[1] Josephus Flavius, On the Jewish War. Kn. VI, ch. III, 3-5.

[2] The Attic drachma, which was used by the Jews (Matt. XVII, 27, Luke. XV, 8) 1/4 of the stater = about 20 kopecks in silver.

SECOND WORD

TO AN UNBELIEVING FATHER.

ENOUGH [1] to excite amazement and horror. And if someone were to pronounce the prophetic saying: "Marvel at this, O heavens, and tremble, and be terrified, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 2:12), and "marvelous and terrible things are done in this land" (Jeremiah 5:30), he would say all this at the right time. But what is worse than this: not only strangers are indignant and angry, and in no way close to those to whom advice is given [2], but relatives and fathers have become angry at this. However, I am not unaware that many are not very surprised that the Fathers do this; And they suffocate, according to them, with anger when they see that it is not their fathers, not friends, not relatives, and not those close to them from any other side, but often even complete strangers, who treat those who dare to be inquisitive in the same way, and are more annoyed than the fathers, and persecute and accuse those who have disposed them (to monasticism). But the opposite seems surprising to me; For there is nothing strange in the fact that those who have no reason to show care and friendship grieve for the well-being of others, either carried away by envy, or in their own malice considering - of course, madness and pity, but nevertheless considering the destruction of others to be their happiness. But that those who have begotten (children) and brought them up, pray every day to see their children happier than themselves, and for this they do and endure everything - that they, too, as it were, from some kind of intoxication, suddenly change and grieve when their children turn to wisdom: this is what I am most amazed at, and this I consider sufficient proof of the universal depravity. No one will say that this happened in former times, when error clearly prevailed. It happened, it is true, once in a Greek city that was under the rule of a tyrant, and not some of the parents, as they are now, but those who had taken possession of the acropolis, or rather not all of them, but the most criminal of them, summoning Socrates, ordered him not to speak of wisdom. But he dared to do so as a tyrant, unbelieving and cruel, who tried in every way to overthrow the social order, who rejoiced in the misfortune of others, and knew that nothing could so disturb the most beautiful society as such an order. And these (parents), believers who live in well-ordered cities and take care of their children, dare to say the same thing as that tyrant about those who are subject to him, and are not ashamed! Their indignation is to be wondered at more than the indignation of others. Therefore, leaving others, I will turn to those who are especially concerned about children, or rather, should be careful, but do not care at all, with quiet and very gentle speech, and I will ask them not to be angry or vexed if anyone says that he knows better than they themselves what is useful for their children. To give birth to a son is not enough so that he who begat will already teach useful things to him who is born of him; Birth, of course, contributes much to love for the begotten; But in order to know exactly what is useful to him, it is not enough just to give birth and love. If this were so, then no man should see better than the father, which is useful to his son, since no one else can love the son more than the father. Meanwhile, the fathers themselves show their ignorance in this by their deeds, when they themselves take their children to teachers, entrust them to educators, and consult with many, taking care to choose the kind of life to which the son should be dedicated. And this is not surprising, but that parents, in such a consultation about their children, often reject their own opinion and dwell on someone else's. Let them not be vexed with us either, if we say that we know better what is good for them; and only if we do not prove it in words, let them accuse and reproach us as boasters, destroyers, and enemies of all nature.

2. How then will this be evident, and how do we know who really sees what is useful, and who only thinks he sees, and yet does not see at all? If, therefore, we put my words before the test and the contest, as if they were some opponents, we leave the judgment to impartial judges. Although the law of struggle commands us to deal with a Christian and only to contend with him, it does not require anything more from us: "For why should I judge even those who are outside" (1 Corinthians 5:12); but since children who aspire to heaven often have unbelieving fathers, then, although the law of struggle frees us from competing with them, we ourselves will voluntarily and willingly go out against them first. And, oh, if only we had a contest with them, although it is more difficult and presents more conflicts! For "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness" (1 Corinthians 2:14); And here it can also be as if someone were trying to persuade a person to love the kingdom who does not yet want to believe in its reality. In spite of the fact that our word is so constrained, however, I would like this contest to be with them alone. Against the believer, of course, we have many proofs, but the pleasure afforded by the abundance of proofs is darkened by the excessiveness of shame; for I am ashamed when I am compelled to contend with him about this; and I am afraid that the pagan will not put forward only this one objection against me, since in all other respects I, by the mercy of God, will easily win him over to my side, and if he wishes to be conscientious, I will soon bring him not only to love this (monastic) life, but also to the very disposition to dogmas, in which this life has its foundation. I am so little afraid of contending with him that I will arm him still more with my word beforehand, and then I will begin to fight. Suppose that this father is not only a heathen, but also rich and famous more than all men, invested with great power, and has many fields, many houses, and thousands of talents of gold; let him come from the most royal city and from the noblest family; let him have no other children and hope to have them no more, and only for this alone (son) he cares; let the son himself, with brilliant hopes, soon hope to attain the same power, and even become more famous than his father and outshine him in all worldly things. In the midst of such hopes, let someone then come and converse with him about wisdom, and persuade him, despising all this, to dress in coarse clothes, and, leaving the city, flee to the mountains, and there to plant, water, carry water, and correct all other monastic works, which seem unimportant and humiliating. Let him be without shoes, sleep on the ground, become thin and pale - this beautiful youth, who lived in such luxury and honor and had such hopes - and let him be poorly clothed than his servants. Have we not given the accuser enough grounds (for complaints), and have we not sufficiently armed the enemy? If it is not enough, then we will provide him with other pretexts. Let him after that (father)

