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let him not eat. But these things are of the middle sort, becoming at one time this, and at another time that, according to those who use them.

And what need is there to speak of health, and sickness, and wealth, and poverty? For this very thing, which seems to the many to be the chief of goods, and the summit of evils, I mean death, and life, not even these things will be so simply, but these too are of the middle sort, each of these becoming so according to the disposition of those who use them. I mean something like this: to live is good, when one uses it for a good purpose; but when one uses it for sins and transgressions, it would no longer be good, but it is better for such a one to die. Again, that which seems to many to be something to be avoided, may become the cause of myriad goods, when it has a fitting cause. And the martyrs make this clear, who are more blessed than all on account of their death. For this reason Paul did not simply desire to live in Christ, but because this for him was the fruit of his labor.

For what I shall choose, he says, I do not know. But I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ; for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. For this reason also the Prophet says, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints; not simply death, but such a death. And again elsewhere, The death of sinners is evil. Do you see that this too is of the middle sort, not simply good, nor simply evil, but from the disposition of those who receive it? For this reason also the most wise Solomon, enumerating what is useful of these intermediate things, and philosophizing about them, and showing that this is not simply good, and that evil, but they become good with the fitting time, and burdensome when they do not have the fitting time, A time to weep, and a time to laugh, he said, a time to live, and a time to die. For it is not everywhere good to rejoice, but there are times when it is even harmful; 56.149 nor is it everywhere good to grieve, but there are times when it is even deadly and destructive. And showing this very thing again Paul said: Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world works death.

5. Do you see that this too is of the middle sort? Therefore its opposite is also of the middle sort,

I mean, rejoicing. Wherefore he did not simply command us to rejoice, but to rejoice in the Lord. But the account of intermediate things has been sufficiently clarified for us, if indeed it has attentive listeners; we must now proceed to the things that are not intermediate, but to the good things, which can never become evil, and to the evil things, which can never become good.

For these things that have been mentioned become at one time this, and at another time that; for example, wealth is sometimes evil, when it is spent on covetousness, and sometimes good, when it is used for almsgiving; and other such things follow this rule. But there are some things which could never become evil; and others, contrary to these, are always evil, and could never become good; such as impiety, blasphemy, licentiousness, cruelty, inhumanity, gluttony, and such things. I do not say that an evil man could never become good, nor a good man ever become evil; but that the things themselves could never become so. For these would be in their own order, both the good things and the evil things; but a man, when he chooses the one, is good, and when he chooses the opposite, is evil. Therefore these are three categories: the good things, which could not become evil, such as temperance, almsgiving, and such things; the evil things, which could never become good, such as licentiousness, inhumanity, cruelty; and those things which become at one time this, and at another time that, according to the disposition of those who use them.

For wealth at one time is made to serve covetousness. and at another, almsgiving; but according to the disposition of the one who uses it. Poverty at one time is made to serve blasphemy, and at another, praise and philosophy. Since, therefore, many

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μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τῶν μέσων ἐστὶ, παρὰ τοὺς χρωμένους ποτὲ μὲν τοῦτο, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκεῖνο γινόμενα.

Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν ὑγίειαν, καὶ νόσον, καὶ πλοῦτον, καὶ πενίαν; Αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο, ὃ δοκεῖ τοῖς πολλοῖς εἶναι τῶν ἀγαθῶν κε φάλαιον, καὶ τῶν κακῶν ὁ κολοφὼν, ὁ θάνατος, λέγω, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ, οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἁπλῶς ἔσται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα τῶν μέσων, παρὰ τὴν γνώμην τῶν χρωμένων ἑκάτερα ταῦτα γινόμενα. Οἷόν τι λέγω· τὸ ζῇν καλὸν, ὅταν εἰς δέον χρώμενος αὐτῷ τις εἴη· ὅταν δὲ εἰς ἁμαρτήματα καὶ παρανομίας, οὐκέτι ἂν εἴη καλὸν, ἀλλὰ βέλτιον τὸν τοιοῦτον τελευτῆσαι. Πάλιν ὃ πολλοῖς φευκτὸν εἶναι δοκεῖ, μυρίων ἀγαθῶν γένοιτ' ἂν αἴτιον, ὅταν αἰτίαν ἔχῃ τὴν προσήκουσαν. Καὶ δηλοῦσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, οἳ πάντων εἰσὶ διὰ τὴν τελευτὴν μακαριώ τεροι. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπεθύμει ζῇν ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο αὐτῷ καρπὸς ἔργου.

