Letter 25: Why do people bring the Lord's judgment down upon themselves — these blasphemers, these fighters against God, who...

To Cyril. That it is impossible to achieve virtue in the midst of tumults. What benefit to you is John's withdrawal to the desert, which you once zealously emulated, if now you do not imitate him, but return to your own worldly cares, and are disturbed in the wilderness, and troubled in solitude? For to be still in outward appearance but to be defiled by the turnings and confusions of the mind fills the senses with darkness, obscures what has already been labored over, smooths the path to victory for the passions, and turns the armed soldier into a shield-caster. For no one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, in order to please the one who enlisted him, but becomes wholly an arms-bearer, arraying himself for the battle that pleases his commander. To Ausonius the Corrector. Having learned that the entire city has appealed to your magnanimity, I thought it absurd that I, who both first and perhaps alone ought to have been concerned that this appeal succeed, should have no share in such an intercession. The reason for my lateness in coming to this point — for I must make a defense on the city's behalf — lies in the disposition of rulers who were not easily persuaded by it. For on account of those who governed harshly and inhumanely, and who did not temper their uprightness with philanthropy, the city grew weary of continually bringing appeals to those who, unlike your prudence, did not govern lawfully and philanthropically, and did not bestow benefactions of their own accord. But enough of this. Deign to carry the petition of the people into effect. For just as we know that the one detained has experienced harsh circumstances on account of your magnificence, so we know that he can be benefited, if he should lay hold of your support. To the same. The one who has been crowned with the priesthood is a more sovereign steward of earthly affairs than the one robed in purple. For the former leads souls, while the latter leads bodies. But if, ignorant of his own dignity — or rather his liturgical office — he gives no thought to souls but attends to walls and columns, and devotes himself to luxury and grasps at wealth, it is himself he insults, not the priesthood. Yet many foolish people, when they ought to exalt the priesthood and blame the man, turn the entire accusation against it. To Syrion. The noble Paul, the excellent general, who did not dishonor the appointment of the King, who overlooked his own interests in order to correct those of others, when he saw nothing more important than the welfare of the Church, proclaimed that all things should be done for the building up of the Church. But we prefer what appears advantageous to ourselves — for we look to our own glory — over the welfare of the Church. And yet the glory of the Church redounds entirely to us as well; but our own glory does not necessarily pass to the community. For if, in order to seem to establish ourselves, we should neglect the building up of our neighbors, how will the loss not exceed the gain? To Pampretios the Deacon. It is the greatest sign, O admirable one, that a hearer has been persuaded, when he praises what has been said. For it is impossible for one who thinks something is good to say he is not persuaded by it. Just as we strive to avoid whatever we criticize, if we are wise, so whatever we admire we certainly choose. Why I say these things you perhaps do not ignore — you who ought to carry through to completion the counsel you have praised.

ΚΕ΄. – ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟ. "Οτι ἀμήχανον ἐν μέσῳ θορύβων ἀρετὴν κατορ- θώσαι. Τί σοι ὄφελος τῆς Ἰωάννου πρὸς τὴν ἔρημον ἀνα- χωρήσεως, ἣν πάλαι σπουδαίως ἐζήλωσας, νῦν (25) δὲ μὴ ἐκεῖνον μιμουμένῳ, καὶ πρὸς τὰς οἰκείας φροντίδας παλινοστοῦντι, καὶ ἐπ' ἐρημίας θορυβου- μένῳ, καὶ καταμόνας ὀχλουμένῳ; Τὸ γὰρ ἡσυχάζειν τῷ σχήματι, καὶ φύρεσθαι ταῖς κατὰ νοῦν στροφαῖς καὶ συγχύσεσι, καὶ ἀχλύος τὴν αἴσθησιν πληροῖ, καὶ τὰ ἤδη πονηθέντα ἀμαυροῖ, καὶ τοῖς πάθεσι τὴν νί- κην εὐοδεῖ, καὶ ῥίψασπιν τὸν ὁπλίτην ποιεῖ. Οὐδεὶς δὲ στρατευόμενος ἐμπλέκεται ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγμα- τείαις ἵνα τῷ στρατολογήσαντι ἀρέσῃ, ἀλλ᾽ όπλο- φόρος ὅλος γίνεται, πρὸς τὸν ἀρέσκοντα τῷ ταξιάρχη παρατασσόμενος ἀγῶνα. XXV.CYRILLO. Impossibile esse in medio tumultu virtutem exercere. Quid tibi utilitatis affert Joannis in locum deser- tum secessio", quam olim studiose imitatus es, cum nunc eum minime imiteris, verum ad privatas curas te referas, atque in solitudine tumultueris, et ab hominum cœtu