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may enjoy it more, when having spit upon it he abstains from the design. For just as money-making is the opposite of love of money; so is the love of glory to the attainment of glory. And if you wish, let us examine each point. For since we have no fear of Gehenna, nor much regard for the kingdom, come, let us persuade you even from present things. For who are the ridiculous? Tell me; are they not those who do something for the sake of the glory of the many? And who are the praiseworthy? Are they not those who spit upon the praise from the many? Therefore, if loving vainglory is shameful, and the vainglorious man cannot hide his love for it, he will certainly be shameful, and his love of glory has become a cause of dishonor for him. And not only is he disgraced in this way, but also by being forced to do many shameful things, and things full of the utmost servility. And just as men are accustomed to be harmed most in gaining profit from the disease of avarice; (for they undergo many deceptions, and small gains cause great losses; wherefore this saying 58.603 has become proverbial;) so also for the lecherous man the passion becomes an obstacle to the enjoyment of pleasure. For those who are exceedingly prone and enslaved to women, these women especially parade about as slaves, and would never deign to treat them as men, slapping them, spitting on them, leading and parading them about everywhere, and being coy, and commanding everything only. So too, of the madman and glory-maniac and one who thinks himself lofty, there is nothing more humble and dishonorable. For the race of men is contentious, and sets itself against nothing else as against a braggart and a haughty man and a slave of glory. And that very man, 58.604 in order to maintain the appearance of madness, displays the behavior of slaves towards the many, flattering, serving, serving a harder slavery than any purchased slave. Knowing all these things, then, let us put away these passions, lest we both pay the penalty here and be punished endlessly there. Let us become lovers of virtue. For thus even before the kingdom we shall reap the greatest good things here, and having departed there we shall partake of the eternal good things; which may it be granted to all of us to obtain, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
58.603 HOMILY 63. And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
a. Some indeed accuse this young man, as being a certain insidious and wicked person, and as having approached Jesus with temptation; but I would not decline to call him avaricious and inferior to money, since Christ also convicted him of being such; but in no way insidious, because it is not safe to be bold about uncertain things, and especially in accusations, and because Mark has removed this suspicion; for he says, that running up and kneeling he besought Him; and, that Jesus, looking upon him, loved him. But great is the tyranny of money, and this is clear from this; for even if we are virtuous in other respects, this corrupts all the other things. Rightly, therefore, did Paul also say that it is the root of all evils; For the love of money, he says, is the root of all evil. Why then did Christ answer him thus, saying, There is none good? Because he approached Him as a mere man, and one of the many, and a Jewish teacher; for this reason He speaks with him as a man. For in many places He answers according to the suspicions of those who approach, as when He says, We worship what we know; and, If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. When therefore He says, There is none good, not himself
