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we approach Him whom the Seraphim, having seen, averted their faces, not bearing the brightness; whom the earth, seeing, trembles. We approach God, who dwells in unapproachable light. And we approach for deliverance from Gehenna, for forgiveness of sins, for release from those unbearable punishments for us, for attaining to heaven and the good things there. 2. Let us fall down, therefore, both in body and in mind, that He Himself may raise us up as we lie prostrate; let us speak with forbearance and all gentleness. And who is so wretched, he says, and miserable, as not to be forbearing in prayer? He who prays with a curse, and fills himself with anger, and cries out against his enemies. For if you wish to accuse, accuse yourself. If you wish to sharpen and whet your tongue, do so against your own sins. And do not say what evil another has done to you, but what you have done to yourself; for this is the greatest evil. For no other will be able to wrong you, unless you wrong yourself. So if you wish to act against those who do wrong, proceed first against yourself; no one prevents you; but if you proceed against another, you depart having been wronged more greatly. And what wrong, after all, can you speak of? That so-and-so insulted you, and robbed you, and encompassed you with dangers? But this is not to be wronged, but rather, if we are sober, to be benefited in the greatest ways. For the one who is wronged is the one who did such things, not the one who suffered them. And this is the greatest cause of all evils, that we do not even know who is the one being wronged, and who is the one doing wrong. For if we knew this well, we would never have wronged ourselves, nor would we have prayed against another, having learned that it is impossible to suffer evil from another. For not being robbed, but robbing is evil. So if you have robbed, accuse yourself; but if you have been robbed, pray also for the one who robbed you, because he has benefited you in the greatest ways. For even if 58.518 such was not the intention of the one who did it, you were benefited in the greatest ways, if you bear it nobly. For both human and divine laws deem him wretched; but you, the one wronged, they both crown and proclaim. For if someone with a fever snatched from someone a vessel containing water, and was sated with the harmful desire, we would not say that the one who was robbed was wronged, but the one who snatched it; for he increased the fever, and made the illness more severe. Consider this, therefore, also in the case of the lover of money and the avaricious man. For he too, having a much more severe fever than that one, through this robbery has kindled his own flame. And if a madman, snatching a sword from anyone, killed himself with it, who was wronged again? The one from whom it was snatched, or the one who snatched it? It is clear that it was the one who snatched it. Therefore, let us judge this same thing also in the case of the robbery of money. For what a sword is to a madman, wealth is to an avaricious man; or rather, it is even more severe. For the madman, having taken the sword and thrust it through himself, was both freed from his madness, and receives no second blow; but the avaricious man receives countless wounds more severe than that one every day, not freeing himself from the madness, but intensifying it more; and the more wounds he receives, the more he provides occasion for other, more severe blows. Considering these things, therefore, let us flee this sword, let us flee this madness, even if we come to our senses late. For this virtue too must be called self-control, no less than that which is commonly considered so by all. For in that case, the struggle is against the tyranny of one desire; but here, one must overcome many and various desires. For there is nothing, nothing more foolish than a slave of money. He seems to rule, while being ruled; he seems to be a master, while being a slave; and placing bonds upon himself, he rejoices; making the beast more fierce, he is delighted; and becoming a captive, he exults and leaps for joy; and seeing a rabid dog leaping upon his soul, when he ought to bind it and waste it with hunger, he instead provides it with abundant food, so that it may leap more fiercely and be more fearsome. Considering all these things, therefore, let us loose the bonds, let us destroy the beast, let us drive away the disease, let us cast out this madness, that we may enjoy tranquility

