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lying in the middle. But consider. There are qualities in the body, from which those who have them are named. For example; whiteness is not a substance, but a quality, and an accident that comes upon the substance; so if this attaches to someone, we call such a one white. Again there is sickness, and this itself is a certain quality and an accident; and if it attaches to someone, we call such a one sick. If, therefore, wealth were a virtue, it would be necessary for the one who has wealth to be and to be called virtuous; but if the rich man is not in every case virtuous, then wealth is not a virtue, nor good in itself, but it becomes this according to the disposition of the one who uses it. Again, if poverty were an evil, it would be necessary for all those in poverty to be evil; but if many of those who are in poverty have taken hold of the heavens, then poverty is not an evil.

4. What then, that many blaspheme because of poverty? he says. Not because of poverty,

but because of their own foolishness and smallness of soul do they do this. And the proof of this is the blessed Job, who, being in extreme poverty, and brought down to the very pit of poverty, not only did not blaspheme, but continued blessing God, saying: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so also it has come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever. But also because of wealth many, he says, rob and are covetous. But not because of wealth, but because of their own foolishness; and of this the witness again is this same man, who in such great wealth not only did not seize the things of others, but even [gave] his own, and prepared a harbor for strangers, saying thus: My house was open to every stranger who came.

And Abraham, having such great wealth, spent everything on those passing by; and wealth made neither this one nor that one covetous, just as poverty made neither that one nor Lazarus a blasphemer; but both shone forth in this way, not even having abundance of necessary food, so that one received testimony from God, who knows secret things clearly; and the other was thus carried away from here, led by angels, and became a fellow-dweller with the patriarch, and enjoys the good things that he does. Therefore these are among the indifferent things: poverty and wealth, health and sickness, and life and death, glory and honor, slavery and freedom, and all such things; for it is not necessary to go through all of them, so as not to prolong the discourse, but in these providing you with starting-points, to proceed to the more urgent matters. For, he says, give a wise man an opportunity, and he will be wiser.

Therefore all these are among the indifferent things, as those who use them could do so for both good and evil. For that these things, of which wealth is one, are indifferent, Abraham showed, by using it for a good purpose. 56.148 And the rich man in the story of Lazarus also showed this, by spending his possessions to the destruction of his own head. Therefore wealth is neither simply good, nor evil. If it were simply good, and not indifferent, the rich man in the story of Lazarus would not have been punished in such a way; if it were evil, Abraham would not have been so well-pleasing, being rich. Sickness is also something of this sort. For if sickness were an evil, it would be necessary for the one having it to be evil also. Then Timothy also would have been evil on this account, wrestling with an extreme sickness. For, he says, use a little wine for your stomach’s sake, and your frequent infirmities. But if not only was he not evil on account of this, but he also received an addition of much reward for bearing the sickness nobly, it is very clear that sickness is not an evil. And another prophet also continued to suffer in his eyes; but he was not evil on this account, but he also prophesied, and foresaw future things, and the sickness was no hindrance to his virtue. But neither is health simply a good thing, unless someone should use it for a good purpose, but for evil work, or for foolish idleness; for not even this is without accountability. Wherefore Paul also said: If any would not work,

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ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κειμένῃ. Σκόπει δέ. Εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ σώματι ποιότητες, ἃς οἱ ἔχοντες ἀπ' αὐτῶν καλοῦνται. Οἷόν τι λέγω· τὸ λευκὸν οὐκ ἔστιν οὐσία, ἀλλὰ ποιότης, καὶ συμβεβη κὸς ἐπιγινόμενον τῇ οὐσίᾳ· ἂν οὖν τινι προσγένηται τοῦτο, λευκὸν τὸν τοιοῦτον καλοῦμεν. Ἔστιν ἀῤῥωστία πάλιν καὶ αὐτὴ ποιότης τις οὖσα καὶ συμβεβηκός· κἄν τινι προσγένηται, ἄῤῥωστον τὸν τοιοῦτον κα λοῦμεν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος ἦν ἀρετὴ, ἔδει τὸν ἔχοντα τὸν πλοῦτον ἐνάρετον εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι· εἰ δὲ οὐ πάντως ὁ πλούσιος ἐνάρετος, οὐκ ἀρετὴ, οὐδὲ καλὸν ὁ πλοῦτος ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν γνώμην τοῦ χρωμένου τοῦτο γίνεται. Πάλιν ἡ πενία εἰ κακὸν ἦν, ἔδει τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ ἅπαντας εἶναι κακούς· εἰ δὲ πολ λοὶ τῶν ἐν πενίᾳ ὄντων τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπελάβοντο οὐκ ἄρα ἡ πενία κακόν.

