, λαγωοῦ βίον ζῶν ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ τὰς σκιὰς ὑποπτεύων, καὶ πάντας τρέμων καὶ δεδοικώς. Ἂν δὲ καὶ τούτων ἀπαλλαγῇ, φιλῆται δὲ παρὰ πάντων, καὶ κατὰ ῥοῦν αὐτῷ φέρηται πάντα, καὶ δόξα, καὶ πλοῦτος, καὶ ἀσφάλεια, καὶ τιμὴ ὅπερ ἀμήχανον συνδραμεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅμως κείσθω τῷ λόγῳ, κἂν ἅπαντα τοίνυν ταῦτα ἐπιῤῥέῃ, καὶ μηδὲν ᾖ τὸ διακόπτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὔνοια δήμου, καὶ δόξης μέγεθος, καὶ χρημάτων περιουσία, 55.366 καὶ σώματος ὑγίεια, καὶ ἀσφάλεια πᾶσα, καὶ τὸ ἀχείρωτον αὐτῷ συντρέχῃ, μοχθηρὰν πολλάκις συνοικίσας ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα, καὶ διεστραμμένην, ἀθλιώτερος πάντων τῶν οὐδὲν ἐκείνων ἐχόντων γίνεται. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ χρηστή τις ᾖ, καὶ κατὰ νοῦν αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ γνώμην συμβαίνῃ, παιδία κτησάμενον φαῦλα ἀθλιώτερον πάντων εἶναι ἀνάγκη τὸν τοιοῦτον· ἢ μηδ' ὅλως κτησάμενον θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι.