472

him. Is this also the mark of one who is ignorant? Tell me. For if, because he said, "Neither does the Son know," you say he is ignorant; since he said, "Who then," what would you say? Or do you say that he is ignorant of this also? Away with the thought. For not even one of those who are out of their mind would say this; and yet in that case one can state a cause, but here not even this. And what of when he says, "Peter, do you love me?" asking, did he not know this either? Or when he says, "Where have you laid him?" And the Father also will be found uttering such things. For he himself also says, "Adam, where are you?" and, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has multiplied before me. I will therefore go down and see whether they are acting according to their cry, which comes to me; but if not, that I may know." And elsewhere he says, "If perhaps they will hear, if perhaps they will understand." And in the Gospel, "Perhaps they will reverence my son;" all of which were words of ignorance. But he did not say these things in ignorance, but in managing things fitting for himself: in the case of Adam, that he might bring him to an apology for his sin; in the case of the Sodomites, that he might teach us never to make a declaration until we have come to the facts themselves; in the case of the prophet, that the prophecy might not seem to the foolish to be some kind of compulsion 58.706 to disobedience; in the case of the parable of the Gospel, that he might show that they ought to have done this and to have reverenced the son; but here, both that they might not be overly curious, nor meddlesome again, and that he might show what is rare and precious. And see how indicative of ignorance the saying is, if indeed he is ignorant of the one being appointed. For he blesses him; "Blessed," he says, "is that servant;" but he does not say who this is. "Who then is it," he says, "whom his lord will set up?" and, "Blessed is he whom he will find so doing." But these things are not said about money only, but also about speech, and about power, and about spiritual gifts, and about every stewardship with which each has been entrusted. This parable might also be applied to civil rulers. For each must use what he has for the common good. Whether you have wisdom, or rule, or wealth, or anything whatsoever, do not use it to the harm of your fellow servants, nor to your own destruction. For this reason, he requires both from him: prudence and faithfulness. For sin comes from foolishness. He calls him faithful, then, because he embezzled nothing, nor wasted his master's goods rashly and in vain; and prudent, because he knew how to manage what was given for the necessary purpose. For we need both: not to embezzle the master's things, and to manage them for the necessary purpose. But if one is absent, the other is lame. For if he is faithful and does not steal, but wastes and spends on what is not fitting, the charge is great; and if he knows how to manage well, but embezzles, again it is no ordinary accusation. Let us who have money hear these things too. For he is not speaking to teachers only, but also to the rich. For both have been entrusted with wealth; the more necessary kind, the teachers; the lesser, you. When therefore the teachers are scattering the greater things, if you are not willing to show magnanimity even in the lesser things—or rather, not even magnanimity, but gratitude (for you are giving what belongs to another)—what defense will there be? But for now, before the punishment of those who do the opposite, let us hear the honor of the one who is approved. For Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. What could be equal to this honor? What word will be able to represent the worth, the blessedness, when the King of the heavens, who has all things, is about to set a man over all his possessions? This is why he also calls him prudent, because he knew not to give up the great things for the small, but having been sober-minded here, he obtained the heavens. 4. Then, as he always does, he corrects the hearer not from the honor laid up for the good, but also from the punishment threatened for the wicked. Therefore he added: But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunkards; the lord of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour when he does not

