443

and is justly condemned for three reasons. For one, because he transgresses; for another, because being obliged to correct others, then stumbling, he is worthy of greater punishment on account of his honor; and third, because he also corrupts more greatly, since he transgresses in such ways while in the position of a teacher. But after these things He states again another accusation against them, that they are harsh to those under their charge. For they bind heavy burdens and hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. He here mentions a twofold evil, that of unpityingly demanding much and extreme precision of life from those they rule, and of allowing themselves great license; whereas the best ruler should have the opposite qualities: in his own affairs, to be an unpitying and harsh judge; but in the affairs of those he rules, to be forgiving and gentle; of which these men did the opposite. 2. For such are all who philosophize in words, unforgiving and burdensome, as being inexperienced in the difficulty of action. And this is no small evil, nor does it by any means fail to intensify the previous accusation. But consider, I pray you, how this too increases the charge. For He did 58.669 not say, They cannot, but, They will not; and He did not say, To bear, but, To move with their finger, that is, Not even to come near, nor to touch. But where are they zealous and energetic? In things forbidden. For all their works they do, He says, to be seen of men. He says these things, accusing them of vainglory, which is what destroyed them. For the former charges were of cruelty and sloth; these are of love of glory. This alienated them from God; this prepared them to contend in another theater, and corrupted them. For whatever sort of spectators one has, since one is eager to please them, such also are the contests he displays; and he who wrestles before noble men, pursues such contests; but he who is before the indifferent and dissolute, becomes more slothful himself. For example, does one have a spectator who delights in laughter? He becomes a jester himself, to please the spectator. Does another have a serious and philosophic spectator? He too is eager to be such, since such is the judgment of the one who praises him. But see again here too the charge with intensity. For they do not do some things this way, and others in another way; but simply all things so. Then, having charged them with vainglory, He shows that they are not vainglorious even in great and necessary things; (for they had none, but were destitute of right actions;) but in trivial and worthless things, and in things which were proofs of their evil, the phylacteries, the borders. For they make broad their phylacteries, He says, and enlarge the borders of their garments. And what are these phylacteries and borders? Since they continually forgot the benefits of God, He commanded that His wonders be written in small scrolls, and be hung from their hands; (wherefore He also said, They shall be as frontlets between your eyes;) which they called phylacteries; as many women now have Gospels hanging from their necks. And that they might be reminded again from another source, as many often do, who, when they forget, tie a linen or saffron thread to their finger, this God commanded them to do as if they were children, to have a thread of blue sewn on their garments around the hem near their feet, so that when they looked at it they might be reminded of the commandments; and this was called the borders. In these things, therefore, they were zealous, widening the straps of the scrolls, and making the borders great; which was a mark of extreme vainglory. For what reason are you ambitious, and broaden these things? Is this your accomplishment? Does it profit you at all, if you do not gain from them? For God does not seek the enlarging and broadening of these things, but the remembering of His mighty acts. But if in almsgiving and fasting, although they are laborious and our own accomplishments, one ought not to be ambitious; how do you pride yourself on these things, O Jew, which most of all accuse you of sloth? But they suffered from this not only in these things, but also in other small matters. For they love, He says, the first place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and

