Богатство и чрезмерные удобства, –

говорит Еврипид в «Александре».51 (4) Говорят же, что «бедности в подруги досталась мудрость из-за их сродства».52 Сребролюбие завоевывает не только Спарту, но и всякий другой город. «Истинное богатство смертных, – говорит Софокл, – не в золоте и не в серебре, но в силе их добродетели».53

VI

Об источниках блаженства, согласно Писанию

(25, 1) Святой наш Спаситель как бедность, так и богатство, а равно и все им подобное причислил к вещам одновременно и духовным, и телесным. Он сказал: «Блаженны изгнанные за правду»54, чем ясно показал нам, что ни в каком случае человек не должен отказываться от мученичества. (2) Низведен ли был бы кто в бедность за правду – он тем самым свидетельствует, что правда, которой он предан, есть благо. (26, 1) «Алчет ли и жаждет ли кто правды»55 – он доказывает этим, что правда есть высшее из благ. (2) Подобным образом «плачет ли кто из-за правды и скорбит»56 – он свидетельствует о превосходстве и красоте закона. (3) Поэтому как преследуемых за правду, так и алчущих и жаждущих правды Господь одинаково называет блаженными, одобряя чистоту и искренность неутолимого желания. И поскольку жаждут они правды ради нее самой, то они блаженны. (4) «Блаженны же и нищие духом»57 или внешними благами, лишь бы это было из любви к правде. Не бедность вообще ради нее самой благословляет Господь, а ту бедность, что пренебрегает мирскими сокровищами из-за любви к правде, и ту, которая пренебрегает мирскими почестями, чтобы приобрести сокровище истинное. (5) Поэтому он называет блаженными и тех, кто, храня чистоту телесную и душевную, сохраняет чистоту нравов. Блаженны эти души, благородные и славные, которые из-за постоянного стремления к правде получили преимущество усыновления и вместе с ним власть быть «чадами Божиими»58, «по змеям и скорпионам ходить»59, господствовать и над демонами, и над воинством супостата. (27, 1) И, вообще, аскеза ради Господа с радостью отвлекает душу от тела, даже если для этого душе приходится совсем с ним расстаться. (2) «Нашедший душу свою потеряет ее, а потерявший обретет ее»60, – лишь бы только опирались мы своей бренностью на вечность Божию. Воля же Божия в том, чтобы мы его знали; через это мы достигаем причастности его вечности. (3) Кто при слове покаяния видит греховность своей души, тот губит ее для греха, вырывая из его объятий для жизни. Но, погубив свою жизнь послушанием Богу, он снова обретает ее, ибо через веру в ней возгорается новая жизнь61, а для греха она умирает. Итак, обретение своей души равнозначно самопознанию.

(28, 1) Стоики говорят, что обращение души к вещам божественным происходит вследствие некоего в ней поворота, ибо она от греха обращается к мудрости. (2) По Платону же, душа, после блуждания по сфере, где господствует лишь слабое мерцание дня, возносится в область высшего света.62 И другие философы признают, что для человека честного лучше покинуть эту жизнь, чем отказаться от своего образа мыслей и действий, если все способы жить в согласии с ним настолько затруднены, что нет надежды на более славный исход. (4) Что же касается судьи, пытающегося силой вынудить отречение от Возлюбленного, то мне кажется, лучше было бы ему выяснить, кто поистине друг Божий, а кто нет. (5) Поэтому и не может быть никаких колебаний в выборе того, чему следует скорее повиноваться, людской угрозе или любви к Богу. (6) Воздержание от злых дел в некотором смысле равносильно ослаблению и погашению порочных склонностей, ибо отречение от образа действий, который они подсказывают, само собой уничтожает их влияние. Именно таков смысл слов: «Продай имение твое и раздай нищим и приходи, следуй за Мной»63, то есть, исполняй заповеданное Господом. (29, 1) Некоторые со словом «имение» связывают все то, что является инородным для души. Но в таком случае как можно «раздать» его бедным, они объяснить не в силах. Ведь Бог все раздает согласно достоинству каждого, ибо его домостроительство справедливо. (2) Итак, пренебрегая богатствами, которые Бог раздает через твое великодушие, как бы говорится в этом месте, следуй сказанному мной, устремляясь ввысь по пути духа. Не ограничивайся лишь воздержанием от зла, но продвигайся в совершенствовании себя, подражая благодеяниям Божественным. (3) Так, пристыжая хвалившегося исполнением всех заповедей закона, а к ближнему своей любви не проявившего, Господь вместо рабского исполнения закона заповедует любовь, которая при восхождении в истинном познании, возвышаясь и господствуя над субботой64, проявляется в благодеяниях. (4) К Логосу и Спасителю, я полагаю, надо приходить не под страхом наказания и не в ожидании какого-либо ответного дара, но ради превосходства добра как такового. (30, 1) Поступающие так встанут справа от святыни, надеющиеся же раздачей тленных имуществ приобрести нетленные в притче о двух братьях названы «наемниками»65. И не следует ли из выражения «по подобию и образу»66, что все, сообразующие свою жизнь с жизнью Господа, подобны ему, а находящиеся слева от святыни лишь образ Божий носят, а делами на Господа не похожи? (2) От древа истины произрастают различные ветви. И хотя корень один, но далеко не безразлично, какую из них выбрать. (3) Лучше же сказать, что качество выбора предопределено тем, выбираем ли мы по аналогии, следуя чужому примеру, или же со знанием дела. Иное дело – огонь живой, иное – отраженный. Так Израиль, согласно Писанию, есть свет «по подобию»; другие же народы только «образ» Божий в себе носят. (4) Что хочет Господь сказать притчей о Лазаре, где предстают очам нашим образы богача и бедняка67? Что означают также и эти слова: «Никто не может служить двум господам – Богу и маммоне?»68 И там и здесь Господь говорит о беспорядочной любви к собиранию богатств. (31, 1) Не видите разве, что люди, привязанные к ним, не являются и на пир, куда были приглашены69? И не потому не явились, что были имущими и богатыми, но потому, что оказались слишком заняты своими делами и порабощены своим богатством.

