The apostle went on to another subject, while leaving the subject of salvation as a given, contenting himself with what he had shown us. This subject is that we are not only freed from the former (old) things, but also that we will win from now on. For:
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
This had not been mentioned before, until he recalled the former case again. For after he had said, “So then I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin,” he added, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And because he was against many who sin after they had received baptism, so we find him addressing this matter, not only saying, “who are in Christ Jesus,” but “who walk not according to the flesh,” in order to prove that everything which afterwards brings us captive to the law of sin is the result of our idleness. For we must now walk not according to the flesh, which was difficult to achieve before.
6 Then he proves this in a different way, saying:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
And here he calls the Holy Spirit by the title of Spirit. For as he said of sin, “the law of sin,” so he says of the Holy Spirit, “the law of the Spirit.” And certainly he spoke of the Mosaic law, and described it also, saying, “For we know that the law is spiritual.” What is the difference then? There is a great and infinite difference. For the Mosaic law is considered spiritual, but the other is “the law of the Spirit.” What are the points of difference between them? That one (the Mosaic law) was given only by the Holy Spirit, while the other (the law of the Spirit) gave the Spirit of life, and in abundance to all who received it. And therefore he called it “the law of life,” as distinct from “the law of sin,” and not from the Mosaic law. For when he says, “Set me free from the law of sin and death,” he does not mean the Mosaic law, for he nowhere describes it as the law of sin. For how could he thus call the law of Moses, which he described many times as just and holy, and able to destroy sin? But he means that law which fights against the law of the mind. This fearful war, then, was stopped by the grace of the Holy Spirit, after it had put sin to death, and made our struggle easier after it had first crowned us and then led us with great assistance to the wrestling arena.
As is usual with the Apostle Paul, he then moves from the Son to the Holy Spirit, then from the Holy Spirit to the Son, then to the Father, confidently presenting everything concerning us before the Trinity, and this is what he does here also. For truly when he says, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” he refers to the Father with the Son in accomplishing this. Then after that he refers to the Holy Spirit with the Son, for he says, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free.” And after that he mentions the Father with the Son, for he says:
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemning sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).
Again he seems to condemn the law, but on closer inspection it becomes clear that he praises the law very highly, showing that it agrees with Christ, and that it desires the same things. For he does not say, “the evil of the law,” but “the weakness of the law,” and again, “while it was weak,” not because it is harmful or plots. And again, he does not attribute weakness to it in itself, but to the flesh, saying, “while it was weak in the flesh,” meaning by “flesh” the bodily disposition, and not the nature and substance of the flesh itself. By all this he has cleared the flesh and the law from all condemnation.
And not only did He acquit the law by these words, but also by the words that follow. For if the law were contrary, how did Christ come to help and complete its weakness, by extending a helping hand to it, condemning sin in its body? For this was expected to happen, because the law condemned sin in the soul of old. What then? Did the law accomplish the greater work, and the only-begotten Son of God only did the lesser part? By no means did this greater work also God, who gave the natural law and added the written law. But there is no benefit in the greater work, if there is no lesser work. What is the benefit of knowing what we ought to do without doing it? There is no benefit, but the condemnation is greater. He who created the soul is the same who made the body subject. For to teach is an easy thing. [1] But to show a certain way, by which these things become easy, this is what deserves praise. [2] . And for this very reason the only-begotten came, and ascended to heaven only after He had delivered us from this dilemma. And what is more great is the way of victory. For He did not take a different body, but the same body that had fallen. Just as a man saw in the market place a common woman being beaten, and in order to save her he told the crowd that he was her son, while in reality he was the son of a king, and in this way he saved her from the hands of those who were beating her. This is what Christ did, confessing that he was the Son of Man, he helped the body and condemned sin.
Sin no longer dared to strike the body. Or rather, it struck it with the blow of death, but sin was condemned and ended by the same blow with which it struck, not the body, which is most admirable of all. For, indeed, if the victory had not appeared in the body, this would have been a normal thing, since the law had done so. But the amazing thing is that the monument of victory was erected with the body, and that that body which had been defeated by sin so many times, had gained a dazzling victory over sin. You see then how many wonderful things have happened. First, sin did not conquer the body; second, it was defeated, and was defeated by the body, for it is not the same thing for the body not to be defeated, but for it to conquer that which had always conquered it. Third, the body not only conquered, but also condemned sin. And that it does not sin means that it was not defeated; but that it condemned sin means that it conquered it, showing the majesty of this body, the body which had been humiliated before. Thus Christ abolished the power of sin, and destroyed the death which sin had brought about. For until that time when it was attacking sinners, death was their just punishment, but when a body without sin was found, and was given over to death, it was condemned because it had done something but not rightly.
