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De jejunio

On Fasting. 61.787 Raising my voice, I cry out louder than a trumpet, not so that I may deceive the ear with the delight of pleasure, but so that with the word of truth I may extinguish pleasure; and that I may stop by my speech the desire of the stomach, and arouse through longing the practice of fasting. For the longing for fasting is a heavenly gain, but the gain of sensual pleasure works a damaging harm. For he who is occupied with food, and fills the desire of the stomach, damages the spiritual fruitfulness of the soul; but he who withers the flesh by fasting, and avoids gluttony, treasures up the expectation of better things. For fasting teaches self-control, it builds endurance; fasting anoints for piety, and trains for perseverance; fasting makes one's way of life angelic, and renders the body spiritual; fasting is a protection for the soul, and an invincible weapon for the body. For it neither admits treacherous pleasure, 61.788 and it conquers the desire that wars against it. Fasting raises the mind to heaven and gives it wings toward the immortal nature. Let us fast, therefore, beloved, not going through the days of the fasts with gloomy faces, but approaching them with cheerful souls as servants of Christ. For if you have come to the fast with desire, do not be sad, but rejoice; for it cleanses your soul of poison. Do not look for the fast among fine things, of which the foods are pleasant; but, enduring, be patient, receiving teachings sweeter than foods. For this reason you fast from foods, that you may be nourished by the Spirit; and for this reason you abstain from bodily viands, that you may be filled with spiritual offerings. Fasting is a medicine that destroys sin, and a softening poultice for the soul, washing it towards piety. And just as the worse ailments, when sprinkled with certain very pungent and 61.789 astringent things, cast off the putrefaction of the body; in the same way, the most astringent fasting, having entered, dries up the sin that lurks within and preys upon the soul, thinning it little by little, and makes it disappear completely, cleansing it away. For this reason, even if fasting is laborious, it is still beneficial and accessible. Therefore, do not fast while grieving, lest you lose the labor; nor grumble that you delay a little, lest for a little thing you suffer the loss of the whole. For by as much as fasting makes the body astringent, by so much is the benefit from the fast. Run back to the lives of the righteous, and you find them for the most part having been approved through fasting. First, Moses, having fasted, entered into the darkness, and through fasting became a companion of God. Having fasted for forty days continuously, he was named lawgiver through fasting; and he neither ate bread, nor drank wine; for he was content for nourishment, being taught the legislation by the Lawgiver. But that you may learn how much fasting benefits, and how much drunkenness, which wars against fasting, harms; consider the things being done by Moses, and the things being done by the people, and you will find the power of fasting. Above, Moses was receiving the law, and below, the people were overturning the law. For Moses, being grieved, shattered the law, not considering it reasonable for the law to be entrusted to drunkards, and

