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Translated by Ch. Browne and J. Swallow.
Gregory Theologian Bilingual Anthology, Resources Online and in Print
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21 Pages
Page 14
XX. What sayest thou? Thus it hath pleased Him that thou shouldest come forth [4638] out of Egypt, the iron furnace; that thou shouldest leave behind the idolatry of that country, and be led by Moses and his lawgiving and martial rule. I give thee a piece of advice which is not my own, or rather which is very much my own, if thou consider the matter spiritually. Borrow from the Egyptians vessels of gold and silver; [4639] with these take thy journey; supply thyself for the road with the goods of strangers, or rather with thine own. There is money owing to thee, the wages of thy bondage and of thy brickmaking; be clever on thy side too in asking retribution; be an honest robber. Thou didst suffer wrong there whilst thou wast fighting with the clay (that is, this troublesome and filthy body) and wast building cities foreign and unsafe, whose memorial perishes with a cry. [4640] What then? Dost thou come out for nothing and without wages? But why wilt thou leave to the Egyptians and to the powers of thine adversaries that which they have gained by wickedness, and will spend with yet greater wickedness? It does not belong to them: they have ravished it, and have sacrilegiously taken it as plunder from Him who saith, The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, [4641] and I give it to whom I will. Yesterday it was theirs, for it was permitted to be so; to-day the Master takes it and gives it to thee, [4642] that thou mayest make a good and saving use of it. Let us make to ourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, [4643] that when we fail, they may receive us in the time of judgment.
[4638] exelthein c. acc. loci; a very rare use, but found in classical authors.
[4639] Exod. xi. 2.
[4640] Ps. ix. 6.
[4641] Hag. ii. 8.
[4642] Matt. xx. 14.
[4643] Luke xvi. 9.
Reference address : https://elpenor.org/gregory-nazianzen/easter-2.asp?pg=14
