Letter 143: On the text: "Do not practice your almsgiving before others" [Matthew 6:1].

To Basil. For those who have been established in lawful authority, prosperity will surely follow; and prosperity will be achieved when piety — the highest of all goods and the chief of divine commandments — is strengthened. Piety is supported by right belief concerning God and sincere confession, and is made manifest by the fear and love of God, and by love and compassion toward one's fellow. On these hang all the law and the prophets. That which is transcendent in governance is what is preeminent and supreme.

РМГ'. - ПΡΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ. Οἷς τὸ ἄρχειν καθέστηκεν Εννομον, τούτοις δήπου καὶ εὖ ὑπάρξει ἀκόλουθον· εὖ δὲ πράσσειν κατορθω- θήσεται, ἡνίκα κρατύνηται ἡ εὐσέβεια, τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ ἀκρότατον, καὶ τῶν θείων προσταγμάτων κεφά λαιον, ἣν συνίστησιν ἡ ὀρθὴ περὶ τὸ θεῖον δόξα, καὶ εἰλικρινὴς ὁμολογία, φόβος τε ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμφανίζει καὶ ἀγάπησις, καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον ἀγάπη τε καὶ συμπάθεια· ἐν οἷς ἅπας ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆ- ται κρέμανται. Τὸ καὶ ἐν ἀρχαῖς τι ὑπερκόσμιον, τὸ προύχον καὶ κράτιστον. "Ἤδε ἐστὶν ἐπιστασία έννομος, καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ὑπηκόου πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελὲς ἐπιμέ- λεια· ὥσπερ δὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου, τυραννίς ἐστι δυ- ναστεία αὐτόνομος (57), ἐπὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον μόνον συμφέ ρον τῷ τυραννοῦντι μετερχομένη. Ὅσοι τοίνυν ταύτην διέπειν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποκεκλήρωνται, ἀναδούμενοι ὥσπερ στέφανον χρυσοῦ ἐκ λίθων τιμίων συνηρμο- σμένον, τὴν εὐσέβειαν, δικαιοσύνην τε ὥσπερ άλουρ- γίδα ἐνδιδυσκόμενοι, ἐν Θεῷ τε ἄρχειν, καὶ κρατεῖν δικαίαν μάλα ἀρχὴν φιλοτιμήσονται· δεικνῦσι γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἱερὸν ἀληθέστατον λόγιον, τὸ φάσκον· • Δι' ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσι, καὶ δυνάσται γρά ---END OF PAGE--- ΡΟ΄. – ΘΕΟΔΩΡΩ Πόνον τελεῖν τὸν κατὰ θεὸν μὲν ἀγαθὸν, ἄλλως δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας διαφέρει.