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De jejunio

Περὶ Νηστείας. 61.787 Σάλπιγγος ὑψηλότερα βοῶ τὴν φωνὴν ἀνυψῶν, οὐχ ἵνα τέρψει ἡδονῆς τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀπατήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα λέξει τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἡδονὴν σβέσω· καὶ παύσω μὲν ἀπὸ λόγου τὴν τῆς γαστρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν, ἐξεγερῶ δὲ διὰ πόθου τὴν τῆς νηστείας ἐργασίαν. Πόθος γὰρ νηστείας ἐπουράνιον τὸ κέρδος, κέρδος δὲ ἡδυπαθείας ἐπιζήμιον ἀπεργάζεται τὸ βλάβος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ βρώσει σχολάζων, καὶ τὴν τῆς γαστρὸς πληρῶν ἐπιθυμίαν, τῆς ψυχῆς ζημιοῖ τὴν ἐπικαρπίαν τὴν πνευματικήν· ὁ δὲ νηστείᾳ τὴν σάρκα μαραίνων, καὶ τῶν βρωμάτων τὴν ἀδηφαγίαν ἀποφεύγων, τῶν κρειττόνων θησαυρίζει τὴν προσδοκίαν. Νηστεία γὰρ σωφροσύνην ἐκδιδάσκει, καρτερικὸν κατασκευάζει· νηστεία πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἀλείφει, καὶ πρὸς ὑπομονὴν γυμνάζει· νηστεία ἀγγελικὴν ποιεῖ τὴν πολιτείαν, καὶ πνευματικὸν, ἀποτελεῖ τὸ σῶμα· νηστεία ψυχῆς ἐστι φυλακτήριον, καὶ σώματος ὅπλον ἀκαταμάχητον. Οὔτε γὰρ τὴν ἐπίβουλον ἡδονὴν παραδέχεται, 61.788 καὶ τὴν ἀντιστρατευομένην ἐπιθυμίαν καταγωνίζεται. Νηστεία εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνάγει τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ πτεροῖ αὐτὴν πρὸς τὴν ἀθάνατον φύσιν. Νηστεύωμεν τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, μὴ σκυθρωποὶ τοῖς προσώποις τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν νηστειῶν διεξερχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ φαιδραῖς ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὡς δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ πρὸς αὐτὰς διατιθέμενοι. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπιθυμῶν τῇ νηστείᾳ προσελήλυθας, μὴ στύγναζε, ἀλλὰ χαίρου· καθαίρει γάρ σου τὴν ψυχὴν τὸ δηλητήριον. Μὴ περὶ καλῶν τὴν νηστείαν ἐκδέχου, ὧν ἡδέα τὰ βρώματα· ἀλλ' ὑπομένων μακροθύμει ἡδύτερα τῶν βρωμάτων δεχόμενος τὰ διδάγματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο νηστεύεις ἀπὸ βρωμάτων, ἵνα τραφῇς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέχῃ τῶν σωματικῶν ἐδεσμάτων, ἵνα ἐμπλησθῇς τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀναθημάτων. Φάρμακόν ἐστιν ἀναιρετικὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ νηστεία, καὶ κατάπλασμα ψυχῆς μαλακτικὸν, ἀποπλύνουσα πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ χείρονα πάθη δριμυτάτοις τισὶ καὶ στυπτι 61.789 κωτάτοις καταπασσόμενα, τὸ μὲν σηπτικὸν τοῦ σώματος ἀποῤῥίπτει· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν ἐνυπομυχεύουσαν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς νεμομένην στυπτικωτάτη ὑπεισελθοῦσα νηστεία ἀναξηραίνει μὲν αὐτὴν κατ' ὀλίγον λεπτύνουσα, ἐξαφανίζει δὲ εἰς ἅπαν ἀποκαθαίρουσα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰ καὶ ἐπίπονος ἡ νηστεία, ἀλλ' ὠφέλιμος καὶ εὐπρόσιτος. Μὴ τοίνυν λυπούμενος νηστεύσῃς, ἵνα μὴ τὸν κάματον ἀπολέσῃς· μηδὲ γογγύσῃς ὅτι ὀλίγον βραδύνεις, ἵνα μὴ δι' ὀλίγον τοῦ ὅλου ζημίαν ὑπομείνῃς. Ὅσῳ γὰρ νηστεία ὑποστύφει τὸ σῶμα, τοσοῦτον ἐκ τῆς νηστείας ὠφέλεια. Ἀνάδραμε ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν δικαίων πολιτείας, καὶ εὑρίσκεις αὐτοὺς τὸ πλεῖον διὰ νηστείας εὐδοκιμήσαντας. Πρῶτον Μωϋσῆς νηστεύσας ἐπὶ τὸν γνόφον εἰσελήλυθε, καὶ συνόμιλος τῷ Θεῷ διὰ νηστείας γέγονε. Τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας τὴν νηστείαν ἐπισυνάψας, νομοθέτης διὰ νηστείας ἐχρημάτισε· καὶ οὔτε ἄρτον ἔφαγεν, οὔτε οἶνον ἔπιεν· ἠρκεῖτο γὰρ τροφῇ τὴν νομοθεσίαν παρὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου ἐκδιδασκόμενος. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς πόσον ὠφελεῖ ἡ νηστεία, καὶ πόσον βλάπτει ἡ μέθη νηστείᾳ ἀντιστρατευομένη· κατανόησον τοῖς ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως πραττομένοις, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ γιγνομένοις, καὶ εὑρήσεις τὴν δύναμιν τῆς νηστείας. Ἄνω Μωϋσῆς τὸν νόμον ἐλάμβανε, καὶ κάτω ὁ λαὸς τὸν νόμον ἀνέτρεπε. Λυπηθεὶς γὰρ Μωϋσῆς τὸν νόμον συνέτριβεν, οὐκ εὔλογον ἠγησάμενος μεθύουσι τὸν νόμον πιστεύεσθαι, καὶ