δʹ. Τί οὖν, ὅτι πολλοὶ βλασφημοῦσι διὰ τὴν πενίαν; φησίν. Οὐ διὰ τὴν πενίαν,

ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφρο σύνην τε καὶ μικροψυχίαν τοῦτο ποιοῦσι. Καὶ τούτων ἀπόδειξις ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ, ὃς ἐν ἐσχάτῃ πενίᾳ ὢν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τῆς πενίας κατενεχθεὶς τὸ βάραθρον, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐβλασφήμησεν, ἀλλ' εὐλογῶν τὸν Θεὸν διε τέλει, λέγων· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφεί λετο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον πολλοὶ, φησὶν, ἁρπάζουσι καὶ πλεονεκτοῦσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφροσύνην· καὶ τούτου μάρτυς πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, ὃς ἐν τοσούτῳ πλούτῳ οὐ μόνον οὐχ ἥρπασε τὰ ἑτέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα [ἐδίδου], καὶ λιμένα τοῖς ξένοις κατεσκεύαζεν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἡ οἰκία μου παντὶ ξένῳ ἐλθόντι ἠνέῳκτο.

Καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ πλοῦτον τοσοῦτον ἔχων, τοῖς παριοῦσι πάντα ἐδαπάνα· καὶ οὔτε τοῦτον, οὔτε ἐκεῖνον πλεονέκτην ὁ πλοῦτος ἐποίησεν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ βλάσφημον οὔτε ἐκεῖνον, οὔτε τὸν Λάζαρον ἡ πενία· ἀλλ' οὕτω διέλαμψαν ἑκάτεροι, μηδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐποροῦντες τροφῆς, ὡς τὸν μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δέ ξασθαι τὴν μαρτυρίαν, τοῦ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα σαφῶς εἰδό τος· τὸν δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων προηγουμένων οὕτως ἐντεῦθεν ἀπενεχθῆναι, καὶ ὁμόσκηνον τῷ πατριάρχῃ γενέσθαι, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύειν, ὧν ἐκεῖνος. Ἄρα τῶν μέσων ταῦτά ἐστι, πενία καὶ πλοῦτος, ὑγίεια καὶ νόσος, καὶ ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος, δόξα καὶ τιμὴ, δουλεία καὶ ἐλευθερία, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ πάντα ἐπιέναι, ὥστε μὴ μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ ἐν τούτοις παρέχοντα ὑμῖν ἀφορμὰς, ἐπὶ τὰ κατεπεί γοντα βαδίζειν. ∆ίδου γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῷ ἀφορμὴν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται.

Ἄρα τῶν μέσων ταῦτά ἐστι πάντα, ὡς τούτοις καὶ εἰς καλὸν, καὶ εἰς κακὸν, οἱ χρώμενοι δύναιντ' ἄν. Ὅτι γὰρ τῶν μέσων ἐστὶ ταῦτα, ὧν ὁ πλοῦτος, ἔδειξεν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, εἰς δέον 56.148 αὐτῷ χρησάμενος. Ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου ὁ πλούσιος, ἐπὶ ἀπωλείᾳ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῆς τὰ ὄντα δαπανήσας. Οὔτε οὖν καλὸν ἁπλῶς ὁ πλοῦτος, οὔτε κακόν. Εἰ καλὸν ἦν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ μέσον, οὐκ ἂν ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου πλούσιος τοιαῦτα ἐκολάζετο· εἰ κακὸν ἦν, οὐκ ἂν Ἀβραὰμ οὕτως εὐδοκίμησε πλού σιος ὤν. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ νόσος ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ κακὸν ἦν ἡ νόσος, ἔδει καὶ τοῦτον κακὸν εἶναι τὸν ἔχοντα. Ἄρα καὶ Τιμόθεος ἔμελλεν εἶναι κατὰ τοῦτο κακὸς, ἐσχάτῃ νόσῳ παλαίων. Οἴνῳ γὰρ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ, φησὶ, διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου, καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθε νείας. Εἰ δὲ οὐ μόνον κακὸς οὐκ ἦν ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοῦ μισθοῦ προσθήκην ἐλάμβανε, γενναίως τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ἐνέγκας, εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐ κακὸν ἡ νόσος. Καὶ ἕτερος δὲ προφήτης τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς νοσῶν διετέ λει· ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ τοῦτο κακὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ προεφήτευε, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προεώρα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡ νόσος εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐγένετο κώλυμα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ ὑγίεια ἁπλῶς καλὸν, ἂν μή τις εἰς δέον κεχρημένος αὐτῇ εἴη, ἀλλ' εἰς ἐργασίαν πονηρὰν, ἢ εἰς ἀργίαν ἀνόητον· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀνεύθυνον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι,