Leaving The Humble Way

Καὶ ὁδὸν ταπεινῶν ἐξέκλιναν... Τοῦτο νοήσεις δίχα. Ἤ γὰρ ἐκεῖνό φησιν, ὅτι πεφρονήκασιν ὑπέροψκα, καὶ θεοστυγμοῦς ἁλαζονείας εἰς τοῦτο ἢκουσιν τὸ μέτρον, ὡς παραιτεῖσθαι καὶ ἀδελφοὺς, εἰ μὴ πλούτῳ περιχέοιντο, καὶ λαμπρὰς ἔχοιεν τὰς περιουσίας, μισεῖν δὲ ὥσπερ ἰέναι καὶ κατὰ ταυτὸ τοῖς οὐκ ἄγαν ἐξησκηκόσι τὸ φιλοχρήματον πάθος, οἵ καὶ εἰσὶ ταπεινοὶ, τὸν εἰκαῖον τοῦ βίου διωθοὺμενοι σάλον. Ἤγουν ὅτι καθηγηταὶ γεγονότες, καὶ λαῶν ἠγούμενοι, παρευθύνουσι τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων, ἤτοι τῶν ταπεινῶν, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῶν οἴκοθεν μὲν οὐκ ἐχόντων τὴν τοῦ συμφέροντο, εἰδησιν ἀκριβῆ, προσκειμένων δὲ μᾶλλον ταῖς τῶν παιδαγωγούντων φωναῖς. Πλείστη δὲ ὅση πληθὺς ἡ τοιάδε. Ζῶσι μὲν γὰρ ἀπεριεργότερον καὶ ἐν ἀπλότητί τινες, ἀπήρτηνται δὲ τῆς τῶν διδασκόντων φωνῆς, ἤτοι παιδαγωγίας, καὶ ἤνπερ ἂν μάθοιεν εὖ ἔχειν ὁδὸν, ἀγαπῶσι λίαν. Οὐκοῦν οἱ μὲν σοφοὶ καὶ θεοφιλεῖς τῶν καθηγεισθαι λαχόντων, τὴν ἐπ' εὐθὺ δεικνύουσι τρίβον, δι' ἧς μάλα διᾴττοντες, τὴν ἀνδάνουσαν Θεῷ κατορθοῦσι ζωήν. Οἱ δὲ δὴ μακρὰν τοῦ θείου πεφρονηκοντες νόμου, παρευθύνουσι τῶν ταπεινῶν τὴν ὁδὸν, ἔξω τοῦ εἰκότος καὶ τοῦ πρέποντος ἀληθῶς γενέσθαι παρασκευάζοντες, ὁποῖόν τι δέδρακεν Ἰεροβοὰμ ἀναπεπεικὼς προσκυνεὶν ταῖς χιεροτεύκτοις δαμάλεσι, καὶ ἀποστήσαντες ὁδοῦ τὴς εἰς εὐθύ τε κιὰ ἀγαθὸν, τοῦ προσκεῖσθαι, φημὶ, τῷ φύσει Θεῷ. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τον Προφήτην Ἀμώς, Κεφ' Β' Source: Migne PG 71.441b-d

And they have left the way of the humble... 1 This can be understood in two ways. Either it is said that they were puffed up beyond measure and by their arrogance they came to abhor God, so that they despised their brothers unless they were surrounded with wealth and possessed a splendor of the abundance of things, and because of this they hated those who did not have an excessive passion for adorning themselves with wealth, even the humble, who thus thrust away the wild turmoils of life. Or because being instructors and leaders of the people they left the way of the weak, or the humble, that is, they did not take from their stores that which was of benefit to them, but rather they devoted themselves to the voices of the erudite. And such a thing is far from the many. For they live incurious and in simplicity, and they depend on the voices of teachers and instructors that they might learn of the good way, and love it vehemently. The wise who are lovers of God do not lead the way in possessions, but they show the way which is right, which is composed of deeds in the pursuit of the upright life that is pleasing to God. But those whose thoughts are far from the law of God, they pervert the way of the humble, and they do that which is neither fair nor beffiting, as Jeroboam did, who persauded the people to revere idols, taking them away from the way of the right and good, and from revering, I say, the Divine nature. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Prophet Amos, Chapter 2 1 Amos 2.7