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we might be able to cut out most evils along with this passion, as with a certain root and beginning. Did he revile? But you, bless.

Did he strike? But you, endure. Does he spit on you and consider you as nothing? But you, take thought of yourself, that you were formed from earth, and to earth you will again be dissolved. For the one who has preoccupied himself with these words will find every dishonor less than the truth. For thus you will also make defense impossible for your enemy, showing yourself invulnerable to insults; and you will procure for yourself the great crown of patience, making another's madness an occasion for your own philosophy. So that, if you listen to me, you will even be lavish with insults. Did he call you obscure, and inglorious, and a nobody from nowhere? But you, call yourself earth and ashes. You are not more venerable than our father Abraham, who called himself these things. Unlearned and poor and worth nothing? But you, call yourself a worm, and to have your origin from a dunghill, speaking the words of David. To these add also the good example of Moses. He, having been reviled by Aaron and Miriam, did not complain to God, but prayed for them.

Whose disciple do you wish to be rather, of the God-loving and blessed men, or of those filled by the spirit of wickedness? When the temptation of insult is stirred up in you, consider yourself to be judged, whether through long-suffering you draw near to God, or through anger you run away to the adversary. Give your thoughts time to choose the good part. For you either benefited him by the example of meekness, or you avenged yourself more grievously through contempt. For what could be more painful to an enemy, than to see his own enemy higher than insults? Do not debase your own mind, nor allow yourself to become reachable by those who insult you. Let him bark at you in vain; let him burst with his own rage. For just as one who strikes a person who feels no pain punishes himself (for he neither avenged himself on his enemy, nor did he relieve his anger); so the one who reproaches the unreviled cannot find consolation for his passion.

On the contrary, then, as I said, he is also sawn asunder. For immediately from the present circumstances what is each of you called? He is a reviler, but you are magnanimous; he is wrathful and harsh, but you are long-suffering and meek; he will repent of what he uttered, but you will never regret virtue. Why say much? For him, insult has shut out the kingdom of heaven; for revilers 31.361 will not inherit the kingdom of God; but for you, silence has prepared the kingdom. For he who endures to the end, he will be saved. But defending yourself and putting yourself on an equal level with the reviler, what defense will you make? That he provoked you by beginning it? And of what pardon is this worthy? For not even the fornicator, shifting the blame to the prostitute for arousing him to sin, is deemed less worthy of condemnation. There are neither crowns without competitors, nor falls without opponents.

Hear David saying: When the sinner stood against me, I was not provoked, nor did I defend myself, but I became deaf and was humbled, and I kept silent from good things. But you are provoked as by a base insult; yet you imitate it again as something good. For behold, you have suffered what you accuse. Or do you carefully observe another's evil? but your own shame you place nowhere? Is insolence evil? Flee its imitation. For surely the other's having started is not a sufficient excuse. More justly, therefore, as I persuade myself, should indignation be increased, because he did not have the sobering example; but you, seeing the angry one behaving disgracefully, did not guard against being like him, but you are indignant and harsh and angry in return; and your passion becomes an apology for the one who acted first. For by the very things you do, you both absolve him of blame, and you condemn yourself. For if anger is evil, why did you not turn away from it

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δυνηθείημεν τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν κακῶν, ὥσπερ ῥίζῃ τινὶ καὶ ἀρχῇ, τῷ πάθει τούτῳ συνεκτε μεῖν. Ἐλοιδόρησε; σὺ δὲ εὐλόγησον.

Ἐτύπτησε; σὺ δὲ ὑπόμεινον. ∆ιαπτύει καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ἡγεῖταί σε; σὺ δὲ ἔννοιαν λάβε σεαυτοῦ, ὅτι ἐκ γῆς ὑφέστηκας, καὶ εἰς γῆν πάλιν ἀναλυθήσῃ. Ὁ γὰρ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ἑαυτὸν προκατασχὼν πᾶσαν ἀτιμίαν ἐλάττονα εὑρήσει τῆς ἀληθείας. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῷ ἐχθρῷ ἀμή χανον κατασκευάσεις τὴν ἄμυναν, ἄτρωτον σεαυτὸν ταῖς λοιδορίαις δεικνύς· καὶ σεαυτῷ μέγαν τῆς ὑπομονῆς προξενήσεις τὸν στέφανον, τὴν ἑτέρου μα νίαν ἀφορμὴν οἰκείας φιλοσοφίας ποιούμενος. Ὥστε, ἂν ἐμοὶ πείθῃ, καὶ ἐπιδαψιλεύσῃ τῶν ὕβρεων. Ἀφανῆ σε εἶπε, καὶ ἄδοξον, καὶ μηδένα μηδαμόθεν; σὺ δὲ γῆν εἰπὲ καὶ σποδὸν σεαυτόν. Οὐκ εἶ σεμνότερος τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ, ὃς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα ἀπεκάλει. Ἀμαθῆ καὶ πτωχὸν καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξιον; σὺ δὲ σκώληκα σεαυτὸν εἰπὲ, καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἔχειν τὴν γένεσιν, τὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ λέγων ῥήματα. Τούτοις πρόσ θες καὶ τὸ τοῦ Μωϋσέως καλόν. Ἐκεῖνος, ὑπὸ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαρίας λοιδορηθεὶς, οὐ κατενέτυχε τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ προσηύχετο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν.

Τίνων βούλει μαθητὴς εἶναι μᾶλλον, τῶν θεοφιλῶν καὶ μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν, ἢ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς πονηρίας πεπληρωμένων; Ὅταν σοι κινηθῇ τῆς λοιδορίας πειρασμὸς, νόμιζε κρίνεσθαι σεαυτὸν, πότερον διὰ τῆς μακροθυμίας προσχωρεῖς τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀποτρέχεις πρὸς τὸν ἀντίδικον. ∆ὸς καιρὸν τοῖς λογισμοῖς σεαυ τοῦ τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐκλέξασθαι μερίδα. Ἢ γὰρ ὠφέλησάς τι κἀκεῖνον τῷ ὑποδείγματι τῆς πραότητος, ἢ χαλε πώτερον ἠμύνω διὰ τῆς ὑπεροψίας. Τί γὰρ ἂν γέ νοιτο ὀδυνηρότερον τῷ ἐχθρῷ, ἢ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἑαυτοῦ ὁρᾷν ὕβρεων ὑψηλότερον; Μὴ καταβάλῃς σεαυτοῦ τὴν γνώμην, μηδὲ ἀνάσχῃ γενέσθαι ἐφικτὸς τοῖς ὑβρίζουσιν. Ἔασον αὐτὸν ἄπρακτά σου καθ υλακτεῖν· ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ διαῤῥηγνύσθω. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τύπτων τὸν μὴ ἀλγοῦντα ἑαυτὸν τιμωρεῖται (οὔτε γὰρ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἠμύνατο, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν οὐκ ἀν έπαυσεν)· οὕτως ὁ τὸν ἀλοιδόρητον ὀνειδίζων παρα μυθίαν εὑρεῖν τοῦ πάθους οὐ δύναται.

Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ διαπρίεται. Εὐθὺς γὰρ ἐκ τῶν παρόντων οἷα ἑκάτερος ὑμῶν προσαγορεύεται; Ὁ μὲν λοίδορος, σὺ δὲ μεγαλόψυχος· ὁ μὲν ὀργίλος καὶ χαλεπὸς, σὺ δὲ μακρόθυμος καὶ πρᾶος· ὁ μὲν μεταγνώσεται ἐφ' οἷς ἐφθέγξατο, σὺ δὲ οὐδέποτε μεταμελήσῃ τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; Τῷ μὲν ἀπέκλεισε τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν ἡ λοιδορία· Λοίδοροι γὰρ 31.361 βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι· σοὶ δὲ ἡτοί μασε τὴν βασιλείαν ἡ σιωπή. Ὁ γὰρ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. Ἀμυνόμενος δὲ καὶ εἰς ἴσον ἀντικαθιστάμενος τῷ λοιδόρῳ, τί καὶ ἀπολο γήσῃ; Ὅτι παρώξυνε κατάρξας; Καὶ ποίας τοῦτο συγγνώμης ἄξιον; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πόρνος, ἐπὶ τὴν ἑταί ραν τὴν αἰτίαν μετατιθεὶς ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διερεθίσασαν, ἧττον τῆς κατακρίσεως ἀξιοῦται. Οὔτε στέφανοι χωρὶς ἀνταγωνιστῶν, οὔτε πτώματα χωρὶς ἀντιπάλων.

Ἄκουε τοῦ ∆αβὶδ λέγοντος· Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, οὐχὶ παρωξύνθην, οὐδὲ ἠμυνάμην, ἀλλ' Ἐκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν. Σὺ δὲ παρ οξύνῃ μὲν ὡς ἐπὶ φαύλῃ τῇ λοιδορίᾳ· μιμῇ δὲ πάλιν ὡς ἀγαθόν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἔπαθες ἃ ἐγκαλεῖς. Ἢ τὸ μὲν ἀλλότριον κακὸν ἐπιμελῶς καταβλέπεις; τὸ δὲ σεαυ τοῦ αἰσχρὸν οὐδαμοῦ τιθεῖς; Πονηρὸν ἡ ὕβρις; φεῦγε τὴν μίμησιν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ ἕτερον κατάρ ξαι ἱκανὸν εἰς παραίτησιν. ∆ικαιότερον μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, καὶ ἐπιτεῖναι τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν, διότι ὁ μὲν οὐκ εἶχε τὸ σωφρονίζον ὑπόδειγμα· σὺ δὲ, βλέπων ἀσχημονοῦντα τὸν ὀργιζόμενον, οὐκ ἐφυ λάξω αὐτοῦ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν, ἀλλ' ἀγανακτεῖς καὶ χαλε παίνεις καὶ ἀντοργίζῃ· καὶ γίνεταί σου τὸ πάθος ἀπολογία τοῦ προλαβόντος. Αὐτοῖς γὰρ οἷς ποιεῖς, κἀκεῖνον αἰτίας ἀφίης, καὶ σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πονηρὸν ὁ θυμὸς, τί οὐκ ἐξέκλινας