443

καὶ τριπλῇ δίκαιος κατακρίνεσθαι. ∆ι' ἓν μὲν, ὅτι παραβαίνει· δι' ἕτερον δὲ, ὅτι τοὺς ἄλλους ὀφείλων διορθοῦν, εἶτα χωλεύων, μείζονος τιμωρίας ἄξιος διὰ τὴν τιμήν· τρίτον δὲ, ὅτι καὶ διαφθείρει μειζόνως, ἅτε ἐν διδασκάλου τάξει τοιαῦτα παρανομῶν. Μετὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ ἕτερον αὐτῶν πάλιν λέγει κατηγόρημα, ὅτι πικροί εἰσι τοῖς ὑπευθύνοις. ∆εσμεύουσι γὰρ φορτία βαρέα καὶ δυσβάστακτα, καὶ τιθέασιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τῷ δὲ δακτύλῳ αὐτῶν οὐ θέλουσι κινῆσαι αὐτά. ∆ιπλῆν ἐνταῦθα λέγει κακίαν, τὸ πολλὴν μὲν καὶ ἄκραν ἀπαιτεῖν ἀσυγγνώστως παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων βίου ἀκρίβειαν, πολλὴν δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέπειν τὴν ἄδειαν· ὧν τοὐναντίον τὸν ἄριστον ἄρχοντα ἔχειν χρή· ἐν μὲν τοῖς καθ' ἑαυτὸν, ἀσύγγνωστον εἶναι καὶ πικρὸν δικαστήν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς τῶν ἀρχομένων, συγγνωμονικὸν καὶ ἥμερον· ὧν οὗτοι τὸ ἐναντίον ἐποίουν. βʹ. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ πάντες οἱ λόγοις φιλοσοφοῦντες, ἀσύγγνωστοι καὶ βαρεῖς, ἅτε ἄπειροι τῆς δι' ἔργων δυσκολίας. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ καὶ αὕτη κακία, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἐπιτείνει τὴν ἔμπροσθεν κατηγορίαν. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει, πῶς καὶ τοῦτο αὔξει τὸ ἔγκλημα. Οὐ γὰρ εἶ 58.669 πεν, Οὐ δύνανται, ἀλλ' Οὐ θέλουσι· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε. Βαστάσαι, ἀλλὰ ∆ακτύλῳ κινῆσαι, τουτέστιν, Οὐδὲ ἐγγὺς γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ ἅψασθαι. Ἀλλὰ ποῦ σπουδαῖοι καὶ εὔτονοι; Ἐν τοῖς κεκωλυμένοις. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ποιοῦσι, φησὶ, πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Εἰς κενοδοξίαν αὐτοὺς διαβάλλων ταῦτα λέγει, ὅπερ αὐτοὺς ἀπώλεσε. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν ὠμότητος καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας· ταῦτα δὲ, δοξομανίας. Τοῦτο ἀπέστησεν αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ· τοῦτο ἐν ἑτέρῳ θεάτρῳ ἀγωνίζεσθαι παρεσκεύασε, καὶ διέφθειρεν. Οἵους γὰρ ἄν τις ἔχῃ τοὺς θεατὰς, ἐπεὶ τούτοις ἐσπούδακεν ἀρέσκειν, τοιούτους ἐπιδείκνυται καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν γενναίοις παλαίων, τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ ἀγωνίσματα μέτεισιν· ὁ δὲ ἐν ψυχροῖς καὶ ἀναπεπτωκόσι, καὶ αὐτὸς ῥᾳθυμότερος γίνεται. Οἷον, ἔχει τις θεατὴν γέλωτι χαίροντα; γίνεται γελωτοποιὸς καὶ αὐτὸς, ἵνα τέρπῃ τὸν θεατήν· ἕτερος σπουδαῖον καὶ φιλοσοφοῦντα; σπουδάζει καὶ αὐτὸς τοιοῦτος εἶναι, ἐπειδὴ τοιαύτη τοῦ ἐπαινοῦντος ἡ γνώμη. Ὅρα δὲ πάλιν καὶ ἐνταῦθα μετ' ἐπιτάσεως τὸ ἔγκλημα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰ μὲν οὕτω, τὰ δὲ ἑτέρως ποιοῦσιν· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἁπλῶς οὕτως. Εἶτα ἐγκαλέσας αὐτοῖς κενοδοξίαν, δείκνυσιν οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ ἀναγκαίοις κενοδοξοῦντας· (οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχον, ἀλλ' ἔρημοι ἦσαν κατορθωμάτων·) ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ψυχροῖς καὶ εὐτελέσι, καὶ ἃ τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν τεκμήρια ἦν, τὰ φυλακτήρια, τὰ κράσπεδα. Πλατύνουσι γὰρ τὰ φυλακτήρια αὐτῶν, φησὶ, καὶ μεγαλύνουσι τὰ κράσπεδα τῶν ἱματίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ τίνα ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ φυλακτήρια καὶ τὰ κράσπεδα; Ἐπειδὴ συνεχῶς ἐπελανθάνοντο τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐκέλευσεν ἐγγραφῆναι βιβλίοις μικροῖς τὰ θαύματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξηρτῆσθαι αὐτὰ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν· (διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἔσται ἀσάλευτα ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου·) ἃ φυλακτήρια ἐκάλουν· ὡς πολλαὶ νῦν τῶν γυναικῶν Εὐαγγέλια τῶν τραχήλων ἐξαρτῶσαι ἔχουσι. Καὶ ἵνα καὶ ἑτέρωθεν πάλιν ὑπομιμνήσκωνται, ὃ πολλοὶ πολλάκις ποιοῦσιν, ὡς ἐπιλανθανόμενοι λίνῳ ἢ κρόκῃ τὸν δάκτυλον ἀποδεσμοῦντες, τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς ὥσπερ παιδίοις ἐκέλευσε ποιεῖν, κλῶσμα ὑακίνθινον ἐπὶ τῶν ἱματίων περὶ τὴν ᾤαν τὴν περὶ τοὺς πόδας ἀποῤῥάπτεσθαι, ἵνα προσέχοντες ἀναμιμνήσκωνται τῶν ἐντολῶν· καὶ ἐκαλεῖτο κράσπεδα. Ἐν τούτοις τοίνυν ἦσαν σπουδαῖοι, τοὺς τελαμῶνας τῶν βιβλίων πλατύνοντες, καὶ τὰ κράσπεδα μεγαλοποιοῦντες· ὅπερ ἐσχάτης κενοδοξίας ἦν. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν φιλοτιμῇ, καὶ πλατύνεις ταῦτα; μὴ γὰρ κατόρθωμά σου τοῦτό ἐστι; μὴ γάρ τί σε ὀνίνησιν, ἂν μὴ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτῶν κερδάνῃς; Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μεγαλύνειν ταῦτα καὶ πλατύνειν ὁ Θεὸς ζητεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν αὐτοῦ κατορθωμάτων. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ ἐλεημοσύνῃ καὶ νηστείᾳ, καίτοι ἐπιπόνοις καὶ κατορθώμασιν οὖσιν ἡμετέροις, φιλοτιμεῖσθαι οὐ δεῖ· πῶς σὺ τούτοις ἐναβρύνῃ, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ἃ μάλιστά σου κατηγορεῖ ῥᾳθυμίαν; Οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐν τούτοις μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις μικροῖς ταῦτα ἐνόσουν. Φιλοῦσι γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν πρωτοκλισίαν ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις, καὶ τὰς πρωτοκαθεδρίας ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς, καὶ