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he calls on God's aid, so as to be delivered from such a plot. For the devil often insinuates himself in such things, and so strikes. Therefore, many from every side are the things that plot against us. For both a wicked man does this, and a fierce demon makes war, and an unbearable temptation troubles us. Wherefore also we are taught when we pray to say: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Varied are the battles, and manifold the battle arrays, and one must be prepared for everything. For just as 55.420 one who is about to set out upon the sea ought to foresee the rush of disorderly waters, and the assault of wild winds, and the collision of clouds, and submerged rocks and reefs, and the attack of beasts, and the battle-line of pirates, and hunger, and thirst, and the sea, and a harborless anchorage, and the quarrels of sailors, and a lack of provisions, and all such things, and be arrayed against all things; so indeed also he who has come into the strait of this present life would be right to be prepared against the passions of the body, and against diseases of the soul, and against the plots of men, and against the uprisings of enemies, and against the treacheries of insidious friends, and against poverty, and against torments, and against insolence, and against the phalanxes of demons, and against the madness of the devil, if indeed he is to meet the queenly city, and, filled with his cargo, to put into the harbor. Here then he calls him a wicked man; but when he speaks about the devil, simply "the wicked one." Why is that? Because he himself became the father of wickedness; for this reason he is also called wicked by eminence, and instead of his proper name the epithet has sufficed as a name on account of the excess of his malice, which was not innate, but was added to him. But if you wish also to learn whence the name of wickedness itself is spoken, from this too you will reap great things. For wickedness is so called, from bringing pain and toil upon the one who possesses it. Wherefore also a certain wise man, indicating this, says: If you become evil, you alone will drain the evils; but if good, for yourself and for your neighbors. And how, he says, does the wicked man alone drain the evils, even though he harms many, But no one of those who are not vain and slothful? And if you wish, leaving aside the wicked man, let us bring the wicked demon himself into the midst. Tell me, did he not pour out all his own malice? Did he harm Job at all? Did he not on the one hand make him even more illustrious, and on the other hand work a more grievous fall for himself? What about Cain? Did he not alone drain the evils? No, he says, but Abel also. How and in what way? Because he was quickly escorted into the waveless harbor. But this was the greatest kind of benefit, that he ended his life with a virtuous achievement, that he accomplished the common debt of nature. For indeed that which was common to others and came by necessity, this came to him with profit. To endure these things was not an evil, but to bind on a more brilliant crown. And how did his brothers harm Joseph? Did not they alone drain the evils? But he became a slave, you say. And what of that? And I say, that he was also a prisoner; but this is not the question, whether he became a slave and a prisoner, but whether he suffered any harm from this. For we find the contrary, that he even gained the greatest things, having acquired greater confidence before God, and having received his present prosperity through those very things that seemed to be contrary. Let us not then fear wicked men, but pity them. For then indeed they were rightly to be feared, since the high road that leads to philosophy had not yet been cut; 55.421 but now no longer, since the heavens are now open to us, and men have become angels. Since also a wild beast, falling with a great rush upon the point of a spear, seems to be defending itself against the one holding the spear, but it impales itself with a more grievous blow; and one who kicks against the goads, likewise makes his feet bloody.