Do you see how great are the rewards of victory? They are revealed in that the body is not defeated by sin, but is defeated and condemned; and not only condemned, but condemned as though it had done something wrong and contrary. For after first attacking it, as the doer of the crime, He condemned it, not by His own power and authority, but He condemned it with justice, for this is what He declared when He said, “And for sin He condemned sin in the flesh.” As if He had said, He convicted it because it had sinned greatly, and then He condemned it. Do you see how everywhere He condemns sin, not the body, but that this body is crowned, and the judgment against sin is declared? But when He says that He sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, do not think that He bears another body. For He said sinful flesh, that is why He used the word “likeness.” For Christ did not bear a sinful body, but a likeness of sinful flesh, similar to our body, but without sin, and having the same nature as our body. Hence it is clear that the nature of the body is not evil. For Christ did not take another body without sin, nor did He change the essence of the body, in order to prepare it for the war against sin. On the contrary, He kept it in its nature and made it win the crown of victory against sin, and then raised it up victorious and made it immortal.
7 But what does this have to do with me, if these things happened in that body (i.e. the body of Christ)? Of course it has a special relationship with me and you, and so he added:
“That the righteousness of the law might be fully fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
What does “judgment” mean? It means the end, the goal, the accomplishment. What then did the law want, and what did it command? It wanted you to be without sin. This has now been accomplished in us through Christ. And certainly the resistance and the victory are due to Christ, while the enjoyment of the victory is ours. So shall we not sin henceforth? Yes, we shall not sin, if we are not idle and not cowardly. And that is why He added, “who walk not according to the flesh.” So that you may not neglect to be fully prepared when you hear that Christ has delivered you from the war against sin, and that the judgment of the law has been completed in you, since sin has been condemned in the flesh, and that is why after He had said before, “There is now no judgment,” He added, “who walk not according to the flesh,” and here He says, “that the judgment of the law may be fulfilled in us.” The same thing He added here. Or, it is better to say, not only this, but much more.
For after saying, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh,” he adds, “but according to the Spirit,” to show that we ought not only to turn away from evil, but to glory in our good works. For it is Christ’s business to give you the crown, but to keep it, as long as it has been given to you, is your business. For the law’s duty, that you should not be blameless of the curse, has been accomplished by Christ for you. You ought not to betray this great gift, but to keep this precious treasure always. For here he shows you that our salvation by baptism requires that we should be careful to show a manner of life after baptism worthy of this great gift. And therefore he defends the law again by saying these things. For, in truth, as long as we have believed in Christ, we ought to do all we can and to be careful to do good, so that what Christ, who fulfilled the requirement of the law, has accomplished may remain in us and not be broken.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5).
This also is not a slander or mutilation of the body. For until the body maintains its status, nothing strange happens, but when we allow it to do everything, exceeding its limits, it revolts against the soul. Then it destroys everything, not because of its nature, but because of the immorality and sin that comes from it.
“But those who live according to the Spirit, do so according to the Spirit, because to be carnally minded is death” (Romans 8:6).
He did not say because of the nature of the body, or the essence of the body, but he said “the mind (management) of the body,” that is, the thing that can be corrected or destroyed. And the Apostle Paul here is talking about the most foolish lust of the mind, calling it the worst thing (meaning the mind of the body), as he used many times to call the whole man a body, although he has a soul in him.
“Also the mind of the Spirit” here means the spiritual mind, just as he said later, “But he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit.” [3] . And he explains that the benefits that come from this spiritual thought are many in the present and in the future. Because in contrast to the evils that the mind of the flesh brings, the mind of the spirit gives many benefits. This is exactly what he declared when he said: “It is life and peace.” The second is the opposite of the first, “For the mind of the flesh is death” (Rom. 8:6). While the other is the opposite of what will come after. For after he said “peace,” he added:
“For the carnal mind is enmity with God” (Romans 8:7).
