371

Basil. Do you not see how great hypocrisy is? and this is the fruit of envy. For duplicity of character comes to men mostly from envy.

Why do you groan, envious one? your own evil, or another's good?

For no passion more destructive than envy is implanted in the souls of men.

For just as rust consumes iron, so envy consumes the soul that has it.

Dogs, when fed, are tamed, and lions become docile when cared for; but the envious become more savage with kindness.

It is the custom of Scripture in many places to rank envy with murder.

Just as blight is a disease peculiar to wheat, so envy is a sickness of friendship.

The demons who hate what is good, whenever they find dispositions akin to their own, make use of them in every way (960) for their own purpose, so as to use even the eyes of the envious in service to their own will.

Just as freedom from envy accompanies the good, so envy follows the devil.

And just as vultures are drawn to foul smells, flying over many meadows and many pleasant and fragrant places; and flies pass by what is healthy, but hasten to a sore; so the envious do not even look upon the splendors of life and the greatness of achievements, but attack what is corrupt.

Theol. Do not envy the one who succeeds, as one who was envied, and persuaded to be envied, and on account of this was cast down.

Would that envy might perish from among men, the consumption of those who have it, the poison of those who suffer from it; the only one of the passions at once most unjust and most just; unjust, because it vexes all good things, and just, because it harms those who have it.

Chrysost. O envy, root of death, the intricate disease, O sharpest nail of the heart! For what sharpest nail so pricks, as envy wounds the heart that has it?

The demon envies, but he envies men; he envies no demon. But you, being a man, envy men; and what pardon will you obtain?

Greg. Nyss. For envy, misfortune is not one's own evil, but another's good; and again, achievement is not one's own good, but the neighbor's evil.

They say that carrion vultures are destroyed by perfume. For their nature is accustomed to what is foul-smelling and corrupt. And he who is overcome by this disease, is destroyed by the prosperity of his friends, as if by an assault of perfume. But if he should see any suffering from misfortunes, he swoops down upon it, and brings his crooked beak, dragging out the hidden things of the misfortune.

Philo. Good things, even if they are overshadowed by envy for a short time, being released at the proper time, shine forth again.

371

Βασιλ. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἡλίκον ἐστίν ἡ ὑπόκρισις; καί αὕτη καρπός ἐστι τοῦ φθόνου. Τό γάρ διπλοῦν τοῦ ἤθους, ἐκ φθόνου μάλιστα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γίνεται.

Τί στενάζεις, φθονερέ; τό ἴδιον κακόν, ἤ τό ἀλλότριον ἀγαθόν;

Φθόνου γάρ πάθος οὐδέν ὀλεθριώτερον ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἐμφύεται.

Ὥσπερ γάρ ἰός τόν σίδηρον, οὕτως ὁ φθόνος τήν ἔχουσαν αὐτόν ψυχήν ἐξαναλίσκει.

Οἱ κύνες τρεφόμενοι ἡμεροῦνται, καί οἱ λέοντες χειροήθεις θεραπευόμενοι γίνονται· οἱ δέ βάσκανοι ταῖς θεραπείαις πλέον ἐξαγριαίνονται.

Ἔθος τῇ Γραφῆ πολλαχοῦ μετά τοῦ φόνου τάσσειν τόν φθόνον.

Ὥσπερ ἡ ἐρυσίβη ἴδιόν ἐστι τοῦ σίτου νόσημα· οὕτως ὁ φθόνος φιλίας ἐστίν ἀῤῥώστημα.

Οἱ μισόκαλοι δαίμονες, ἐπειδάν οἰκείας ἑαυτοῖς εὕρωσι προαιρέσεις, παντοίως αὐταῖς ἀποκέχρηνται (960) πρός τό ἴδιον βούλημα, ὥστε καί τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν βασκάνων εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν χρήσασθαι τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος.

Ὥσπερ ἕπεται τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἡ ἀφθονία, οὕτως ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ διαβόλῳ ἡ βασκανία.

Ὥσπερ δέ αἱ γῦπες πρός τά δυσώδη φέρονται, πολλούς μέν λειμῶνας, πολλούς δέ ἡδεῖς καί εὐώδεις τόπους ὑπεριπτάμενοι· καί αἱ μυῖαι, τό μέν ὑγιαίνον παρατρέχουσι, πρός δέ τό ἕλκος ἐπείγονται· οὕτως οἱ βάσκανοι, τάς μέν τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητας καί τά μεγέθη τῶν κατορθουμένων οὐδέ προσβλέπουσι, τοῖς δέ σαθροῖς ἐπιτίθενται.

Θεολ. Μή φθονήσεις τῷ κατορθοῦντι ὡς φθονηθείς, καί φθονεῖσθαι πεισθείς, καί διά τοῦτο κατενεχθείς.

Ὡς ἀπόλοιτο ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὁ φθόνος, ἡ δαπάνη τῶν ἐχόντων, ὁ τῶν πασχόντων ἰός· τό μόνον τῶν παθῶν ἀδικώτατόν τε ἅμα καί δικαιότατον· τό μέν, ὅτι πᾶσι διοχλεῖ καλοῖς, τό δέ, ὅτι ἀδικεῖ τούς ἔχοντας.

Χρυσοστ. Ὤ φθόνε ῥίζα θανάτου, ἡ πολύπλοκος νόσος, καρδίας ὀξύτατε ἧλε! Ποῖος γάρ ἧλος ὀξύτατος οὕτως κεντᾷ, ὡς ὁ φθόνος τήν ἔχουσαν αὐτόν καρδίαν τιτρώσκει;

Ὁ δαίμων φθονεῖ μέν, ἀνθρώποις δέ· δαίμονι δέ οὐδενί. Σύ δέ ἄνθρωπος ὤν, ἀνθρώποις φθονεῖς· καί ποίας τεύξῃ συγνώμης;

Γρηγ. Νύσ. Φθόνῳ ἀτύχημα μέν ἐστιν οὐ τό ἴδιον κακόν, ἀλλά τό ἀλλότριον ἀγαθόν· κατόρθωμα δέ πάλιν, οὐ τό οἰκεῖον καλόν, ἀλλά τό τοῦ πέλας κακόν.

Φθείρεσθαι τούς νεκροβόρους γῦπας τῷ μύρῳ λέγουσι. Πρός γάρ τό δυσῶδες καί διεφθορός αὐτῶν ἡ φύσις ᾠκείεται. Καί ὁ τῇ νόσῳ ταύτῃ κρατούμενος, τῇ μέν εὐημερίᾳ τῶν φίλων, οἷόν τινος μύρου προσβολῇ καταφθείρεται. Εἰ δέ τι πάθος ἐκ συμφορῶν ἴδοι, πρός τοῦτο καθίπταται, καί τό ἄγκυλον ἐπάγει στόμα, τά κεκρυμμένα ἐξέλκων τοῦ δυστυχήματος.

Φίλωνος. Τά καλά, κἄν φθόνῳ πρός ὀλίγον ἐπισκιασθῇ χρόνον, ἐπί καιρῷ λυθέντα, αὖθις ἀναλάμπει.