Καὶ τί αἱρήσομαι γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐ γνωρίζω· συν έχομαι δὲ ἐκ τῶν δύο, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων τοῦ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι· πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλ λον κρεῖσσον· τὸ δὲ ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαι ότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Προφήτης, Τί μιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐ τοῦ· οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁ θάνατος, ἀλλ' ὁ τοιόσδε θάνατος. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ, Θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός. Ὁρᾷς καὶ τοῦτο τῶν μέσων, οὐχ ἁπλῶς καλὸν, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς κακὸν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης τῶν ὑποδεχομέ νων αὐτό; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Σολομὼν, τὸ μέσον τούτων τὸ χρήσιμον καταλέγων, καὶ φιλο σοφῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο καλὸν, κἀκεῖνο κακὸν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ καιροῦ τοῦ προσ ήκοντος γίνεται καλὰ, κἂν φορτικὰ εἶναι δοκῇ, ὅταν τὸν καιρὸν μὴ ἔχῃ τὸν προσήκοντα, Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι, ἔλεγε, καιρὸς τοῦ ζῆσαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ παντα χοῦ τὸ χαίρειν καλὸν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ βλαβερόν· 56.149 οὖτε πανταχοῦ τὸ ἀλγεῖν καλὸν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ θανάσιμον καὶ ὀλέθριον. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ πάλιν δει κνὺς ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπη μετά νοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον κατεργάζεται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου λύπη θάνατον κατεργάζεται.

εʹ. Ὁρᾷς καὶ τοῦτο τῶν μέσων ὄν; Οὐκοῦν καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ τῶν μέσων,

τὸ χαίρειν λέγω. ∆ιόπερ οὐχ ἁπλῶς χαίρειν ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλὰ χαίρειν ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῶν μέσων λόγος ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν διευκρίνη ται, εἴγε ἀκροατὰς ἔχει προσέχοντας· ἰτέον δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὰ μὴ μέσα, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ, ἃ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο κακὰ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ κακὰ, ἃ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο καλά.

Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ τὰ εἰρημένα ποτὲ μὲν τοῦτο, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκεῖνο γίνεται· οἷον ὁ πλοῦτος ποτὲ μὲν κακὸν, ὅταν εἰς πλεονεξίαν δαπανᾶται, ποτὲ δὲ καλὸν, ὅταν εἰς ἐλεη μοσύνην ἀναλίσκηται· καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα κατὰ τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον. Ἔστι δέ τινα, ἃ οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο κακά· τὰ δὲ, ἐναντία τούτοις, ἀεὶ κακὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο καλά· οἷον ἀσέβεια, βλασφημία, ἀσέλ γεια, ὠμότης, ἀπανθρωπία, γαστριμαργία, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Οὐ λέγω ὅτι ἄνθρωπος κακὸς οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο καλὸς, οὔτε καλὸς οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο κακός· ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο. Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ εἴη ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως, τά τε καλὰ, καὶ τὰ κακά· ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος, ὅταν μὲν ἐκεῖνα ἕλη ται, καλὸς, ὅταν δὲ ἐναντία, κακός. Οὐκοῦν τρεῖς αὗται μοῖραι· τὰ μὲν γὰρ καλὰ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο κακὰ, οἷον σωφροσύνη, ἐλεημοσύνη, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· τὰ δὲ κακὰ οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο καλὰ, οἷον ἀσέλγεια, ἀπαν θρωπία, ὠμότης· τὰ δὲ ποτὲ μὲν τοῦτο, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκεῖνο γινόμενα, παρὰ τὴν γνώμην τῶν χρωμένων.

Ὁ πλοῦτος ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ εἰς πλεονεξίαν ὑπηρετεῖται. ποτὲ δὲ εἰς ἐλεημοσύνην· ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν γνώμην τοῦ χρωμένου. Πενία ποτὲ μὲν εἰς βλασφημίαν, ποτὲ δὲ εἰς εὐφημίαν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν ὑπηρετεῖται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλοὶ