← Letters to Olympias (Letters of St. John Chrysostom)/Book 1 · Letters to Olympias (Epistulae ad Olympiadem)

Chapter 8ChrysOlymp.1.8

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Ηʹ

A Second Letter for Complete Healing

Chrysostom explains why he writes a second letter and calls Olympias to cooperate in her own healing.

Even my previous letter would have been enough, given your careful diligence, to calm the inflammation of your pain; but since the tyranny of despondency has worn you down so thoroughly, I thought it necessary to add a second letter to the first, so that you might harvest consolation in great abundance and your health might be secure from now on. Come then, and from another angle as well I'll scatter the dust of your despondency. For I think it has turned to dust from a wound and from severe swellings. Even so, we must still not neglect your care. Since even dust ruins the person who doesn't carefully brush it aside—striking the most vital parts, clouding the clear pupil and thoroughly disturbing the entire eye of the careless person—so that this doesn't happen here as well, let us eagerly remove even the remnant of the evil. But rise up and stretch out your hand to us. For what usually happens with those who are sick in body—if the physicians do their part but the patients fail to do theirs, the gain of health is cut short—this also naturally happens with the soul. So that this doesn't happen, be eager to do your part as well, with the understanding that is fitting, so that the benefit may come in abundance from both sides.

The Danger of Immoderate Grief

Chrysostom counters Olympias's excuse of weakness and warns that excessive grief over others' sins is harmful.

"But I want to," you may say, "yet I can't; for I'm not strong enough to drive off the dense, dark cloud of despondency, even though I'm striving hard." That's an excuse and a pretext; for I know the nobility of your thoughts, I know the strength of your devout soul, the abundance of your understanding, the power of your philosophy—and that it's enough for you merely to command the raging sea of despondency and make everything calm.¹ But to make this easier for you, we will also do our part. So how will you be able to do this easily? By also reviewing everything in the previous letter—since we said a lot there about this very subject—and, along with those things, doing what I now prescribe. And what is that? When you hear that among the Churches, one has sunk, another is being tossed about, another is flooded with fierce waves, another has suffered irreparable harm—one has received a wolf instead of a shepherd, another a pirate instead of a pilot, another an executioner instead of a physician—yes, grieve, for you must not bear such things without pain, but grieve while setting a limit to your grief.^✦ For if, even in the things we ourselves sin and for which we will give an account, grieving intensely is not necessary or safe, but is actually extremely deadly and harmful, then much more so, over the sins committed by others, is growing soft and breaking down superfluous and vain—and on top of that, satanic, and the ruin of the soul.

Paul's Discipline and Mercy

Chrysostom recounts the story of the Corinthian sinner to show that even severe discipline must give way to mercy, lest immoderate sorrow become a snare of the devil.

And so that you may learn that this is how these things stand, I'll tell you an old story. A certain Corinthian man—after tasting the sacred streams, being purified through the initiation of baptism, sharing in the most awesome table, and in short taking part in all the mysteries we have among us (and many say he even held the rank of a teacher)—after this sacred initiation, after coming into possession of all the ineffable goods and holding first place in the Church, committed a most grievous sin.² For when he looked with unlawful eyes on his father's wife, he did not stop at that wicked desire, but carried the unchaste intention out into action as well; and what he dared was not only fornication but also adultery—or rather, something far worse even than adultery.³ That is why the blessed Paul, when he heard of it and could not find a proper name worthy of the sin, shows the weight of the lawlessness in another way, saying this: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even named among the Gentiles." He did not say "is not even dared," but "is not even named," wanting to show how extreme that lawlessness was. And he hands him over to the devil, cuts him off from the whole Church, and does not even allow him to share a common table with anyone.⁴ For he says that one must not even eat with such a person, and he is fierce in demanding the utmost penalty of him, using Satan as the executioner for this purpose and through him cutting down the man's flesh.⁵ But still, Paul—who cut the man off from the Church, who did not even allow him to share a common table with anyone, who ordered everyone to mourn because of him ("For you are puffed up," he says, "and have not rather mourned, so that the one who did this deed might be removed from among you"), who drove him out from every side as if he were a plague, who shut him out of every house, who handed him over to Satan, who demanded so severe a penalty from him—when he saw that the man had grieved and repented of what he had sinned and was singing a recantation through his deeds, he himself in turn changed course so completely that he ordered those to whom he had given these commands to do the opposite.⁶ For the one who said, "Cut him off, turn away, mourn, and let the devil take him"—what does he say? "Confirm your love toward him, so that such a person may not be swallowed up by excessive sorrow and we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs." Do you see how satanic it is to grieve without measure, and how it is the work of his snare—turning the saving medicine into poison by excess? For it becomes poison and hands the person over to him whenever it falls into excess; that is why he also said, "so that we may not be outwitted by Satan." What he means is this: the sheep was full of a severe mange; it was alienated from the flock and torn away from the Church—but it corrected the disease and became a sheep as it was before. For such is the power of repentance.⁷ So now it has become part of our flock again. Let us draw him wholly to ourselves, receive him with open hands, embrace him, hold him close, and unite him to us. For if we refuse to do this, then the devil gains the advantage over us—not by taking what is his, but by taking the one who has become ours, through our negligence, drowning him by immoderate despondency and so making him his own again. That is why he also added, "For we are not ignorant of his designs"—because even through things that help, when they are not handled as they should be, he often trips up those who are not careful.

Turn from Grief to the Judgment to Come

Chrysostom urges Olympias to replace her grief over others' sins with the fear of the last judgment, which is beneficial and necessary.

But if Paul doesn't allow a man to indulge in deep grief even over wrongs he himself has committed—and such a wrong at that—but instead hurries, presses, does everything, and works every angle to cut away the mass of despondency, calling the excess satanic, the devil's overreaching, and the work of that one's malice and wicked designs—then over wrongs that others have committed and for which others will answer, how is it not the height of folly and madness to be so crushed and to grieve so much that you bring unspeakable darkness on the mind, along with great uproar, confusion, turmoil, and an unspeakable storm? And if you say the same things to me again—'I want to, but I don't have the strength'—then I too will say the same things back to you: 'That's a pretense and an excuse.'^✦ For I know the sinews of your philosophical soul.⁸ But to make it easier for you from another angle—both resistance to and victory over this untimely and ruinous despondency—do once more what I instruct you to do. Whenever you hear someone recounting this total ruin, leap away quickly from those thoughts and run to the thought of that fearsome day. Reckon with yourself the dread tribunal, the impartial Judge, the rivers of fire that stream before that tribunal and seethe with fiercest flame, the sharpened swords, the unrelenting punishments, the torment that has no end, the lightless gloom, the outer darkness, the venomous worm, the unbreakable bonds, the grinding of teeth and the inconsolable weeping, the theater of the inhabited world—or rather the theater of both creations, the one above and the one below.^✦^✦^✦ 'For even the powers of the heavens will be shaken,' he says.^✦ For even if they are conscious of nothing against themselves and are not going to give account, still, seeing the whole race of human beings and the countless throngs being judged, they do not stand there without fear.⁹ That is how great the fear will be then. So then, keep these things in mind—and the inescapable proofs as well.¹⁰ That Judge needs no accusers, no witnesses, no proofs, no cross-examinations; he brings everything out exactly as it was done, into the open, before the eyes of those who sinned. Then no one will be standing by to snatch you from the punishment—not a father, not a son, not a daughter, not a mother, not any other relative, not a neighbor, not a friend, not an advocate, not a gift of money, not abundance of wealth, not the weight of power—but all of that is driven out of the way like dust, and the one on trial stands alone and, by what he himself has done, receives either the verdict that frees him or the verdict that condemns him. Then no one is judged for what someone else has done wrong, but each for the sins he himself has committed. So gather all of this together, build up this fear, and set it as a fortification against that satanic, soul-harming grief; then take your stand against it in battle formation, and simply by showing yourself you'll be able to tear it apart and wipe it out more easily than a spider's web.¹¹ For that grief, besides being empty, is also pointless and extremely destructive and harmful; but that fear is necessary, useful, and beneficial, and holds a great reward.¹²

A Better Melody: Your Crown and Reward

Chrysostom changes his approach, praising Olympias's virtues and heavenly rewards to lift her spirits.

But I got carried away by the rush of the argument without noticing, and I've made this counsel a poor fit for you. For this kind of speech is necessary for me and for people like me, submerged in a crowd of sins—it terrifies and rouses us—but for you, flourishing in so many achievements and already touching the very vault of heaven, it couldn't so much as prick.¹³ So I'll change to another melody as I speak with you, and I'll strike another string, since this fear can't reach you—except to the same degree that it reaches even the angels.^✦¹⁴ So let's change formation; come, shift with the argument yourself, and weigh the returns on your achievements: the brilliant prizes, the radiant crowns, the company of the virgins in their dance, the sacred bridal chambers, the bridal room of the heavens, the portion shared with the angels, confident access and conversation with the Bridegroom, that marvelous torch-procession, the goods that surpass both speech and mind.^✦^✦¹⁵ But don't take exception to my words, even though we enrolled you in the company of those holy virgins, though you've lived as a widow.¹⁶ For you've often heard me, both in private and in public, discussing what the true definition of virginity actually is, and how you would never be barred from being enrolled in their company — rather, you who have shown such great spiritual discipline in other things would even surpass those women by a wide margin.¹⁷ That's why Paul, when he set the definition of virginity, did not call a virgin the woman unacquainted with marriage and free from a husband's intimacy, but the one who is concerned with the things of the Lord.^✦ And Christ himself, showing how much greater almsgiving is than virginity — and you yourself hold its scepter and long ago bound its crown on your head — cast half of that company out, because they entered without it, or rather because they didn't possess it generously; for they did have oil, but not enough.^✦¹⁸ But those who entered without virginity, because they were clothed with this [almsgiving], he welcomed with great honor, calling them 'blessed of the Father' and summoning them to himself and granting them the inheritance of the kingdom and proclaiming them in the midst of the whole world; and he did not refuse, even with angels and all creation present, to address them as his feeders and hosts.^✦¹⁹ You yourself will also hear that blessed voice then, and you will enjoy that reward with a great abundance.^✦ And if for almsgiving alone there are so many recompenses, so many crowns, such brilliance, such renown and glory — if I were also to go over the other parts of your virtue — what excuse could you have, when you ought already, even from here, to keep festival and leap for joy and dance and wear the crown, yet because so-and-so went mad and so-and-so went over the cliffs, you tear yourself to pieces and make the devil's assault on your holy soul easy — the devil whom you have not stopped thrashing to this very day? For what could anyone say about your patience, so varied, manifold, and many-formed? And how much speech would be enough for us on this, how much measure of history, if someone listed your sufferings from earliest age until now: those from your own household, those from strangers, those from friends, those from enemies, those from blood-kin, those from people related in no way, those from people in power, those from the lowly, those from rulers, those from private persons, those from people enrolled in the clergy? For each of these, if someone went through it by itself alone, the telling would be enough to make a whole history.²⁰²¹ And if someone should turn also to the other forms of this virtue, and no longer recount the sufferings inflicted by others but those you yourself prepared, what stone, what iron, what adamant would he not find outdone by you? For having taken flesh so soft and delicate, raised with every kind of luxury, you so besieged it with varied sufferings that it is now in no better state than flesh already deadened, and you kindled in yourself such a swarm of ailments as to put to shame the skill of physicians, the power of medicines, and every form of care, and to live with continual pains.²² And if someone wanted to go through your endurance and self-control at the table, and your practice through the nights, how many words would he need? Or rather, you no longer even let it be called self-control or endurance in your case—we have to look for some other name for these virtues, one far greater. For we say a person is practicing self-control and endurance when some desire is troubling him and he masters it. But you have nothing left to master. From the beginning, you blew against the flesh with such force that you extinguished its desires—not by bridling the horse, but by hobbling it, throwing it to the ground, and forcing it to stay still.²³ You achieved self-control back then; now, you have total freedom from the passions.²⁴ For no desire for luxury keeps troubling you, and you don't have to struggle to master it. No—you wiped it out once and for all, made the flesh impassable to it, and trained your stomach to take only so much food and drink as keeps you from dying and paying the price.²⁵ That is why I don't call this fasting or self-control, but something else even greater. You can see the same thing in your sacred night-watches as well. For once that desire was put out, the desire for sleep went out with it—food is the fuel of sleep.²⁶ You also destroyed it in another way: at first by forcing nature itself and spending whole nights without sleep, and later, through unbroken habit, making the practice second nature. For just as sleeping is natural for others, so staying awake is natural for you. So these things are marvelous and full of wonder even on their own. But if someone also considered the timing—that these things were accomplished at such a young age—the scarcity of teachers, the crowd of those who cause scandal, and that it was in a soul that has now deserted from an impious household toward the truth, and that it was in a woman's body, one made delicate by her ancestors' high standing and luxury—how many seas of wonders will he find opening with each of these? That's why I won't even mention the rest: the humility, the love, and the other virtues of your holy soul.²⁷²⁸ For the moment I only mentioned these and said their names, and my mind again poured forth countless springs for me and forces me to speak of these too, as I did of the earlier ones—even if only in part their kinds, or rather only their main themes; for that subject needs a truly endless discourse.²⁹ But I won't let myself be carried out into a boundless sea and fall away from the subject I set out to complete. Since if my task now weren't to tear despondency out of you by the roots, I would gladly linger over these words and sail a boundless sea—or rather seas—opening up the many branching paths of each of your virtues, each of which paths would give birth to yet another sea: whether in patience, or in humility and the many-sided almsgiving that has stretched even to the ends of the inhabited world, or in the love that conquers countless furnaces, or in that boundless understanding, full of abundant grace and surpassing the measures of nature.³⁰ But if someone wanted to go through the achievements born from these, he would be doing the same thing as if he tried to count the waves of the sea.

The Lion by Its Claw: Plain Dress

Chrysostom uses Olympias's simple dress as an example of her great virtue, contrasting it with the love of finery condemned in Scripture.

So, leaving those boundless seas behind, I'll try to show the lion by its claw—saying just a little about your dress, about the clothes you wear simply and without fuss.³¹ For next to the others this achievement seems smaller; but if someone examines it carefully, they'll find it is truly great, and that it needs a philosophic soul—one that tramples all worldly things underfoot and soars toward heaven itself.³² That is why not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old—when God was leading the human race through shadow and type, and the way of life was ordered in more bodily terms, and there was not yet any talk of heavenly things, nor memory of things to come, nor even a hint of the philosophy that now holds sway, but the laws were written for the Hebrews in a thicker and more fleshly way—forbidding with great force the love of finery in clothing, he says these things through the prophet: "Thus says the Lord concerning the ruling daughters of Zion: Because their daughters were lifted high and walked with necks held high and with beckoning of the eyes, and in the walk of their feet dragging their tunics and playing with their feet as they went, the Lord will humble the ruling daughters of Zion and will uncover their form and take away the glory of their clothing; and instead of a sweet scent there will be dust for you, and instead of a belt you will gird yourself with a rope, and instead of the ornament of your head you will have baldness because of your works, and instead of the mid-purple tunic you will put on sackcloth."³³³⁴ These things for you instead of adornment. Did you see wrath beyond words? Did you see chastisement and the fiercest punishment? Did you see captivity stretched to the extreme? From this, reckon how great the sin was. For the Lover of humanity would never have brought so severe a punishment unless the sin that drew it down were far greater still.³⁵ And if the sin is great, it's plain that the achievement standing opposite to it is the greatest of all. That is exactly why Paul, when he speaks even to women of ordinary life, not only draws them away from wearing gold, but will not even allow them to wear expensive clothes.³⁶ He knows—he knows clearly—that this is a stubborn disease of the soul, difficult to overcome, the strongest proof of a corrupted mind, and something that urgently requires a soul schooled in true philosophy. This is shown not only by worldly women living with husbands—not one of whom has readily accepted this counsel—but also by those who seem to live a philosophical life and have been allotted a place among the virgins.³⁷ Many of these women, after preparing for the fight against nature's tyranny and completing the course of virginity in purity, imitating the angelic way of life and displaying in a mortal body the first signs of the resurrection—for in that age, it is said, they neither marry nor are given in marriage—and setting themselves to rival the bodiless powers, contending for incorruption in a corruptible body, accomplishing by their deeds what many could not even bear to hear of, beating back desire as if it were a rabid dog constantly leaping at them, calming a raging sea, sailing through wild waves with calm, carried by a fair wind while the deep was fiercely stirred, standing in a furnace of natural desire and not being burned, but trampling those coals like mud—still they were caught by this craving, utterly shamefully and pitiably, and though they had been strong enough for greater things, they were defeated by this.³⁸

The Great Contest of Virginity

Chrysostom extols the difficulty of virginity, using Moses, Abraham, and Job as examples, and praises Olympias for surpassing even virgins in this virtue.

