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Against usurers

OF GREGORY BISHOP OF NYSSA AGAINST THOSE WHO CHARGE INTEREST The life of men who love virtue, who choose to live according to reason, is regulated by good laws and commandments, in which the mind of the lawgiver is seen to be directed generally to two purposes, one having the prohibition of things that are forbidden, the other urging on to the practice of good things; for it is not possible otherwise for a well-ordered and temperate life to be achieved, unless one, fleeing from wickedness with all one's might, pursues virtue as a son his mother. Having gathered together today, therefore, so that we might hear the commandments of God, we listened to the prophet slaying interest, the wicked children of loans, and removing from life the use of coins for profit. Let us receive the command obediently, so that we do not become that rock, on which the seed fell and remained dry and barren, nor let it be said to us, as it once was to the intractable Israel: Hearing you will hear, and will not understand; and seeing you will see, and will not perceive. But I beg those who will listen not to condemn me for boldness or folly, if after a man of eloquence and renown in philosophy, and trained in the discipline of every kind of discourse, who won acclaim on this subject and left his oration against usurers as a possession for life, I too 9.196 have entered the same contest, having yoked a team of donkeys or oxen against prize-winning horses. For small things always appear alongside great things, and the moon shines while the sun is visible, and while a ship of ten thousand talents' burden is sailing, driven by the violence of the winds, a small ferry-boat follows, crossing the same deep, and again while men are competing by the laws of athletics, boys too train in the same dust. So let this be my request for pardon. But you, to whom this discourse is addressed, whoever you may be, hate the huckster's way; being a human, love humans and not money. Stop the sin at this point. Say to your once dearest interest the words of John the Baptist: Brood of vipers, depart from me. You are the ruin of those who have you and those who receive you, you please for a little while, but in later times the venom from you becomes a bitter poison for the soul, you block the way of life, you shut the doors of the kingdom, having pleased the sight a little and having sounded around the ear, you become agents of eternal grief. Having said these things, renounce avarice and interest, and align yourself with love for the poor. And do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow. Because of poverty he beseeches you and sits at your gates, being in want he takes refuge in your wealth, that you may be a helper to him in his need. But you do the opposite; the ally becomes an enemy. For you do not cooperate with him, so that he might be freed from his pressing need and repay you the loan, but you sow evils for the one in distress, stripping the naked man further, wounding the wounded one more, adding cares to cares and griefs to grief. For one who receives gold with interest receives a pledge of poverty, bringing ruin into the house under the guise of benevolence. For just as one who, 9.197 to someone suffering a fever, being burned by the heat, and afflicted by the most violent thirst and of necessity asking for a drink, gives wine supposedly out of philanthropy, pleases for a little while <the one> who drains the cup, but after a short time has passed, produces a violent and tenfold fever in the sick man, so the one who provides interest-bearing gold to a poor man does not stop his need, but increases his misfortune. Do not, therefore, live a misanthropic life under the guise of philanthropy, nor become a murderous physician, having the appearance