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ἀπολαύσῃ μειζόνως, ὅταν αὐτὴν διαπτύσας ἀπόσχῃ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ χρηματίζεσθαι φιλαργυρίας ἐναντίον· οὕτω πρὸς τὸ δόξης ἐπιτυχεῖν, τὸ δόξης ἐρᾷν. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε, καθ' ἕκαστον ἐξετάσωμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς γεέννης ἡμῖν φόβος οὐδεὶς, οὐδὲ τῆς βασιλείας λόγος πολὺς, φέρε κἂν ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων ὑμᾶς ἐναγάγωμεν. Τίνες γάρ εἰσιν οἱ καταγέλαστοι; εἰπέ μοι· οὐχὶ οἱ διὰ δόξαν τι ποιοῦντες τὴν τῶν πολλῶν; Τίνες δὲ ἐπαινετοί; οὐχὶ οἱ τὸν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν διαπτύοντες ἔπαινον; Οὐκοῦν εἰ τὸ κενῆς δόξης ἐρᾷν ἐπονείδιστον, ὁ δὲ κενόδοξος οὐ δύναται λαθεῖν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς, ἐπονείδιστος ἔσται πάντως, καὶ γέγονεν αὐτῷ τὸ δόξης ἐρᾷν ἀτιμίας αἴτιον. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον καταισχύνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πολλὰ ἀναγκάζεσθαι ποιεῖν αἰσχρὰ, καὶ δουλοπρεπείας τῆς ἐσχάτης γέμοντα. Καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς τὸ κερδαίνειν βλάπτεσθαι μάλιστα ἀπὸ τοῦ νοσήματος τῆς φιλοκερδείας εἰώθασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· (πολλὰς γοῦν ἀπάτας ὑφίστανται, καὶ τὰ μικρὰ κέρδη μεγάλας ποιεῖ ζημίας· διὸ καὶ εἰς παροιμίαν ὁ λόγος 58.603 οὗτος ἐξενίκησεν·) οὕτω καὶ τῷ λάγνῳ κώλυμα πρὸς τὸ ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύειν τὸ πάθος γίνεται. Τοὺς γοῦν σφόδρα καταφερεῖς καὶ γυναικοδούλους, τούτους μάλιστα ὡς ἀνδράποδα περιφέρουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες, καὶ οὐκ ἄν ποτε καταξιώσαιεν ἐκεῖναι ὡς ἀνδράσιν αὐτοῖς κεχρῆσθαι, ῥαπίζουσαι, διαπτύουσαι, ἄγουσαι καὶ περιάγουσαι πανταχοῦ, καὶ θρυπτόμεναι, καὶ πάντα ἐπιτάττουσαι μόνον. Οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ἀπονενοημένου καὶ δοξομανοῦντος καὶ δοκοῦντος εἶναι ὑψηλοῦ, οὐδὲν ταπεινότερον καὶ ἀτιμότερον. Καὶ γὰρ φιλόνεικον τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀντικαθίσταται, ὡς πρὸς ἀλαζόνα καὶ ὑπερόπτην καὶ δόξης δοῦλον. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ 58.604 ἐκεῖνος, ὥστε διατηρῆσαι τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἀπονοίας, τὰ τῶν ἀνδραπόδων πρὸς τοὺς πλείονας ἐπιδείκνυται, κολακεύων, θεραπεύων, παντὸς ἀργυρωνήτου δουλείαν δουλεύων χαλεπωτέραν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα εἰδότες, καταθώμεθα ταῦτα τὰ πάθη, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα δίκην δῶμεν, καὶ ἐκεῖ κολασθῶμεν ἀπέραντα. Γενώμεθα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταί. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας τὰ μέγιστα ἐνταῦθα καρπωσόμεθα καλὰ, καὶ ἀπελθόντες ἐκεῖ τῶν αἰωνίων μεθέξομεν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
58.603 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΞΓʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ εἷς προσελθὼν εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ∆ιδάσκαλε ἀγαθὲ, τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;
αʹ. Τινὲς μὲν διαβάλλουσι τὸν νεανίσκον τοῦτον, ὡς ὕπουλόν τινα καὶ
πονηρὸν, καὶ μετὰ πείρας τῷ Ἰησοῦ προσελθόντα· ἐγὼ δὲ φιλάργυρον μὲν αὐτὸν καὶ χρημάτων ἐλάττονα οὐκ ἂν παραιτησαίμην εἰπεῖν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ἤλεγξεν ὄντα· ὕπουλον δὲ οὐδαμῶς, διὰ τὸ μήτε ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι τῶν ἀδήλων κατατολμᾷν, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ἐγκλήμασι, καὶ τὸ τὸν Μάρκον ταύτην ἀνῃρηκέναι τὴν ὑποψίαν· καὶ γάρ φησιν, ὅτι Προσδραμὼν καὶ γονυπετῶν παρεκάλει αὐτόν· καὶ, ὅτι Ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἠγάπησεν αὐτόν. Ἀλλὰ πολλὴ τῶν χρημάτων ἡ τυραννὶς, καὶ δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν· κἂν γὰρ τὰ ἄλλα ὦμεν ἐνάρετοι, πάντα αὕτη λυμαίνεται τὰ ἄλλα. Εἰκότως οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ῥίζαν αὐτὴν ἁπάντων τῶν κακῶν εἶναι ἔφησε· Ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, φησί. ∆ιατί οὖν οὕτω πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεκρίνατο ὁ Χριστὸς, λέγων· Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθός; Ἐπειδὴ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ προσῆλθε ψιλῷ, καὶ ἑνὶ τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ διδασκάλῳ Ἰουδαϊκῷ· διὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὡς ἄνθρωπος αὐτῷ διαλέγεται. Καὶ γὰρ πολλαχοῦ πρὸς τὰς ὑπονοίας τῶν προσιόντων ἀποκρίνεται, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν· καὶ, Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. Ὅταν οὖν εἴπῃ, Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς, οὐχ ἑαυτὸν