This is worse than death. The Apostle Paul explains here that the mind of the flesh is death and enmity. “For it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it.”
But don’t worry when you hear “because he cannot.” Because in fact this confusion is easy to solve. As for the mind of the flesh that he means here, that is, the foolish earthly mind that looks forward to the lusts of earthly life and evil deeds, the apostle Paul says that it is impossible “to be subject to the law of God.”
Is there any hope of salvation after that, if it is impossible for a person to become good when he himself is evil? He does not mean that. How did Paul become better? How did he change for the better? And Manasseh? [4] Also? And how did the people of Nineveh change? And so David after he sinned, how was he born again? And how did Peter correct his mistake after he denied Christ? And how did he become the one who committed adultery? [5] , among the flock of Christ? How did the Galatians return to their former noble origin after they had fallen from grace?
So the Apostle Paul does not mean that it is impossible for a wicked person to become good, but what he means is that man cannot submit to God while he is still wicked. But when he changes, it is easy for him to become good and submit to God’s law. For he did not say that man cannot submit to God, but that an evil deed cannot be good. It is as if he is saying that adultery is not chastity, nor is evil a virtue. This is what the Bible says: “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” [6] , not to exclude the process of changing from evil to virtue, but to show that remaining in sin cannot produce good fruit. For he did not say that a bad tree cannot become good, but he said that it cannot produce good fruit, if it remains bad. That is, there is certainly the possibility of changing. By this parable, and by another, he explained this, when the Lord showed that the tares can be like wheat. And for this reason he forbade them to be removed or uprooted, because perhaps “the wheat will be uprooted with the tares.” [7] , that is, the wheat that will grow with the tares.
So the mind of the flesh is sin, and the mind of the Spirit is the grace given, and the work that is characterized by good will, without speaking here of the essence of the flesh, but of virtue and sin. For what you could not achieve by the law, this you will achieve now, that is, to walk in the right way and without errors, if you accept the help of the Spirit. For it is not enough to live without the demands of the flesh, but we must walk according to the desires of the Spirit. Likewise, avoiding evil is not enough for our salvation, but we must do good. However, this will be achieved if we surrender ourselves to the Spirit and persuade the flesh to know its place. Then we will make the body also a spiritual body. So also, if we were inactive, we will make the soul carnal. So, since He did not connect the gift with the need of the soul, but referred it to freedom of choice, you can achieve this or that, because all things are completed by the gift. And sin does not oppose the law of our mind, nor can it captivate as it did in the past. Indeed, all these things have ceased and ended. The lusts have shrunk, because they fear and are terrified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. But when you extinguish the light, and cast out the guide, and remove the leader, that is, the Spirit, then you must expect the storms that will sweep over your soul later.
8 Now virtue is certainly easier, and discipline more powerful, and I know well what the condition of men was when the law reigned, and what their condition is now, when grace has shone. For those things which formerly seemed impossible to anyone, such as chastity, contempt for death, and contempt for all the many other lusts, are now fulfilled in all parts of the world. And not only for us, but for the Scythians and the Thracians, and the Indians and the Persians, and for most of the barbarians. There are places for virgins, and great numbers of martyrs, and multitudes of monks, and the number of monks is greater than that of married men, and fasting and complete abstinence have increased. All this those who lived under the law could not have imagined even in their dreams, except for one or two. When you see then the truth of these things which cry out more powerfully than from the sound of a trumpet, you must not show weakness, and do not deny so great a grace. For it is not possible, even after faith, to be saved if you do not care about the gift of grace. For the competitions are easy and in order to win, you must struggle, not to sleep, nor to use the greatness of grace as a motive for idleness, and live again in the former mire. And for this reason he added, saying:
“For those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8).
What then? Shall we destroy the body in order to be pleasing to God, or shall we go out of the body? And do you advise us to be murderers, and do you thus lead us to virtue? Do you see how many irrational thoughts are born, if we accept what is said without thinking? For He is not speaking here of the body as the body or the essence of the body, but of the worldly carnal life, full of pleasures and extravagance, which makes the whole man carnal. Just as those who exalt themselves in the spirit make the body a spiritual body, so those who abandon the spirit, and are slaves to the belly and to the lusts, make their souls carnal souls without changing the essence of the soul. And this meaning is found in many places in the Old Testament also, where it is recorded that the body is the meaningless earthly life, immersed in unacceptable lusts. For God says to Noah: “Let not my Spirit dwell in these men for ever, for they are flesh.” [8] Even though Noah himself carried a body, this was not a condemnation, as it is a natural thing, but because they accepted the physical life.