For virginity is so great a matter, and it requires so much labor, that when Christ came down from heaven to make human beings into angels and plant the heavenly way of life here, even then he didn't dare to command this or raise it to the rank of law. He did legislate dying—and what could be heavier than that?—and being crucified continually, and doing good to enemies; but he did not legislate virginity. Instead he left it to the free choice of those who hear, saying: "Let the one who can accept this accept it."^✦ For the bulk of the task is enormous, and so is the difficulty of these wrestling matches, and the sweat of the contests—and this stretch of virtue is extremely steep. And those who accomplished many great things under the Old Covenant make this clear as well. For that great Moses, the chief of the prophets, the true friend of God—who enjoyed such boldness before him that he snatched six hundred thousand souls, already liable to punishment, out from under a God-sent plague—this man so great and so mighty commanded the sea and split the deep and broke open the rock and changed the air and turned the water of the Nile into blood and arrayed an army of frogs and locusts against Pharaoh and transformed all creation and displayed countless other wonders, and many achievements of virtue as well—for he shone from both sides—yet toward these contests he could not even look. Instead he needed marriage and a wife's company and the safety that comes from that, and he didn't dare entrust himself to the sea of virginity, fearing the waves that come from that quarter.³⁹ And the patriarch too, the priest of his own child, was able to wrestle down nature's most tyrannical passion and could kill his child—his child Isaac, in the very flower of his age, in the very prime of youth, only-begotten, true-born, given to him beyond all hope, the one on whom alone he was leaning in extreme old age, a boy blooming with much virtue. He was able to lead him up the mountain, intending to carry out such a deed; and he built an altar and piled the wood and laid the sacrificial victim on it and seized the knife and drove the sword through the child's throat.⁴⁰ For that adamant actually drove the blade in and drew blood—or rather, he was harder even than adamant. Adamant has this hardness by nature; but this man, through the philosophy of free choice, imitated natural firmness and showed by his deeds the passionlessness of angels.⁴¹ But even so, the man strong enough to finish so great and so momentous a contest—who went beyond nature itself—didn't dare strip for the contests of virginity. No, he too feared these wrestling grounds and drew to himself the comfort that comes from marriage. Do you want me to add Job as well to those I've already named—the just man, the true man, the God-fearing man, the one who kept clear of every evil deed? This Job battered the devil's face; struck without striking back, he emptied the devil's entire quiver, and as the devil kept shooting at him without pause, he endured every kind of trial, each one at its most extreme.^✦ For the things that seem to be—and truly are—the bitterest trials in life are, above all: poverty, sickness, the loss of children, enemies rising up, the ingratitude of friends, hunger, unrelenting bodily pains, insults, slanders, and the getting of a bad reputation. And all of these were poured out on one body and scattered over a single soul. And what is still harder is that they fell on a man who was untrained for them.⁴² What I mean is this: a man born to poor parents and raised in such a household, having trained and practiced for it, could easily bear the weight of poverty. But a man awash in so much money and flourishing in such wealth, then suddenly thrown into the opposite state, could not easily endure the change—for when it falls all at once on someone untrained, it seems far harder.^✦ Again, the obscure man born of obscure parents, who lives in constant contempt, would not be deeply shaken even when heavily insulted and abused. But the man who has enjoyed such glory—escorted by everyone, on everyone's lips, and proclaimed everywhere with great renown—when he is brought down into dishonor and lowliness, he would suffer the same thing as the man who suddenly goes from rich to poor. Again, the man who loses children, even if he loses them all, but not all at one time, has those who remain as consolation for those who have gone; and when the pain over the earlier deaths has subsided, if the second loss comes after some time, that suffering becomes more bearable for him—for it does not fall on a wound that is still fresh, but on one that has already settled and faded, which cuts no small amount from the anguish.^✦ But this man saw his whole company snatched away from him in a single moment, and by the bitterest manner of death.^✦⁴³ For the death was both violent and untimely, and the time and place added no small amount to the grief—for it happened at the hour of a feast, in a house open to strangers, and the house became their tomb.^✦ What could anyone say about that stranger hunger that can't be explained—voluntary, involuntary? For I don't know how to name it, nor can I find a name to put on this paradoxical form of disaster.⁴⁴ For though the table was set beside him, he stayed away from it, and though the food was in plain sight, he would not touch it.^✦ For the stench from the wounds on his body came out to meet him, destroyed his appetite, and filled the very table with revulsion. And making this plain, he said: "For I see my food as foul."^✦⁴⁵ And the necessity of hunger was forcing him to take hold of what lay before him; but the overwhelming stench rising from his flesh overpowered the force of the hunger. That is exactly why I said: "I don't know what to call it." Voluntary? But he wanted to taste what was set before him. Or involuntary? But the food was there, and no one was stopping him. How could I recount the pains, the assaults of the worms, the pus streaming down, the reproaches of his friends, the contempt of his household servants—for "my servants," he says, "did not spare me from their spitting"—those trampling on him, those leaping upon him? "For men I did not think," he says, "worthy to be ranked with the dogs of my flocks—these have now fallen upon me, and the least of them lecture me."⁴⁶ Don't all these things seem hard to you? They really are hard. Shall I name the crowning evil of them all, the peak of the disaster that choked him most of all? The storm of turmoil that rose in his mind — that was what was smothering him most of all, and it was unbearable; and his pure conscience especially made it an inner tempest, darkened his thinking, and threw the pilot into confusion. For people who know they have many sins on their conscience, even if they suffer something terrible, at least have a way to explain what is happening: they reckon up their own sins and so dissolve the turmoil that comes from not knowing why. Again, those who are conscious of nothing against themselves but glory in their good works, if they suffer something of this kind — knowing the teaching about the resurrection and thinking of those rewards — know that what befalls them are contests and occasions for countless crowns. But this man, though righteous and knowing nothing about the resurrection, was especially tossed by the waves in this: he did not know the reason for his suffering, and that perplexity stung him more than the worms and the pains. And so that you may learn that this is how it is: when the God who loves humankind was pleased to tell him the reason for these contests — that "These things were permitted so that you might be shown to be righteous" — he breathed so freely it was as if he had not suffered any of those painful things; and this is clear from what he said then.⁴⁷ And yet, even before he learned the reason, he was in pain — yes — but he bore it nobly; and after losing everything he uttered that wonderful cry: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so it has come to pass; may the name of the Lord be blessed forever."^✦ But I seem, held fast by my love for that man, to have driven farther from the subject before us; so after adding a few things, I'll take up again what lies at hand. So then this man, so great and of such stature, who trampled underfoot so many of nature's demands, didn't himself even dare to enter this contest, but both enjoyed a wife and became the father of so many children.⁴⁸ So great is the difficulty of virginity; so high and great are its contests, so hard its labors, and so much strength do they require. And yet many of those who stripped for this contest never conquered that passion for dressing up in fine clothes; instead they were taken captive and overpowered—even more than worldly women.⁴⁹ Don't tell me they don't wear gold, or that they aren't clothed in silk and gold-spangled garments, or that they don't have necklaces set with stones. For this is the hardest thing of all, and it shows to an excessive degree their disease and the tyranny of the passion: that through their cheap clothes they managed, strove, and forced their way to outdo the adornment of those who wear gold and silk garments, and thereby to appear more desirable than those women do—as they themselves think, pursuing something indifferent, but as the nature of the thing shows, something ruinous and harmful, with a deep pit in it. So for this reason you must be proclaimed with countless mouths: what has proved hard for virgins to conquer has been so easy and light for the woman living in widowhood, as the very truth of the facts has shown. For I don't admire only the indescribable plainness of your dress, which even surpasses that of beggars, but especially also its unstudied look—the artless simplicity of your wraps, your shoes, your walk—all of which are colors of virtue, painting outwardly the philosophy stored up in the soul.⁵⁰

Remember Your Works of Mercy

Chrysostom urges Olympias to dwell on her own virtues and the future punishment of her persecutors, as seen in the parable of Lazarus.

"For a man's attire," it says, "and the laughter of his teeth and the step of his foot will declare what he is." For if you hadn't utterly flung those earthbound thoughts of worldly show down to the ground and trampled them, you never would have sprung so high above them in contempt, never would have so thoroughly conquered this most grievous sin and driven it out.⁵¹ But let no one charge my words with exaggeration for calling this the most grievous sin. For if among worldly women and Hebrew women, and even in that earlier age, the offense already carried so heavy a punishment, then among those who ought to have their citizenship in heaven, imitate the life of angels, and live under grace, what forgiveness could the same act claim when it is dared with still greater excess? For when you see a virgin soft and affected in her clothes, trailing her robes—just what the prophet charged—mincing as she walks, and through voice and eyes and dress mixing a cup of poison for those who look lustfully, digging the pits still deeper for passersby and setting traps from all of this, how can you still call her a virgin, and not number her with the women who sell themselves? Those others are not nearly so much a bait as these become, spreading the wings of pleasure open on every side.^✦⁵²⁵³ That is why we call you blessed; that is why we admire you: because you cast all of this off and, even in this respect, showed mortification—not making yourself pretty, but bracing yourself with youthful courage; not dressing yourself up, but arming yourself.⁵⁴⁵⁵ But since so far we've shown the lion only from the claw, and even that only in part—for I haven't even gone through this whole achievement of yours; as I said earlier, I'm afraid to enter the boundless seas of your other achievements; and besides, we didn't set out now to deliver a eulogy of your holy soul, but to prepare a medicine of consolation—come, let's take up again what we said before.⁵⁶ And what did we say before? Freed from dwelling on what so-and-so has sinned and what so-and-so has done wrong, keep continually in mind your contests of endurance, patience, fasting, prayers, the sacred night vigils, self-control, almsgiving, hospitality, and the many hard and frequent trials. Reckon how from your earliest years until this very day you've never stopped feeding Christ when he was hungry, giving him drink when he was thirsty, clothing him when naked, welcoming him when a stranger, visiting him when sick, going to him when he was in prison. Consider the sea of your love, which you opened so wide that with great force it reached even to the very ends of the inhabited world. For it wasn't only that your house stood open to everyone who came; many people everywhere on land and sea also enjoyed this generosity of yours through hospitality.⁵⁷ So gather all these things together, and feast and rejoice in the hope of these crowns and prizes. And if you also long to see these lawless and bloodthirsty men—who have done things far worse than these—paying the penalty, you'll see that too then. For Lazarus also saw the rich man frying in torment.⁵⁸ For even if their places were separated because of the difference in their lives, and the chasm kept them apart—the one in Abraham's bosom, the other in the unbearable furnaces—still, Lazarus saw him, heard his voice, and answered him.^✦ The same will be true for you then as well. For if the man who disregarded a single person is given punishments like these, and again if for the one who causes even one person to stumble it would be better to have a millstone hung around his neck and be sunk in the sea—then consider those who have caused so vast a world to stumble, overturned so many Churches, filled everything with uproar and turmoil, outdone the savagery and inhumanity of robbers and barbarians, and been so completely driven mad under the generalship of the devil who leads them and of the demons who work with them that they made this awe-inspiring teaching, full of holiness and worthy of the One who gave it, a laughingstock to Jews and Greeks alike; who have sunk countless souls and caused countless shipwrecks everywhere in the world; who have kindled so great a fire, torn the body of Christ, and scattered his members in many places: 'For you,' it says, 'are the body of Christ and members, each of his part.'^✦^✦⁵⁹⁶⁰ Or rather, why am I trying to describe their madness, which cannot be put into words? How great a punishment, then, do you think these destroyers and bloodthirsty men will undergo? For if those who did not feed Christ when he was hungry are condemned with the devil to the unquenchable fire, consider how great a punishment will fall on those who also handed choirs of monks and virgins over to starvation, stripped those who were clothed, and as for strangers not only failed to take them in but drove them out, and as for the sick not only failed to visit them but crushed them still more, and as for those in chains not only failed to see them but arranged for people who were free to be thrown into prison.^✦ Then, then, you will see them frying, burning, bound, grinding their teeth, wailing, mourning at last to no purpose, and repenting in a way that does no good and gains them nothing—just like that rich man.⁶¹ And they in their turn will see you in that blessed lot, wearing a crown, dancing with the angels, reigning with Christ; and they will cry out loudly and mourn, repenting of the outrages they committed against you, adding their pleas to you, calling to mind mercy and kindness—and it will do them no good at all.^✦⁶²

Separation and the Hope of Reunion

Chrysostom addresses the pain of separation, using Paul's example of longing for the Thessalonians, and promises reunion.

So then, as you keep weighing all this, chant it over your soul without stopping, and you'll be able to scatter this dust.⁶³ But since there is also something else, as I for my part think, that is especially causing you pain—come, let's prepare the remedy for this thought too, together with what we have already said and what we will say now. For I think you are hurting not only because of those things, but also because you have been separated from our nothingness, and that you are mourning this without end and saying to everyone: "We no longer hear that tongue, nor do we enjoy the teaching we were used to; we are shut up in famine. And what God once threatened the Hebrews with, we are enduring now—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of divine teaching."⁶⁴ So what will we say to this? That first of all, even while we are away, you can still converse with our books. And we for our part will make it our earnest care, if we can find letter-carriers, to send you continuous, frequent, and long letters. And if you also want to hear from us by a living voice, perhaps that too will happen, and you will see us again, if God permits—or rather, not perhaps, but for certain; and do not doubt it at all. For we will remind you that we have not said this for nothing, nor by deceiving you and reasoning you into a false hope, but that you will also hear from a living voice the things you now hear through our letters. But if the delay grieves you, consider that even this is not without profit for you; it will bring you a great reward if you endure patiently and let no bitter word escape you, but even for these things give glory to God—which in fact is what you keep doing. For this is no small struggle; it takes a truly vigorous soul and a philosophical mind to bear separation from a soul you love. Who says this? If anyone knows how to love truly, if anyone understands the power of love, they know what I mean. But so that we don't go hunting all around for people who love truly—and that is rare—let's run to the blessed Paul, and he will tell us how great this struggle is and how great a soul it needs. For this is the Paul who had stripped off the flesh and laid the body aside, who went about the world almost with a bare soul, who had banished every passion from his mind, who was imitating the passionlessness of the bodiless powers, who lived on earth as if in heaven, who stood on high with the Cherubim and shared with them that mystical song—he bore everything else easily, as if suffering in a body not his own: prisons and chains, arrests and scourges, threats and death, being stoned, being sunk in the sea, and every kind of torment.⁶⁵ But when he was separated from one soul he loved, he was so shaken and distressed that he immediately fled even the city where he had expected to see the one he loved and did not find him.^✦ And Troas knows this about him—the Troas he left for that very reason, because she could not show him that man then.^✦ "For when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ," he says, "and a door was opened to me in the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking leave of them, I went out to Macedonia."^✦ What is this, Paul? Bound in the stocks, living in a prison, with scourges laid on you and your back streaming with blood, you still instructed people in the faith, baptized, offered the sacrifice, and did not despise even one person who was about to be saved. But when you came to Troas and saw the field cleared and ready to receive the seed, and the fishing full and offering you every ease, you threw so much gain from your hands—though that was the very reason you had come.⁶⁶⁶⁷ "For when I came," he says, "to Troas for the gospel"—that is, for the gospel's sake—and with nothing standing against him: "For a door," he says, "had been opened to me"—you rushed off at once? "Yes," he says, "for I was seized by a great tyranny of despondency, and Titus's absence so thoroughly confused my mind and so mastered and overcame me that it forced me to do this."^✦ For we don't need to guess that he suffered this because of despondency; we can learn even that from him himself. Indeed, he has recorded the reason for his departure, saying: "I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find Titus, but I took leave of them and went out."^✦ Do you see what a great struggle it is to bear the separation from someone you love with gentleness? How painful and bitter it is? How it requires a lofty and vigorous soul? This is the struggle you are finishing right now. The greater the struggle, the greater the crown and the more brilliant the prizes. Let this be your comfort in the waiting: that we will surely see you again, overflowing with the reward that comes from this, crowned and proclaimed.⁶⁸ For those who love, it isn't enough to be bound together in soul, nor do they find that sufficient for comfort. They also need bodily presence; and if that is missing, a significant part of their joy is lost. And this again we'll find to be true when we turn to love's own nursling.⁶⁹ For when he was writing to the Macedonians he spoke like this: "But we, brothers, having been orphaned from you for a brief hour—in face, not in heart—were all the more eager to see your face. I, Paul, once and twice, and Satan blocked us.⁷⁰ 'So, since we could no longer bear it, we decided to be left alone in Athens and sent Timothy.' Ah, the power of every word! For with great clarity it shows the flame of love stored up in his soul. For he didn't say "separated from you," or "torn away from you," or "parted," or "left behind," but "orphaned from you."^✦ He looked for a word strong enough to show the pain of his soul. And yet he himself stood as a father to them all; still, wanting to show the extremity of his despondency, he speaks the words of orphaned children who, at too young an age, have lost the one who fathered them. For nothing is more painful than orphanhood too early in life, when their age is of no help to them at all, and there are no true guardians to protect them, while many who would attack and plot against them suddenly appear—so that, like lambs, they are thrown into the midst of wolves that tear and maul them from every side.⁷¹ No one can put into words the magnitude of this calamity. That's why Paul too, after searching far and wide for a phrase that could express desolation and severe affliction—so he could show what he suffered when separated from those he loved—used this very word. Then he intensifies it again through what follows: "For we were orphaned," he says, "not for a long time but only for a brief hour, and separated not in mind but only in person—and even so we cannot bear the pain that comes from it. Though we have ample comfort—that we are bound together in soul, that you are in our heart, that we saw you only yesterday or the day before—still none of this frees us from our despondency."^✦⁷² But what do you want and long for—tell me—and long for so intensely? The very sight of them. "For," he says, "we made all the more earnest effort to see your face."^✦ What do you say, you lofty and great man? You who hold the world crucified and have yourself been crucified to the world, you who have been set free from everything of the flesh, you who have become almost bodiless—have you been so taken captive by love that you've been brought down to clay flesh, the kind that comes from earth, the kind we can sense? "Yes," he says, "and I'm not ashamed to say these things; I even glory in them. For with love, the mother of every good thing, welling up in me, this is what I seek." And he doesn't simply seek their bodily presence; he especially longs to look on their face. "For," he says, "we were all the more eager to see your face." So you're in love with the sight of them, tell me, and you long to gaze on a face? "Yes, intensely," he says, "where the senses gather together.⁷³ For a bare soul by itself, meeting with another soul, won't be able either to say anything or to hear; but if I enjoy bodily presence, I will both say something and hear something from those I love. That's why I long to see your face: there a tongue is, giving voice and reporting to us what is within, and hearing that receives words, and eyes that paint the movements of the soul. For through these one can more exactly enjoy the company of the soul one longs for." And so you'll learn how he burns for this sight: after saying, 'we were all the more eager,' he wasn't satisfied with that phrase, but added, 'with great desire.'^✦ Then, not willing to leave himself mixed in with the others, but showing that he loves more intensely than they do — after saying, 'We were all the more eager and wanted to come to you' — he tore himself free from the rest and, standing alone, added, 'I, Paul, both once and twice,' showing that he was more eager than the others.^✦ Then, when he didn't achieve this, he isn't content with letters but sends his chief companion, Timothy who was with him, to stand in place of letters for him; and so he goes on: 'Therefore, no longer able to bear it.'^✦⁷⁴ Oh, again the nobility of the wording! Oh, the force of the expression, revealing his uncontainable, unendurable love! And just as someone set ablaze, someone burning and hunting for any relief from the fire, throws everything into motion — so too this man, kindled, choking with longing, burning, devised what comfort he could within the bounds of what was possible. 'For no longer able to bear it,' he says, 'we sent Timothy, the servant of the gospel and our fellow worker — tearing the most indispensable member from our company and exchanging one grief for another.'^✦⁷⁵ For he didn't even bear that man's absence easily, but for their sake chose this heaviest cost — and he himself made that clear when he said, 'We resolved to be left alone.'^✦ Oh, what a soul, formed with such precision toward love itself!⁷⁶ For since he was separated from one brother, he says he has been left alone — even though he has so many with him.^✦ So you too should keep meditating on these things continually, and the more painful the matter is for you, the more profitable you should count it when you bear it with gratitude. For it isn't only blows to the body, but pain of the soul as well, that brings unspeakable crowns — and pain of the soul more than of the body, when those who are struck bear it with gratitude. Just as, then, if your body were being torn and flogged and you bore it bravely, glorifying God for these things, you would have received a great reward — so now, while the soul is suffering these things, expect many returns. And expect this too: that you will most certainly see us again, and be released from this pain, and receive the great profit that has come out of the pain — both then and now.⁷⁷ These things are enough to console you — or rather, not you alone, but even if someone were mindless and hard as stone in soul.⁷⁸ But where there is such understanding, and a wealth of reverence, and a height of philosophy, and a soul that has trampled underfoot the show of worldly things, the healing comes more easily.⁷⁹ So show your love for us even in this: that even when we write, we have great power with you — as much as when we are present. You'll show this clearly if we learn that our letters have done you some good—or rather, not just some good, but as much as we hope for. We hope you're now experiencing the same joy we used to see in you when we were staying there. If we learn this, we'll find no small consolation for ourselves in the isolation we're living in now.⁸⁰ So if you want to bring us greater cheer—and I know you do, and have been deeply eager for it—show us that you've cast off all the weight of despondency, that your life is at peace, and give us this as a return for our goodwill and love toward you.⁸¹⁸² For you know—you know clearly—how you'll restore us by doing this and by honestly telling us so in a letter.

