1

De angusta porta et in orationem dominicam

On living according to God, and on 'The gate is narrow,' and what follows; and an interpretation of the prayer, 'Our Father'.

51.41

1. The reading of every divinely-inspired Scripture becomes for those who pay attention a full knowledge of piety; but the revered writing of the Gospels is an excellence of higher teachings; for the oracles contained in them are decrees of the Most High King. Wherefore a certain dreadful punishment is threatened to those who do not precisely keep what was said by him. For if he who transgresses the laws of earthly rulers undergoes an inevitable punishment, how much more shall he who disregards the commandments of the heavenly Master be given over to unbearable torments? Since, therefore, the danger of inattention is great, let us with much exactness pay attention to the hearing of the words just now read to us from the Gospel. And what are these? Narrow, he says, is the gate, and afflicted the way that leads to life; and few there are who find it. And again: Wide is the gate, and spacious the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who go through it. When I continually hear these words, and see the diligence of men for vain things, I marvel greatly at the truth of what has been said. For all walk along the wide road, all gape at present things, and never take thought of the future; but they hasten unceasingly to bodily pleasures, and allow their souls to waste away in famine; and receiving countless wounds each day, they never have a sense of the evils in which they are; and for the sake of the body's ailments, they resort to those who heal these things; and these same they send for to their homes, and they offer the greatest possible fees, and show much endurance, and bear the painful treatment, in order to purchase its health; but of the soul when it is ill-disposed they are utterly neglectful, and do not hasten to receive its lovely health, although they know clearly that the body is mortal and perishable, and is like the flowers of spring; for like them it withers and fades, and is given over to corruption; but the soul they know to have been honored with immortality, and to have been made in the divine image, and to have been entrusted with the rudders of the living being. For what a charioteer is to a chariot, and a pilot to a ship, and a musician to an instrument, this the Creator ordained the soul to be for this earthly vessel. For she holds the reins, and moves the rudders, and strikes the chords, and doing this well, she strikes up the all-harmonious melody of virtue; but when she either loosens the notes, or tightens them beyond what is necessary, she ruins both the art and the harmony. Of this, therefore, most people are neglectful, and do not deem it worthy of even brief care, but they spend all the time of their life 51.42 on bodily concerns; And some embrace the life of sailors, and fight with waves and winds, carrying life and death around with them, and holding the hopes of their salvation in a few planks; others undertake the sweat of agriculture, yoking plough-oxen, and ploughing the earth, and now sowing and reaping, now planting and harvesting, and all their time proceeds with such toil; others engage in commerce, and for its sake they make journeys on land and sea, and prefer a foreign land to their own, and fatherland, and family, and

1

De angusta porta et in orationem dominicam

Περὶ τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτεύεσθαι, καὶ εἰς τὸ, Στενὴ ἡ πύλη, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἑρμηνεία τῆς προσευχῆς τοῦ, Πάτερ ἡμῶν.