That is why after the Apostle Paul said: “For those who are in the flesh cannot please God,” he added:
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (Romans 8:9).
Here he does not mean the flesh itself, but the flesh that was attracted and conquered by lusts. And one might say, why did he not speak so clearly, and not even point out the difference? He did this in order to elevate the hearer, and to show that he who wants to live a right life does not walk according to the flesh. For since the spiritual man does not live in sin, this is clear to everyone. But the apostle Paul points out the greater thing, that the spiritual man does not live in sin, nor even in the flesh, since he himself has rather become an angel from now on, and has ascended to heaven, and the flesh has not gone beyond being something that he wears. And if you accuse the flesh because the fleshly life bears the name of the flesh, you will thereby accuse the world, for evil is often called the world, just as Christ said to his disciples: “For you are not of the world.” [9] And he also said to his brothers: “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me.” [10] And you will also say that the soul is alien to God, because He called those who live in deception sensual.
But these things are not so, for we must inquire everywhere, not into the words, but into the vision of the speaker, and know the true meaning of his words. For speaking of good is one thing, and speaking of evil is another, and the middle ground between them is a third. Like the soul and the body, they are in the middle position, and can become either this or that (i.e., good or evil). While the spirit is always related to good, and can never become anything else. Also the mind of the flesh, that is, evil work, is always related to evil, because it is not subject to the law of God. So if you give the soul and the body to the better (i.e., to the good), you will belong to this good; but if you give them to the worse (i.e., to the evil), you will become a partner in this destruction, not because of the nature of the soul and the body, but because of your disposition, for you can choose either of the two.
9 And since these things bear this meaning, and what is said is not a condemnation of the flesh, he also uses this word (that is, the flesh). Let us examine the matter more carefully: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.” What then? Did they not have a body? Or did they walk without a body? And how can this be? Do you see that he refers to the bodily life? And for what reason did he not say, But you are not sinners? He did this, that we might know that Christ not only does away with the power of sin, but that he made the body lighter and more spiritual, and even elevated it more. Just as fire when it meets iron, and the iron becomes fire, while it retains its nature, so the body of believers, which also bears the Spirit, participates in this spiritual energy, and becomes all spiritual, soaring with the soul upward. Such was the body of him who said these things (that is, the apostle Paul). Therefore he despised all pleasure and lust, and endured hunger and flogging and imprisonment, and did not suffer or complain of all this. And to declare this he said: “For our light affliction” [11] The body has been well trained to be in the service of the soul.
“If the Spirit of God dwells in you,” the word “if,” he refers to in many places, not because he doubts, but because he believes more, and instead of “if,” he says “since it is,” as he says: “since it is righteous with God to repay tribulation to those who trouble you.” [12] And also, “Have you endured this much in vain, if it is in vain?” [13] “But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ.” He does not say, “If you have not,” but he mentions the sad or painful thing of those (who walk according to the flesh). “He is not his.” Then he says, “And if Christ is in you.” Again he points out the goodness that is in those (who walk according to the Spirit). He points out the sad thing in a brief and incidental sentence, while the desirable thing is pointed out from two sides (that is, from the body and from the soul) and in many ways, so that it may be covered over. He says this, not that the Spirit may be called Christ, God forbid, but that he who has the Spirit may show that he who has the Spirit, not only belongs to Christ, but has Christ himself. For it is not possible, when the Spirit is present, that Christ is not present. For where there is one Person in the Trinity, there the whole Trinity is present, since it is undivided, and one in essence. And what would happen if Christ were in you?
“But if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10).