Read the original Greek

Ἤρκει μὲν καὶ ἡ πρώην ἐλθοῦσα ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς τὴν ἐμμέλειαν τὴν σὴν καταστεῖλαί σου τῆς ὀδύνης τὴν φλεγμονήν· ἐπειδὴ δέ σε σφόδρα κατειργάσατο τῆς ἀθυμίας ἡ τυραννίς, ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐνόμισα καὶ δευτέραν προσθεῖναι τῇ προτέρᾳ, ὥστε σε μετὰ δαψιλείας πολλῆς καρπώσασθαι τὴν παράκλησιν καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ σοι τὰ τῆς ὑγιείας εἶναι λοιπόν. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν διασκεδάσω σου τῆς ἀθυμίας τὴν κόνιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ ἕλκους καὶ οἰδημάτων χαλεπῶν κόνιν οἶμαι αὐτὴν γεγενῆσθαι. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀμελητέον τῆς ἐπιμελείας τῆς σῆς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ κόνις τὸν μὴ μετὰ σπουδῆς αὐτὴν ἐκκλίνοντα ἐν τῷ καιριωτάτῳ τῶν μελῶν ἐπάγει τὴν λύμην, τὸ διειδὲς τῆς κόρης θολοῦσα καὶ ὁλόκληρον διαταράττουσα τοῦ ῥᾳθυμοῦντος τὸ ὄμμα, ἵν' οὖν μὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῦτο γένηται, μετὰ σπουδῆς πολλῆς καὶ τὸ λείψανον ἀνέλωμεν τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἀλλὰ διανάστηθι καὶ χεῖρα ἡμῖν ὄρεξον. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ σώματα καμνόντων συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν, ἂν τὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν μὲν εἰσφέρηται, τὰ δὲ ἐκείνων ἐλλιμπάνῃ, διακόπτεται τῆς ὑγιείας τὸ κέρδος, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ γένηται τοῦτο, καὶ τὰ παρὰ σεαυτῆς μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης συνέσεως σπούδαζε εἰσφέρειν ἡμῖν, ὥστε ἑκατέρωθεν πολλὴν γενέσθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν.

«Ἀλλὰ βούλομαι μέν, ἴσως ἐρεῖς, οὐ δύναμαι δέ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκῶ διακρούσασθαι τὸ νέφος τὸ πυκνὸν καὶ ζοφῶδες τῆς ἀθυμίας, καίτοι σφόδρα φιλονεικοῦσα.» Σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις· ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδά σου τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν εὐγένειαν, οἶδα τῆς εὐλαβοῦς ψυχῆς τὴν ἰσχύν, τῆς συνέσεως τὸ πλῆθος, τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ὡς ἀρκεῖ σοι μόνον ἐπιτάξαι τῷ μαινομένῳ τῆς ἀθυμίας πελάγει καὶ πάντα ποιῆσαι γαλήνην. Ἵνα δέ σοι τοῦτο καὶ εὐκολώτερον γένηται, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσοίσωμεν. Πῶς οὖν ῥᾳδίως δυνήσῃ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; Καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ ἀναλογιζομένη πάντα –καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ ταύτης ἕνεκεν ἡμῖν εἴρηται τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐν ἐκείνῃ –καὶ μετ' ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦσα ὅπερ ἐπιτάττω νῦν ἐγώ. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἡ μὲν κατέδυ, ἡ δὲ σαλεύεται, ἑτέρα χαλεποῖς περιαντλεῖται κύμασιν, ἄλλη τὰ ἀνήκεστα πέπονθεν, ἡ μὲν λύκον ἀντὶ ποιμένος λαβοῦσα, ἡ δὲ πειρατὴν ἀντὶ κυβερνήτου, ἡ δὲ δήμιον ἀντὶ ἰατροῦ, ἄλγει μέν –οὐ γὰρ δεῖ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀνωδύνως φέρειν –, ἄλγει δὲ μέτρον ἐπιθεῖσα τῇ λύπῃ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν οἷς ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ πλημμελοῦμεν καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν μέλλομεν τὰς εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον οὐδὲ ἀσφαλές, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ὀλέθριον καὶ βλαβερὸν τὸ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀλγεῖν τῆς σφοδρότητος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑτέροις πλημμελουμένων τὸ καταμαλακίζεσθαι καὶ κατακλᾶσθαι περιττόν τε καὶ μάταιον, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις σατανικὸν καὶ ψυχῆς ὄλεθρος.

Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἱστορίαν σοι διηγήσομαι παλαιάν. Κορίνθιός τις ἀνὴρ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀπολαύσας ναμάτων καὶ καθαρθεὶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος μυσταγωγίας καὶ τῆς φρικωδεστάτης μετασχὼν τραπέζης καὶ πάντων ἁπαξαπλῶς τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν κοινωνήσας μυστηρίων –πολλοὶ δέ φασιν ὅτι καὶ διδασκάλου τάξιν ἐπεῖχε –, μετὰ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην τελετὴν καὶ τὸ πάντων ἐντὸς γενέσθαι τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἥμαρτεν ἁμαρτίαν χαλεπωτάτην. Τὴν γὰρ γυναῖκα τοῦ πατρὸς ἀδίκοις ἰδὼν ὀφθαλμοῖς, οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης ἐπιθυμίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἔργον τὴν ἀκόλαστον γνώμην ἐξήγαγε· καὶ ἦν τὸ τολμηθὲν οὐχὶ πορνεία μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μοιχεία, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ μοιχείας πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἀκούσας καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ὄνομα ἐπιθεῖναι πρὸς ἀξίαν τῷ ἁμαρτήματι κύριον, ἑτέρως ἐμφαίνει τὸν ὄγκον τῆς παρανομίας, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· «Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία οἵα οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται.» Οὐκ εἶπεν «οὐδὲ τολμᾶται», ἀλλ' «οὐδὲ ὀνομάζεται», τὴν ὑπερβολὴν δεῖξαι θέλων τῆς παρανομίας ἐκείνης. Καὶ παραδίδωσιν αὐτὸν τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ πάσης ἐκτέμνει τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ οὐδὲ τραπέζης κοινῆς ἀφίησιν αὐτόν τινι κοινωνεῖν. Τῷ γὰρ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν δεῖν φησι καὶ πολὺς πνεῖ τὴν ἐσχάτην αὐτὸν ἀπαιτῶν δίκην καὶ δημίῳ πρὸς τοῦτο κεχρημένος τῷ Σατανᾷ καὶ κατακόπτων αὐτοῦ δι' ἐκείνου τὴν σάρκα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀποτεμὼν Παῦλος, ὁ μηδὲ τραπέζης κοινῆς ἀφείς τινι κοινωνεῖν, ὁ πάντας κελεύσας δι' ἐκεῖνον πενθεῖν –» Καὶ ὑμεῖς γὰρ πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστέ, φησί, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας»–, ὁ πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν ὥσπερ λοιμόν τινα ἀπελαύνων, ὁ πάσης αὐτὸν ἀποκλείσας οἰκίας, ὁ τῷ Σατανᾷ παραδούς, ὁ τοσαύτην παρ' αὐτοῦ δίκην ἀπαιτῶν, ὅτε εἶδεν ἀλγήσαντα καὶ μεταγνόντα ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτε καὶ παλινῳδίαν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ᾄδοντα, οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς μετετάξατο πάλιν ὡς ἐκείνοις οἷς ταῦτα ἐπέταξε, τὰ ἐναντία κελεῦσαι.

Ὁ γὰρ εἰπών· «Ἐκκόψατε, ἀποστράφητε, πενθήσατε, καὶ λαμβανέτω αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος», τί φησιν; «Κυρώσατε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην, μήπω τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ πλεονεκτηθῶμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν.» Ὁρᾷς πῶς σατανικὸν τὸ ἀμέτρως ἀλγεῖν καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου παγίδος ἔργον, τὸ σωτήριον φάρμακον τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ ποιοῦντος δηλητήριον; Καὶ γὰρ γίνεται δηλητήριον κἀκείνῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον παραδίδωσιν, ὅταν εἰς ἀμετρίαν ἐκπέσῃ· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· «Ἵνα μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ.» Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· ψώρας τὸ πρόβατον ἐμπέπληστο πολλῆς, ἠλλοτριώθη τῆς ἀγέλης, ἀπερράγη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλὰ διώρθωσε τὴν νόσον, γέγονε πρόβατον οἷον ἔμπροσθεν ἦν· τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς μετανοίας ἡ δύναμις. Γέγονε λοιπὸν τῆς ποίμνης τῆς ἡμετέρας. Ὁλοκλήρως ἐπισπασώμεθα αὐτόν, ὑπτίαις ὑποδεξώμεθα ταῖς χερσί, περιλάβωμεν, περιπτυξώμεθα, ἑνώσωμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ βουληθείημεν τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, πλεονεκτεῖ λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ὁ διάβολος οὐ τὸν αὐτοῦ λαμβάνων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον γενόμενον ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀθυμίαν καταποντίζων καὶ αὐτοῦ λοιπὸν ποιῶν εἶναι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· «Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν», ὅτι καὶ διὰ τῶν ὠφελούντων πολλάκις, ὅταν μὴ δεόντως ταῦτα γένηται, τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας ὑποσκελίζειν εἴωθεν.

Εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ ὧν αὐτός τι ἐπλημμέλησε καὶ πλημμέλημα τοιοῦτον, οὐκ ἀφίησιν ὁ Παῦλος πολλῇ τῇ λύπῃ κεχρῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ σπεύδει καὶ ἐπείγεται καὶ πάντα ποιεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται ὥστε ἐκκόψαι τὸν ὄγκον τῆς ἀθυμίας, σατανικὴν εἶναι λέγων τὴν ἀμετρίαν καὶ διαβόλου πλεονεξίαν καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου κακουργίας καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν αὐτοῦ νοημάτων ἔργον, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἕτεροι πεπλημμελήκασι καὶ ἄλλοι μέλλουσιν εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν, πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τε καὶ μανίας οὕτω κατακόπτεσθαι καὶ ἀλγεῖν ὡς καὶ σκότος ἄφατον ἐπάγειν τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ πολὺν τὸν θόρυβον καὶ σύγχυσιν καὶ ταραχὴν καὶ ζάλην ἄφατον; Εἰ δὲ πάλιν μοι τὰ αὐτὰ λέγεις ὅτι «βούλομαι μέν, οὐκ ἰσχύω δέ», πάλιν σοι καὶ ἐγὼ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐρῶ ὅτι «σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις». Καὶ γὰρ οἶδά σου τῆς φιλοσόφου ψυχῆς τὰ νεῦρα. Ἵνα δὲ ἑτέρωθεν εὐκολωτέραν σοι ποιήσω τὴν κατὰ τῆς ἀθυμίας ταύτης τῆς ἀκαίρου καὶ ὀλεθρίας ἀντίστασίν τε καὶ νίκην, τοῦτο πάλιν ὅπερ ἐπιτάττω ποίει. Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς διηγουμένου τινὸς τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ταύτην, ἀποπήδα ταχέως ἀπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν τούτων καὶ τρέχε ἐπὶ τὴν ἔννοιαν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης τῆς φοβερᾶς καὶ ἀναλογίζου παρὰ σαυτῇ τὸ βῆμα τὸ φρικῶδες, τὸν δικαστὴν τὸν ἀδέκαστον, τοὺς ποταμοὺς τοῦ πυρὸς τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ βήματος ἐκείνου συρομένους καὶ σφοδροτάτῃ καχλάζοντας τῇ φλογί, τὰς ἠκονημένας ῥομφαίας, τὰς ἀποτόμους τιμωρίας, τὴν κόλασιν τὴν οὐκ ἔχουσαν τέλος, τὸν ζόφον τὸν ἀφεγγῆ, τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, τὸν σκώληκα τὸν ἰοβόλον, τὰ δεσμὰ τὰ ἄλυτα, τὸν βρυγμὸν τῶν ὀδόντων καὶ τὸν κλαυθμὸν τὸν ἀπαραμύθητον, τὸ θέατρον τῆς οἰκουμένης, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ θέατρον ἑκατέρας τῆς κτίσεως, τῆς ἄνω, τῆς κάτω. «Καὶ γὰρ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται», φησίν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μηδὲν ἑαυταῖς συνίσασι, μηδὲ μέλλουσιν ὑπέχειν εὐθύνας, ἀλλ' ὁρῶσαι τὸ γένος ἅπαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τοὺς ἀπείρους δήμους κρινομένους, οὐκ ἀδεῶς ἐκεῖ παρεστήκασι. Τοσοῦτος ὁ φόβος τότε. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἐννόει καὶ τοὺς ἀφύκτους ἐλέγχους.