But suddenly, as if some thunderstorm or storm came from somewhere, and a rich ship, filled with a lot of cargo, having made a long journey on the sea, sailing under a favorable wind and already near the pier, sank almost at the entrance to it; and there is a danger that the storm will not bring down on the head of such a rich man not only poverty, but also miserable death and destruction: so it has now happened to me. The accursed destroyers and seducers (let him say this, we shall not be offended), having deprived the nourisher of my old age of such hopes, as if by robbers, have led him away into their caves and so charmed him with their speeches, that he is ready to go to the sword, to the fire, to the beasts, and to whatever else, than to return to his former good life. And it is still more difficult that, having persuaded him to do so, they say that they see better than we do what is useful to him. The houses are empty, the fields are empty; the farmers and servants were filled with sorrow and shame; my enemies are cheerful at my troubles; Friends close themselves off from sorrow. No thought occupies me, except to put on fire and burn everything, houses, fields, herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep. What good will all this be to me, when there is no one to take advantage of it, when he has become a prisoner, and among cruel barbarians bears slavery that is more grievous than any death? I dressed all the servants in black clothes, sprinkled ashes on their heads, gathered crowds of women, and commanded them to mourn him more than they had ever seen him dead. Forgive me for doing so: this is my sorrow more than that. Already the light seems heavy to me, and the very rays of the sun are unpleasant when I think of the situation of this unfortunate son, when I see him dressed worse than the poorest villagers and sent to the most humiliating work. When I imagine his intransigence, I am inflamed, tormented, torn.

3. With these words, let him prostrate himself at the feet of his hearers, sprinkle ashes on his head, cover his face with dust, and beg everyone to give (him) a hand, let him tear his gray hair. It seems that we have set the accuser well in order to inflame all the hearers; and to persuade them to throw the culprits into the abyss. For this reason I have brought the word to the extreme limit of all accusations, so that when he who is so heavily armed is defeated by us by the grace of God, others will not be able to say anything; for if the mouth of him who has all these things together is stopped, then he who does not have all these things together (yet they cannot come together suddenly) will easily give us the victory. Let him say this and more than that. And I will ask the judges not to pity this old man now, but when we prove that he grieves for his son, who has suffered no evil, but enjoys great blessings, such as cannot be found higher than others. Then he will indeed be worthy of pity and tears, because he is unable to understand the happiness of his son, and is even so far from it that he mourns him as if he were in the greatest misfortune. Where shall we begin the word to him? With wealth and money, since he himself grieves most of all about this, and it seems to everyone the most terrible thing if rich young men are attracted to this (monastic) life. Tell me, whom we all praise and call exemplary: is he who is constantly thirsty, and before he drinks the first cup, he already feels the need of another, and is always in this state, or he who stands above this need, is always free from thirst, and never feels the need of such drink? The first is not like a fever patient who is tormented by the most cruel thirst, although he can draw water from springs, and the last, is he not free with true freedom, is he not healthy in true health, and is he not above human nature? What's more? If someone, loving a woman, lived with her constantly, but from cohabitation only became more inflamed with her, and the other were free from this insane passion and even in sleep were not caught by lust, which of them is imitable and blessed for us? Isn't it this one? And who is unhappy and pitiful? Is it not the one who suffers from this vain love, which is inextinguishable by nothing and is even more excited by the medicines he invents? If, in addition to what has been said, he considers himself happy in sickness, and does not want to be freed from this need, and even weeps, as this (father) is now, free from this passion: in this case, is he not still more miserable and miserable, because he is not only sick, but does not even know that he is sick, and therefore does not want to be freed (from illness)? And weeps for those who are free from it? Let us speak of the passion for money, and see who is unhappy and pitiful. This passion is stronger and more violent than those and can cause more sorrow, not only because it burns with a powerful fire, but also because it does not yield to any imaginable relief and is much more stubborn than those who are more stubborn than those who are possessed by an insane addiction to wealth. That is why we were compelled to depict them in words, because it is not soon possible to see such phenomena in experience, and we can present many examples of this disease from experience. Is this why, tell me, do you mourn your son that he has been freed from such madness and such danger that he does not give himself up to an incurable passion, that he has become outside this war and struggle? But with him, you say, this would not have happened, he would not have desired more, but it would have been enough for him to use what he has? Now you say things that are contrary to nature, so to speak. But let it be so; let us assume in words that he does not want to increase his possessions and will not be carried away by this passion: but even in this case I will prove that he now enjoys greater tranquillity and pleasure.