51.41

αʹ. Πάσης μὲν θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς ἡ ἀνάγνωσις γίνεται τοῖς προσέχουσιν εὐσεβείας ἐπίγνωσις· ἡ δὲ σεπτὴ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων γραφὴ ὑψηλοτέρων ἐστὶ διδαγμάτων ὑπεροχή· τὰ γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐμφερόμενα λόγια ὑψίστου Βασιλέως ὑπάρχει θεσπίσματα. ∆ιὸ καὶ φοβερά τις ἠπείληται κόλασις τοῖς μὴ φυλάττουσιν ἀκριβῶς τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα. Εἰ γὰρ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀρχόντων ὁ παραβαίνων τοὺς νόμους ἀπαραίτητον ὑφίσταται κόλασιν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἀφορήτοις ἐκδοθήσεται βασάνοις ὁ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ∆εσπότου ἀθετῶν τὰ προστάγματα; Ἐπεὶ οὖν μέγας ἐστὶν ὁ τῆς ἀπροσεξίας κίνδυνος, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας προσέχωμεν τῇ ἀκροάσει τῶν ἀρτίως ἀναγνωσθέντων ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ῥημάτων. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτά ἐστι; Στενὴ, φησὶν, ἡ πύλη, καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν· καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν. Καὶ πάλιν· Πλατεῖα ἡ πύλη, καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ διερχόμενοι δι' αὐτῆς. Τούτων ἐγὼ συνεχῶς ἀκούων τῶν λόγων, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ μάταια βλέπων σπουδὴν, λίαν θαυμάζω τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Πάντες γὰρ διὰ τῆς πλατείας βαδίζουσιν ὁδοῦ, πάντες εἰς τὰ παρόντα κεχήνασι πράγματα, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων οὐδέποτε λαμβάνουσιν ἔννοιαν· ἀλλ' εἰς μὲν τὰς σωματικὰς ἀπολαύσεις ἀδιαλείπτως ἐπείγονται, τὰς δὲ ψυχὰς ἐῶσιν ἐν λιμῷ κατατήκεσθαι· καὶ μυρία καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν λαμβάνοντες τραύματα, οὐδέποτε αἴσθησιν ἔχουσι τῶν ἐν οἷς εἰσι κακῶν· καὶ τῶν μὲν τοῦ σώματος ἕνεκα παθημάτων, φοιτῶσι πρὸς τοὺς ταῦτα θεραπεύοντας· καὶ αὐτοὺς δὲ τούτους οἴκαδε παραπέμπονται, καὶ μισθοὺς παρέχουσιν ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστους, καὶ καρτερίαν ἐπιδείκνυνται πολλὴν, καὶ τῆς ἐπιπόνου θεραπείας ἀνέχονται, ἵνα τὴν ἐκείνου ὑγείαν ὠνήσωνται· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς κακῶς διακειμένης παντελῶς ἀμελοῦσι, καὶ τὴν ἀξιέραστον αὐτῆς ὑγείαν λαβεῖν οὐ σπουδάζουσι, καίτοι σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενοι, ὅτι τὸ μὲν σῶμα θνητόν ἐστι καὶ ἐπίκηρον, καὶ τοῖς ἐαρινοῖς προσέοικεν ἄνθεσιν· ὁμοίως γὰρ ἐκείνοις μαραίνεται καὶ σβέννυται, καὶ φθορᾷ παραδίδοται· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ἴσασιν ἀθανασίᾳ τετιμημένην, καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα θείαν γεγενημένην, καὶ τοῦ ζώου πεπιστευμένην τοὺς οἴακας. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἡνίοχος ἅρματι, καὶ κυβερνήτης πλοίῳ, καὶ μουσικὸς ὀργάνῳ, τοῦτο εἶναι τῷ γηΐνῳ τούτῳ σκεύει τὴν ψυχὴν ὁ πλάστης ἐνομοθέτησεν. Αὕτη γὰρ κατέχει τὰς ἡνίας, καὶ κινεῖ τὰ πηδάλια, καὶ τὰς χορδὰς ἀνακρούεται, καὶ εὖ μὲν τοῦτο πράττουσα, τὸ παναρμόνιον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνακρούεται μέλος· ὅταν δὲ ἢ χαλάσῃ τοὺς φθόγγους, ἢ διατείνῃ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος, καὶ τῇ τέχνῃ καὶ τῇ ἁρμονίᾳ λυμαίνεται. Ταύτης τοίνυν ἀμελοῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὐδὲ βραχείας αὐτὴν ἐπιμελείας ἀξιοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἅπαντα τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν 51.42 τὸν χρόνον εἰς τὰς σωματικὰς ἀναλίσκουσι φροντίδας· Καὶ οἱ μὲν τὸν τῶν ναυτίλων ἀσπάζονται βίον, καὶ κύμασι καὶ πνεύμασι μάχονται, τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν περιφέροντες, καὶ τὰς τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπίδας ἐν ὀλίγαις σανίσι κατέχοντες· οἱ δὲ τὸν τῆς γεωπονίας ἀναδέχονται ἱδρῶτα, βοῦς ἀροτῆρας ζευγνύντες, καὶ τὴν γῆν ἀροτριῶντες, καὶ νῦν μὲν σπείροντες καὶ θερίζοντες, νῦν δὲ φυτεύοντες καὶ τρυγῶντες, καὶ ἅπας αὐτοῖς ὁ χρόνος μετὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ὁδεύει ταλαιπωρίας· οἱ δὲ τὰς ἐμπορίας ἐπέρχονται, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων τὰς ἐν γῇ τε καὶ θαλάττῃ ποιοῦνται ἀποδημίας, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας τὴν ἀλλοδαπὴν προτιμῶσι, καὶ πατρίδα, καὶ γένος, καὶ