Οὐδὲ γὰρ κατηγόρων δεῖται ἐκεῖνος ὁ δικαστής, οὐδὲ μαρτύρων, οὐδὲ ἀποδείξεων, οὐδὲ ἐλέγχων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὡς ἐπράχθη φέρει εἰς μέσον καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν πεπλημμεληκότων. Τότε οὐδεὶς ὁ παρεσόμενος καὶ ἐξαρπάσων τῆς τιμωρίας, οὐ πατήρ, οὐχ υἱός, οὐ θυγάτηρ, οὐ μήτηρ, οὐκ ἄλλος τις συγγενής, οὐ γείτων, οὐ φίλος, οὐ συνήγορος, οὐ χρημάτων δόσις, οὐ πλούτου περιουσία, οὐ δυναστείας ὄγκος, ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ὥσπερ κόνις ἐκποδὼν ἐλήλαται, καὶ μόνος ὁ κρινόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων ἢ τὴν ἐλευθεροῦσαν ἢ τὴν καταδικάζουσαν ὑπομένει ψῆφον. Τότε οὐδεὶς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἄλλος ἐπλημμέλησε κρίνεται, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ὧν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἥμαρτε. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα συναγαγοῦσα καὶ τὸν φόβον τοῦτον ἐξογκώσασα καὶ ἐπιτειχίσασα τῇ σατανικῇ καὶ ψυχοβλαβεῖ λύπῃ, οὕτως ἐν τῇ πρὸς αὐτὴν στῆθι παρατάξει, καὶ φανεῖσα μόνον, ἀράχνης αὐτὴν εὐκολώτερον διασπάσαι καὶ ἀφανίσαι δυνήσῃ. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ μάταιος εἶναι καὶ περιττὴ καὶ ὀλέθριος σφόδρα καὶ βλαβερά· ἐκεῖνος δὲ καὶ ἀναγκαῖος ὁ φόβος καὶ χρήσιμος καὶ ἐπωφελὴς καὶ πολὺ τὸ κέρδος ἔχων. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔλαθον ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ῥύμης παρασυρεὶς καὶ οὐχ ἁρμόζουσάν σοι ταύτην ποιησάμενος τὴν παραίνεσιν· ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τοῖς κατ' ἐμὲ βεβαπτισμένοις ἁμαρτημάτων πλήθει ἀναγκαῖος οὗτος ὁ λόγος· φοβεῖ γὰρ καὶ διανίστησι· σὲ δὲ ἐν τοσούτοις κατορθώμασι κομῶσαν καὶ αὐτῆς ἤδη τῆς ἁψῖδος τῶν οὐρανῶν ἁψαμένην, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς νύττειν δύναιτ' ἄν. ∆ιὸ πρὸς ἑτέραν μεταστήσομαι μελῳδίαν πρὸς σὲ διαλεγόμενος καὶ ἑτέραν ἀνακρούσομαι νευράν, ἐπειδή σου οὗτος ὁ φόβος καθικέσθαι οὐ δύναται, πλὴν ὅσον καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων. Μεταταξώμεθα τοίνυν καὶ δεῦρο καὶ αὐτὴ μετάστηθι μετὰ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἀναλογίζου τῶν κατορθωμάτων σου τὰς ἀντιδόσεις, τὰ βραβεῖα τὰ λαμπρά, τοὺς φαιδροὺς στεφάνους, τὴν μετὰ τῶν παρθένων χορείαν, τὰς παστάδας τὰς ἱεράς, τὸν νυμφῶνα τῶν οὐρανῶν, τὴν μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων λῆξιν, τὴν πρὸς τὸν νύμφιον παρρησίαν καὶ ὁμιλίαν, τὴν θαυμαστὴν δᾳδουχίαν ἐκείνην τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ καὶ λόγον καὶ νοῦν ὑπερβαίνοντα.

Ἀλλὰ μή μου τῶν λόγων ἐπιλάβῃ, εἰ καὶ εἰς τὸν χορὸν τῶν παρθένων σε κατελέξαμεν τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ἐν χηρείᾳ βεβιωκυῖαν. Ἤκουσας γάρ μου πολλάκις καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ διαλεγομένου τίς ποτέ ἐστι τῆς παρθενίας ὁ ὅρος, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἂν κωλυθείης ποτὲ εἰς τὸν ἐκείνων καταλεγῆναι χορόν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνας ὑπερβῆναι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας ἡ πολλὴν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιδειξαμένη φιλοσοφίαν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ὅρον παρθενίας τιθεὶς οὐ τὴν ἀπειρόγαμον καὶ ἀπηλλαγμένην συνουσίας ἀνδρὸς παρθένον ἐκάλεσεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μεριμνῶσαν. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς δεικνὺς ὅσῳ μείζων παρθενίας ἐλεημοσύνη ἧς τὰ σκῆπτρα κατέχεις αὐτὴ καὶ τὸν στέφανον ἀνεδήσω πάλαι, ἀπ' ἐκείνου μὲν τοῦ χοροῦ τὸ ἥμισυ μέρος ἐξέβαλεν, ἐπειδὴ ταύτης εἰσῆλθον χωρίς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπειδὴ δαψιλῶς αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐκέκτηντο· καὶ γὰρ εἶχον ἔλαιον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀρκοῦν. Τοὺς δὲ χωρὶς παρθενίας εἰσελθόντας, ἐπειδὴ ταύτην ἦσαν περιβεβλημένοι, μετὰ πολλῆς ὑπεδέξατο τῆς τιμῆς, «εὐλογημένους τε τοῦ Πατρὸς» ὀνομάζων καὶ πρὸς ἐαυτὸν καλῶν καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῖς χαριζόμενος καὶ ἐν μέσῃ ἀνακηρύττων τῇ οἰκουμένῃ· καὶ οὐ παρῃτήσατο καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ τῆς κτίσεως πάσης παρούσης, τροφέας τε αὐτοῦ καὶ ξενοδόχους αὐτοὺς προσειπεῖν. Ταύτης καὶ αὐτὴ ἀκούσῃ τότε τῆς μακαρίας φωνῆς, ταύτης ἀπολαύσῃ τῆς ἀμοιβῆς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας. Εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ ἐλεημοσύνης μόνον τοσαῦται αἱ ἀντιδόσεις, τοσοῦτοι οἱ στέφανοι, τοσαύτη ἡ λαμπρότης, τοσαύτη ἡ περιφάνεια καὶ ἡ δόξα, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπέλθοιμί σοι μέρη, ποίαν ἂν σχοίης συγγνώμην, ὀφείλουσα ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ἑορτὴν ἄγειν καὶ σκιρτᾶν καὶ χορεύειν καὶ στεφανοῦσθαι, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ δεῖνα ἐμάνη καὶ ὁ δεῖνα κατὰ κρημνῶν ἦλθε, κατακόπτουσα ἑαυτὴν καὶ εὔκολον κατὰ τῆς ἁγίας σου ψυχῆς τῷ διαβόλῳ ποιοῦσα τὴν ἔφοδον ὃν μέχρι σήμερον καταξαίνουσα οὐκ ἐπαύσω; Τί γὰρ ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν ὑπομονὴν τὴν ποικίλην καὶ πολυειδῆ καὶ πολύτροπον, καὶ πόσος ἡμῖν εἰς τοῦτο ἀρκέσει λόγος, πόσον δὲ ἱστορίας μέτρον, εἴ τις τὰ ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας μέχρι τοῦ νῦν παθήματά σου καταλέγοι, τὰ παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν φίλων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, τὰ παρὰ τῶν γένει προσηκόντων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν μηδαμόθεν προσηκόντων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐν δυναστείαις, τὰ παρὰ τῶν εὐτελῶν, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν, τὰ παρὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν κλῆρον τελούντων; Τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστον, εἴ τις διεξίοι αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μόνον, ἱστορίαν ὁλόκληρον ἱκανὸν ποιῆσαι τὸ διήγημα. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἕτερα εἴδη τῆς ἀρετῆς ταύτης μετασταίη, καὶ μηκέτι τὰ παρ' ἑτέρων, ἀλλὰ τὰ παρὰ σοῦ κατασκευασθέντα διηγήσαιτο πάθη, τίνα λίθον, τίνα σίδηρον, ποῖον ἀδάμαντα οὐχ εὑρήσει νικηθέντα παρὰ σοῦ; Ἁπαλὴν γὰρ, οὕτω σάρκα λαβοῦσα καὶ τρυφεράν, παντὶ εἴδει τρυφῆς συντραφεῖσαν, οὕτως αὐτὴν ποικίλοις ἐπολιόρκησας πάθεσιν ὡς μηδὲν ἄμεινον τῆς νεκρωθείσης διακεῖσθαι νῦν καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀνῆψας ἐν σεαυτῇ νοσημάτων ἐσμὸν ὡς καὶ ἰατρῶν τέχνην καὶ φαρμάκων δύναμιν καὶ πάντα ἐπιμελείας ἐλέγξαι τρόπον καὶ διηνεκέσι συζῇν ὀδύναις.

Τὴν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης καρτερίαν τε καὶ ἐγκράτειαν καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς νυξὶν εἴ τις βουληθείη διεξελθεῖν, πόσων δεήσεται λόγων; Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ εἴασας αὐτὴν ἐγκράτειαν καλεῖσθαι λοιπὸν οὐδὲ καρτερίαν ἐπὶ σοῦ, ἀλλ' ἕτερον ὄνομα ταύταις ἡμῖν ζητητέον ταῖς ἀρεταῖς πολλῷ μεῖζον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι ἐκεῖνόν φαμεν καὶ καρτερεῖν τὸν ὑπό τινος ἐπιθυμίας ἐνοχλούμενον καὶ κρατοῦντα ταύτης. Σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔχεις ὅτου κρατήσεις· πολλῇ γὰρ τῇ ῥύμῃ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν πνεύσασα κατὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἔσβεσας αὐτῆς τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ταύτας, οὐ χαλινώσασα τὸν ἵππον, ἀλλὰ συμποδίσασα καὶ χαμαὶ ῥίψασα καὶ ποιήσασα μένειν ἀκίνητον. Καὶ τότε μὲν ἐγκράτειαν κατορθώσασα, νῦν δὲ ἀπάθειαν λοιπόν. Οὐ γὰρ διενοχλεῖ τρυφῆς ἐπιθυμία καὶ πόνον ἔχεις ὥστε αὐτῆς κρατῆσαι· ἀλλὰ καθάπαξ αὐτὴν ἀφανίσασα καὶ ἄβατον αὐτῇ τὴν σάρκα ποιήσασα, τοσοῦτον ἀπολαύειν σίτου καὶ ποτοῦ τὴν γαστέρα ἐπαίδευσας ὅσον μὴ ἀποθανεῖν καὶ δίκην δοῦναι. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐ νηστείαν οὐδὲ ἐγκράτειαν τοῦτο καλῶ, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι τούτου μεῖζον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγρυπνίας σου τῆς ἱερᾶς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ καθεύδειν ἐπιθυμία, ἐκείνης σβεσθείσης, συγκατεσβέσθη· τροφὴ γὰρ ὕπνου σιτία. Καὶ ἑτέρῳ δὲ αὐτὴν κατέλυσας τρόπῳ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν καὶ αὐτὴν βιασαμένη τὴν φύσιν καὶ ὁλοκλήρους νύκτας ἀΰπνους διάγουσα, ὕστερον δὲ τῇ συνεχεῖ συνηθείᾳ καὶ εἰς φύσιν ἀγαγοῦσα τὸ πρᾶγμα.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις κατὰ φύσιν τὸ καθεύδειν, οὕτω σοὶ τὸ ἐγρηγορέναι. Θαυμαστὰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα καὶ ἐκπλήξεως γέμοντα, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτά. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἐξετάσειεν ὅτι ἐν ἀώρῳ ἡλικίᾳ ταῦτα κατωρθοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν διδαξόντων καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν σκανδαλιζόντων καὶ ὅτι ἐν ψυχῇ ἐξ ἀσεβοῦς οἴκου νῦν αὐτομολησάσῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ὅτι ἐν σώματι γυναικείῳ τε καὶ ἄλλως ἁπαλῷ διὰ τὴν τῶν προγόνων περιφάνειαν καὶ τρυφήν, πόσα πελάγη θαυμάτων εὑρήσει καθ' ἕκαστον τούτων ἀνοιγόμενα; ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲ ἐπιμνησθήσομαι, τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης, τῆς ἀγάπης, τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν τῆς ἁγίας σου ψυχῆς. Καὶ γὰρ μόνον ἐμνήσθην τούτων καὶ τὰς προσηγορίας εἶπον, μυρίας ἀνέβλυσέ μοι πάλιν ἡ διάνοια πηγὰς καὶ βιάζεται εἰπεῖν καὶ τούτων, ὡς τῆς προτέρας, κἂν ἐκ μέρους τὰ εἴδη, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰς ὑποθέσεις μόνον· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἄπειρον σφόδρα ἐπιζητεῖ λόγον. Ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἀνέξομαι ὥστε μὴ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκπεσεῖν ἣν προειλόμην κατορθῶσαι, εἰς ἄπειρον ἐξενεχθεὶς πέλαγος. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προὔκειτό μοι νῦν τὸ πρόρριζον τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀνασπάσαι, ἡδέως τούτοις ἐνδιέτριβον τοῖς λόγοις καὶ πέλαγος ἄπειρον ἔπλεον, μᾶλλον δὲ πελάγη, ἑκάστης σου ἀρετῆς τὰς πολυσχιδεῖς ἀνατέμνων ὁδοὺς ὧν ἑκάστη ὁδὸς πέλαγος ἔτικτε πάλιν, κἂν τῇ ὑπομονῇ, κἂν τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ ἐλεημοσύνῃ τῇ πολυειδεῖ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα ἁπλωθείσῃ, κἂν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ μυρίας νικώσῃ καμίνους, κἂν τῇ συνέσει τῇ ἀπείρῳ καὶ πολλῆς γεμούσῃ χάριτος καὶ τὰ μέτρα τῆς φύσεως ὑπερβάσῃ. Τὰ δὲ κατορθώματα τὰ ἐντεῦθεν τεχθέντα εἴ τις βούλοιτο ἐπιέναι, ταὐτὸν ποιήσει οἷον εἴ τις καὶ τὰ κύματα τῆς θαλάσσης ἀριθμεῖν ἐπιχειροίη.

∆ιὸ τὰ ἄπειρα ταῦτα παραδραμὼν πελάγη, τὸν λέοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος δεῖξαι πειράσομαι, ὀλίγα ἅττα περὶ τῆς στολῆς σου διαλεχθείς, περὶ τῶν ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῇ σοι περικειμένων ἱματίων. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ἔλαττον εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ κατόρθωμα· εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸ ἐξετάσειε, σφόδρα εὑρήσει μέγα τε ὑπάρχον καὶ φιλοσόφου δεόμενον ψυχῆς καὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ ἅπαντα καταπατούσης καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἱπταμένης τὸν οὐρανόν. ∆ιόπερ οὐκ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, ὅτε διὰ σκιᾶς καὶ τύπου τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ Θεὸς ἦγε γένος καὶ σωματικώτερον τὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἐρρυθμίζετο καὶ περὶ τῶν οὐρανίων οὐδεὶς οὐδέπω λόγος ἦν, οὐδὲ μελλόντων μνήμη, οὐδὲ τῆς νῦν κατεχούσης φιλοσοφίας αἴνιγμα, ἀλλὰ παχύτερόν πως καὶ σαρκικώτερον οἱ νόμοι τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἐγράφοντο, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις ἀπαγορεύων φιλοκοσμίαν, ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησί· «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιών· ἀνθ' ὧν ὑψώθησαν αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ὑψηλῷ τραχήλῳ καὶ νεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῇ πορείᾳ τῶν ποδῶν σύρουσαι τοὺς χιτῶνας καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἅμα παίζουσαι, καὶ ταπεινώσει Κύριος ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιὼν καὶ ἀνακαλύψει τὸ σχῆμα αὐτῶν καὶ ἀφελεῖ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἱματισμοῦ αὐτῶν καὶ ἔσται σοι ἀντὶ ὀσμῆς ἡδείας κονιορτὸς καὶ ἀντὶ ζώνης σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς κεφαλῆς σου φαλάκρωμα ἕξεις διὰ τὰ ἔργα σου, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ χιτῶνος τοῦ μεσοπορφύρου περιζώσῃ σάκκον.» Ταῦτά σοι ἀντὶ καλλωπισμοῦ. Εἶδες ὀργὴν ἄφατον; Εἶδες κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν σφοδροτάτην; Εἶδες αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπιτεταμένην; Ἐκ τούτου στοχάζου τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος τὸ μέγεθος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν σφοδροτάτην οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τιμωρίαν ὁ φιλάνθρωπός ποτε, μὴ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἐπισπωμένης αὐτὴν πολὺ μείζονος οὔσης. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἁμάρτημα μέγα, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα μέγιστον τὸ ἀπεναντίας ἑστηκὸς τούτῳ. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ βιωτικαῖς γυναιξὶ διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλος, οὐ μόνον τοῦ χρυσοφορεῖν αὐτὰς ἀπάγει, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἱμάτια πολυτελῆ περικεῖσθαι ἀφίησιν.