472

αὐτόν. Μὴ καὶ τοῦτο ἀγνοοῦντός ἐστιν; εἰπέ μοι. Εἰ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, Οὐδὲ ὁ Υἱὸς οἶδεν, ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν φῄς· ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, Τίς ἄρα, τί ἂν εἴποις; ἢ καὶ τοῦτο ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν φῄς; Ἄπαγε. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἐξεστηκότων τοῦτο ἄν τις εἴποι· καίτοιγε ἐκεῖ καὶ αἰτίαν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Τί δὲ ὅταν λέγῃ, Πέτρε, φιλεῖς με; ἐρωτῶν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ᾔδει; ἢ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ποῦ τεθείκατε αὐτόν; Καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ δὲ εὑρεθήσεται τοιαῦτα φθεγγόμενος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; καὶ, Κραυγὴ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας πεπλήθυνται πρός με. Καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι, εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν, τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με, συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἵνα γνῶ. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα συνῶσι. Καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ δὲ, Ἴσως ἐντραπήσονται τὸν υἱόν μου· ἅπερ ἅπαντα ἀγνοίας ῥήματα ἦν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, ἀλλ' οἰκονομῶν τὰ αὐτῷ πρέποντα· ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἐμβάλῃ εἰς ἀπολογίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν Σοδομιτῶν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς παιδεύσῃ μηδέποτε ἀποφαίνεσθαι, πρὶν ἂν αὐτοῖς παραγενώμεθα τοῖς πράγμασιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ προφήτου, ἵνα μὴ δοκῇ ἡ πρόῤῥησις παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἀναγκαστική τις εἶναι 58.706 τῆς παρακοῆς· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς παραβολῆς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ὤφειλον τοῦτο ποιῆσαι καὶ ἐντραπῆναι τὸν υἱόν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, καὶ ἵνα μὴ περιεργάζωνται, μηδὲ πολυπραγμονῶσι πάλιν, καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ σπάνιον καὶ πολύτιμον. Καὶ ὅρα πόσης ἀγνοίας ἐνδεικτικὸν τὸ ῥῆμα, εἴγε καὶ τὸν καθιστάμενον ἀγνοεῖ. Μακαρίζει μὲν γὰρ αὐτόν· Μακάριος γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος· οὐ λέγει δὲ, τίς ἐστιν οὗτος. Τίς γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ἄρα, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ; καὶ, Μακάριος ὃν εὑρήσει ποιοῦντα οὕτως. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ περὶ χρημάτων εἴρηται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ λόγου, καὶ περὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ περὶ χαρισμάτων, καὶ περὶ πάσης οἰκονομίας, ἧς ἕκαστος ἐνεχειρίσθη. Αὕτη καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς πολιτικοὺς ἁρμόσειεν ἂν ἡ παραβολή. Ἕκαστον γὰρ οἷς ἔχει πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον ἀποκεχρῆσθαι δεῖ. Κἂν σοφίαν ἔχῃς, κἂν ἀρχὴν, κἂν πλοῦτον, κἂν ὁτιοῦν, μὴ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῶν συνδούλων, μηδὲ ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ἑαυτοῦ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἀμφότερα ἀπαιτεῖ παρ' αὐτοῦ, φρόνησιν καὶ πίστιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀπὸ ἀνοίας γίνεται. Πιστὸν μὲν οὖν αὐτόν φησιν, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐνοσφίσατο, οὐδὲ παρανάλωσε τῶν δεσποτικῶν εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην· φρόνιμον δὲ, ὅτι ἔγνω πρὸς τὸ δέον οἰκονομῆσαι τὰ δοθέντα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῖν χρεία, καὶ τοῦ μὴ νοσφίσασθαι τὰ δεσποτικὰ, καὶ τοῦ εἰς δέον οἰκονομεῖν. Ἂν δὲ θάτερον ἀπῇ, τὸ ἕτερον χωλεύει. Ἄν τε γὰρ πιστὸς ᾖ καὶ μὴ κλέπτῃ, ἀπολλύῃ δὲ καὶ εἰς μηδὲν προσῆκον δαπανᾷ, μέγα τὸ ἔγκλημα· ἄν τε εἰδῇ καλῶς οἰκονομεῖν, νοσφίζηται δὲ, πάλιν οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα κατηγορία. Ἀκούσωμεν καὶ οἱ τὰ χρήματα ἔχοντες ταῦτα. Οὐ γὰρ διδασκάλοις διαλέγεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πλουτοῦσιν. Ἑκάτεροι γὰρ ἐνεπιστεύθησαν πλοῦτον· τὸν μὲν ἀναγκαιότερον, οἱ διδάσκοντες· τὸν δὲ ἐλάττω, ὑμεῖς. Ὅταν οὖν τῶν διδασκόντων σκορπιζόντων τὰ μείζονα, ὑμεῖς μηδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐλάττοσι βούλησθε τὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ μεγαλοψυχίαν, ἀλλ' εὐγνωμοσύνην· (τὰ γὰρ ἀλλότρια δίδοτε·) ποία ἔσται ἀπολογία; Ἀλλὰ τέως, πρὸ τῆς κολάσεως τῶν τὰ ἐναντία ποιούντων, τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος ἀκούσωμεν. Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτοῦ καταστήσει αὐτόν. Τί ταύτης ἴσον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς τιμῆς; ποῖος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται λόγος τὴν ἀξίαν, τὴν μακαριότητα, ὅταν ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν Βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἔχων, ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτοῦ καθιστᾷν μέλλῃ; ∆ιὸ καὶ φρόνιμον αὐτὸν καλεῖ, ὅτι ἔγνω μὴ τῶν μικρῶν τὰ μεγάλα προέσθαι, ἀλλὰ σωφρονήσας ἐνταῦθα, τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔτυχεν. δʹ. Εἶτα, ὅπερ ἀεὶ ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς κειμένης τιμῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῖς πονηροῖς ἠπειλημένης κολάσεως διορθοῦται τὸν ἀκροατήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃ ὁ κακὸς δοῦλος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, Χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ἄρξηται τύπτειν τοὺς συνδούλους αὐτοῦ, ἐσθίῃ δὲ καὶ πίνῃ μετὰ τῶν μεθυόντων· ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