1

In epistulas catholicas brevis enarratio

1 Of Didymus. For just as the people of the world in the documents of worldly transactions wish to be designated by the dignities they hold, so also the apostles at the beginning of their writings deem it worthy to be designated servants of God and of Christ. (Cr 2, 8-12)

2 Therefore, exhorting to perfection in courage and endurance, he consequently calls them brothers, but not children nor sons. (Cr 2, 28-29 Ma 183) Of Chrysostom. Having sufficiently exhorted to undergo temptations with joy, so that an approved work and perfect patience might come into being; and these things are perfected in themselves, and not done for the sake of something else; by another exhortation he attempts to persuade them to achieve the things set before them through the promise, saying that the one who endures temptation is blessed; for the one who thus athletically contends in the contest will become 3 an approved man, trained in all things; and to the one who so appears out of gloomy things will be given a crown of life prepared by God for those who love him. (Cr 4, 19-27 Ma 184) thus the one who by enduring temptation despises hardships and even death itself will receive a crown of eternal life, in place of the temporal life he despised; you will ask, if the substance of the crown of life which God has prepared for those who love him is those things which God has prepared for those 4 who love him, things which because of their divine greatness are not subject to sight or hearing, nor have they entered into the mere thought of man. (Cr 4, 27-32 Ma 184)

6 Since the Savior's statement is true which says, "ask, and it will be given to you," which he also confirms by saying, "everyone who asks receives," one might ask how some who pray are not heard. To which it must be said: the one who comes to ask by the proper way, having omitted nothing of those things that contribute to obtaining what is sought, will certainly receive what he requested to be given to him; but if someone, having gone outside the scope of the prescribed request, seems to ask, not asking in the way one ought, he does not ask at all; therefore, since he does not receive, the saying "everyone who asks receives" is not made false. For when a teacher says, "everyone who comes 7 to me for the sake of learning will have knowledge of them," we take "coming to the teacher" literally, that is, with paying close attention to the things from the teacher, along with practicing and studying them; but to the one who does not do so, it must be said: you did not come to him as you were urged. (Cr 25, 21-26, 1) The one writing the epistle, making it clearer who seem to ask but do not receive, has anticipated those who are contrary and who ask wrongly for the sake of vain pleasures. But someone will say: and yet some who ask for divine knowledge and the attainment of virtues do not receive; but it must be said to them also that they did not think it worthy to receive for the sake of the good things themselves, but for the sake of being praised on account of them; for it is also characteristic of pleasure-lovers to rejoice in praises; whence it is not given to these either, since they wish to spend what they ask for on pleasures. (Cr 26, 1-9)

8 Of Origen. Since wickedness brings about friendship with the world, but virtue friendship with God, virtue and wickedness cannot coexist. (Cr 26, 16-18) Proverbs. The one who loves the world by sinning is shown to be an enemy of God; likewise also the one who confirms his friendship with God through piety is immediately found to be an enemy of the world; whence it is impossible, just as to serve God and mammon, so also to be a friend to God and the world. Indeed, when the Lord came to make those who obey him friends of God, he cast a sword and division upon the earth; for the word of his teaching divides and separates from earthly and material things, through this preparing enmity toward the world and union with God, which is the

1

In epistulas catholicas brevis enarratio

1 ∆ιδύμου. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ τοῦ κόσμου ἄνθρωποι ἐν ταῖς συγγραφαῖς τῶν βιωτικῶν συναλλαγμάτων ἐκ τῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀξιωμάτων χρηματίζειν θέλουσιν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τῶν συγγραμμάτων αὐτῶν δοῦλοι θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ χρηματίζειν ἀξιοῦσιν. (Cr 2, 8-12)

2 Εἰς τελειότητα οὖν τὴν κατ' ἀνδρείαν καὶ καρτερίαν προτρέπων ἀκολούθως ἀδελφοὺς ὀνομάζει, ἀλλ' οὐ τέκνα οὐδὲ υἱούς. (Cr 2, 28-29 Ma 183) Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου. Αὐτάρκως προτρεψάμενος ὑφίστασθαι τοὺς πειρασμοὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς, ἵνα ἐγγένηται δόκιμον ἔργον καὶ ὑπομονὴ τελεία· τελειοῦται δὲ ταῦτα καθ' ἑαυτά, καὶ μὴ δι' ἄλλο πραττόμενα· δι' ἑτέρας παραινέσεως πείθειν ἐπιχειρεῖ κατορθοῦν τὰ προκείμενα δι' ἐπαγγελίαν μακάριον εἶναι λέγων τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑπομένοντα· γενή 3 σεται γὰρ ὁ οὕτως ἀθλητικῶς ἄγων τὸν ἀγῶνα δόκιμος ἀνὴρ διὰ πάντων γεγυμνασμένος· οὕτω δὲ ἀναφανέντι ἐκ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν δοθήσεται στέφανος ζωῆς εὐτρεπισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶσιν. (Cr 4, 19-27 Ma 184) οὕτως ὁ τῷ ὑπομένειν πειρασμὸν καταφρονῶν ἐπιπόνων καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανάτου στέφανον τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἀπολήψεται, ἀνθ' ἧς κατεφρόνησε προσκαίρου ζωῆς· ζητήσεις, εἰ ὕλη οὗ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς στεφάνου ζωῆς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν ἔστιν, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς 4 ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν, ἃ διὰ μέγεθος θειότητος ὄψει καὶ ἀκοῇ οὐχ ὑπόκειται οὐδὲ ἐπὶ ψιλὴν νόησιν ἀνθρώπου ἀναβέβηκεν. (Cr 4, 27-32 Ma 184)

