5. It is necessary, however, to show you that the Corinthians first heard Paul's preaching, that they were enriched with spiritual gifts, that they also possessed worldly advantages, and that, being proud of these benefits, they were divided among themselves, and some of them went over to the side of some, and others to the side of others (teachers). So, to make sure that they first heard Paul's teaching, listen to how Paul himself pointed it out. "For though ye have thousands of instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers; I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:15). And he who begat is the first to bring into the world the begotten. And again: "I planted, Apollos watered" (3:6); here shows that he was the first to sow doctrine (among the Corinthians). And that they were rich in spiritual gifts is evident from this: "I thank my God unceasingly for you, for the grace of God, which was given to you in Christ Jesus, because in him you have been enriched in all things" (1:4, 5). Then, that they possessed outward wisdom, this (Paul) has shown us by the many and lengthy words which he directs against this wisdom. In another epistle he did not do this anywhere, but here (i.e. in the first Epistle to the Corinthians) he strongly condemned (external wisdom), and – very justly. Since a tumor originated from it, (Paul) also used cutting over it, saying thus: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of the word, lest the cross of Christ be abolished" (1:17). See what an accusation there is against external wisdom: not only does it not promote piety, but it is also a hindrance and an obstacle. As beautiful bodies and plausible and beautiful faces, if they receive any external adornment, lose the glory of their own beauty, because the honor of this glory is stolen by rouge, rubbing, and other embellishments; but if you do not use anything extraneous on them, then it is much better for you to show their beauty, when the mere sight of them will act by itself and be completely surprising: so it is with faith, this spiritual bride. If you give it anything external, riches, or power, or the power of eloquence, you will degrade its glory, because you will not allow all its splendor to be revealed, but you will break its glory into many parts; on the contrary, if you leave it to act on its own, having eliminated all that is human, then all its beauty will be truly revealed, then the irresistible power will shine clearly, when, i.e., without availing itself of wealth, wisdom, power, or the nobility of the family, or other human aids, it will conquer and overcome everything, – when through insignificant, lowly, poor, poor and unlearned people it will overcome even impious rhetoricians, and philosophers, and tyrants, and the whole universe.

That is why Paul said: "I came to declare to you the testimony of God, not in the excellence of word or wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:1), and "God chose the foolishness of the world to shame the wise" (1:27). He said not simply, "unwise," but, "unwise of the world"; and of course, the madness of the world is not foolish before God, on the contrary, many of those who seem mad here (in the world) before God are wiser than all others, just as many of those who live here in poverty before God are the richest of all. In the same way, Lazarus was the poorest of all in the world, but in heaven he became the richest of all. Thus, Paul calls the fools of the world those who do not have a sophisticated language, do not possess worldly learning, and are devoid of eloquence. And these are the people God has chosen, he says, to shame the wise. How, tell me, are these put to shame by them? In fact. When you ask a widow sitting at the gate begging alms, and often a crippled one, about the immortality of the soul, about the resurrection of the body, about the providence of God, about the rewards according to merit, about the report there, about the dreadful judgment seat, about the blessedness prepared for the virtuous, about the punishments that threaten sinners, and about everything else, she will answer with precision and complete confidence; but the philosopher and he who boasts much of his hair and reed, after many long courses of study, after many and strenuous studies, cannot even stammer, does not dare to open his mouth on these subjects: then you will well know how "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise." What these wise men could not find in pride and arrogance, because they had deviated from the teaching of the Spirit, and had given themselves up entirely to their speculations, the poorest and most contemptible people, devoid of all worldly education, learned with perfect accuracy, because they trusted in heavenly instruction. But (the apostle) does not stop there in condemning worldly wisdom; no, he adds another and powerful condemnation, saying: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God" (1 Corinthians 3:19), and, giving his listeners instruction, again with complete contempt (for earthly wisdom) and with power he said to them: "If any one of you thinks to be wise in this world, let him be foolish, that he may be wise" (v. 18), and again: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the understanding of the prudent" (1 Corinthians 1:19). and again: "The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise men, that they are vain" (3:20).