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πρόσιμεν, ὃν τὰ Σεραφὶμ ἰδόντα τὰς ὄψεις ἀπέστρεψεν, οὐ φέροντα τὴν λαμπηδόνα· ὃν ἡ γῆ βλέπουσα τρέμει. Θεῷ πρόσιμεν, τῷ φῶς οἰκοῦντι ἀπρόσιτον. Καὶ πρόσιμεν ὑπὲρ γεέννης ἀπαλλαγῆς, ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως, ὑπὲρ τοῦ λυθῆναι τὰς ἀφορήτους ἡμῖν τιμωρίας ἐκείνας, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν οὐρανῶν τυχεῖν καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐκεῖ. ʹ. Προσπέσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἵνα αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναστήσῃ κειμένους· μετὰ ἐπιεικείας διαλεχθῶμεν καὶ πραότητος ἁπάσης. Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος, φησὶ, καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς ἐν εὐχῇ μὴ γενέσθαι ἐπιεικής; Ὁ μετὰ ἀρᾶς εὐχόμενος, καὶ θυμοῦ πληρῶν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καταβοῶν. Εἰ γὰρ βούλει κατηγορεῖν, σαυτοῦ κατηγόρει. Εἰ βούλει τὴν γλῶτταν ἀκονᾷν καὶ θήγειν, κατὰ τῶν σῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Καὶ μὴ τί ἕτερός σε εἰργάσατο κακὸν εἴπῃς, ἀλλὰ τί σὺ σαυτὸν εἰργάσω· τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστά ἐστι κακόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕτερός σέ τις ἀδικῆσαι δυνήσεται, ἂν μὴ σὺ σαυτὸν ἀδικῇς. Ὥστε εἰ κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων γενέσθαι βούλει, κατὰ σαυτοῦ πρόσελθε πρῶτον· οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων· ὡς ἂν κατὰ ἑτέρου προσέλθῃς, μείζονα ἀδικηθεὶς ἀπῆλθες. Τίνα δὲ ὅλως καὶ ἀδικίαν ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; Ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα ὕβρισε, καὶ ἥρπασε, καὶ κινδύνοις περιέβαλεν; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἠδικῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐὰν νήφωμεν, καὶ ὠφελεῖσθαι τὰ μέγιστα. Ὁ γὰρ ἠδικημένος ὁ τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιήσας ἐστὶν, οὐχ ὁ παθών. Καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἴσμεν τίς ποτέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀδικούμενος, καὶ τίς ὁ ἀδικῶν. Ὡς εἰ τοῦτο ᾔδειμεν καλῶς, οὐκ ἂν ἑαυτούς ποτε ἠδικήσαμεν, οὐκ ἂν καθ' ἑτέρου ηὐξάμεθα, μαθόντες ὅτι παρ' ἑτέρου ἀδύνατον παθεῖν κακῶς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ ἁρπάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἁρπάζειν κακόν. Ὥστε εἰ μὲν ἥρπασας, κατηγόρει σαυτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἡρπάγης, καὶ εὔχου ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἡρπακότος, ὅτι σε τὰ μέγιστα ὤνησεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τοιαύτη 58.518 ἡ γνώμη τοῦ πεποιηκότος, ἀλλὰ σὺ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελήθης, ἂν γενναίως ἐνέγκῃς. Ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ οἱ θεῖοι ταλανίζουσι νόμοι· σὲ δὲ τὸν ἠδικημένον καὶ στεφανοῦσι καὶ ἀνακηρύττουσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ πυρέττων τις ἥρπασε παρά τινος ἀγγεῖον ὕδωρ ἔχον, καὶ ἐνεφορήθη τῆς βλαβερᾶς ἐπιθυμίας, τὸν ἁρπαγέντα εἴποιμεν ἂν ἠδικῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἁρπάσαντα· τὸν γὰρ πυρετὸν ηὔξησε, καὶ τὴν νόσον χαλεπωτέραν ἐποίησε. Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ φιλοχρημάτου καὶ φιλαργύρου λογίζου. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος πυρέττων πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον ἐκείνου, διὰ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς ταύτης τὴν φλόγα ἀνῆψε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ ξίφος δὲ εἴ τις μαινόμενος ἁρπάσας παρ' ὁτουοῦν ἑαυτὸν διεχειρίσατο, τίς ἦν ὁ ἠδικημένος πάλιν; ὁ ἁρπαγεὶς, ἢ ὁ ἁρπάσας; Εὔδηλον ὅτι ὁ ἁρπάσας. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων ἁρπαγῆς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ψηφιζώμεθα. Ὅπερ γὰρ μαινομένῳ ξίφος, τοῦτο καὶ φιλαργύρῳ πλοῦτος· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ χαλεπώτερον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μαινόμενος, τὸ ξίφος λαβὼν καὶ ὠθήσας δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τῆς τε μανίας ἀπηλλάγη, καὶ οὐκέτι δευτέραν λαμβάνει πληγήν· ὁ δὲ φιλάργυρος μυρία χαλεπώτερα ἐκείνου τραύματα καθ' ἑκάστην δέχεται τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἀπαλλάττων τῆς μανίας ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτείνων μειζόνως· καὶ ὅσῳπερ ἂν λάβῃ πλείονα τραύματα, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὑπόθεσιν ἑτέραις παρέχει πληγαῖς χαλεπωτέραις. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοοῦντες, φύγωμεν τουτὶ τὸ ξίφος, φύγωμεν τὴν μανίαν, κἂν ὀψέ ποτε σωφρονήσωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἀρετὴν σωφροσύνην δεῖ καλεῖν, οὐχ ἧττον ἐκείνης τῆς παρὰ πᾶσι νενομισμένης. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς μίαν ἐπιθυμίας τυραννίδα ἡ πάλη γίνεται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολλῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν περιγίνεσθαι δεῖ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν ἀφρονέστερον τοῦ χρημάτων δούλου. ∆οκεῖ κρατεῖν, κρατούμενος· δοκεῖ κύριος εἶναι, δοῦλος ὤν· καὶ δεσμὰ περιτιθεὶς ἑαυτῷ, χαίρει· χαλεπώτερον τὸ θηρίον ἐργαζόμενος, εὐφραίνεται· καὶ αἰχμάλωτος γινόμενος, ἀγάλλεται καὶ πηδᾷ· καὶ ὁρῶν κύνα λυττῶντα καὶ ἐφαλλόμενον αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ, δῆσαι δέον καὶ λιμῷ τῆξαι, ὁ δὲ καὶ ἄφθονον αὐτῷ παρέχει τροφὴν, ἵνα μειζόνως ἐφάλληται καὶ φοβερώτερος ᾖ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες, λύσωμεν τὰ δεσμὰ, ἀνέλωμεν τὸ θηρίον, ἀπελάσωμεν τὴν νόσον, ἐκβάλωμεν τὴν μανίαν ταύτην, ἵνα γαλήνης ἀπολαύσωμεν