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Θεοῦ καλεῖ ῥοπὴν, ὥστε τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἐπιβουλῆς. Τοῖς γὰρ τοιούτοις πολλάκις καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὑποδύεται, καὶ οὕτω βάλλει. Πολλὰ τοίνυν πανταχόθεν τὰ ἐπιβουλεύοντα. Καὶ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ δαίμων ἄγριος πολεμεῖ, καὶ πειρασμὸς ἀφόρητος ἐνοχλεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ διδασκόμεθα εὐχόμενοι λέγειν· Μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Ποικίλαι αἱ μάχαι, καὶ πολυσχιδεῖς αἱ παρατάξεις, καὶ δεῖ πρὸς ἅπαντα παρεσκευάσθαι. Καθάπερ γὰρ 55.420 ὁ μέλλων εἰς πέλαγος ἀφιέναι, καὶ ὑδάτων ἀτάκτων ῥύμην, καὶ πνευμάτων ἀγρίων ἐμβολὴν, καὶ νεφῶν συνδρομὴν, καὶ ὑφάλους πέτρας καὶ σπιλάδας, καὶ θηρίων ἐπανάστασιν, καὶ πειρατῶν παράταξιν, καὶ λιμὸν, καὶ δίψος, καὶ θάλατταν, καὶ ὅρμον ἀλίμενον, καὶ ναυτῶν φιλονεικίαν, καὶ ἐφοδίων σπάνιν, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα προορᾷν ὀφείλει, καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα παρατάττεσθαι· οὕτω δὴ καὶ εἰς τὸν εὔριπον τοῦ παρόντος ἐλθὼν βίου, καὶ πρὸς πάθη σώματος, καὶ πρὸς νοσήματα ψυχῆς, καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλὰς, καὶ πρὸς ἐχθρῶν ἐπαναστάσεις, καὶ πρὸς φίλων ὑπούλων δόλους, καὶ πρὸς πενίαν, καὶ πρὸς βασάνους, καὶ πρὸς ἐπήρειαν, καὶ πρὸς δαιμόνων φάλαγγας, καὶ πρὸς διαβόλου μανίαν παρεσκευάσθαι ἂν εἴη δίκαιος, εἴ γε μέλλοι πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα ἀπαντᾷν πόλιν, καὶ πεπληρωμένος τῶν φορτίων εἰς τὸν λιμένα καταίρειν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν πονηρὸν ἄνθρωπον καλεῖ· ὅταν δὲ περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου διαλέγηται, ἁπλῶς πονηρόν. Τί δή ποτε; Ὅτι αὐτὸς πατὴρ τῆς πονηρίας ἐγένετο· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ κατ' ἐξοχὴν λέγεται πονηρὸς, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κυρίου τὸ ἐπίθετον ἤρκεσεν ὄνομα διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς κακίας, οὐκ ἔμφυτον οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ προσγενομένην αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς πονηρίας τὸ ὄνομα μαθεῖν πόθεν εἴρηται, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μεγάλα καρπώσῃ. Πονηρία γὰρ εἴρηται, ἐκ τοῦ πόνον ἐπάγειν καὶ μόχθον αὐτῷ τῷ κεκτημένῳ. ∆ιὸ καί τις σοφὸς τοῦτο παραδηλῶν λέγει· Ἐὰν κακὸς γένῃ, μόνος ἀντλήσεις τὰ κακά· ἐὰν δὲ ἀγαθὸς, σαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς πλησίον. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶ, μόνος ἀντλεῖ τὰ κακὰ ὁ πονηρός, καίτοι γε πολλοὺς ἐπηρεάζει, Ἀλλ' οὐδένα τῶν μὴ χαύνων καὶ ῥᾳθύμων; Καὶ εἰ βούλει, τὸν πονηρὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀφέντες, αὐτὸν τὸν πονηρὸν δαίμονα εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, οὐχὶ πᾶσαν αὑτοῦ ἐξέχεε τὴν κακίαν; μή τι τὸν Ἰὼβ ἔβλαψεν; οὐχὶ ἐκεῖνον μὲν καὶ λαμπρότερον ἐποίησεν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ χαλεπώτερον τὸ πτῶμα εἰργάσατο; Τί δὲ Κάϊν; οὐχὶ μόνος ἤντλησε τὰ κακά; Οὐχὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἄβελ. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι ταχέως εἰς τὸν ἀκύμαντον παρεπέμφθη λιμένα. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μέγιστον εὐεργεσίας εἶδος ἦν, ὅτι μετὰ κατορθώματος κατέλυσεν, ὅτι τὸ κοινὸν τῆς φύσεως χρέος ἐπραγματεύσατο. Καὶ γὰρ ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἦν κοινὸν καὶ κατὰ ἀνάγκην παραγινόμενον, τοῦτο μετ' ἐμπορίας τούτῳ παρεγένετο. Ταῦτα οὐχὶ κακὸν ἦν ὑπομεῖναι, ἀλλὰ στέφανον ἀναδήσασθαι λαμπρότερον. Τί δὲ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἔβλαψαν οἱ ἀδελφοί; οὐκ αὐτοὶ μόνοι τὰ κακὰ ἤντλησαν; Ἀλλὰ δοῦλος ἐγένετο, φησί. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω, ὅτι καὶ δεσμώτης· ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον, εἰ δοῦλος γέγονε καὶ δεσμώτης, ἀλλ' εἰ βλάβην τινὰ ἐντεῦθεν ὑπέμεινε. Τοὐναντίον γὰρ εὑρίσκομεν, ὅτι καὶ ἐκέρδανε τὰ μέγιστα, πλείονα παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ παῤῥησίαν κτησάμενος, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν δοκούντων ἐναντίων εἶναι τὴν παροῦσαν εὐημερίαν λαβών. Μὴ δὴ φοβώμεθα πονηροὺς, ἀλλ' ἐλεῶμεν. Τότε μὲν γὰρ εἰκότως ἦσαν φοβεροὶ, ἅτε οὐδέπω τῆς ὑψηλῆς ὁδοῦ τετμημένης τῆς ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίαν ἀγούσης· 55.421 νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέτι, τῶν οὐρανῶν ἡμῖν λοιπὸν ἠνεῳγμένων, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀγγέλων γενομένων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ θηρίον μετὰ πολλῆς ἐμπῖπτον τῆς ῥύμης τῇ τοῦ δόρατος αἰχμῇ, δοκεῖ μὲν τὸν κατέχοντα τὸ δόρυ ἀμύνεσθαι, ἑαυτὸν δὲ περιπείρει χαλεπωτέρᾳ πληγῇ· καὶ ὁ πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζων, ὁμοίως τοὺς πόδας αἱμάττει.