remotus perturberis? Etenim externo habitu ac specie quiescere, mentis autem mutationibus ac perturbationibus inquinari, tum sensum caligine perfundit, tum susceptos jam la- bores exstinguit, atque perturbationibus animi pro- nam ac facilem victoriam reddit, efficitque ut miles abjecto scuto fugiat. Porro nemo militans implicat se negotiis sæcularibus, ut ei placeat, a quo in militiam ascitus est: verum arma omni ex parte gestat, ad id certamen, quod tribuno militari pla- cuerit, se comparans. ΚΕ΄. – ΑΥΣΟΝΙΟ ΚΟΡΡΗΚΤΩΡΙ. Πυθόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως πάσης τὴν σὴν παρα- κεκλῆσθαι μεγαλόνοιαν, ἄτοπον ᾠήθην ἀμοιρῆσαι τῆς τοιαύτης παρακλήσεως, τὸν καὶ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον ἴσως φροντίζειν περὶ αὐτῆς ὅπως ἀνυσθείη ὀφείλοντα. Τοῦ μὲν οὖν βραδέως εἰς τοῦτ' ἐληλυθέναι (χρὴ γὰρ ἀπολογήσασθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς), ἡ τῶν μὴ ῥᾳδίως αὐτῇ πειθομένων ἀρχόντων αἰτία τυγχάνει προαίρεσις. Διὰ γὰρ τοὺς ὡμῶς καὶ ἀπανθρώπως ἡγουμένους, καὶ μὴ κιρνῶντας τῇ καθαρότητι τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ ἡ πόλις ἀπενάρ- κησε λοιπὸν προσάγειν συνεχῶς παρακλήσεις τοῖς [οὐ] κατὰ τὴν σὴν σύνεσιν νομίμως καὶ φιλανθρώπως ἄρχουσι, καὶ αὐτεπαγγέλτως εὐεργετοῦσι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. Τὴν δὲ παράκλησιν τῶν δήμων, εἰς ἔργον ἐνεγκεῖν καταξίωσον. Ωσπερ γὰρ ἔσμεν ὅτι τῶν δυσκόλων διὰ τὴν σὴν · πεπείραται πραγμάτων ὁ κατεχόμενος μεγαλοπρέπειαν, οὕτως ἴσμεν· εὐεργετηθῆναι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι, εἰ τῆς σῆς ἐπιλάβοιτο ῥοπῆς. Ε. ΠΑΥΛΩ ΤΩ ΑΡΧΙΜΑΝΔΡΙΤΗ. Ἐπειδὰν διττῆς μεν οὖν παρὰ σοὶ ἐγνωρί ἐστί σοι πένεσθαι τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς, οἳ οἱ λυπή διδόντας, ἀλλὰ μὴ προσδέχου ἃ τούτου χρεω εἶναι οἱ τοιοῦτοι, οἷς οὐχ ἧττον ὁ φόβος μετ Σ΄. -- ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ. Κυριώτερος μὲν ἐπίτροπος τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, ὁ τὴν Ιερωσύνην ἐστεμμένος, τοῦ τὴν ἀλουργίδα περι- κειμένου. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ψυχῶν, ὁ δὲ σωμάτων ἡγεῖται. Εἰ δ' ἀγνοήσας ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν λειτουργίαν, ψυχῶν μὲν μηδένα λόγον ποιεῖται, τοί- χων δὲ καὶ κιόνων ἐπιμελοῖτο, καὶ τρυφῇ προσέχοι, καὶ χρημάτων ἀντιποιοῖτο, ἑαυτὸν, οὐ γὰρ (3) τὴν ἱερωσύνην, ὑβρίζει. ᾿Αλλ' οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνοήτων, δέον τὴν μὲν ἐκθειάζειν, τὸν δ᾽ αἰτιᾶσθαι, ὅλον εἰς αὐτὴν τὸ ἔγκλημα περιτρέπουσιν. ΚΕ. ΣΥΡΙΩΝΙ. Ὁ γενναῖος Παῦλος ὁ ἄριστος στρατηγός, ὁ τοῦ Βασιλέως τὴν χειροτονίαν μὴ ἀτιμάσας, ὁ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν παριδών, ἵνα τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπανορθώσηται, ὅτε μηδὲν πλέον ὁρῶν τοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας συμφέ- ροντος, ἐπεβόα χρῆναι πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν γίνεις σθαι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ φαινόμενον ἡμῖν συμφέρον, πρὸς δόξαν γὰρ ἑαυτῶν ὁρῶμεν, τοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προτιμῶμεν. Καίτοι τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κλέος, πάντως καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀνατρέχει · ἡ δὲ ἡμῶν δόξα, οὐ πάντως εἰς τὸ κοινὸν διαβαίνει. Εἰ γὰρ ἵν' ἑαυτοὺς δόξωμεν συνιστᾶν τῆς τῶν πέλας ὀλιγωροίη- μεν οἰκοδομῆς, πῶς οὐ μείζων ἔσται τοῦ κέρδους ἡ ζημίας; ΣΚΕ΄. – ΠΑΜΠΡΕΤΙΩ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ. Σύμβολόν ἐστιν, ὦ θαυμάσιε, μέγιστον τοῦ πεπεῖσθαι τὸν ἀκούσαντα, ὁ τῶν λεχθέντων ἔπαινος. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἅτις οἴεται καλῶς ἔχειν, τούτοις φάσκειν μὴ πεπεῖσθαι. "Ωσπερ γὰρ ὅσα κακίζομεν, ἀποφεύγειν σπουδάζομεν (77), εἰ σωφρονοῦμεν · οὕτως ἃ θαυμάζομεν, πάντως αἱρούμεθα. Τοῦ χάριν δὴ ταῦτα λέγω, ἴσως οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς, ὀφείλων ἣν ἐπήνεσας συμβουλὴν εἰς πέρας ἀγαγεῖν. Α τιμῶσιν (25) · οἱ δὲ τὴν κρίσιν τῶν πραγμάτων διε- φθαρμένην ἔχουσιν, οἱ δὲ οὐδ᾽ εἶναι τι μετὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον νομίζουσιν. Ὡς οἱ γε φιλάρετοι, καὶ αὐτὴν καθ᾿ ἑαυτὴν τὴν ἀρετὴν τιμῶσί, καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας στεφάνους ὀνειροπολοῦντες μετίασιν αὐτὴν. ΚΕ΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ Δέον αὐτὴν θεῖσθαι τὴν σπουδὴν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι, καταφρονήσασαν τῶν φθειρομένων, καὶ δοῦναι τοῦ ῥοῦν τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ ὡς ἐπίσταται ἀξιοπρεπῶς ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι λάμπειν. ΡΜΒ΄. – ΑΓΑΠΗΤΩ Τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ προέχοντας οὐκ ἔστι κρύπτεσθαι.