(2) And in the saying, "Even foxes have holes,"70 the Lord calls foxes men whose only occupation is to dig up and store gold; These are the adulterous generation, the true sons of the earth. 3 In the same sense he said of Herod: 'Go and say to this fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish.'71 (4) On the contrary, those who are different from other birds in heaven, who are truly pure and always ready to direct their flight to the knowledge of the heavenly Logos, he calls the birds of heaven.72

5 Innumerable cares arise not only from wealth, not only from fame and marriage, but also from poverty, if one does not know how to endure it. In the parable of the seed that fell into four different soils, the thorns and stony places refer to the anxieties and cares that choke the seed and prevent it from germinating, developing, and bearing fruit.73 (32:1) It is necessary, therefore, to learn how to endure various adversities, so that a life imbued with wise decency and determined by knowledge may be for us the means to attain eternal life. (2) "I saw," says the Scriptures, "a wicked man exalted and exalted like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and behold, he was not there; he sought him, and found no place for him. Keep integrity and seek righteousness, which is what remains of a man who lives in the world.'74 (3) Such is a man whose faith is sincere and whose soul is always at peace.

(4) "Some people honour [God] with their lips, but in their hearts they are far removed from the Lord".75 "with their lips they bless, but with their hearts they curse"76; (5) "They loved him in their mouths, and in their tongues they lied to him; but their hearts [were] not open to him, and entrusted to his covenant.'77 (33:1) "Let all lying lips be dumb, and all the tongues of eloquence, those who said: (2) 'Let us glorify our tongue, our lips remain with us, what is the Lord to us?' (3) For the suffering of the poor, and the groaning of the poor, I will now arise, saith the Lord, I will prepare myself for salvation, and I will speak of it without hesitation."78 For Christ came to the humble-minded, and not to those who rose up against His flock. (4) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal,"79 says the Lord, wishing to shame partly those who are devoted to riches, and partly those who give themselves up to vanity and care; and finally, perhaps, those who love their bodies excessively. (5) And indeed, carnal and lustful desires, illnesses, evil thoughts, penetrating into the innermost corners of our hearts, undermine and destroy the whole person. (6) Our true treasure is where, through knowledge, we attain that which is akin to our soul, for righteousness has that inclination to communion which causes it to renounce the "old life"80 and restore to it that which it has acquired; she herself ascends to God, imploring Him for mercy. (7) These are truly the storehouses that do not fade,81 the common money on the way to eternal life; this is the treasure that "does not fail in heaven,"82 for "having mercy, I will have mercy on him whom I have mercy,"83 says the Lord. (34:1) These last words also apply to those who wish to beg for the sake of righteousness, for they have heard the commandment that "the broad and broad way leads to destruction, and many are those who follow it."84 (2) Nothing else but debauchery, womanizing, the longing for glory, power, and other such passions is spoken of by the Lord. "Fool," he says, "for this night they will take your soul from you; And what you have prepared, to whom will it be?" 85 (3) And further, literally, according to the commandment: "Beware therefore of all covetousness, for the life of any man is not in the abundance of his possessions."86 (4) "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what ransom will a man give in exchange for his soul?" 87 (5) "Therefore I say: Do not be anxious for your soul what you will eat, nor for your body what you will wear. For the soul is greater than food, and the body is more than clothing."88 (6) Again: "Your Father knows that you have need of all these things. Seek first the kingdom of heaven and righteousness, for this is great, and that is small," that which pertains to the means of life "shall be added unto you."89 (35:1) Is it not to the Gnostic life that the Lord here clearly calls us? Does he not thereby persuade us to remain faithful to the truth both in word and in deed? Christ, the divine Educator of our soul, appreciates the rich man not for abundant gifts, but for good intentions. (2) Therefore Zacchaeus, and according to others, Matthew, the chief of the publicans, when he heard that the Lord was about to enter his house, said: "Behold, I will give half of my possessions to alms. Lord, if I have offended anyone in any way, I will return fourfold." Wherefore the Saviour also said of him: 'The Son of man, when he came today, hath found that which is lost.'90 (3) On another occasion, when he saw a rich man who had put into the treasury a gift corresponding to his riches, and a widow who had put two mites into it, he said that the widow had given the most, because the one had given out of abundance, and the other out of scarcity.91

