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Proverbs 17. Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, than a house of many good things with strife.
Sirach 25. In three things I was beautified and stood up beautiful before the Lord and men: the concord of brethren, and the peace of a neighbor, and a wife and husband behaving in harmony with each other.
Of Basil. How great is the good of peace, what need is there to say to men who are sons of peace? For nothing is so proper to a Christian as to make peace; because the Lord also promised us the greatest reward for it.
Of the Theologian. A praiseworthy war is better than a peace that separates from God.
Chrysostom. He who increases peace for all, has cast out the war of the passions, and has made his soul calmer than a harbor.
Of Nyssa. For just as when health takes hold disease disappears, and when light appears darkness does not remain; so too when peace appears, all the passions arising from the contrary are dissolved.
Demosthenes. Those who use war correctly must not follow events, but be ahead of events themselves.
A glorious war is more to be chosen than a shameful peace.
Herodotus. For no one is so foolish (or) whoever chooses war over peace. Of Menander. Peace nourishes a farmer well even among the rocks. But war, even if on a plain, is by nature evil. Aristophanes. O deep-plundering Peace and a pair of oxen! If only it were possible for me, having ceased from war, (908) to break off the vines after digging, and having bathed, to strain the new wine, bringing a rich loaf of bread and a radish. Euripides. For the many hands are a wise counsel; for it conquers; but with a crowd, ignorance is a greater evil.
DISCOURSE 38.
Concerning hope. Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor reap, nor
gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them.
Romans 8. Hope that is seen is not hope; for what someone sees, he does not hope for. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Solomon 16. The hope of an ungrateful man will melt like winter's frost, and will flow away like useless water.
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Παροιμ. ιζ´. Κρεῖσσον ψωμός μεθ᾿ ἡδονῆς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, ἤ οἶκος πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν μετά μάχης.
Σιρ. κε´. Ἐν τρισίν ὡραΐσθην καί ἀνέστην ὡραία ἐναντίον Κυρίου καί ἀνθρώπων· ὁμόνοια ἀδελφῶν, καί εἰρήνη τοῦ πλησίον, καί γυνή καί ἀνήρ ἑαυτοῖς συμπεριφερόμενοι.
Βασιλείου. Ὅσον ἐστί τό τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθόν, τί χρή λέγειν πρός ἄνδρας υἱούς τῆς εἰρήνης; Οὐδέν γάρ οὕτως ἴδιον Χριστιανοῦ, ὡς το εἰρηνοποιεῖν· διότι καί τόν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ μισθόν μέγιστον ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο.
Θεολόγου. Κρείσσων ἐπαινετός πόλεμος, εἰρήνης χωριζούσης Θεοῦ.
Χρυσοστ. Ὁ ἐπαυξάμενος εἰρήνην ἅπασι, τόν πόλεμον τῶν παθῶν ἐξέβαλε, καί λιμένος εὐδιωτέραν τήν ψυχήν κατεσκεύασεν.
Νύσσης. Ὥσπερ γάρ ὑγείας ἐπιλαβούσης νόσος ἐξαφανίζεται, καί φωτός φανέντος οὐχ ὑπολείπεται σκότος· οὕτως καί τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπιφανείσης, λύεται πάντα τά ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου συνιστάμενα πάθη.
∆ημοσθ. ∆εῖ τούς ὀρθῶς πολέμῳ χρωμένους, οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖν τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτούς ἔμπροσθεν εἶναι τῶν πραγμάτων.
Πόλεμος ἔνδοξος, εἰρήνης αἰσχρᾶς αἱρετώτερος.
Ἡροδότ. Οὐδείς γάρ οὕτως ἀνόητός ἐστιν (ἤ) ὅστις πόλεμον πρό εἰρήνης αἱρέεται. Μενάνδρου. Εἰρήνη γεωργόν κἀν πέτραις τρέφει καλῶς. Πόλεμος δέ, εἰ κἀν πεδίῳ, κακῶς ἔφυ. Ἀριστοφ. Εἰρήνη βαθύπλουτε καί ζευγάριον βοϊκόν! Εἰ γάρ ἐμοί παυσαμένῳ τοῦ πολέμου γένοιτο (908) Σκάψαντ᾿ ἀποκλᾶσαι, καί λουσαμένῳ διελκύσαι Τῆς τρυγός, ἄρτον λιπαρόν καί ῥάφανον φέροντι. Εὐριπίδ. Σοφόν γάρ εὐβούλευμα τάς πολλάς χέρας· Νικᾷ γάρ· σύν ὄχλῳ δ᾿ ἀμαθία πλέον κακόν.
ΛΟΓΟΣ ΛΗ´.
Περί ἐλπίδος. Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τά πετεινά τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν, οὐδέ θερίζουσιν, οὐδέ
συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας, καί ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά.
Ῥωμ. η´. Ἐλπίς βλεπομένη, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς· ὅ γάρ βλέπει τις, οὐκ ἐλπίζει. Εἰ δέ ὅ οὐ βλέπομεν, ἐλπίζομεν, δι᾿ ὑπομονῆς ἀπεκδεχόμεθα.
Σολ. ιστ´. Ἀχαρίστου ἐλπίς, ὡς χειμέριος πάχνη τακήσεται, καί ῥυήσεται ὡς ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον.