Considerations Of Wealth

Πλούτου τοίνυν μεταληπτέον ἀξιολόγως καὶ μεταδοτέον φιλανθρώπως, οὐ βαναύσως οὐδὲ ἀλαζονικῶς, οὐδὲ ἐκτρεπτέον τὸ φιλόκαλον εἰς φιλαυτίαν καὶ ἀπειροκαλίαν, μή πῃ ἄρα καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς φήσῃ τις· ὁ ἵππος αὐτοῦ πεντεκαίδεκα ταλάντων ἐστὶν ἄξιος ἢ τὸ χωρίον ἢ ὁ οἰκέτης ἢ τὸ χρυσίον, αὐτὸς δὲ χαλκῶν ἐστι τίμιος τριῶν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν περίελε τὸν κόσμον τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας τῶν δεσποτῶν, οὐδὲν διαφέροντας τῶν ἀργυρωνήτων εὑρήσεις τοὺς δεσπότας, οὐκ ἐν βαδίσματι, οὐκ ἐν βλέμματι, οὐκ ἐν φθέγματι· οὕτως τοίνυν τοῖς ἀνδραπόδοις ἐοίκασιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀσθενέστεροι εἶναι τῶν οἰκετῶν διακρίνονται καὶ τῷ νοσηλότερον ἀνατεθράφθαι. Ἄριστον γοῦν δογμάτων τοῦτο ᾄδειν παρ' ἕκαστα χρή, ὡς ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ σώφρων ὢν καὶ δίκαιος ἐν οὐρανῷ θησαυρίζει τὰ χρήματα· οὗτος ὁ τὰ ἐπίγεια καταπωλήσας καὶ πτωχοῖς ἐπιδοὺς τὸν ἀνώλεθρον ἐξευρίσκει θησαυρόν, ἔνθα οὐ σής, οὐ λῃστής· μακάριος οὗτος ὄντως, ἐάν τε σμικρὸς καὶ ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἄδοξος ᾖ, καὶ πλοῦτον ὄντως πλουτεῖ τὸν μέγιστον· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα πλουτῇ μὲν Κινύρα τε καὶ Μίδα μᾶλλον, ᾖ δὲ ἄδικος καὶ ὑπερήφανος, καθάπερ ὁ ἐν τῇ πορφύρᾳ καὶ βύσσῳ τρυφῶν καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ὑπερηφανῶν, ἄθλιός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀνιαρῶς ζῇ καὶ οὐ ζήσεται. Ἐοικέναι γοῦν μοι δοκεῖ ὁ πλοῦτος ἑρπετῷ, οὗ εἰ μή τις ἐπίσταιτο λαβέσθαι ἀβλαβῶς, πόρρωθεν ἀκινδύνως ἄκρας οὐρᾶς ἀνακρημνὰς τὸ θηρίον, περιπλέξεται τῇ χειρὶ καὶ δήξεται· δεινὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος ἰλυσπώμενος παρὰ τὴν ἔμπειρον ἢ ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ λαβὴν προσφῦναι καὶ δάκνειν, εἰ μή τις αὐτῷ καταμεγαλοφρονῶν ἐπιστημόνως χρῷτο, ἵνα σὺν τῇ ἐπῳδῇ τοῦ λόγου καταξέσηται μὲν τὸ θηρίον, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπαθὴς μείνῃ. Ἀλλ', ὡς ἔοικεν, τὰ πλείονος ἄξια κεκτημένος πλούσιος ὢν μόνος ἐλελήθει· πολλοῦ δὲ ἄξια οὐ λίθος, οὐκ ἄργυρος, οὐκ ἐσθής, οὐ κάλλος σώματος, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀρετή, ὅς ἐστι λόγος διὰ τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ παραδιδόμενος εἰς ἄσκησιν·λόγος οὗτος ὁ τὴν τρυφὴν ἐξομνύμενος, τὴν δὲ αὐτουργίαν διάκονον παρακαλῶν καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἐξυμνῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν ἔγγονον, λάβετε παιδείαν, φησί, καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον, καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον· κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτῆς ἐστι. Καὶ πάλιν· ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον καὶ ἄργυρον· τὰ γὰρ ἐμὰ γενήματα κρείττω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Ὁ Παιδαγωγός, Λογὸς Τρίτιος, Κεφ' Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 8.604b-605b

Riches, then, are to be partaken of rationally, bestowed lovingly, not vulgarly, or pompously, nor is the love of what is beautiful to be turned into self-love and ostentation, lest it be that someone says to us, 'His horse, or land, or servant, or gold, is worth fifteen talents, but the man himself three coppers.' Take away, then, directly ornamentation from women, and servants from masters, and you will find the masters no different from bought slaves, but in step, or look, or voice they are like their slaves. But they are distinguished in that they are weaker than their slaves, having had a more sickly upbringing. This best of maxims, then, one must be repeatedly declaim: 'The good man, being temperate and just, treasures up his wealth in heaven.' He who has sold his worldly goods and given them to the poor discovers the imperishable treasure, 'where is neither moth nor robber.' 1 This man is truly blessed, though he may be insignificant and feeble and obscure, even then he is truly rich with the greatest of all riches. Even if a man is richer than Cinyras and Midas, and he is wicked and haughty, as he who was luxuriously clothed in purple and fine linen and despised Lazarus, 2 he is miserable, and lives in trouble, and he shall not live. Wealth, then, seems to me to be a serpent, which if one knows not how to lay hold of it without danger by the point of the tail, it will twist around the hand and bite, and riches, wriggling either in the experienced or inexperienced grasp, are fearfully adept at clinging and biting, unless one, despising them, uses them wisely, so as to crush the beast by the charm of the Word, and oneself remain unhurt. But this it seems, is not recognised: that only he who possesses what is worth most is truly rich. And it is not jewels, nor money, nor clothing, nor fairness of body, but virtue, which is the Word given by the Teacher put into practice. This is the Word who abjures luxury but calls to one's own work as a servant, and praises frugality, the child of temperance. 'Receive instruction,' he says, ' and not silver, and knowledge over proven gold, for Wisdom is better than precious stones and nothing valuable is worthy of her.' 3 And again: 'Acquire me over gold and precious stones and silver, for my yields are better than choicest silver.' 4 Clement of Alexandria, The Teacher, Book 3, Ch 6 1 Mt 6.20 2 Lk 16.19- 3 Prov 8.10-11 4 Prov 8.19