Οἶδε γάρ, οἶδε σαφῶς ὅτι χαλεπὸν τοῦτο ψυχῆς νόσημα καὶ δυσκαταγώνιστον καὶ γνώμης διεφθαρμένης δεῖγμα μέγιστόν ἐστι καὶ σφόδρα φιλοσόφου δεόμενον ψυχῆς. καὶ δηλοῦσιν οὐχ αἱ βιωτικαὶ γυναῖκες μόνον καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὁμιλήσασαι –ὧν οὐδεμία ῥᾳδίως ταύτης ἠνέσχετο τῆς παραινέσεως –, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ φιλοσοφεῖν δοκοῦσαι καὶ εἰς τὸν τῆς παρθενίας τελεῖν χορὸν λαχοῦσαι. Πολλαὶ γὰρ τούτων πρὸς τυραννίδα φύσεως ἀποδυσάμεναι καὶ καθαρῶς τὸν τῆς παρθενίας διανύουσαι δρόμον καὶ ἀγγελικὴν ἐν τούτῳ μιμούμεναι πολιτείαν καὶ ἐν θνητῷ σώματι τὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐπιδεικνύμεναι προοίμια –» ἐν γὰρ τῷ αἰῶνι ἐκείνῳ, φησίν, οὔτε γαμοῦσιν, οὔτε ἐκγαμίσκονται»– καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀσωμάτους δυνάμεις θέμεναι τὴν ἅμιλλαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν ἐν φθαρτῷ σώματι φιλονεικοῦσαι καὶ ὃ πολλοῖς οὐδὲ ἀκοῦσαι φορητὸν διὰ τῶν ἔργων κατορθοῦσαι καὶ καθάπερ λυττῶντα κύνα καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπιπηδῶντα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν διακρουόμεναι καὶ μαινομένην θάλασσαν καταστέλλουσαι καὶ ἐν ἀγρίοις κύμασι μετὰ γαλήνης πλέουσαι καὶ ταραττομένου σφοδρῶς τοῦ πελάγους ἐξ οὐρίας φερόμεναι καὶ ἐν καμίνῳ φυσικῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἑστῶσαι καὶ μὴ κατακαιόμεναι, ἀλλ' ὡς πηλὸν τοὺς ἄνθρακας τούτους καταπατοῦσαι, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ταύτης ἑάλωσαν αἰσχρῶς πάνυ καὶ ἐλεεινῶς καὶ τὰ μείζονα δυνηθεῖσαι ὑπὸ τούτου κατηγωνίσθησαν.

Τοσοῦτον γάρ ἐστιν ἡ παρθενία πρᾶγμα, καὶ τοσούτου δεῖται τοῦ πόνου, ὅτι κατελθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἵνα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀγγέλους ποιήσῃ καὶ τὴν ἄνω πολιτείαν ἐνταῦθα καταφυτεύσῃ, οὐδὲ τότε ἐθάρρησεν ἐπιτάξαι τοῦτο, οὐδὲ εἰς νόμου αὐτὸ τάξιν ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀποθνῄσκειν μὲν ἐνομοθέτησεν· οὗ τί βαρύτερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Καὶ σταυροῦσθαι διηνεκῶς καὶ ἐχθροὺς εὐεργετεῖν, παρθενεύειν δὲ οὐκ ἐνομοθέτησεν· ἀλλ' ἀφῆκεν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων κεῖσθαι προαιρέσει εἰπών· «Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω.» Καὶ γὰρ μέγας ὁ ὄγκος τοῦ πράγματος καὶ ἡ δυσκολία τῶν παλαισμάτων τούτων καὶ ὁ ἱδρὼς τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ σφόδρα ἀπόκρημνον τοῦτο τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ χωρίον. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦσι καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ πολλὰ κατορθώσαντες. Καὶ γὰρ Μωϋσῆς ἐκεῖνος ὁ μέγας, τῶν προφητῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον, ὁ γνήσιος τῷ Θεῷ φίλος, ὁ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσας παρρησίας ὡς ἑξακοσίας χιλιάδας ὑπευθύνους γενομένας κολάσει ἐξαρπάσαι θεηλάτου πληγῆς, οὗτος ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἀνὴρ θαλάσσῃ μὲν ἐπέταξε καὶ πέλαγος ἔσχισε καὶ πέτραν ἔρρηξε καὶ ἀέρα μετέβαλε καὶ τὸ Νειλῷον ὕδωρ εἰς αἷμα μετέστησε καὶ βατράχων καὶ ἀκρίδων στρατόπεδον ἐπετείχισε τῷ Φαραὼ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν μετεστοιχείωσε καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ἐπεδείξατο θαύματα καὶ ἀρετῆς δὲ πολλὰ κατορθώματα –καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους ἔλαμψε –, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀγῶνας τούτους οὐδὲ ἀντιβλέψαι ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλ' ἐδεήθη γάμου καὶ ὁμιλίας γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀσφαλείας καὶ οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν εἰς τὸ τῆς παρθενίας πέλαγος ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοῦναι τὰ ἐκεῖθεν κύματα δεδοικώς. Καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης δὲ ὁ τοῦ παιδὸς ἱερεὺς τὸ μὲν τυραννικώτατον τῆς φύσεως καταπαλαῖσαι ἴσχυσε πάθος καὶ παῖδα ἀνελεῖν ἠδυνήθη καὶ παῖδα τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας τῷ ἄνθει, ἐν αὐτῇ τῆς νεότητος τῇ ἀκμῇ, μονογενῆ, γνήσιον καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν αὐτῷ δεδομένον καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ σαλεύων μόνῳ καὶ ἐν ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ καὶ ἀρετῇ κομῶντα πολλῇ καὶ ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος ἴσχυσεν, ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ μέλλων ἀγαγεῖν πράξει, καὶ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησε καὶ ξύλα συνέθηκε καὶ τὸ ἱερεῖον ἐπέθηκε καὶ μάχαιραν ἥρπασε καὶ διὰ τοῦ λαιμοῦ τοῦ παιδὸς τὸ ξίφος ὤθησε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὤθησε καὶ ᾕμαξεν ὁ ἀδάμας ἐκεῖνος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀδάμαντος στερρότερος· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦτο κέκτηται, οὗτος δὲ διὰ τῆς κατὰ προαίρεσιν φιλοσοφίας φυσικὴν ἐμιμήσατο στερρότητα καὶ ἀγγέλων ἀπάθειαν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπεδείξατο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ τοσοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον ἰσχύσας διανύσαι ἆθλον καὶ αὐτῆς ἐξελθὼν τῆς φύσεως, πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τῆς παρθενίας ἀποδύσασθαι οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν, ἀλλ' ἔδεισε καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ σκάμματα ταῦτα καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ γάμου παραμυθίαν ἐπεσπάσατο.

Βούλει προσθῶ καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τὸν δίκαιον, τὸν ἀληθινόν, τὸν θεοσεβῆ, τὸν ἀπεχόμενον ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος; Οὗτος ὁ Ἰὼβ συνέκοψε τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ὄψιν, παιόμενος οὐ παίων ἐκένωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν βελοθήκην ἅπασαν καὶ κατατοξευόμενος παρ' αὐτοῦ συνεχῶς ἅπαν ὑπέμεινε πειρασμῶν εἶδος καὶ ἕκαστον μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης. Τὰ γὰρ δοκοῦντα εἶναι κατὰ τὸν βίον λυπηρὰ καὶ ὄντα, ταῦτα μάλιστα πάντων ἐστὶ πενία καὶ νόσος καὶ παίδων ἀποβολὴ καὶ ἐχθρῶν ἐπανάστασις καὶ φίλων ἀγνωμοσύνη καὶ λιμὸς καὶ σαρκὸς ὀδύναι διηνεκεῖς καὶ λοιδορίαι καὶ συκοφαντίαι καὶ τὸ πονηρὰν κτήσασθαι ὑπόληψιν· καὶ ταῦτα ἅπαντα εἰς ἓν ἐξεχύθη σῶμα καὶ μιᾶς κατεσκεδάσθη ψυχῆς· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον ὅτι καὶ ἀμελετήτῳ ὄντι ἐπέθετο. Ὃ δὲ λέγω τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὁ ἐκ πενήτων τεχθεὶς καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ τοιαύτῃ τραφείς, ἅτε γυμνασάμενος καὶ μελετήσας, ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐνέγκαι τῆς πενίας τὸ βάρος· ὁ δὲ τοσούτοις περιρρεόμενος χρήμασι καὶ τοσούτῳ πλούτῳ κομῶν, εἶτα ἀθρόον εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον μεταπεσών, οὐκ ἂν εὐκόλως ὑπομεῖναι τὴν μεταβολήν· καὶ γὰρ ἀγυμνάστῳ ὄντι χαλεπωτέρα φαίνεται ἀθρόον προσπεσοῦσα. Πάλιν ὁ ἄσημος καὶ ἐξ ἀσήμων γενόμενος καὶ ἐν τῷ διηνεκῶς καταφρονεῖσθαι ζῶν, οὐκ ἂν σφόδρα λοιδορούμενος καὶ ὑβριζόμενος ταραχθείη· ὁ δὲ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσας δόξης καὶ παρὰ πάντων δορυφορούμενος καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἁπάντων στόμασιν ὢν καὶ πανταχοῦ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνακηρυττόμενος τῆς περιφανείας, εἰς ἀτιμίαν καὶ εὐτέλειαν κατενεχθεὶς τὸ αὐτὸ ἂν πάθοι τῷ ἀπὸ πλουσίου ἀθρόον γενομένῳ πένητι· ὁ παῖδας ἀποβαλὼν πάλιν, κἂν ἅπαντας ἀποβάλῃ, μὴ ἐν ἑνὶ δὲ καιρῷ, τοὺς λειπομένους ἔχει τῶν ἀπελθόντων παραμυθίαν καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ προτέρων τελευτῆς τοῦ πάθους λήξαντος, ἂν ἡ τοῦ δευτέρου προσγένηται μετὰ χρόνον, τοῦτο αὐτῷ προσηνέστερον γίνεται τὸ πάθος· οὐ γὰρ νεαρῷ ὄντι ἔπεισι τῷ ἕλκει, ἀλλὰ κοιμηθέντι ἤδη καὶ ἀφανισθέντι, ὅπερ οὐκ ὀλίγον ὑποτέμνεται τῆς ὀδύνης. Οὗτος δὲ ὁλόκληρον αὐτῷ τὸν χορὸν εἶδεν ἐν μιᾷ ἀναρπασθέντα καιροῦ ῥοπῇ καὶ τρόπῳ πικροτάτῳ τελευτῆς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ βίαιος καὶ ἄωρος ὁ θάνατος ἦν, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ τόπος οὐ μικρὰν ἐποίει τῷ πένθει προσθήκην· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ὥρᾳ συμποσίου καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ τῇ τοῖς ξένοις ἀνεῳγμένῃ καὶ τάφος αὐτοῖς ὁ οἶκος ἐγένετο. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὸν λιμὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν καινότερον καὶ ἑρμηνευθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενον, τὸν ἑκούσιον, τὸν ἀκούσιον; Οὐ γὰρ οἶδα πῶς αὐτὸν καλέσω, οὐδὲ εὑρίσκω ὄνομα ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς συμφορᾶς εἴδει. Καὶ γὰρ παρακειμένης ἀπείχετο τῆς τραπέζης καὶ ὁρωμένων οὐχ ἥπτετο τῶν σιτίων.

Τῶν γὰρ περὶ τὸ σῶμα τραυμάτων ἡ δυσωδία προσαπαντῶσα κατέλυε τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ αὐτὴν ἐνεπίμπλα τὴν τράπεζαν τῆς ἀηδίας. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· «Βρῶμον γὰρ ὁρῶ τὰ σῖτά μου.» Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀνάγκη τοῦ λιμοῦ τῶν προκειμένων ἅπτεσθαι ἐβιάζετο· ἡ δὲ τῆς δυσωδίας ὑπερβολὴ τῆς ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν γινομένης ἐνίκα τοῦ λιμοῦ τὴν βίαν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο εἶπον· «Οὐκ ἔχω πῶς αὐτὸν καλέσω.» Ἑκούσιον; Ἀλλ' ἐβούλετο ἀπογεύεσθαι τῶν προκειμένων. Ἀλλὰ ἀκούσιον; Ἀλλὰ παρῆν τὰ σιτία, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων ἦν. Πῶς ἂν διηγησαίμην τὰς ὀδύνας, τὰς πληγὰς τῶν σκωλήκων, τὸν ἰχῶρα τὸν καταρρέοντα, τὰ ὀνείδη τῶν φίλων, τὴν καταφρόνησιν τῶν οἰκετῶν –» οὐ γὰρ ἐφείσαντό μου, φησίν, οἱ οἰκέται μου ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐμπτυσμάτων»–, τοὺς ἐπεμβαίνοντας, τοὺς ἐφαλλομένους; «Οὓς γὰρ οὐχ ἡγησάμην, φησίν, ἀξίους εἶναι κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων, οὗτοι νῦν ἐπιπεπτώκασί μοι καὶ νουθετοῦσί με ἐλάχιστοι.» Οὐ δοκεῖ σοι ταῦτα πάντα χαλεπὰ εἶναι; Καὶ γάρ ἐστι χαλεπά.

Εἴπω τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν κακῶν, τὸν κολοφῶνα τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸν μάλιστα ἄγχοντα αὐτόν; Ὁ χειμὼν τῶν θορύβων τῶν ἐν τῷ λογισμῷ γινομένων αὐτῷ οὗτος μάλιστα ἦν αὐτὸν ἀποπνίγων ἀφόρητος, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς αὐτοῦ τὸ καθαρὸν τοῦτο μάλιστα ἐποίει τὴν ἔνδον ζάλην καὶ ἐσκότου τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ τὸν κυβερνήτην ἐτάραττεν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες ἁμαρτήματα πολλά, κἂν πάθωσί τι δεινόν, ἔχουσι κἂν τὸν λόγον εὑρεῖν τῶν γινομένων, τὰς ἁμαρτίας τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἀναλογιζόμενοι καὶ λύοντες τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπορίᾳ ταραχήν. Πάλιν οἱ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες ἀλλὰ κατορθώμασι κομῶντες, ἂν πάθωσί τι τοιοῦτον, τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως εἰδότες λόγον καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἐννοῦντες ἐκείνας, οἴδασιν ὅτι ἆθλοι τὰ συμβαίνοντα καὶ μυρίων στεφάνων ὑποθέσεις. Οὗτος δὲ καὶ δίκαιος ὢν καὶ περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἐπιστάμενος οὐδέν, ταύτῃ μάλιστα ἐκλυδωνίζετο οὐκ εἰδὼς τὴν αἰτίαν ὧν ἔπασχε καὶ τῶν σκωλήκων καὶ τῶν ὀδυνῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπορίας ταύτης μᾶλλον κεντούμενος. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, ὅτε κατηξίωσεν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος θεὸς εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ τῶν ἀγώνων τούτων τὴν αἰτίαν ὅτι «Ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇς ταῦτα συνεχωρήθη», οὕτως ἀνέπνευσεν ὡς μηδὲ πεπονθώς τι τῶν λυπηρῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ ὧν τότε ἐφθέγξατο δῆλον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πρὶν ἢ μαθεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν, ὠδυνᾶτο μέν, ἔφερε δὲ γενναίως καὶ μετὰ τὸ πάντα ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν· «Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν οὕτως καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.»