1

Contra usurarios

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΚΙΖΟΝΤΩΝ Τῶν φιλαρέτων ἀνθρώπων τῶν ζῆν κατὰ λόγον προαιρου μένων νόμοις ἀγαθοῖς ὁ βίος καὶ προστάγμασι κεκανόνισται, ἐν οἷς καθορᾶται τοῦ νομοθέτου ἡ γνώμη πρὸς δύο γενικῶς ἀποτεινομένη σκοπούς, ἕνα μὲν τῶν ἀπειρημένων τὴν ἀπαγόρευσιν ἔχοντα, ἕτερον δὲ τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῶν καλῶν κατεπείγοντα· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως εὐπολίτευτον βίον κατορθωθῆναι καὶ σώφρονα, εἰ μή τις φεύγων ὡς ἔχει δυνάμεως τὴν κακίαν διώξειεν ὡς υἱὸς μητέρα τὴν ἀρετήν. συναχθέντες τοίνυν καὶ σήμερον, ἵνα θεοῦ προσταγμάτων ἀκούσωμεν, ἠκροώμεθα τοῦ προφήτου φονεύοντος τὰ μοχθηρὰ τῶν δανεισμάτων τέκνα τοὺς τόκους, ἐξαιροῦντος δὲ τοῦ βίου τὴν ἐπ' ἐργασίᾳ χρῆσιν τῶν νομισμάτων. δεξώμεθα δὲ εὐπειθῶς τὸ παράγγελμα, ἵνα μὴ ἡ πέτρα ἐκείνη γενώμεθα, ἐφ' ἣν καταπεσὼν ὁ σπόρος ξηρὸς καὶ ἄγονος ἔμεινεν, μηδὲ λεχθῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἅ ποτε πρὸς τὸν δυσάγωγον Ἰσραήλ· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. παραιτοῦμαι δὲ τοὺς ἀκουσομένους μηδαμῶς θρασύτητός μου ἢ ἀνοίας καταψηφίσασθαι, εἰ ἀνδρὸς λογάδος καὶ ὀνομαστοῦ κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν, πάντων δὲ λόγων ἀσκηθέντος παιδείαν, ἐπὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης εὐδοκιμήσαντος καὶ καταλιπόντος τὸν κατὰ τοκιστῶν λόγον κτῆμα τῷ βίῳ κἀγὼ 9.196 πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἅμιλλαν καθῆκα ὄνων ἢ βοῶν ἅρμα πρὸς τοὺς στεφανίτας ἵππους ζευξάμενος. παραφαίνεται γὰρ ἀεὶ τὰ μικρὰ τοῖς μεγάλοις, καὶ λαμπομένη σελήνη ἡλίου φαίνοντος, πλεούσης δὲ μυριοφόρτου νηὸς καὶ τῇ σφοδρότητι τῶν ἀνέμων ἐλαυνομένης ἐπακολουθεῖ ἡ μικρὰ πορθμὶς τὸν αὐτὸν περαιουμένη βυθόν, ἀνδρῶν δὲ πάλιν ἀγωνιζομένων νόμοις ἀθλητικοῖς ἐγκονίζονται τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ παῖδες. ὧδε μὲν οὖν ἐχέτω τῆς συγγνώμης ἡ αἴτησις. Σὺ δὲ, πρὸς ὃν ὁ λόγος, ὅστις ποτ' ἂν ᾖς, μίσησον τρόπον καπηλικόν· ἄνθρωπος ὢν ἀγάπησον ἀνθρώπους καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον. στῆσον μέχρι τούτου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. εἰπὲ τοῖς ποτέ σου φιλτάτοις τόκοις τὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ φωνήν· Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. ὄλεθροι τῶν ἐχόντων ὑμᾶς καὶ λαμβανόντων ἐστέ, τέρπετε πρὸς ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ χρόνοις ὕστερον ὁ ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἰὸς πικρὸν γίνεται δηλητή ριον τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀποφράττετε ζωῆς ὁδόν, κλείετε τῆς βασιλείας τὰς θύρας, μικρὸν τέρψαντες τὴν ὄψιν καὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν περιηχή σαντες αἰωνίου λύπης γίνεσθε πρόξενοι. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπόταξαι πλεονασμῷ καὶ τόκοις, σύνταξαι δὲ φιλοπτωχίᾳ. Καὶ τὸν θέλοντα δανείσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. διὰ πενίαν σε ἱκετεύει καὶ ταῖς θύραις προσκάθηται, ἀπορῶν καταφεύγει πρὸς τὸν σὸν πλοῦτον, ἵνα γένῃ αὐτῷ τῆς χρείας ἐπίκουρος. σὺ δὲ τοὐναντίον ποιεῖς· ὁ σύμμαχος γίνῃ πολέμιος· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ συμπράττεις, ὅπως ἂν καὶ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἐλευθερω θείη τῆς ἐπικειμένης καί σοι ἀποπληρώσῃ τὸ δάνεισμα, ἀλλὰ σπείρεις τῷ στενουμένῳ κακὰ τὸν γυμνὸν ἐπεκδύων, τὸν τετρωμένον ἐπιτραυματίζων, φροντίδας ἐπισυνάπτων ταῖς φροντίσι καὶ λύπας τῇ λύπῃ. ὁ γὰρ ἔντοκον χρυσίον ὑποδεχόμενος ἀρραβῶνα πενίας λαμβάνει ἐν προσχήματι εὐεργεσίας ὄλεθρον ἐπεισάγων τῇ οἰκίᾳ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ 9.197 πυρεταίνοντι, καιομένῳ παρὰ τῆς θέρμης, δίψῃ δὲ σφοδροτάτῃ συνεχομένῳ καὶ ἠναγκασμένης αἰτοῦντι τὸ πόμα διδοὺς οἶνον δῆθεν ὑπὸ φιλανθρωπίας εὐφραίνει μὲν πρὸς ὀλίγον <τὸν> τὴν κύλικα ἐφελκόμενον, ὀλίγου δὲ χρόνου παρελθόντος σφοδρὸν καὶ δεκαπλασίονα τῷ κάμνοντι τὸν πυρετὸν ἀπεργά ζεται, οὕτως ὁ παρέχων πένητι γεννῶντα χρυσὸν οὐ παύει τὴν ἀνάγκην, ἀλλ' ἐπιτείνει τὴν συμφοράν. Μὴ τοίνυν ζήσῃς μισάνθρωπον βίον ἐν φιλανθρωπίας προσχήματι μηδὲ γένῃ ἰατρὸς ἀνδροφόνος, τὸ πρόσχημα μὲν