365

DISCOURSE 49.

On humility. Luke 14. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Romans 12. Do not set your minds on high things, but associate with the humble.

Proverbs 29. The Lord will raise up the humble-minded in glory.

Sirach 3. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, and you will find favor before the Lord; for great is the power of the Lord, and he will be glorified by the humble.

Of Basil. It is impossible for one who has not accepted (945) to be inferior and last of all, ever to be able, when reviled, to control his anger; or when afflicted, to overcome temptations through long-suffering.

An exercise in humility is occupation with the most menial matters, curing the passion of vainglory.

Of the Theologian. It is better for a wise man to yield out of forbearance, than for an ignorant one to overreach out of boldness.

Let us not have humility in dress only, but in the disposition of the soul; nor let a bowing of the neck, or a lowering of the voice, or a nod of the face, or a deep beard, or a manner of walking feign humility, things which are fashioned for a little while and quickly exposed. For whatever is feigned is not lasting; but let us be lofty in life, but humble in spirit; and unapproachable in virtue, but very accessible in company. For it is the work of a statesman to do and say all things from which he will win approval from outsiders; but of the spiritual man, as we are, to look to one thing only, salvation; and simplicity and the guileless and unresentful quality of character.

Chrysostom. Nothing is so dear to God, as to number oneself with the last.

Let no one think that the achievement of humility is acquired without labor and with ease. For the passion of pride is innate in almost everyone who partakes of human nature; therefore, of all virtuous practices, this is the most toilsome.

Clement. One ought to be humble-minded in proportion as he seems to be greater; for it is always good for the inferior to follow the superior in hope of improvement.

Of Nilus. Blessed is he who has a lofty life, but a humble mind.

From the Fathers. Associate with those who have humility, and you will learn their ways. For if the contemplation of these things is beneficial, how much more so the teaching of their mouths?

Isocrates. It is proper to yield to the law and the ruler, and to the wiser man.

(948) Socrates. In sailing, one must obey the pilot; but in living, one who is able to reason better.

365

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΜΘ´.

Περί ταπεινοφροσύνης. Λουκ. ιδ´. Πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτόν, ταπεινωθήσεται· καί ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτόν,

ὑψωθήσεται.

Ῥωμ. ιβ΄ . Μή τά ὑψηλά φρονοῦντες, ἀλλά τοῖς ταπεινοῖς συναπαγόμενοι.

Παροιμ. κθ´. Τούς ταπεινοφονοῦντας ἐγερεῖ δόξῃ Κύριος.

Σιράχ γ´. Ὅσον μέγας εἶ, τοσοῦτον ταπείνωσον σαυτόν, καί ἔναντι Κυρίου εὑρήσεις χάριν· ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ δύναμις Κυρίου, καί ὑπό τῶν ταπεινῶν δοξασθήσεται.

Βασιλείου. Ἀμήχανον τόν μή καταδεξάμενον (945) τό πρός πάντας ὑποδείς καί ἔσχατον, δυνηθῆναί ποτε, ἤ λοιδορούμενον, θυμοῦ κρατῆσαι· ἤ θλιβόμενον, διά μακροθυμίας περιγένεσθαι τῶν πειρασμῶν.

Γυμνάσιον ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐστίν ἡ ἐν τοῖς εὐτελελεστέροις πράγμασι διατριβή, τό πάθος τῆς φιλοδοξίας θεραπεύουσα.

Θεολόγου. Κρεῖσσον ὄντα σοφόν ὑφίεσθαι δι᾿ ἐπιείκειαν, ἤ ἀμαθῶς ἔχοντα διά θράσος ὑπερεκτείνεσθαι.

Μή ἐν ἐσθῆτι τό ταπεινόν ἔχωμεν μόνον, ἀλλά ἐν ψυχῆς καταστήματι· μηδέ θρύψις αὐχένος, ἤ φωνῆς ὕφεσις, ἤ προσώπου νεῦσις, ἤ βάθος ὑπήνης, ἤ βαδίσματος ἦθος τό ταπεινόν ὑποκρίνοιτο, τά πρός ὀλίγον τυπούμενα καί τάχιστα ἐλεγχόμενα. Πᾶν γάρ ὅ προσποιητόν, οὐδέ μόνιμον· ἀλλ᾿ ὧμεν ὑψηλοί μέν τῷ βίῳ, ταπεινοί δέ τῷ φρονήματι· καί τήν μέν ἀρετήν ἀπρόσιτοι, τήν συνουσίαν δέ καί λίαν εὐπρόσοδοι. Πολιτικοῦ μέν γάρ ἔργον εἶναι πάντα ποιεῖν καί λέγειν, ἐξ ὧν εὐδοκιμήσει παρά τῶν ἔξωθεν· τοῦ πνευματικοῦ δέ καί καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς, πρός ἕν μόνον βλέπειν, τήν σωτηρίαν· ἥ τε ἁπλότης καί τό τοῦ ἤθους ἄδολόν τε καί ἀμνησίκακον.

Χρυσοστ. Οὐδέν οὕτω τῷ Θεῷ φίλον, ὡς μετά τῶν ἐσχάτων ἑαυτόν ἀριθμῆσαι.

Μηδείς ἄπονον οἰέσθω καί μετά ῥᾳστώνης ἐκποριζόμενον τό τῆς ταπεινοφοσύνης κατόρθωμα. Ἐμπέφυκε γάρ τό κατά τήν ἔπαρσιν πάθος παντί σχεδόν τῷ κοινωνοῦντι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως· διό πάντων τῶν κατ' ἀρετήν ἐπιτηδευμένων τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐπιπονώτερον.

Κλήμεντ. Τοσοῦτόν τις μᾶλλον ὀφείλει ταπεινοφρονεῖν, ὅσον δοκεῖ μᾶλλον εἶναι· καλόν γάρ ἀεί τῷ κρείττονι τό χεῖρον ἀκολουθεῖν διά βελτιώσεως ἐλπίδα.

Νείλου. Μακάριος ὁ τόν βίον ὑψηλόν ἔχων, ταπεινόν δέ τό φρόνημα.

Ἐκ τῶν Πατέρων. Συναναστρέφου τοῖς ἔχουσι ταπείνωσιν, καί μαθήσει τούς τρόπους αὐτῶν. Εἰ γάρ ἡ θεωρία τῶν εἰρημένων ὠφέλιμος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ διδασκαλία τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν;

Ἰσοκράτ. Νόμῳ καί ἄρχοντι, καί τῷ σοφοτέρῳ εἴκειν κόσμιον.

(948) Σωκράτης. Ἐν μέν τῷ πλεῖν, πείθεσθαι δεῖ τῷ κυβερνήτῃ· ἐν δέ τῷ ζῇν, τῷ λογίζεσθαι δυναμένῳ βέλτιον.