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔοικα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κατεχόμενος πορρωτέρω τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐληλακέναι τῆς προκειμένης· διὸ ὀλίγα προσθεὶς ἅψομαι τῶν προκειμένων πάλιν. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἀνήρ, ὁ τοσαύτας ἀνάγκας φύσεως καταπατήσας, οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν οὐδὲ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον καθεῖναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναικὸς ἀπέλαυσε καὶ πατὴρ ἐγένετο παίδων τοσούτων. Τοσαύτη τῆς παρθενίας ἡ δυσκολία, οὕτως ὑψηλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι αὐτῆς οἱ ἀγῶνες καὶ χαλεποὶ οἱ ἱδρῶτες καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενοι τῆς εὐτονίας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως πολλαὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἀποδυσαμένων ἐκεῖνο οὐ κατηγωνίσαντο τὸ πάθος τὸ τοῦ καλλωπισμοῦ τῆς περιβολῆς τῶν ἱματίων, ἁλλ' ἑάλωσαν καὶ ἐχειρώθησαν καὶ βιωτικῶν γυναικῶν μᾶλλον. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο λέγε ὅτι χρυσίον οὐ περίκειται, οὐδὲ σηρικὰ καὶ χρυσόπαστα περιβέβληνται ἱμάτια, οὐδὲ περιδέραια λιθοκόλλητα ἔχουσι. Τὸ γὰρ χαλεπώτερον μάλιστα πάντων τοῦτό ἐστι καὶ ὃ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς δείκνυσιν αὐτῶν τὸ νόσημα, καὶ τοῦ πάθους τὴν τυραννίδα, ὅτι ἴσχυσαν καὶ ἐφιλονείκησαν καὶ ἐβιάσαντο δι' εὐτελῶν ἱματίων ἐκείνων ὑπερακοντίσαι τὸν καλλωπισμὸν τῶν τὰ χρυσᾶ περικειμένων καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ σηρικὰ καὶ ἐπέραστοι μᾶλλον ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῶν φανῆναι, ὡς μὲν αὐταὶ νομίζουσιν, ἀδιάφορον μετιοῦσαι πρᾶγμα, ὡς δὲ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος φύσις δείκνυσιν, ὀλέθριον καὶ βλαβερὸν καὶ βαθὺ τὸ βάραθρον ἔχον. ∆ιὸ μυρίοις στόμασιν ἀνακηρύττειν σε χρὴ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ὅ τι παρθένοις γέγονε δυσκαταγώνιστον, τοῦτο τῇ ἐν χηρείᾳ ζώσῃ οὕτω ῥᾴδιον καὶ εὔκολον, ὡς αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξεν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν εὐτέλειαν θαυμάζω τῆς περιβολῆς μόνον τὴν ἄφατον καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς προσαιτοῦντας ὑπερακοντίζουσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀσχημάτιστον μάλιστα, τὸ ἀνεπιτήδευτον τῶν περιβλημάτων, τῶν ὑποδημάτων, τῆς βαδίσεως ἅπερ ἅπαντα χρώματά ἐστιν ἀρετῆς, τὴν ἐναποκειμένην τῇ ψυχῇ φιλοσοφίαν ἔξωθεν διαζωγραφοῦντα.

«Στολισμὸς γὰρ ἀνδρός, φησίν, καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων καὶ βῆμα ποδὸς ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ.» Εἰ γὰρ μὴ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς τοὺς γεώδεις τῆς βιωτικῆς φαντασίας λογισμοὺς χαμαὶ ἔρριψας καὶ κατεπάτησας, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξεπήδησας ὑπεροψίας αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἂν οὕτω κατὰ κράτος τὴν χαλεπωτάτην ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην ἐνίκησάς τε καὶ ἀπήλασας. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς ὑπερβολὴν καταγινωσκέτω τοῦ λόγου, εἰ χαλεπωτάτην ταύτην ἁμαρτίαν ἐκάλεσα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν καὶ Ἑβραίων γυναικῶν καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ τοσαύτην ἔφερε τὴν κόλασιν τὸ πλημμέλημα, ἐπὶ τῶν ὀφειλουσῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχειν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἀγγελικὸν μιμεῖσθαι βίον καὶ ἐν χάριτι πολιτευομένων, τίνα ἂν σχοίη συγγνώμην τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τολμώμενον μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ὑπερβολῆς; Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς παρθένον κατακλωμένην ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις, σύρουσαν τοὺς χιτῶνας –ὅπερ ὁ προφήτης ἐνεκάλεσε –, διαθρυπτομένην ἐν τῇ βαδίσει, καὶ διὰ φωνῆς καὶ διὰ ὀμμάτων καὶ διὰ στολῆς τὸ δηλητήριον κεραννῦσαν ποτήριον τοῖς ἀκολάστως ὁρῶσι καὶ τὰ βάραθρα ἐπιπλεῖον ἀνασκάπτουσαν τοῖς παριοῦσι καὶ παγίδας τιθεῖσαν ἐντεῦθεν, πῶς ταύτην λοιπὸν προσερεῖς παρθένον, ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ τῶν πορνευομένων αὐτὴν ἀριθμήσεις γυναικῶν; Οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἐκεῖναι δέλεαρ ὅσον αὗται γίνονται, πανταχόθεν ἀναπεταννῦσαι τῆς ἡδονῆς τὰ πτερά. ∆ιὰ ταῦτά σε μακαρίζομεν, διὰ ταῦτά σε θαυμάζομεν, ὅτι πάντων ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τούτων καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὴν νέκρωσιν ἐπεδείξω τῷ μέρει, οὐχ ὡραϊζομένη, ἀλλὰ νεανιευομένη, οὐ καλλωπιζομένη, ἀλλ' ὁπλιζομένη.

Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος τὸν λέοντα τέως ἐδείξαμεν καὶ τοῦτο ἐν μέρει· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο ὅλον ἐπῆλθόν σου κατόρθωμα· καθάπερ γὰρ ἔφθην εἰπών, εἰς τὰ ἄπειρα τῶν ἄλλων σου κατορθωμάτων δέδοικα εἰσελθεῖν πελάγη· ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ ἐγκώμιον προεθέμεθα νῦν εἰπεῖν τῆς ἁγίας σου ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ παραμυθίας κατασκευάσαι φάρμακον· φέρε πάλιν ἀναλάβωμεν τὰ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένα. Τί δὲ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρήκαμεν; Ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τοῦ λογίζεσθαι τί ὁ δεῖνα ἥμαρτε καὶ τί ὁ δεῖνα ἐπλημμέλησεν, ἐννόει σου τοὺς ἄθλους διηνεκῶς τῆς καρτερίας, τῆς ὑπομονῆς, τῆς νηστείας, τῶν εὐχῶν, τῶν παννυχίδων τῶν ἱερῶν, τῆς ἐγκρατείας, τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης, τῆς φιλοξενίας, τῶν ποικίλων καὶ χαλεπῶν καὶ πυκνῶν πειρασμῶν. Ἀναλόγισαι πῶς ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἕως τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας οὐκ ἐπαύσω πεινῶντα τρέφουσα τὸν Χριστόν, διψῶντα ποτίζουσα, γυμνὸν ἐνδύουσα, ξένον συνάγουσα, ἀρρωστοῦντα ἐπισκοποῦσα, πρὸς δεδεμένον ἀπιοῦσα. Ἐννόησόν σου τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ πέλαγος, ὃ τοσοῦτον ἀνέῳξας ὡς πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα μετὰ πολλῆς ἀφικέσθαι τῆς ῥύμης. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ οἰκία σου παντὶ ἐλθόντι ἀνέῳκτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης πολλοὶ ταύτης ἀπήλαυσαν τῆς φιλοτιμίας διὰ τῆς φιλοξενίας. Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα συνάγουσα, τρύφα καὶ εὐφραίνου τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν στεφάνων τούτων καὶ τῶν βραβείων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς παρανόμους τούτους καὶ αἱμοβόρους καὶ πολλῶ τούτων χαλεπώτερα ἐργασαμένους ἐπιθυμεῖς δίκην διδόντας ἰδεῖν, ὄψει καὶ τοῦτο τότε. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τὸν πλούσιον εἶδεν ἀποτηγανιζόμενον.

Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ τόπος αὐτοῖς διώριστο διὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου διαφορὰν καὶ τὸ χάος αὐτοὺς διεῖργεν καὶ ὁ μὲν ἦν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, ὁ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καμίνοις ταῖς ἀφορήτοις, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ Λάζαρος καὶ φωνῆς ἤκουσε καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο. Ταῦτα καὶ ἐπὶ σοῦ ἔσται τότε. Εἰ γὰρ ἕνα παριδὼν ἄνθρωπον τοιαύτας δίδωσι τιμωρίας, καὶ τῷ σκανδαλίσαντι πάλιν ἕνα λυσιτελὲς μύλην ἐκκρεμασθῆναι κατὰ τοῦ τραχήλου καὶ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καταποντισθῆναι, οἱ τοσαύτην οἰκουμένην σκανδαλίσαντες καὶ τοσαύτας ἀνατρέψαντες Ἐκκλησίας καὶ πάντα θορύβων καὶ ταραχῆς ἐμπλήσαντες καὶ λῃστῶν καὶ βαρβάρων νικήσαντες ὠμότητα καὶ ἀπανθρωπίαν καὶ οὕτω κατὰ κράτος ἐκβακχευθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦντος αὐτοῖς διαβόλου καὶ τῶν συνεργούντων αὐτοῖς δαιμόνων, ὡς τὸ φρικτὸν τοῦτο δόγμα καὶ ἁγιωσύνης γέμον καὶ τοῦ δεδωκότος ἄξιον καταγέλαστον καὶ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι ποιῆσαι, οἱ μυρίας καταδύσαντες ψυχὰς καὶ μυρία ναυάγια πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐργασάμενοι, οἱ τοσαύτην ἀνάψαντες πυρὰν καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ σχίσαντες καὶ τὰ μέλη αὐτοῦ πολλαχοῦ διασπείραντες· «Ὑμεῖς γάρ, φησίν, ἐστὲ σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους.» Μᾶλλον δὲ τί φιλονεικῶ παραστῆσαι τὴν μανίαν αὐτῶν, ἑρμηνευθῆναι λόγῳ μὴ δυναμένην; Πόσην τοίνυν οἴει ὑποστήσεσθαι τιμωρίαν τότε τοὺς λυμεῶνας τούτους καὶ αἱμοβόρους; Εἰ γὰρ οἱ μὴ θρέψαντες πεινῶντα τὸν Χριστὸν μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου καταδικάζονται τῷ πυρὶ τῷ ἀσβέστῳ, οἱ καὶ λιμῷ παραδόντες μοναχῶν καὶ παρθένων χοροὺς καὶ ἐνδεδυμένους γυμνώσαντες καὶ ξένους ὄντας οὐ μόνον οὐ συναγαγόντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλάσαντες, καὶ ἀρρωστοῦντας οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπισκεψάμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιπλεῖον συντρίψαντες, καὶ οὐ μόνον δεδεμένους οὐκ ἰδόντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ λελυμένους εἰς δεσμωτήριον παρασκευάσαντες ἐμβαλέσθαι, ἐννόησον ὅσην ὑποστήσονται τιμωρίαν. Τότε τοίνυν ὄψει αὐτοὺς ἀποτηγανιζομένους, κατακαιομένους, δεδεμένους, τοὺς ὀδόντας βρύχοντας, ὀλοφυρομένους, ἀνόνητα λοιπὸν θρηνοῦντας καὶ ἀνωφελῆ μετανοοῦντας καὶ ἀκερδῆ, καθάπερ ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος. Ὄψονταί σε καὶ οὗτοι πάλιν ἐν τῇ μακαρίᾳ λήξει ἐκείνῃ στεφανηφοροῦσαν, μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορεύουσαν, τῷ Χριστῷ συμβασιλεύουσαν, καὶ βοήσονται πολλὰ καὶ θρηνήσουσι μεταγινώσκοντες ἐφ' οἷς εἰς σὲ ἐπαροίνησαν καὶ ἱκετηρίαν σοι προστιθέντες καὶ ἐλέους μεμνημένοι καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσται πλέον αὐτοῖς.

Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα λογιζομένη ἔπᾳδε συνεχῶς σου τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τὴν κόνιν ταύτην διασκεδάσαι δυνήσῃ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἕτερόν τί ἐστι, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, τὸ μάλιστά σε ὀδυνῶν φέρε καὶ τούτῳ τῷ λογισμῷ κατασκευάσωμεν τὸ φάρμακον μετὰ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἃ νῦν ἐροῦμεν. Καὶ γὰρ οἶμαί σε ἀλγεῖν οὐ διὰ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ κεχωρίσθαι τῆς οὐδενείας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ τοῦτο διηνεκῶς θρηνεῖν σε καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας λέγειν· «Οὐκ ἀκούομεν τῆς γλώσσης ἐκείνης, οὐδὲ ἀπολαύομεν τῆς συνήθους διδασκαλίας, ἀλλὰ ἐν λιμῷ κατακεκλείσμεθα· καὶ ὅπερ ἠπείλησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τότε, τοῦτο νῦν ὑπομένομεν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν θείας διδασκαλίας.» Τί οὖν ἡμεῖς πρὸς ταῦτα ἐροῦμεν; Ὅτι μάλιστα μὲν ἔξεστί σοι καὶ ἀπόντων ἡμῶν ὁμιλεῖν τοῖς βιβλίοις τοῖς ἡμετέροις. Καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ σπουδὴν ποιησόμεθα, ἂν ἐπιτυγχάνωμεν γραμματηφόρων, συνεχεῖς σοι καὶ πυκνὰς καὶ μακρὰς πέμπειν ἐπιστολάς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ ζώσης φωνῆς βούλει τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκούειν, ἴσως καὶ τοῦτο ἔσται καὶ ἡμᾶς ὄψει πάλιν, τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιτρέποντος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἴσως, ἀλλὰ πάντως· καὶ μηδὲν ἀμφίβαλλε. Ἀναμνήσομεν γάρ σε ὅτι οὐκ εἰκῆ ταῦτα εἰρήκαμεν, οὐδὲ ἀπατῶντές σε καὶ παραλογιζόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ ζώσης ἀκούσῃ φωνῆς ἃ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων νῦν. Εἰ δὲ ἡ μέλλησίς σε λυπεῖ, ἐννόησον ὅτι οὐδὲ αὕτη ἀκερδής σοι γίνεται, ἀλλὰ πολὺν οἴσει σοι τὸν μισθὸν καρτερούσῃ καὶ μηδὲν ἐκφερούσῃ πικρὸν ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων τὸν Θεὸν δοξαζούσῃ, ὃ δὲ καὶ διατελοῦσα ποιεῖς.

Οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρὸς οὗτος ἆθλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα νεανικῆς δεόμενος ψυχῆς καὶ φιλοσόφου διανοίας, ὥστε ἀγαπωμένης ψυχῆς ἐνεγκεῖν χωρισμόν. Τίς ταῦτά φησιν; Εἴ τις οἶδε φιλεῖν γνησίως, εἴ τις ἐπίσταται δύναμιν ἀγάπης, οἶδεν ὃ λέγω. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ περιιόντες ζητῶμεν τοὺς γνησίως φιλοῦντας –καὶ γὰρ σπάνιον τοῦτο –, δράμωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον κἀκεῖνος ἡμῖν ἐρεῖ ἡλίκος οὗτος ὁ ἆθλος καὶ ἡλίκης δεόμενος ψυχῆς. Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος ὁ τὴν σάρκα ἀποδυσάμενος καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀποθέμενος καὶ γυμνῇ σχεδὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην περιιὼν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ πᾶν πάθος ἐξορίσας τῆς διανοίας καὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων τὴν ἀπάθειαν μιμούμενος καὶ τὴν γῆν ὡς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκῶν καὶ μετὰ τῶν Χερουβὶμ ἑστὼς ἄνω καὶ τῆς μυστικῆς ἐκείνης μελῳδίας αὐτοῖς κοινωνῶν, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πάντα ῥᾳδίως ἔφερεν, ὡς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ πάσχων σώματι, καὶ δεσμωτήρια καὶ ἁλύσεις καὶ ἀπαγωγὰς καὶ μάστιγας καὶ ἀπειλὰς καὶ θάνατον καὶ τὸ καταλεύεσθαι καὶ τὸ καταποντίζεσθαι καὶ πᾶν κολάσεως εἶδος. Μιᾶς δὲ ψυχῆς ἀγαπωμένης παρ' αὐτοῦ χωρισθείς, οὕτω συνεχύθη καὶ διεταράχθη ὡς εὐθέως καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀποπηδῆσαι ἐν ᾗ τὸν ἀγαπώμενον προσδοκῶν ἰδεῖν οὐχ εὗρεν. Καὶ ταῦτα αὐτῷ σύνοιδεν ἡ Τρωὰς ἡ διὰ τοῦτο καταλειφθεῖσα παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔσχεν ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτῷ τότε ἐκεῖνον. «Ἐλθὼν γάρ, φησίν, εἰς τὴν Τρωάδα εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θύρας μοι ἀνεῳγμένης ἐν Κυρίῳ, οὐκ ἔσχηκα ἄνεσιν τῷ πνεύματί μου, τῷ μὴ εὑρεῖν με Τίτον τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, ἀλλὰ ἀποταξάμενος αὐτοῖς ἐξῆλθον εἰς Μακεδονίαν.» Τί τοῦτο, ὦ Παῦλε; Ξύλῳ μὲν δεδεμένος καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῶν καὶ μάστιγας ἔχων ἐπικειμένας καὶ τὰ νῶτα αἵμασι περιρρεόμενος καὶ ἐμυσταγώγεις καὶ ἐβάπτιζες καὶ θυσίαν προσῆγες καὶ ἑνὸς οὐ κατεφρόνησας μέλλοντος σώζεσθαι· εἰς δὲ τὴν Τρωάδα ἐλθὼν καὶ τὴν ἄρουραν ὁρῶν ἐκκεκαθαρμένην καὶ ἑτοίμην οὖσαν τὰ σπέρματα ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ τὴν ἁλιείαν πεπληρωμένην καὶ πολλὴν παρέχουσάν σοι τὴν εὐκολίαν, τοσοῦτον ἔρριψας ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν κέρδος ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παραγενόμενος.

