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De vita Gregorii Thaumaturgi

BY THE SAME, ON THE LIFE OF SAINT GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER.

The purpose is one for both our discourse and our present assembly. For Gregory the Great is set forth as the subject, for you of the gathering, and for me of the discourse. But I think it requires the same power both to achieve virtue in deed, and to recount noble things worthily in word. Therefore this alliance should be invoked, through which that man achieved virtue in his life. And this is, according to my word, the grace of the Spirit, which through itself strengthens those who are zealous for each of these things, both for life and for discourse. Since, therefore, that illustrious and admired life was achieved by the power of the Spirit; it is a matter for prayer that as much assistance may come upon the discourse as was with him during his life, so that the praise may not be found wanting of the worth of his achievements, but that the man may be shown to be such to those present through this remembrance, as he himself was seen to be in his deeds by those in that time. If, then, the remembrance of those who excelled in virtue were unprofitable, and no contribution towards the good were made to the hearers, perhaps it would be superfluous and useless to offer the discourse for praise for no useful purpose, both delivering it in vain and idly wearying the hearing; but since such a grace of discourse, if it should be done fittingly, will be a common benefit for the hearers, just as a beacon for those sailing in from the sea, guiding to itself those wandering in the gloom upon the sea; I think equal zeal for this is necessary on both sides, for you in hearing, and for me in speaking. For it is clear that his virtuous life, shining forth in our souls like a beacon through this remembrance, becomes a way to the good for both the one who recounts it and for those who hear. For we humans are somehow naturally disposed to wish to be akin to everything praiseworthy and honorable, and to desire its possession. So then, the subject of the discourse is so great; but for me who dares to take on the subject it is safe from every side, whether the discourse should have strength to be raised up with the greatness of the deeds, 46.896 or not. For in either case the praise will be equal for the one being praised. For if the discourse should attain to the wonders, it will surely astonish the hearing with the achievements; but if it should fall short of the greatness, even so the glory of the one being praised is made brilliant.

For the best praise of a man is to be shown to be better than the power of those praising him. But let none of those educated in divine wisdom seek that the one praised spiritually be praised according to the custom of those outside with the technical methods of encomia. For the judgment of what is good is not from the same things for us as for others; nor would one find the same opinions about the same things among those who live according to the world and those who have risen above the world. For to some, wealth, and lineage, and glory, and worldly powers, and myths that found homelands, and narratives that should be shunned by those who have sense—trophies, and battles, and the evils from wars—seem to be something great and worthy of zeal; but in our account one homeland is honored, paradise, the first hearth of the human race; one city, the heavenly one, founded with living stones, of which God is the artisan and craftsman; one nobility of lineage, kinship with God; not coming to someone automatically, like noble birth in the world, which often flows and is brought even upon the worthless through this automatic succession, but one which is not possible otherwise, than from

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De vita Gregorii Thaumaturgi

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΒΙΟΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΑΥΜΑΤΟΥΡΓΟΥ.

Ὁ μὲν σκοπὸς εἷς ἐστι τοῦ τε ἡμετέρου λόγου, καὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἡμῶν

συλλόγου. Γρηγόριος γὰρ ὁ Μέγας, ὑμῖν τε τῆς συνόδου, κἀμοὶ τῆς διαλέξεως ὑπόθεσις πρόκειται. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς οἶμαι χρῆναι δυνά μεως, ἔργῳ τε κατορθῶσαι τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ λόγῳ κατ' ἀξίαν τὰ καλὰ διηγήσασθαι. Ὥστε ταύτην ἐπι κλητέον ἂν εἴη τὴν συμμαχίαν, δι' ἧς ἐν τῷ βίῳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκεῖνος κατώρθωσεν. Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη, κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον, ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις, ἡ καὶ πρὸς τὸν βίον καὶ πρὸς τὸν λόγον τοὺς περὶ ἑκάτερον τού των ἐσπουδακότας δι' ἑαυτῆς ἐνισχύουσα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ λαμπρὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ περίβλεπτος βίος τῇ δυνάμει κατωρθώθη τοῦ Πνεύματος· εὐχῆς ἔργον ἐστὶ, τοσαύ την ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον βοήθειαν, ὅση γέγονε παρὰ τὸν βίον ἐκείνῳ, ὡς μὴ κατόπιν εὑρεθῆναι τῆς ἀξίας τῶν κατορθωμάτων τὸν ἔπαινον, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον ἐπι δειχθῆναι τοῖς παροῦσι διὰ τῆς μνήμης τὸν ἄνδρα, οἷος ἦν τοῖς κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ὁρώμενος. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀκερδὴς ἦν ἡ μνήμη τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν προεχόντων, καὶ μηδεμία πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ἐγένετο συνεισφορὰ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, περιττὸν ἴσως ἂν ἦν καὶ ἀνόνητον ἐπὶ μηδενὶ χρησίμῳ προσάγειν εἰς εὐφημίαν τὸν λόγον, αὐτόν τε διεξιόντα μάτην, καὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀργῶς ἀποκναίοντα· ἐπει δὴ δὲ ἡ τοιαύτη τοῦ λόγου χάρις, εἰ προσηκόντως γένοιτο, κοινὸν ἔσται τῶν ἀκουόντων τὸ κέρδος, καθά περ ὁ πυρσὸς τοῖς ἐκ θαλάσσης προσπλέουσιν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν εὐθύνων τοὺς ἐν τῷ ζόφῳ πλανωμένους κατὰ τὸ πέλαγος· ἴσης οἶμαι δεῖν πρὸς τοῦτο τῆς σπουδῆς ἑκατέροις, ὑμῖν τε πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόασιν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν λόγον ἐμοί. ∆ῆλον γὰρ, ὅτι πυρσοῦ δίκην διὰ τῆς μνήμης ἐκλάμψας ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ὁ κατ' ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ βίος, ὁδὸς πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῷ τε διεξιόντι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσι γίνεται. Πεφύκαμεν γάρ πως οἱ ἄν θρωποι πρὸς ἅπαν τὸ ἐπαινετόν τε καὶ τίμιον οἰκείως ἐθέλειν ἔχειν, καὶ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῆς κτήσεως γίνεσθαι. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ὑπόθεσις τῶν λόγων τοσαύτη· ἐμοὶ δὲ πανταχόθεν ἀκίνδυνόν ἐστι κατατολμῶντι τῆς ὑποθέ σεως, εἴτε συνεπαρθῆναι τῷ μεγέθει τῶν πραγμάτων 46.896 ὁ λόγος ἰσχύσειεν, εἴτε καὶ μή. Ἴσος γὰρ ἔσται καθ' ἑκάτερον τῷ ἐγκωμιαζομένῳ ὁ ἔπαινος. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐφίκοιτο τῶν θαυμάτων ὁ λόγος, ἐκπλήξει τὴν ἀκοὴν πάντως τοῖς κατορθώμασιν· εἰ δὲ κατόπιν τοῦ μεγέ θους ἔλθοι, καὶ οὕτως ἡ δόξα τοῦ ἐγκωμιαζομένου λαμπρύνεται.

Ἀρίστη γὰρ ἀνδρὸς εὐφημία, τὸ ἐπι δειχθῆναι τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν εὐφημούντων ἀμείνονα. Μηδεὶς δὲ τῶν τῇ θείᾳ σοφίᾳ πεπαιδευμένων κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἔξω συνήθειαν ταῖς τεχνικαῖς τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἐφόδοις ἐπαινεῖσθαι ζητείτω τὸν πνευματικῶς ἐπαι νούμενον. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁμοίων ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσις ἐστίν· οὔτε τὰς αὐτὰς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ὑπολήψεις εὕροι τις ἂν, τοῖς τε κατὰ τὸν κόσμον ζῶσιν, καὶ τοῖς ὑπερανεστηκόσι τοῦ κόσμου. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ μέγα τι δοκεῖ καὶ σπουδῆς ἄξιον εἶναι πλοῦτος, καὶ γένος, καὶ δόξα, καὶ κοσμικαὶ δυναστεῖαι, καὶ μῦθοι τὰς πατρίδας οἰκίζοντες, καὶ τὰ φευκτὰ τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι διηγήματα, τρόπαια, καὶ μάχαι, καὶ τὰ ἐκ πολέμων κακά· τῷ δὲ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγῳ μία τετίμηται πατρὶς, ὁ παράδεισος, ἡ πρώτη τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑστία· μία πόλις, ἡ ἐπουράνιος, ἡ διὰ τῶν ζώντων λίθων συνῳκισμένη, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δη μιουργὸς ὁ Θεός· μία γένους σεμνότης, ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγχιστεία· οὐ κατὰ τὸ αὐτόματόν τινι γινομένη, κατὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εὐγένειαν, ἣ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς φαύλους πολλάκις διὰ τῆς αὐτομάτου ταύτης ἀκολου θίας ῥέουσα φέρεται, ἀλλ' ἣν οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλως, ἢ ἐκ