(36:1) And since everything is directed by the Lord to the education of our souls, he says: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."92 (2) Who are these meek? Those who tame the dangerous storms that rise in the soul, such as anger, lust, and other passions that accompany them. He does not praise that meekness which has arisen out of necessity, but that which is founded by our own will and good will. (3) In fact, the Lord "has many rewards and abodes,"93 according to the variety of situations in life. (4) "Whoever receives a prophet," says the Lord, "in the name of a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; and whoever receives the righteous in the name of the righteous will receive the reward of the righteous"94; "But whoever receives one of these little disciples will not lose his reward."95 (5) On another occasion the Lord designates the various degrees of virtue by an unequal number of hours, measuring the merits of each one and the greatness of the rewards that await him. He promised an equal reward to everyone who worked in the vineyard (referring to salvation, which is symbolized here by denarii). The Savior establishes an equal right to remuneration for all workers; and the difference between those who are called is through the different number of hours worked.96 (37:1) Being partakers of the ineffable economy and the divine gift, chosen by their labors, they fully deserve the promised reward. (2) "Those of whom it is decided that they have lived a particularly holy life," says Plato, "will be freed and delivered from imprisonment in earthly prisons, will be exalted to the abode of the highest purity." 3 The same thing, but still more plainly, he expresses in the following words. "Among these people, those who have been sufficiently purified by philosophy, in all subsequent times live completely incorporeal," being clothed some in air-like bodies, while others in fiery bodies. 4 To this he adds: "And they come to dwellings still more beautiful, the beauty of which is not easy to depict, nor do we have time for it."97 (5) Therefore it is rightly said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted;"(6) for those who grieve for their past bad lives, and repent of their sins, immediately come to this call. Therefore, it can be said that they will be "called," that is, this calling will be their consolation. (7) There are two kinds of penitents: one, and these are the majority, repent for fear of the punishment they have deserved; others – and their number is very small – out of a feeling of inner shame, which is awakened in their souls by the voice of conscience. One can come to repentance in any of these ways, because there is no place that would hide from Divine mercy.

(38:1) The Lord also says: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."98 Mercy is not, as some of the philosophers have thought, sorrow at the news of any misfortune, but rather, as the prophets say, something good. (2) "I desire mercy," says the Lord, "and not sacrifice."99 He calls merciful not only those who are engaged in works of mercy, but also those who would like to be merciful, but do not have the means to do so, that is, those who are predisposed to charity. (3) In fact, we often wish to show mercy to someone, either by pecuniary allowance or by bodily labour; I would like, for example, to help the poor, to care for the sick, to visit the unfortunate; but we cannot carry out our pious intentions, because either poverty, or sickness, or old age, which is the same disease, hinders it. Desire impels us, but some obstacle makes it difficult to fulfill it. 4 In this case, however, our will is given the same honour as our action; The former differs from the latter only in that it has a real possibility of being realized.

(39:1) Since there are two paths to the perfection of salvation, works and knowledge, the Lord said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."100 (2) If you think carefully, gnosis itself is the purification of the leading part of the soul; And this purification, of course, is something good. (3) Among good works, some are good in themselves, and others because of their participation in what is a good work. That is why we call good deeds good. Without things in between, which belong to the category of material things, for example, without health, life, and other aids that are essential or only auxiliary, neither good nor evil can truly be realized. (4) The Lord, therefore, desires that we should approach the knowledge of God with a heart pure from carnal desires, with a mind wholly occupied with holy thoughts, so that in the leading part of our soul there should be nothing alien or hindering the action of his grace. (40:1) When, therefore, a Gnostic person immerses himself in contemplation and enters into pure communion with God alone, he attains a state of supersensible divinity, becoming more and more identified with God, and is no longer occupied with science, no longer possesses revealed knowledge, gnosis, but himself becomes science and gnosis.

(2) Blessed are the peacemakers,101 therefore, who soften and tame the law, which is at enmity with the dispositions of our minds,102 as well as with the inclination to anger, the lures of lust, and all other passions that perplex the mind. He who spends his life in the midst of good works and in accordance with true reason will be restored to the rights of sonship, which is the most important. 3 Complete peace is considered to be that which in the midst of all earthly vicissitudes preserves an unalterable firmness of spirit, confesses that Providence is forever holy, always wondrous, reveals things divine and human as they are, and even in disasters that apparently disturb the order of nature, reveals the beautiful harmony of creation. (4) Peacemakers also calm those who are overwhelmed by sin and suffer its attacks, restore them to the faith, and restore peace to their souls.