Do you see how many evils come if a person does not have the Holy Spirit? Death and enmity against God, for him who does not please the laws of God, and for him who does not belong properly to Christ, and for him who does not have Christ in him. Notice then how many good things come from having the Spirit in him, and belonging to Christ, and having Christ in him, and competing with the angels. For this is what he means when he says, “The body is dead.” For we live an immortal life, and from now on you have the security of the resurrection, and you run easily in the way of godliness, for he did not say that the body will no longer commit sin, but he said, “The body is dead,” making the way easier, for without difficulties and toils the body is crowned from now on. And so he added, “Concerning sin,” so that you may know that what Christ has condemned forever is evil, and not the nature of the body; and therefore if this has happened, many of those things will disappear, and this is to the benefit of the soul. He does not mean this, but what he means is that while the body remains, it is dead (in relation to sin). For this is evidence that we have the Son and the Holy Spirit within us, and that our bodies are no different in relation to sin than the bodies of the dead. But do not be afraid when you hear the word death, for you bear the true life, and no death will rule over you. Such a life is the life of the spirit, which will not retreat before death, but will destroy and destroy it, and he who has taken the spirit, the spirit will keep him immortal. And for this very reason, when he said, The body is dead, he did not say that the spirit is alive, but said, “But the spirit is life,” in order to prove how he can give life to others. And again, attracting the attention of the hearer, he speaks of the cause of life, which is righteousness. For where there is no sin, death will not appear, and where death does not appear, life is eternal.
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
Again he returns to the resurrection, because this hope gave great courage to the listener, and he confirms the resurrection through those things that happened to Christ. So do not be afraid, as the apostle Paul confirms, because you carry a dead body (in terms of sin). Take the Spirit into you, and the Spirit will raise you up anyway.
What then? Are bodies that have not the Holy Spirit not raised? And how will all appear before the throne of Christ? And how can the talk of hell be trustworthy? For if those who have not the Spirit are not raised, then hell will not exist either. What then does this talk mean? It means that all will rise, but not all to life, but some to hell, and some to life. And therefore He did not say “will raise,” but “will quicken,” which is more than mere resurrection, and which is given only to the righteous. And after pointing out the reason for this great honor, He added, “through His Spirit that dwells in you.” Accordingly, if you reject the grace of the Holy Spirit in this present life, you will die without obtaining innocence, and you will lose everything, even if you are raised. For just as He will not endure to deliver you to hell, when He sees that His Spirit shines in you, so when He sees it extinguished, He will not accept to lead you to His wedding, just as happened with the foolish virgins.
10 Let not your body now live in sin, that it may live then on the day of judgment. Let it die to lusts, that it may no longer die. For if it lives, it will not live. This will happen in the general resurrection, for the body must first die and be buried, and then it will become immortal. And this happened in baptism. So the body was first crucified, and buried, and then rose again. And this happened first in the body of the Lord. For it was truly crucified, and buried, and then rose again. Let us do this also. Let us always mortify the body in its works. I do not mean the essence of the body, for such a thought is very far-fetched, but let us mortify the lusts connected with evil works. For this is truly life, or rather, this is life only; that no one should be concerned with anything human, nor be a slave to lusts. For whoever is subject to these lusts cannot live, because of the troubles that come from them, and the fears, and the dangers, and the countless sufferings. For if he knew that death was coming, he would have died of fear before death came. And if he also feared sickness, or humiliation, or poverty, or any other unexpected thing, then he would have been lost and perished as a result. So can there be a more miserable life than this?
It is different for him who lives by the Spirit. He is above fears, sorrows, dangers, and all vicissitudes, not in that he speaks nothing, but in that he despises these things when they come, which is far more important. But how will this happen? It happens when the Spirit dwells completely within us. For He did not say that the Spirit dwells in us for a short time, but that He dwells permanently. Therefore He did not say the Spirit who dwells, but “the one who dwells,” showing His permanent abode. Accordingly, he who lives is essentially he who died to the life of sin. Therefore He said, “But the Spirit lives because of righteousness.” And that the matter may be made clearer, let us consider two men: one who gave himself up to fornication and pleasures, and a false life, and the other who lived dead in these things, and let us see who lives more. Let one of the two be very rich and famous,
He feeds on parasitism and hypocrisy, he is distracted and drunk and exhausts his whole day to achieve this goal. While the other lives in poverty and fasting, lives his day in detachment and chastity, and in the evening eats only the necessary food. And if you want the truth, he usually remains fasting for two or three days. So who of them is the one who lives in truth?
I know that many will look with appreciation on the one who lives in pleasure and wastes his wealth, but we appreciate the one who enjoys but in moderation and balance. So since there is a difference in this, let us enter the houses of both, and although you think that the rich man lives at the same time in the same pleasures, yet you will see very well the condition of each when you enter, for it is the works that show and make clear who is living? and who is dead?