6. Thus it is evident from this that the Corinthians possessed (worldly) wisdom. And that they were proud and haughty is again evident from the same epistle. Having condemned the fornicator in one place, Paul added the following words: "And ye were proud" (1 Corinthians 5:2), and that they quarreled among themselves because of pride, and this he showed by saying: "If there is envy, contention, and dissension among you, are you not carnal? and do you not act according to human custom?" (3:3). In what was the quarrel expressed? They were divided among many rulers, wherefore (Paul) also says: "I understand what they say among you, 'I am of Paul'; I am Apollos"; "I am Cephanes" (1:12). He does not say this because they gave themselves up to Paul and Cephas and Apollos; no, with these names he wants to cover up the perpetrators of the discord, so that, having discovered them, he will not be more obstinate and lead to greater shamelessness. And that, in fact, they did not give themselves up to Paul, and Peter, and Apollos, but to certain others, and this is evident from the following words. Having condemned them for this quarrel, he added this: "This, brethren, I have added to myself and to Apollos for your sake, that you may learn from us not to reason beyond what is written, and not to exalt yourselves one before another" (1 Corinthians 4:6). Many of the common people, having nothing to be proud of themselves and to reproach their neighbors, having placed their superiors over themselves, became proud of their merits before others, and the wisdom of their teachers became for them a reason to exalt themselves before others: and this was the height of vanity – having nothing to boast of themselves, to take advantage of the advantages of others to exalt themselves over others. And so, as they were haughty with pride, and quarreled, and divided into many parts, and dreamed highly of their faith, as if they had invented the dogmas of truth from themselves, and not from above, and from the grace of God, Paul, wishing to humble their pride, at the very beginning (of the epistle) immediately called himself called, as if to say: If I, the teacher, did not invent anything of thyself, nor was he the first to come to God, but obeyed even when he was called, then you, disciples, who have received the dogmas from me, how can you be arrogant, as if you had invented them yourselves?! Wherefore He went on to say to them, Who distinguisheth thee? What do you have that you wouldn't get? And if you have received it, that you boast as if you did not receive it?" (4:7). Thus, this word, "called," is nothing else but a lesson in humility, the overthrow of arrogance, the taming of arrogance. Nothing, as if nothing can restrain and restrain us so much as humility, when, i.e. we are modest, humble, and never dream of ourselves in the least. Knowing this, Christ, too, when He began to teach that spiritual teaching, began with an exhortation to humility, and, opening His mouth, He established this law beforehand with the words: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3). Whoever intends to build a great and magnificent house, lays an appropriate foundation, so that it can withstand the burden that will later lie upon it: so Christ, beginning to erect in the souls of the disciples a great edifice of wisdom, He places in advance the exhortation to humility as a firm and unshakable foundation, the first and lower part of the building, knowing that when this virtue takes root in the hearts of his hearers, then all the other virtues can already be safely seen. Consequently, when a person does not have this virtue, then he will labor in vain, in vain, and in vain, although he will perform all the other virtues. As a man who has built a house on the sand, although he has taken up labor, will not receive any benefit, because he has not laid a sure foundation, so no matter how much good one does without humility, he will destroy and spoil everything. And humility I do not mean what is in words and in the tongue, but what is in the heart, from the soul, in the conscience – what only God can see. This virtue, alone and in itself, is sufficient to propitiate God, as the publican proved. Having nothing good and not being able to boast of good works, he only said: "God! Be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 1812) – and he came out more righteous than the Pharisee; yet these were not yet words of humility, but of sincere consciousness. Humility consists in the fact that a person, recognizing great perfections in himself, does not dream of himself in the least; and consciousness is when a person, being a sinner, confesses it himself. If, however, he who did not recognize anything good in himself, having confessed what he was, so inclined to God's mercy, then what boldness will be used by those who could point out the multitude of their virtues, but nevertheless place themselves among the last? This is what Paul did: being the first of all the righteous, he called himself the first of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15); and not only did he call himself so, but he was also convinced of it, having learned from the Teacher that, having done everything, we should call ourselves servants, worthless (Luke 17:10). This is what humility consists of! Imitate him, you who have good works, and you who are burdened with sins imitate the publican. Let us recognize ourselves as we really are; let us beat our breasts and force our souls not to dream of ourselves in the least. If we are in such a disposition, it will serve us as a sufficient offering and sacrifice, as David said: "The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; Thou shalt not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God" (Psalm 50:19). He did not say "humble," but also, "contrite"; but that which is broken is broken, and can no more, though it will, rise up. In the same way, we will not only humble our souls, but also crush and pierce them; and she is crushed when she constantly remembers her sins. When we humble it in this way, it will not be able to rise to pride, even if it wants to, because conscience, like a bridle, will restrain it from arrogance, it will tame and moderate it in everything. In this way, we will be able to find grace from God: "As great as you are, humble yourself, and you will find grace with the Lord" (Sir. 3:18). And whoever has found grace with God will not feel any unpleasantness, but even here, with God's grace, he can easily endure all the misfortunes, and avoid the punishments prepared for sinners there, because the grace of God will precede him everywhere and in everything will cooperate with good. May we all be vouchsafed to receive it, in Christ Jesus our Lord, through Whom and with Whom the Father, with the Holy Spirit, has glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

[1] Εν τοίς λόγοις τούτοις; These words are not in the Slavonic text.