«Ἐλθὼν γάρ, φησίν, εἰς τὴν Τρωάδα εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον», τοῦτ' ἔστι διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀντιπίπτοντος· «Θύρας γάρ μοι, φησίν, ἀνεῳγμένης», ἀπεπήδησας εὐθέως; «Ναί, φησί· πολλῇ γὰρ κατεσχέθην ἀθυμίας τυραννίδι καὶ σφόδρα μου συνέχεε τὴν διάνοιαν ἡ Τίτου ἀπουσία καὶ οὕτω μου ἐκράτησε καὶ περιεγένετο ὡς ἀναγκάσαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι.» Ὅτι γὰρ διὰ ἀθυμίαν τοῦτο ἔπαθεν οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς δεῖ στοχάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦτο μανθάνειν. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τέθεικεν εἰπών· «Οὐκ ἔσχηκα ἄνεσιν τῷ πνεύματί μου, τῷ μὴ εὑρεῖν με Τίτον, ἀλλὰ ἀποταξάμενος αὐτοῖς ἐξῆλθον.»

Εἶδες πῶς μέγιστος ἆθλος τὸ δυνηθῆναι ἐνεγκεῖν πρᾴως ἀγαπωμένου χωρισμόν; καὶ πῶς ὀδυνηρὸν πρᾶγμα καὶ πικρόν; πῶς ὑψηλῆς δεόμενον καὶ νεανικῆς ψυχῆς; Τοῦτον τὸν ἆθλον καὶ αὐτὴ διανύεις νῦν. Ὅσῳ δὲ μέγιστος ὁ ἆθλος, τοσούτῳ καὶ ὁ στέφανος μείζων καὶ τὰ βραβεῖα λαμπρότερα. Τοῦτό σοι τῆς μελλήσεως ἔστω παραμυθία καὶ τὸ πάντως ἡμᾶς ὄψεσθαί σε πάλιν βρύουσαν τῷ ἐντεῦθεν μισθῷ καὶ στεφανουμένην καὶ ἀνακηρυττομένην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι μόνον τὸ τῇ ψυχῇ συνδεδέσθαι οὐδὲ ἀποχρῶνται τούτῳ εἰς παραμυθίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωματικῆς δέονται παρουσίας· κἂν μὴ τοῦτο προσῇ, οὐ μικρὸν τῆς εὐφροσύνης ὑποτέτμηται μέρος. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης τρόφιμον ἐλθόντες εὑρήσομεν οὕτως ἔχον. Μακεδόσι γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων οὕτως ἔλεγεν· «Ἡμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἀπορφανισθέντες ἀφ' ὑμῶν πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας προσώπῳ οὐ καρδίᾳ, περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν· ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ ἀνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς. ∆ιὸ μηκέτι στέγοντες ηὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι ἐν Ἀθήναις μόνοι καὶ ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμόθεον.» Ὢ λέξεως ἑκάστης δύναμις· τὴν γὰρ ἐναποκειμένην αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ φλόγα τῆς ἀγάπης μετὰ πολλῆς ἐνδείκνυται τῆς σαφηνείας.

Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε· «χωρισθέντες ὑμῶν», οὐδὲ «διασπασθέντες ὑμῶν», οὐδὲ «διαστάντες», οὐδὲ «ἀπολειφθέντες», ἀλλ' «ἀπορφανισθέντες ὑμῶν.» Λέξιν ἐζήτησεν ἱκανὴν ἐμφῆναι τὴν ὀδύνην αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς. Καίτοι γε ἐν τάξει πατέρος ἦν ἅπασιν αὐτός, ἀλλὰ παιδίων ὀρφανῶν ἐν τῇ ἀώρῳ ἡλικίᾳ τὸν γεγεννηκότα ἀποβαλόντων φθέγγεται ῥήματα τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐνδείξασθαι βουλόμενος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὀδυνηρότερον ὀρφανίας ἀώρου, ὅταν τῆς τε ἡλικίας πρὸς οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἀρκούσης, τῶν τε προστησομένων γνησίως οὐκ ὄντων καὶ τῶν ἐπιθησομένων καὶ ἐπιβουλευόντων πολλῶν ἀθρόον ἀναφαινομένων, ὥσπερ ἀρνειοί, οὕτως εἰς μέσον προκέωνται λύκοις οἳ πανταχόθεν σπαράττουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ξαίνουσιν. Οὐδεὶς δύναται παραστῆσαι τῆς συμφορᾶς ταύτης τῷ λόγῳ τὸ μέγεθος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος περιελθὼν καὶ ζητήσας καὶ ἐρημίας καὶ συμφορᾶς χαλεπῆς ῥῆσιν ἐνδεικτικήν, ἵνα παραστήσῃ ὅπερ ἔπασχε τῶν ἀγαπωμένων χωριζόμενος, ταύτῃ ἐχρήσατο τῇ λέξει· εἶτα καὶ ἐπιτείνει πάλιν αὐτὴν διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς· «Ἀπορφανισθέντες γάρ, φησίν, οὐ χρόνον ἀλλὰ πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας, καὶ χωρισθέντες οὐ διανοίᾳ ἀλλὰ προσώπῳ μόνῳ, οὐδὲ οὕτω φέρομεν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὀδύνην, καίτοι γε ἱκανὴν ἔχοντες παραμυθίαν, τὸ τῇ ψυχῇ συνδεδέσθαι, τὸ ἐν καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς εἶναι τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ, τὸ χθὲς καὶ πρώην ὑμᾶς ἑωρακέναι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάττει τῆς ἀθυμίας.» Ἀλλὰ τί βούλει καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς; Αὐτὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ὄψιν. «Περισσοτέρως γάρ, φησίν, ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν.»

Τί φῄς, ὁ ὑψηλὸς καὶ μέγας; Ὁ τὸν κόσμον ἔχων ἐσταυρωμένον καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ σταυρωθείς, ὁ πάντων ἀπαλλαγεὶς τῶν σαρκικῶν, ὁ σχεδὸν ἀσώματος γενόμενος, οὕτως αἰχμάλωτος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐγένου ὡς εἰς σάρκα κατενεχθῆναι τὴν πηλίνην, τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς, τὴν αἰσθητήν; «Ναί, φησί, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι ταῦτα λέγων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζομαι· τὴν γὰρ μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔχων ἐμοὶ βρύουσαν τὴν ἀγάπην, ταῦτα ἐπιζητῶ.» Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς σωματικὴν ἐπιζητεῖ παρουσίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν μάλιστα ἐπιθυμεῖ θεάσασθαι. «Περισσοτέρως γάρ, φησίν, ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν.» Ὄψεως οὖν ἐρᾷς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ προσώπου θεωρίας ἐπιθυμεῖς; «Καὶ σφόδρα, φησίν, ἔνθα τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἡ συναγωγή. Ψυχὴ γὰρ γυμνὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἑτέρᾳ ψυχῇ συγγενομένη οὔτε εἰπεῖν τι οὔτε ἀκοῦσαι δυνήσεται· σωματικῆς δὲ ἂν ἀπολαύσω παρουσίας καὶ ἐρῶ τι καὶ ἀκούσομαι παρὰ τῶν ἀγαπωμένων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπιθυμῶ τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν, ἔνθα καὶ γλῶσσά ἐστι φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσα καὶ τὰ ἔνδον ἡμῖν ἀπαγγέλλουσα καὶ ἀκοὴ ῥήματα δεχομένη καὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ κινήματα ψυχῆς διαζωγραφοῦντες· καὶ γὰρ τῆς ποθουμένης ψυχῆς διὰ τούτων ἀκριβέστερον τῆς συνουσίας ἔστιν ἀπολαῦσαι.»

Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς πῶς ἐκκαίεται εἰς τὴν θεωρίαν ταύτην εἰπών· «περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν», οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τῇ λέξει ταύτῃ, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγεν· «ἐν πολλῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ». Εἶτα οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος ἑαυτὸν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐγκαταμίξαι, ἀλλὰ δεικνὺς ὅτι σφοδρότερον τῶν ἄλλων φιλεῖ, εἰπὼν ὅτι «Περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν καὶ ἠθελήσαμεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς», ἀπέρρηξεν ἑαυτὸν τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ μόνον στήσας ἐπήγαγεν· «Ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς», δεικνὺς ὅτι πλέον τῶν ἄλλων ἐσπούδαζεν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τούτου, οὐκ ἀρκεῖται τοῖς γράμμασιν ἀλλὰ πέμπει τὸ κεφάλαιον, τὸν σὺν αὐτῷ Τιμόθεον, τὸν ἀντὶ γραμμάτων ἐσόμενον αὐτῷ· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· «∆ιὸ μηκέτι στέγοντες.» Ὢ πάλιν λέξεως εὐγένεια· ὢ ῥήσεως δύναμις τὴν ἀκάθεκτον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκαρτέρητον ἀγάπην δηλοῦσα. Καὶ ὡς ἄν τις ἐμπυριζόμενος καὶ ὡς ἄν τις καιόμενος καὶ ζητῶν τοῦ ἐμπυρισμοῦ παραμυθίαν τινὰ εὑρεῖν, πάντα κινεῖ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἀναπτόμενος, ἀγχόμενος, καιόμενος, κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν τὴν δυνατὴν ἐπενόησε παραμυθίαν. «Μηκέτι γὰρ στέγοντες, φησίν, ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμόθεον τὸν διάκονον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ συνεργὸν ἡμῶν, τὸ ἀναγκαιότατον μέλος διασπάσαντες ἡμῶν τῆς συνουσίας καὶ λύπην ἀλλαξάμενοι λύπης.» Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκείνου ἀπουσίαν εὐκόλως ἔφερεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτους εἵλετο τὸ βαρύτατον τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸς ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· «Ηὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι μόνοι.» Ὢ ψυχῆς μετὰ ἀκριβείας πρὸς αὐτὴν ποιωθείσης τὴν ἀγάπην.

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀδελφοῦ ἐχωρίσθη ἑνός, μεμονῶσθαί φησι καὶ ταῦτα τοσούτους ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὴ συνεχῶς μελέτα καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ ὅσῳ σοι τὸ πρᾶγμα ὀδυνηρόν, τοσούτῳ κερδαλεώτερον εἶναι νόμιζε εὐχαρίστως φερούσῃ. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον σώματι πληγαὶ ἐπαγόμεναι ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχῆς ὀδύνη ἀφάτους φέρει τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ ψυχῆς ὀδύνη μᾶλλον ἢ σώματος, ὅταν οἱ πληττόμενοι φέρωσιν εὐχαρίστως. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰ καταξαινομένη τὸ σῶμα καὶ μαστιγουμένη γενναίως ἔφερες τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ τούτων δοξάζουσα, πολλὴν ἂν ἀπέλαβες τὴν ἀμοιβήν, οὕτω ψυχῆς ταῦτα πασχούσης νῦν πολλὰς ἀνάμενε τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. Προσδόκα δὲ καὶ τὸ πάντως ἡμᾶς ὄψεσθαι πάλιν καὶ τῆς ὀδύνης ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι ταύτης καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὀδύνης γενομένην ἐμπορίαν πολλὴν ἀπολήψεσθαι καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν. Ἀρκεῖ ταῦτά σοι πρὸς παραμυθίαν μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ σοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἀνόητος εἴη καὶ αὐτολίθινος τὴν ψυχήν. Ὅπου δὲ σύνεσις τοσαύτη καὶ εὐλαβείας πλοῦτος καὶ φιλοσοφίας ὕψος καὶ ψυχὴ τῶν βιωτικῶν τὴν φαντασίαν καταπατήσασα, πλείων ἡ εὐκολία τῆς θεραπείας. ∆εῖξον δὴ κἂν τούτῳ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς ὅτι καὶ μεγάλην γράφοντες ἔχομεν παρὰ σοὶ δύναμιν, καὶ τοσαύτην ὅσην παρόντες.

∆είξεις δὲ σαφῶς, ἂν μάθωμεν ὅτι σοι γέγονέ τι πλέον ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ πλέον μόνον, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ὅσον ἐπιθυμοῦμεν. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ εὐφροσύνῃ εἶναί σε νῦν ἐν ᾗ καὶ αὐτόθι διατρίβοντες ἑωρῶμεν. Κἂν τοῦτο μάθωμεν, οὐ μικρὰν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἐρημίας ἐν ᾗ νῦν ἐσμεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Ὣστε εἰ βούλει καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ καταστῆσαι πλείονι –οἶδα δὲ ὅτι βούλει καὶ σφόδρα ἐσπούδακας –, δήλωσον ὅτι πάντα τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀπήλασας τὸν φορυτὸν καὶ ἐν γαλήνῃ τὰ σὰ καὶ δὸς ἡμῖν ταύτην τῆς περὶ σὲ εὐνοίας καὶ ἀγάπης ἀμοιβήν. Οἶσθα γάρ, οἶσθα σαφῶς ὅπως ἡμᾶς ἀνακτήσῃ κατορθώσασα τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ ἀληθείας δηλώσασα διὰ γραμμάτων ἡμῖν.

Scripture echoes

↩John.10.12;Acts.20.29 — The hired hand, who is not the shepherd—the sheep are not his own—sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. Acts.20.29 — I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
↩2Cor.2.6-2Cor.2.11 — Such punishment by the majority is sufficient for this one. 2Cor.2.7 — so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up by excessive grief. 2Cor.2.8 — So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 2Cor.2.9 — For this is also why I wrote, so that I might know your testing, whether you are obedient in all things. 2Cor.2.10 — Now if you forgive anyone, I also forgive; for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I have done for your sake in the presence of Christ. 2Cor.2.11 — so that we are not taken advantage of by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
↩Matt.8.12 — But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
↩Isa.66.24;Mark.9.48 — And they shall go out and see the corpses of the men who rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. Mark.9.48 — where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
↩Dan.7.10 — A river of fire flowed and poured out before him. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
↩Matt.24.29;Mark.13.25;Luke.21.26 — But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Mark.13.25 — and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken Luke.21.26 — People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
↩Matt.24.29;Mark.13.25;Luke.21.26 — But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Mark.13.25 — and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken Luke.21.26 — People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
↩Matt.25.1-Matt.25.13;1Cor.9.24-1Cor.9.25;2Tim.4.8 — Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Matt.25.2 — Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Matt.25.3 — For the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. Matt.25.4 — but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps Matt.25.5 — While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Matt.25.6 — But at midnight a cry has gone out: 'Look! The bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matt.25.7 — Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. Matt.25.8 — The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' Matt.25.9 — But the prudent ones answered, saying, 'No — there will not be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' Matt.25.10 — But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the ready ones went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Matt.25.11 — Afterward the other virgins also come, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' Matt.25.12 — But he answered, 'Truly, I tell you, I do not know you.' Matt.25.13 — Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. 1Cor.9.24 — Do you not know that those who run in a stadium all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1Cor.9.25 — Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 2Tim.4.8 — From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.
↩1Cor.2.9;Isa.64.4 — But as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived—all that God has prepared for those who love him. Isa.64.4 — You meet those who rejoice and do righteousness; in your ways they remember you. But behold, you were angry, and we sinned — in those ways we have been for long, and can we be saved?
↩1Cor.7.32-1Cor.7.34 — I want you to be free from anxiety. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. 1Cor.7.33 — but the one who is married is anxious about the things of the world, how he might please his wife, 1Cor.7.34 — and the unmarried woman and the virgin is anxious for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but the married woman is anxious for the things of the world, how she may please her husband
↩Matt.25.1-Matt.25.13 — Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Matt.25.2 — Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Matt.25.3 — For the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. Matt.25.4 — but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps Matt.25.5 — While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Matt.25.6 — But at midnight a cry has gone out: 'Look! The bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matt.25.7 — Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. Matt.25.8 — The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' Matt.25.9 — But the prudent ones answered, saying, 'No — there will not be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' Matt.25.10 — But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the ready ones went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Matt.25.11 — Afterward the other virgins also come, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' Matt.25.12 — But he answered, 'Truly, I tell you, I do not know you.' Matt.25.13 — Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
↩Matt.25.34-Matt.25.40 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Matt.25.35 — For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in; Matt.25.36 — I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Matt.25.37 — Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?' Matt.25.38 — And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? Matt.25.39 — Or when did we see you sick or in prison, and did not come to you? Matt.25.40 — And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
↩Matt.25.34 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'
↩Matt.19.12 — For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to receive this, let him receive it.
↩Job.1.1 — There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
↩Job.1.13-Job.1.17 — And it came to pass on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother— Job.1.14 — and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them," Job.1.15 — and Sabeans fell upon them and took them, and the young men they struck down with the edge of the sword—and I alone have escaped to tell you. Job.1.16 — While this one was still speaking, another came and said, 'The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and it consumed them. And I alone have escaped to tell you.' Job.1.17 — While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on the camels and carried them off, and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you."
↩Job.1.18-Job.1.19 — While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their brother's house," Job.1.19 — And behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they died. And I have escaped alone to tell you.
↩Job.1.18-Job.1.19 — While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their brother's house," Job.1.19 — And behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they died. And I have escaped alone to tell you.
↩Job.1.18-Job.1.19 — While this one was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their brother's house," Job.1.19 — And behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they died. And I have escaped alone to tell you.
↩Job.6.7 — My soul refuses to touch them; they are like loathsome food to me.
↩Job.6.7 — My soul refuses to touch them; they are like loathsome food to me.
↩Job.1.21 — And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'
↩Isa.3.16 — And the LORD said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet,
↩Luke.16.19-Luke.16.31 — Now there was a certain rich man, and he used to dress in purple and fine linen, celebrating every day in splendor. Luke.16.20 — And a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores. Luke.16.21 — and longing to be fed from what fell from the rich man's table; but even the dogs came and kept licking his sores. Luke.16.22 — And it happened that the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. Luke.16.23 — And in Hades, while he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus at his side. Luke.16.24 — And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' Luke.16.25 — But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.' Luke.16.26 — And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who wish to cross from here to you are not able, nor can any cross over from there to us. Luke.16.27 — Then he said, 'I ask you, therefore, father, to send him to my father's house— Luke.16.28 — For I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Luke.16.29 — But Abraham says, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to those.' Luke.16.30 — And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Luke.16.31 — But Abraham said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'
↩Matt.18.6;Mark.9.42;Luke.17.2 — But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Mark.9.42 — And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he had been thrown into the sea. Luke.17.2 — It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
↩1Cor.12.27 — Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.
↩Matt.25.41-Matt.25.46 — Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' Matt.25.42 — For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, Matt.25.43 — I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Matt.25.44 — Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve you?' Matt.25.45 — Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly I tell you, as much as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.' Matt.25.46 — And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
↩2Tim.2.12;Rev.20.4 — If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us. Rev.20.4 — And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
↩2Cor.2.12-2Cor.2.13 — When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened for me in the Lord, 2Cor.2.13 — I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there; so I said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.
↩2Cor.2.12-2Cor.2.13 — When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened for me in the Lord, 2Cor.2.13 — I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there; so I said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.
↩2Cor.2.12-2Cor.2.13 — When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened for me in the Lord, 2Cor.2.13 — I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there; so I said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.
↩2Cor.2.12 — When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened for me in the Lord,
↩2Cor.2.13 — I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there; so I said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.
↩1Thess.2.17 — But we, brothers, having been torn away from you for the short time — face to face, not in heart — all the more we were eager to see your face with great longing.
↩1Thess.2.17 — But we, brothers, having been torn away from you for the short time — face to face, not in heart — all the more we were eager to see your face with great longing.
↩1Thess.2.17 — But we, brothers, having been torn away from you for the short time — face to face, not in heart — all the more we were eager to see your face with great longing.
↩1Thess.2.17 — But we, brothers, having been torn away from you for the short time — face to face, not in heart — all the more we were eager to see your face with great longing.
↩1Thess.2.17-1Thess.2.18 — But we, brothers, having been torn away from you for the short time — face to face, not in heart — all the more we were eager to see your face with great longing. 1Thess.2.18 — So we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, once and again—but Satan blocked us.
↩1Thess.3.1-1Thess.3.2 — Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left behind in Athens by ourselves, 1Thess.3.2 — and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
↩1Thess.3.1-1Thess.3.2 — Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left behind in Athens by ourselves, 1Thess.3.2 — and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
↩1Thess.3.1 — Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left behind in Athens by ourselves,
↩1Thess.3.1-1Thess.3.2 — Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left behind in Athens by ourselves, 1Thess.3.2 — and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