One you will find well in moderation, studying the Bible, praying, fasting, and in other important matters, awake and calm, and talking to God; while the other you will find drunk and no better than dead. If we wait until the evening, you will see that death comes to this one rather. In this state also, that is, drunkenness, sleep overtakes him, while the other you will find in the evening awake and at peace. Which of them do you say is really alive, the one who lies unconscious and is the laughingstock of all? Or the one who works and talks to God? For if you go up to that drunk and say something serious to him, you will hear nothing from him, just as if he were dead. But if you wish to go up to him
From the other, whether by night or by day, you will see that he is more of an angel than a man, and you will hear him speak with wisdom about things in heaven.
Have you seen that one lives longer than all the living, while the other is more miserable than the dead? And if he decides to put something somewhere, he puts it out of place and resembles the insane, or rather, he is more miserable than them. For as for the latter, if we see one of them being insulted, we will pity him and rebuke the insulter. But as for that drunkard, even if we see someone rushing at him and throwing him to the ground, not only will we not be moved and pity him, but we will be against him. Tell me then, is this life? Of course it is not life, it is worse than a thousand deaths.
Do you see that he who is in a merry-go-round is not only dead, but worse than dead, and more miserable than he who is possessed by a demon? For the one (dead to sin) is loved, while the other (drunk) is hated. The one is forgiven, while the other is punished for his lusts, and is greatly laughed at from without, dripping with filthy saliva and smelling of wine. Consider that wretched soul buried in this body as in a grave, in a state of solitude. The same thing would be seen, if someone had given the possibility to a wild and impudent maid to rush and insult a dignified, refined, free, noble and good lady; this is drunkenness.
Who, then, of those who have thought or vision, would not prefer to die a thousand times over rather than live a single day in this way? For even if a drunkard appears calm, when he recovers from that humiliating situation, he will not have a clear mind, so long as the fog that comes from the desire of drunkenness extends and covers his eyes. But if he happens to be completely still, what is the use? This stillness is of no use to this person, except that he sees those who condemn him. And when his condition worsens, he loses his senses and does not know those who mock him. But when day breaks, he loses even this state, that is, ignorance, for he then realizes that his servants are restless at his service, his wife is ashamed of him, his friends are slandering him, and his enemies are mocking him. Is there a greater misery than this life, where everyone mocks him at night, and the next evening he repeats the same shameful things?
11 But what? Do you want to talk about the greedy? Greed is really another drunkenness, which is more frightening. And since it is drunkenness, it is in any case a death much worse than death, because greed is a very frightening thing. Being drunk with wine is not so bad as being compared with the lust for money. For the loss in this respect reaches the point of pain, and ends in the loss of sense and the destruction of the drunkard himself; but as for greed, the harm is transmitted to thousands of souls, for it kindles various wars everywhere. Let us compare greed with drunkenness, and see in what points they agree, and in what points also one exceeds the other, and let us now compare drunkards. For we must not compare these with the blessed who walks in the spirit. Rather, let us examine them among themselves. Let us bring into the middle the table full of many murders. Then in what points do they agree and resemble each other? They agree and resemble in the same nature of the disease.
There is certainly a difference in the types of drunkenness, for one comes from wine, and the other from money. But the lust is one, because both are captivated by one thing, namely, by a bad lust. For he who is drunk, the more cups he drinks, the more he desires. And he who desires money greatly desires to acquire more, and the flame of lust burns in him more, and the thirst for money becomes very terrible. So they are alike in this. But the lover of silver is more drunk. This we will explain. He who is drunk means by a natural thing, for warm wine increases the degree of natural dryness, and thus makes the drunkard thirsty; while the other who desires money constantly wants more. How, when he becomes very rich, is he rather poor? This passion is a very perplexing thing, and seems more like a riddle.
But let us see these, after drunkenness, if you want to know anything about them. Or better yet, let us see the greedy, for it is never possible to see him after drunkenness. [14] , as he is in a state of constant and severe drunkenness.
Therefore let us see, when both are in the same state of drunkenness, and let us examine which of them is the more ridiculous, and let us sketch their features, describing also both accurately. We shall see then that he who is drinking wine to excess, when evening comes, cannot see anyone, though his eyes are open, but wanders aimlessly and without cause, bumps into those he meets, vomits, is beaten, and undresses himself indecently, whether his wife, or his daughter, or his maid, or any other, is present.