CONVERSATION

to the words of the Apostle: "And not only this, but we also rejoice in sorrows, knowing that out of tribulation cometh patience," etc. (Romans 5:3)

1. It is difficult for a farmer –

In the same way, the helmsman boldly enters the fierce waves, often despises the bad weather, the raging sea, and the fickle winds, decides to endure both sea storms and long passages, when he imagines the heaps of goods and the harbors of the voyage and sees the incalculable wealth that comes from it. In the same way, the warrior endures wounds, receives clouds of arrows, endures hunger and cold, long journeys, and dangers in battle, representing the trophies, victories, and crowns thus acquired. But why did I mention this, or what do these examples mean? By this I wish to offer you an exhortation to listen and an encouragement to deeds of virtue. If each of the above-mentioned considers difficult things easy in the hope of the future, and moreover, of such a future, which, if any of them are able to attain, ceases with the present life, then much more should you be diligent in listening to spiritual teachings and courageously endure struggles and struggles for eternal life. Moreover, they hope for temporary uncertain blessings, and often, remaining with the mere expectation of blessings, they end their lives in this way, delighting in hopes, but in fact not achieving what they expected, and meanwhile experiencing the most grievous misfortunes for them. Thus, for example: the farmer, after many of his labors and efforts, often at the very time when he is sharpening the sickle and preparing for the harvest, from a damage that has occurred in the corn, or from a multitude of locusts, or from excessive rains, or from some other calamity that has occurred, from unfavorable weather, goes home empty-handed, having endured all kinds of labor, but not having received the expected fruits. In like manner, the helmsman, who rejoices in a multitude of goods, who has hoisted sail with great pleasure, and has sailed through many seas, often at the very mouth of the wharf, when he strikes a rock or a rock, or some other similar unexpected circumstance, loses all his goods, and scarcely has time to save his naked body after innumerable dangers. In the same way, a warrior who has been in many battles, who has repulsed opponents and defeated enemies, sometimes loses his life at the very expectation of victory, without receiving any benefit from labor and danger. But our deeds are not like this: we have eternal hopes, unchangeable, firm, and not ceasing with this temporal life, but having in mind an incorruptible, blissful, and eternal life, and not only not changing from unfavorable weather and unexpected circumstances, but not destroyed by death itself. From these same hopes one can see fruits that shine even in the most accidental circumstances, and abundant and great recompense. For this reason Blessed Paul also cried out: "And not only this, but we also rejoice in sorrows" (Rom. 5:3). Let us not, I exhort you, to ignore these words; but if the speech led us again, I do not know how, to the pier of the beautiful helmsman Paul, then let us take up his saying, although brief, but teaching us great wisdom. What do these words mean, and what does he inspire us when he says:

"And not only this, but we also rejoice in sorrows"? If you like, let us turn the discourse of the teaching a little higher, and we will see very clearly the power of thought here communicated to us. Let no one be weary of the body, but let there be a desire for spiritual hearing instead of dew. Thus, we are talking about sorrow, the desire for eternal blessings, patience and retribution for those who have not fallen. What does it mean: "not only this"? Whoever has said this expresses that he has spoken to us of many other blessings that have preceded us, to which he adds this also, the good of tribulation. That is why he says: "And not only this, but we also rejoice in sorrows." In order that what has been said may be clearer, be patient for a short time while we speak of the most remote subject.

From this rose punishments, torments, threats and everything that people consider terrible.

The word, passing like a sword and separating the sick from the healthy, everywhere produced great confusion and competition, and gave cause everywhere to appear enmity and attacks on believers. Hence, some were taken to prisons, others to judgment seats, and still others to the path leading to death; some were deprived of their property, others were often deprived of their homeland and their very lives, and calamities fell on them from all sides like torrential rains: there was a struggle within, dangers from without, from friends, from strangers, from nature, from the most united with one another by nature.

2. All this was seen by the blessed Paul, the teacher of the universe, the teacher of the heavenly dogmas, and since the calamities were at hand and wrought before the eyes, and the good things were only in hopes and promises, i.e. the kingdom of heaven, the resurrection and the receipt of those blessings which surpass every mind and every word, but the ovens, frying pans, the swords, the punishments, and all kinds of torments, and death, were not in hope, and by experience, and moreover, people who had to enter into such feats, until recently were converted to faith from altars, idols, luxury, intemperance and drunkenness, and were not yet accustomed to imagine anything lofty about eternal life, but were more inclined to present blessings, so that it was natural that many of them gave themselves over to faint-heartedness in the midst of daily torments, weakened and fell away, – then see what the communicant of the ineffable mysteries does, and listen to the wisdom of Paul. He often converses with them about the future, sets out rewards, shows them crowns, encouraging them and comforting them with hopes of eternal blessings. And what does he say? "For I think that the present temporal sufferings are not worth anything in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

He points to the same thing in another place, when he says: "A momentary slight pain" (2 Corinthians 4:17), by means of quantity showing the unimportance of quality, and by the shortness of time lightening the burden. Since the circumstances of that time were calamitous and difficult, he lightened this burden by their short duration, and says: "For our slight suffering for a short time produces eternal glory in an immeasurable abundance, when we

we do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen: for the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17,18). And again, raising them to the thought of the greatness of the goods there, he represents nature itself as sick and sighing from present calamities, and strongly desiring future blessings as if they were perfect, and says thus: "All creation together