6 Ἀληθοῦς οὔσης τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος θέσεως τῆς λεγούσης· "αἰτεῖτε καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν", ἣν καὶ πιστοῦται διὰ τοῦ φάναι· "πᾶς ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει", ζητήσειεν ἄν τις, πῶς τινες εὐχόμενοι οὐκ ἀκούονται. Πρὸς ὃ λεκτέον· ὁ ὁδῷ τῇ ἀκολούθῳ ἐπὶ τὸ αἰτεῖν ἐρχόμενος οὐδὲν παραλείψας τῶν συντελούντων πρὸς τὸ τυχεῖν τῶν σπουδαζομένων πάντως λήψεται, ὃ παρεκάλεσε δοθῆναι αὐτῷ· εἰ δέ τις ἔξω χωρήσας τοῦ σκόπου τῆς παραδοθείσης αἰτήσεως δόξει αἰτεῖν, οὐκ αἰτῶν ὃν δεῖ τρόπον οὐδὲ ὅλως αἰτεῖ· διὸ μὴ λαμβάνοντος αὐτοῦ οὐ ψευδοποιεῖται τό· "πᾶς ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει". Καὶ γὰρ διδασκάλου λέγοντος· πᾶς ὁ προσ 7 ιών μοι μαθημάτων ἕνεκα ἕξει αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιστήμην, τὸ "προσιέναι τῷ διδασκάλῳ" γραμματικῶς ἐκλαμβάνομεν, τουτέστι μετὰ τοῦ συντόμως προσέχειν τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου μετὰ τοῦ ἀσκεῖν καὶ μελετᾶν αὐτά· ὁ δὲ μὴ οὕτω, λεκτέον αὐτῷ· οὐ προσῆλθες αὐτῷ, ὡς προετρέψω. (Cr 25, 21-26, 1) Φανερώτερον ποιῶν ὁ γράφων τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τίνες δοκοῦντες αἰτεῖν οὐ λαμβάνουσι, τοὺς ἀντιρρήτους καὶ κακῶς αἰτουμένους ἡδονῶν ματαίων ἕνεκα προείληφεν. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις· καὶ μὴν ὑπὲρ γνώσεως θείας καὶ ἀναλήψεως ἀρετῶν αἰτούμενοί τινες οὐ λαμβάνουσι· λεκτέον δὲ καὶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐ κατ' αὐτὰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ λαβεῖν ἠξίωσαν, ἀλλ' ἕνεκα τοῦ ἐπαινεῖσθαι δι' αὐτά· ἔστι δὲ φιληδόνων καὶ τὸ χαίρειν ἐπαίνοις· ὅθεν καὶ τούτοις οὐ δίδοται, ἐπεὶ εἰς ἡδονὰς καταδαπανῆσαι θέλουσι τὰ περὶ ὧν ἀξιοῦσιν. (Cr 26, 1-9)

8 Ὠριγένους. Ἐπεὶ ἡ κακία προξενεῖ τὴν πρὸς τὸν κόσμον φιλίαν, ἀρετὴ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἀρετῇ καὶ κακίᾳ οὐ δύναται συνυπάρχειν. (Cr 26, 16-18) Παροιμίαι. Ὁ διὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν φιλῶν τὸν κόσμον ἐχθρὸς ἀποδείκνυται τοῦ θεοῦ· ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν φιλίαν δι' εὐσεβείας βεβαιῶν εὐθέως ἐχθρὸς εὑρίσκεται τοῦ κόσμου· ὅθεν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ δουλεύειν θεῷ καὶ μαμμωνᾷ, οὕτω φιλιάζειν θεῷ καὶ κόσμῳ. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος φίλους θεοῦ τοὺς πειθομένους αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι μάχαιραν καὶ διαμερισμὸν ἔβαλεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ὁ γὰρ λόγος τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ διαιρεῖ καὶ μερίζει τῶν γηϊνῶν καὶ ὑλικῶν διὰ τούτου παρασκευάζων ἔχθραν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἕνωσιν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