Are you laughing so hard? Let us now speak of gluttony or avarice, for here things are not only worthy of laughter, but also of damnation, and of intense anger. But let us first see the mockery, for in truth he himself, the greedy with the drunkard, is ignorant of all: friends and enemies, and he himself is considered blind, although his eyes are open. And as the drunkard sees everything as wine, so he also sees all things as money.
Vomiting in avarice is a very terrible thing. For it does not produce food, but insults and curses, wars and deaths, which bring countless thunderbolts upon his head. And as the body of the drunkard is swollen and flabby, so is the soul of the glutton, and such diseases prevail over his body, since occupation, anger, and vigils exhaust him more than wine, and gradually destroy him completely. It is certain that he who is possessed by the lust of drunkenness can, after the passing of the night, be calm and undisturbed. But the glutton is drunk day and night, whether awake or asleep, and is punished more severely than any prisoner or miner.
Tell me then, is this life, or rather, is this not more miserable than all death? For death relieves the body, and frees it from ridicule, shameful things, and vices; while these ambitions throw it into all these shameful things that deafen the ears, blind the eyes, and shut up the mind in the darkest darkness. For it cannot bear to hear or say anything else, but those things of filthy interest and gain, and hateful trade, which are base and vile subjects, like a dog barking at all, hating all, despising all, and being hostile to them, without cause, indignant at the poor, envious of the rich, and rejoicing in none. Even if he has a wife or children or friends, if he cannot profit from them, they will be his enemies, more than his natural or real enemies. Is there anything worse than this obsession? What is more miserable than this, when this man constantly prepares for himself obstacles, rocks, declines, abysses, and countless problems, even though he has one body and is a slave to one belly?
If someone entrusts you with political tasks, do you not run away because you fear the cost, while you prepare for yourself countless tasks, not only more expensive, but also more dangerous, because they are linked to money, offering this evil tyrant not only money, nor physical effort, nor psychological troubles and pains, but offering your blood, how miserable you are because of this bitter slavery? Do you not see those who are carried every day to the graves, how they are carried naked, stripped of everything from their possessions, and even their bodies are offered to insects? You should think about them every day, perhaps the desire for possession will stop in you, because desire is really difficult, and illness is frightening. That is why we are accustomed to talking to you about this subject in every meeting, and we always fill your ears with this talk, so that it becomes something important at least through this habit.
Also, do not disagree with me, for not only are there many punishments at the last judgment, but even before the judgment comes, these punishments are the result of this multiform lust. For if I am referring to the perpetually imprisoned, or the one who is bound by illness for many years, or the one who struggles with hunger, or anyone else, no one can show how they mean the same things that those who lust for money excessively experience. Is there anything more hideous then to be hated by everyone? To hate everyone? To be suspicious of anyone? To never be satisfied? To be always thirsty? To struggle with hunger all the time? To be more afraid than everyone? To be sad every day? To be negative all the time? To live in constant anxiety and turmoil? Because all this and more is suffered by the greedy, since they do not feel any joy in gaining even if they have everything, because they desire what is more and believe that they have lost a lot, and that they have lost their very life if they lose even just one penny.
What words then can describe these evils? If your affairs in this age are such evils. You should think of what you will become hereafter: the loss of the kingdom, the perpetual chains, the darkness of hell, the poisonous insects, the gnashing of teeth, the sorrow and pain, the tribulation, the river of fire, and the furnace that is never quenched. And when you have gathered all this and compared it with the joy of accumulating money, you should uproot this disease from the roots, so that when you have acquired real wealth, and are rid of this fearful poverty, you will achieve good things in this age and in the age to come, by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and honor, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
[1] Here it refers to the task of the law, which is to teach.
[2] But here it refers to the incarnation and descent of the Son of God to live among mankind.
[3] Romans 8:27.
[4] 2 Kings 1:21-18, 2 Chronicles 1:33-20.
[5] See 2 Corinthians 2:5-8.
[6] Matthew 18:7.
[7] Matthew 29:13.
[8] Gen 3:6 (Septuagint).
[9] John 19:15.
[10] John 7:7.
[11] 2 Corinthians 4:17.
[12] 2 Thessalonians 6:1.
[13] Galatians 4:3.
[14] He means the intoxication of the love of money