It has already been proved that a man who is not tormented by thirst and love (for there is nothing to prevent him from turning to the former examples) is much more blessed, not only than those who are constantly thirsty and are always inflamed with love, but also those who, though for a short time, have been subjected to this and satisfied their lusts, because he has not experienced such a need at all.

But do you want to know how he is richer than you, who has so much property? And this we will teach you, and show you that you, who think of him as if he were now in extreme poverty, are such in comparison with him.

4. Do not think that we will speak of heavenly blessings and those that will come to pass after departing from here; for the time being, we will use as proof those blessings that are in our hands. So you are the master only of your own property, and he is the master of everything that is in the whole universe. But if you do not believe, then we will take you to him and convince him that when he comes down from the mountain, or rather stays there, he orders one of the very rich and pious to send (to him) as much gold as you want; or, since he will not take it for himself, he would rather order the gold to be given to someone in need: and you will see that this rich man will obey and give more readily than any of your stewards. The latter, when he is ordered to spend something, is dull and gloomy, but the latter, on the contrary, when he does not spend, then he is worried whether he is not guilty of something that he is not ordered to do so. And I can point to many, not only from the nobility, but also from the common fortune - those who have so great power. Moreover, if your stewards squander what is entrusted to them, you cannot demand (from them) another, and because of their wickedness your wealth will immediately turn into poverty; but your son is not afraid of this. If one becomes poor, he will command another, if the same thing happens, he will turn to another, and the springs of water may sooner dry up than those who are obedient to him in this. If you had adhered to our teaching, I would have told you many such great examples, but since you belong to paganism, I can give an example from here. Listen to what Crito says to Socrates: "My money belongs to you, and I think it is sufficient; but if you do not want to spend my money in taking care of me, then foreigners here are ready to spend theirs; Symmias of Thebes brought enough silver for this very purpose, and Kebis and many others were ready; Therefore, for this fear, as I have said, do not refuse to save yourself; Do not let what you said in judgment trouble you, that is, that when you left here, you would not know what to do with yourself; and in many other places, wherever you go, they will love you; but if you wish to go to Thessaly, I have acquaintances there who will show you great respect and give you safety, so that you will lack nothing in Thessaly." What is more pleasant than such wealth? However, this (it is said to you) as a worldly person. But if we wish to speak of riches with great wisdom, you may not be able to follow (our) word; however, it is necessary for me to say this for the judges. The riches of virtue are so great, so much more pleasant, so much more desirable, that those who possess it will never want to take the whole earth in its place, even if it be all golden, with mountains, sea, and rivers. And if this were possible, you would know by experience that these are not merely boastful words, but that those who have actually found a much greater and most important wealth will despise everything else, and will never exchange it for it. And what do I say: will they exchange it? They won't even want to take it with him. If anyone were to give you the wealth of virtue together with money, you would take it with open arms: so you also recognize it as something great and wondrous. But they will not take yours with their own: so they are sure of his insignificance. And I will explain this again with your examples. How much money do you think Alexander would give to Diogenes if he wanted to take it? But he would not; but this one strengthened himself and did everything to be able to reach the wealth of Diogenes someday.

5.

Who is rich: he who is tormented by small things, or he who despises everything? And not only do this to him, but drive him out of the whole country; and you will see that he will laugh at it as if it were a child's game.

Everywhere he receives drink in abundance from lakes, rivers, and springs, and food for him is vegetables, herbs, and in many places bread. I do not tell you that he despises the whole earth, because his city is heaven. And if he is to die, he will accept death more gladly than your luxury, and would rather die in such a state than you in your own country and in bed; so that we can call a stranger, an exile and a wanderer, who has a homeland and lives in (his) house, and not him who renounces all this. You cannot even expel him from his homeland until you drive him from all the earth; for the time being, let it be so; and, to tell the truth, it is then that you will send him back to his fatherland, when you drive him from the land. But this is not yet for you, who do not know anything else visible. Nor can you imagine him naked, while he is clothed with the garments of virtue; you will not exhaust him with hunger as long as he knows the true food. And the rich are subject to all this, so that in this respect it is not mistaken to call them poor and very poor, and those really rich. For he who can find food and drink, shelter and rest in abundance everywhere, and not only does not be burdened, but lives even more cheerfully in these circumstances than you do in yours, is evidently richer than all of you rich men, who can use all these things only at home. That is why he never complains about poverty. Moreover, such wealth is better not only because of its abundance and pleasantness, but also because it is not exhaustible, never turns into poverty, is not subject to uncertainty of the future, does not cause trouble and does not yield to envy, but enjoys wonder, and praise, and all honor; while you have the opposite. Not only are you not praised for your wealth, but many even hate and abhor you, envy you and plot against you, but he, since he possesses true wealth, is especially surprised for this, and therefore is not persecuted by envy or intrigues. And who is stronger in health? Does not he who possesses such riches as he who enjoys pure air, and healthy springs, flowers and meadows, and fresh fragrances, blossom and grow stronger, like the animals of the field, and he, as if lying in the mud, is not weaker and more disposed to disease? If he has an advantage in health, then, obviously, in pleasure.