Notes

1 ↩φιλοσοφίας here means Christian spiritual wisdom/ascetic discipline, not secular philosophy.
2 ↩φρικωδεστάτης τραπέζης ('most awesome/dread table') is the Eucharist; ἱερῶν ναμάτων are baptismal waters; μυστηρίων are the Church's sacraments/mysteries, not generic secrets.
3 ↩πορνεία here is sexual immorality/fornication in the broad Pauline sense; μοιχεία is adultery. Chrysostom escalates beyond both for the incest with a father's wife.
4 ↩τραπέζης κοινῆς is ordinary shared-table fellowship (cf. 1 Cor 5:11), distinct from the earlier 'most awesome table' (Eucharist).
5 ↩πολὺς πνεῖ is figurative: Paul 'breathes hard' / is full of intensity. Rendered as fierce demand rather than a literal breath image, which would sound odd in modern English.
6 ↩παλινῳδίαν ... ᾄδοντα is a classical image of 'singing a palinode'—public recantation—here performed by the penitent's deeds, not by verse.
7 ↩ψώρα is rendered 'mange' for the diseased-sheep image; the force is a contagious, disfiguring skin disease standing for grave sin.
8 ↩νεῦρα can mean sinews, nerves, or strength; rendered as 'sinews' to keep the physical metaphor for spiritual toughness.
9 ↩Subject is the heavenly 'powers' of the preceding quote (feminine αἱ δυνάμεις / ἑαυταῖς).
10 ↩ἐλέγχους may mean proofs, examinations, or exposures of guilt; 'proofs' fits the following section on the Judge who needs no accusers or proofs.
11 ↩ψυχοβλαβής λυπή: grief that damages the soul; rendered 'soul-harming grief' to keep the soul-language intact rather than flattening it to 'depression' or 'mood'.
12 ↩μετὰ τοῦ μάταιος εἶναι: source has masculine μάταιος with feminine αὕτη; sense is clear ('besides being vain/empty'). Translated as the intended meaning without emending the Greek.
13 ↩βεβαπτισμένοις ἁμαρτημάτων πλήθει: lit. 'baptized/plunged in a multitude of sins'; rendered 'submerged' to keep the immersion image without confusing it with sacramental baptism.
14 ↩πλὴν ὅσον καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων picks up the previous section: even the heavenly powers stand in awe at the judgment, though they face no penalty. The fear that can touch Olympias is only that angelic awe, not the terror of the guilty.
15 ↩δᾳδουχία: torch-bearing procession, wedding-feast imagery. παστάδες / νυμφών: bridal chambers and bridal room of heaven. παρρησία: bold, confident access before the Bridegroom, not mere chatter.
16 ↩ἐπιλάβῃ (from ἐπιλαμβάνομαι): 'seize on / take hold of my words' — rendered as 'take exception to' (catch me out for saying this).
17 ↩φιλοσοφίαν: in Chrysostom, Christian ascetic 'philosophy' — rendered as 'spiritual discipline,' not secular philosophy.
18 ↩ἐλεημοσύνη: rendered as 'almsgiving' (works of mercy), which Chrysostom here ranks above virginity and allegorizes as the oil of the wise virgins.
19 ↩ταύτην ('this') continues ἐλεημοσύνη from s4 — supplied in brackets for clarity as the garment of almsgiving/mercy.
20 ↩ὁ δεῖνα ... ὁ δεῖνα: indefinite 'so-and-so' for unnamed persons whose collapse has grieved Olympias; kept impersonal as in the Greek.
21 ↩The long period pivots on ἐπειδὴ δὲ: you ought to celebrate, and yet because of others' falls you wound yourself — that contrast is preserved.
22 ↩τῆς ἀρετῆς ταύτης looks back to ὑπομονή (patience/endurance) in s7. πάθη παρὰ σοῦ: self-imposed ascetic hardships, not mere misfortunes.
23 ↩ἵππος is Chrysostom's extended metaphor for the flesh/desire: not mere restraint (bridle) but total immobilization (hobble, throw down, keep motionless).
24 ↩ἀπάθεια rendered as 'freedom from the passions' (patristic apatheia/dispassion), not modern 'apathy' or emotional numbness.
25 ↩μὴ ἀποθανεῖν καὶ δίκην δοῦναι taken as the minimal life-preserving limit: only enough not to die and so not incur the penalty (of death/self-destruction).
26 ↩ἐκείνης refers back to the desire for luxury/food just extinguished; sleep-desire is said to collapse with it because food feeds sleep.
27 ↩αὐτομολησάσῃ is a military desertion metaphor: she has 'deserted/defected' from an impious household to the truth. Kept the force of the image rather than flattening it to a bland 'came over.'
28 ↩ἀώρῳ ἡλικίᾳ = untimely/unseasonable age; rendered as 'at such a young age,' which matches the common sense of premature youth rather than 'untimely death.'
29 ↩εἴδη vs ὑποθέσεις: 'kinds/forms' vs 'subjects/themes/main heads.' Rendered as 'kinds' then corrected by the author himself to 'main themes.'
30 ↩ἀθυμίαν rendered as 'despondency' (spiritual discouragement/heaviness), not mere sadness; πρόρριζον... ἀνασπάσαι keeps the root-and-branch force of the image.
31 ↩τὸν λέοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος is the proverb 'know the lion from its claw' (ex ungue leonem): a small sample stands for the whole.
32 ↩φιλοσόφου ... ψυχῆς here means a soul trained in Christian ascetic wisdom, not secular philosophy.
33 ↩φιλοσοφίας αἴνιγμα: 'hint/riddle of the philosophy now prevailing' = Christian ascetic wisdom, not pagan philosophy.
34 ↩Quoted block follows Isaiah 3:16–24 (LXX-shaped composite). Final verse mapping belongs to later Moses resolution.
35 ↩ὁ φιλάνθρωπος is a divine title (Lover/Friend of humanity), not a generic moral label.
36 ↩βιωτικαῖς γυναιξί = women living ordinary married/household life, contrasted with virgin or monastic women in the surrounding argument.
37 ↩φιλοσοφεῖν here is Chrysostom's ascetical sense of the disciplined Christian life, not speculative philosophy.
38 ↩τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ταύτης / ὑπὸ τούτου: 'this desire/this thing' continues the thread of φιλοκοσμία—love of costly dress and adornment—not sexual desire as such, which the preceding metaphors say they had already mastered.
39 ↩παρρησία rendered as 'boldness before him' (Moses' free access/intercession with God), not mere frank speech in general.
40 ↩ὁ τοῦ παιδὸς ἱερεύς rendered as 'the priest of his own child'—Abraham acting as sacrificial priest offering Isaac.
41 ↩ἀδάμας rendered as 'adamant' (the classical image of unbreakable hardness, diamond/steel). ᾤθησε καὶ ᾕμαξεν is rhetorical hyperbole for Abraham's resolved readiness at the sacrifice, not a claim that Isaac was wounded.
42 ↩ἀμελετήτῳ: unpracticed/untrained (not yet schooled by prior hardship), not 'careless'.
43 ↩χορὸν: company/band (of children), not a liturgical choir; Job's full household of sons and daughters.
44 ↩ἑκούσιον / ἀκούσιον: Chrysostom frames Job's hunger as both voluntary (he held back from food) and involuntary (circumstances made eating unbearable)—a paradox developed in the next section.
45 ↩βρῶμον can mean foul stench, filth, or something loathsome; rendered as 'foul' to match Job's complaint that the food itself appears nauseating.
46 ↩The nested quotation marks in the source are slightly irregular around the first Job citation; sense is clear and rendered as Chrysostom embedding Job's words inside his catalogue of sufferings.
47 ↩«Ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇς ταῦτα συνεχωρήθη» is Chrysostom's summary of God's purpose in Job's trials, not a verbatim scriptural citation.
48 ↩ἀγῶνα τοῦτον looks forward to virginity (s3); Job is praised for conquering nature's hard necessities, yet not for undertaking lifelong virginity.
49 ↩Source has ἁλλ' for ἀλλ'; the sense is clearly adversative 'but/instead'.
50 ↩φιλοσοφία here is Christian ascetic wisdom / the philosophical life of virtue, not secular theory; kept as 'philosophy' in the patristic sense.
51 ↩βιωτικῆς φαντασίας: 'worldly show/display' (appearance and vanity of ordinary life), not mere daydreaming; continues the dress/adornment theme from the previous section.
52 ↩βιωτικῶν καὶ Ἑβραίων γυναικῶν: rendered as two linked groups ('worldly women and Hebrew women') under the old order; the a fortiori contrast is with Christian virgins who live under grace.
53 ↩πορνευομένων: 'women who sell themselves / practice prostitution'—kept concrete rather than softened, matching Chrysostom's severe moral force.
54 ↩νεανιευομένη: 'acting with youthful boldness/courage' (not frivolous youthful vanity); paired antithetically with ὁπλιζομένη ('arming yourself') as martial-ascetic vigor.
55 ↩νέκρωσιν: patristic mortification / putting-to-death of passion and display; rendered 'mortification' to keep the ascetical force.
56 ↩ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος τὸν λέοντα is the proverb 'from the claw [one knows] the lion' (ex ungue leonem): a partial sample that implies the whole.
57 ↩φιλοτιμία here is liberal munificence/generosity rather than 'ambition'; φιλοξενία is hospitality.
58 ↩ἀποτηγανιζόμενον is vividly culinary ('being fried'); kept the frying image rather than flattening to generic 'tormented,' matching Chrysostom's later parallel κατακαιομένους.
59 ↩The long Greek period after the conditional hangs as a massive subject without an explicit finite main verb in this sentence; the a fortiori force is completed by the question in s4. English keeps that piled-up structure rather than inventing a finite apodosis.
60 ↩παριδών rendered 'disregarded' (neglect/overlook of one person, continuing the rich-man/Lazarus frame); δίδωσι τιμωρίας as 'is given punishments' in the sense required by the a fortiori (the neglected-one case already receives severe penalty).
61 ↩ἀποτηγανιζομένους keeps the vivid 'frying/roasting in a pan' image already used of the rich man in the previous section (ChrysOlymp.1.8.18.s8).
62 ↩λήξει rendered 'lot' (portion/allotted destiny); ἐπαροίνησαν as 'outrages... committed against you' (wanton abuse); φιλανθρωπίας as 'kindness' beside ἐλέους 'mercy'.
63 ↩ἔπᾳδε (from ἐπάδω) is Chrysostom's consolatory 'chant/recite over' image—like a healing charm spoken over the soul—not mere casual singing.
64 ↩τῆς οὐδενείας τῆς ἡμετέρας is Chrysostom's self-deprecating 'our nothingness' for himself (and his ministry), not an abstract doctrine of creaturely nullity.
65 ↩ἀπάθειαν: rendered as passionlessness (ascetic freedom from disordered passion), not emotional blankness.
66 ↩ξύλῳ δεδεμένος rendered as 'bound in the stocks' (wooden bonds of imprisonment); also possible is a more general 'bound to wood.'
67 ↩θυσίαν προσῆγες rendered as 'offered the sacrifice' to keep the liturgical force (Eucharistic offering) without flattening it into generic spirituality.
68 ↩μελλήσεως is rendered as 'the waiting' (delay/postponement of reunion); ἀνακηρυττομένην as 'proclaimed' in the public victor's sense.
69 ↩τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης τρόφιμον ('love's nursling/foster-child') is Chrysostom's epithet for Paul, developed by the following quotation.
70 ↩The supplied Greek quotation compresses 1 Thess 2:17–18; the finite verb of wanting/coming is elided before ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς. English keeps the compressed surface while marking intended Pauline sense for review.
71 ↩προκέωνται is taken as πρόκεινται: the orphans lie exposed / are set out in the wolves' midst. ξαίνουσιν (card/comb wool) is rendered figuratively as 'maul' for the rending image.
72 ↩The quoted block begins from 1 Thess 2:17 (ἀπορφανισθέντες…πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας…προσώπῳ) and then expands into Chrysostom's interpretive paraphrase of Paul's comforts and unrelieved grief; the later clauses are not a verbatim biblical citation.
73 ↩ἔνθα τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἡ συναγωγή: literally 'where the assembly/gathering of the sense organs is'—i.e., the face/person as the meeting place of the senses through which love is expressed.
74 ↩τὸ κεφάλαιον here means the principal person/companion (Timothy as Paul's chief support), not an abstract 'main point'.
75 ↩The second half (tearing away the most necessary member… exchanging grief for grief) is Chrysostom's interpretive expansion of Paul's action, not a pure scriptural quotation.
76 ↩ποιωθείσης suggests a soul carefully qualified/formed (from ποιόω) into love, not merely 'made' in a generic sense.
77 ↩ἐμπορία is a commercial metaphor ('trade / business gain'); rendered as 'profit' for the spiritual yield of suffering.
78 ↩αὐτολίθινος is a rare intensified compound ('utterly of stone'); rendered as 'as hard as stone in the soul'.
79 ↩φιλοσοφία here is Chrysostom's ascetic 'philosophy' (Christian wisdom of life), not speculative theory; φαντασία is the show/illusion of worldly things.
80 ↩ἐρημία can mean wilderness, solitude, or exile isolation; here it is the speaker's present place of exile/isolation, not spiritual aridity.
81 ↩φορυτόν is refuse/debris/clutter; rendered 'refuse of despondency' to keep the image of sweeping out mental wreckage rather than a softer 'cloud of sadness'.
82 ↩ἀθυμία is despondency/low spirit, not mere sadness; kept as despondency to preserve the moral-spiritual weight Chrysostom regularly gives the word in these letters.

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