despising the son of a carpenter, they clearly also considered his commandments to be cheap and despised, but for their insolence and contempt toward himself, he for the time being does not determine the penalty, showing the sea of his long-suffering, however, for the transgression of the commandments (by which he was working out their very salvation) he exacts an inexorable punishment, declaring such a one least and dishonored and liable in the kingdom of heaven. You, he says, set aside my commandments as least and easily despised, but I, because of your setting them aside, show you to be least and despised; and you do this before a few men, but I do this before both angels and men; and you do this in the present life, but I condemn you to be least in the kingdom of heaven. And it is clear that there could not be another lower and last than the least, so it is clear that he exacts the last punishment on such a person, which is the outer fire. 15 Mt 5, 19 He calls "least commandment" the one that seems so to some, and not what is so in itself. And he says these things, leading us up to the greater things of those set down in the law; for not every commandment has the same penalty, since not every action is equal to all others, but there are some, which are even forgiven without punishment to those who sin, which Christ perhaps also called "least." 16 Mt 5, 22 Concerning anger, upon one it brings punishment, upon another, pardon, and another it even deems worthy of rewards; for whenever we are angry with the wicked man and with the workers of wickedness, hastening to check them from their evil deeds, we treasure up for ourselves a great reward; for it is a great thing to turn a person back from the error of his way. But this greatly requires a sober soul, lest under the mask of correcting others we appear to be gratifying our own enmity through anger, since indeed the one who shows anger to those who have stumbled for the sake of their own salvation, and does not mix malice with his anger, is blessed. However, the one who is angry with the one who has grieved him is not indeed outside of blame, if indeed one must await the common judge and entrust to him the judgment concerning those who mistreat us, and not himself seek justice from his neighbor using anger and wrath, blind and wicked assessors. Therefore this kind of anger is blameless, yet not far from pardon, because he was angered having first himself suffered evil from another. But the one who, neither for the sake of any salvation nor in self-defense against the one who had previously grieved him, is carried away into anger vainly and irrationally and is insolent to his neighbor, is reasonably liable to punishment. which the Master also, making clear, said: He who is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be liable to the judgment. And the old law punishes the one who kills in vain, but the commandment of grace brings even the one who is angry in vain under punishment, stopping up the source of murder, which is wrath, from which bloodshed is accustomed to pour forth. 17 Mt 5, 22 Not all anger is liable to judgment, but vain and causeless anger is liable, and that which is less than this and has not come about because of abundance of money or envy, nor indeed on account of virtue or the soul's benefit, is worthy of pardon, but the other kind, which occurs against those who are negligent of virtue, is worthy not only of pardon, but also of praise and the greatest honor. 18 Mt 5, 22 Here he says "council" meaning that of the saints. And the one who says to his brother "Raca," has not sinned against one, but against the whole community. For this reason he is also liable to the council, as one who has despised it. 19 Mt 5, 39 "Evil" here he calls the one who unjustly strikes and mistreats someone. But the one who resists and fights back seems to imitate the evil one, that is, the one who struck him. If, therefore, it is evil to grieve in return the one who grieved you, it would be good not to do this, but in every way to heal the anger and to comfort; for he will be ashamed and will become good instead of evil. Mt 5, 39 He says, "to resist the evil one," meaning to be contentious, to act like him and to grieve in return and to strike in return. Therefore, he says, one must not act like the evil one. 21 Mt 5, 45 For this reason he has called us brothers, although we are his slaves and fellow heirs
τέκτονος υἱὸν ἐξευτελίζοντες δηλονότι καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ ἐντολὰς εὐτελεῖς καὶ ἐξουθενημένας ἡγοῦντο, ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν εἰς ἑαυτὸν παροινίας αὐτῶν καὶ καταφρονήσεως τέως οὐχ ὁρίζει τὴν δίκην τῆς μακροθυμίας τὸ πέλαγος ἐνδεικνύμενος, τῆς μέντοι τῶν ἐντολῶν παραβάσεως (αὐτὴν τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπραγματεύετο) ἀπαραίτητον τὴν τιμωρίαν εἰσπράττεται ἐλάχιστον τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ ἠτιμωμένον καὶ ὑπεύθυνον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀποφαίνων. σὺ μέν, φησίν, τὰς ἐμὰς ἐντολὰς ὡς ἐλαχίστας καὶ εὐκαταφρονήτους ἠθέτεις, ἐγὼ δέ σε διὰ τὴν ἀθέτησιν αὐτῶν ἐλάχιστον καὶ ἐξουθενημένον δεικνύω· καὶ σὺ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν εὐαρίθμητος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐνώπιον καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων· καὶ σὺ μὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐλάχιστόν σε εἶναι καταδικάζω. δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τοῦ ἐλαχίστου οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἕτερον ὑποβεβηκὸς καὶ ἔσχατον, ὥστε δῆλον ὡς τὴν ἐσχάτην τὸν τοιοῦτον εἰσπράττεται τιμωρίαν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐξώτερον. 15 Mt 5, 19 Ἐλαχίστην φησὶν ἐντολὴν τὴν δοκοῦσάν τισι τοιαύτην καὶ μὴ καθ' ἑαυτήν. ταῦτα δὲ λέγει ἀνάγων ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὰ μείζω τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κειμένων· οὐ γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιτίμησιν ἔχει ἐντολὴ πᾶσα, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ πᾶσα πρᾶξις ἴση ἐστὶ πάσαις, ἀλλ' εἰσί τινες, αἳ καὶ χωρὶς τιμωρίας ἀφίενται τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἃς καὶ ἐλαχίστας ἴσως ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Χριστός. 16 Mt 5, 22 Τῆς ὀργῆς τῷ μὲν ἐπάγει κόλασιν, τῷ δὲ συγγνώμην, τὸν δὲ καὶ βραβείων ἀξιοῖ· ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ὀργιζώμεθα τῷ πονηρῷ καὶ τοῖς ἐργάταις τῆς πονηρίας ἀναστέλλειν αὐτοὺς τῶν πράξεων σπεύδοντες τῶν κακῶν, μεγάλην ἑαυτοῖς θησαυρίζομεν τὴν ἀμοιβήν· μέγα γὰρ τὸ ἀποστρέφειν ἄνθρωπον ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ . τοῦτο δὲ λίαν δεῖται νηφούσης ψυχῆς, ἵνα μὴ τῷ προσωπείῳ τῆς ἑτέρων διορθώσεως ἔχθραν ἑαυτῶν διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς φανῶμεν θεραπεύοντες, ὡς ὅ γε τοῖς ἐπταικόσιν τῆς ἰδίας ἑαυτῶν ἕνεκα σωτηρίας ὀργὴν ἐπιδεικνὺς καὶ μὴ καταμιγνὺς κακίαν τῇ ὀργῇ μακάριος. ὁ μέντοι γε τῷ παραλυπήσαντι αὐτὸν ὀργιζόμενος οὐκ ἔξω μὲν μέμψεως, εἴγε δεῖ τὸν κοινὸν ἐκδέχεσθαι κριτὴν κἀκείνῳ τὴν περὶ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων κρίσιν ἀνατιθέναι, ἀλλὰ μὴ αὐτὸν ὀργῇ καὶ θυμῷ κεχρημένον, τυφλοῖς καὶ φαύλοις παρέδροις, τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον ἐπιζητεῖν δίκην. οὐκοῦν ἄμεμπτον τοῦτο τῆς ὀργῆς τὸ εἶδος, συγγνώμης μέντοι οὐ πόρρω, ὅτι ὠργίσθη αὐτὸς πρότερον κακῶς ὑφ' ἑτέρου πεπονθώς. ὁ δὲ μήτε σωτηρίας τινὸς ἕνεκα μήτε ἀμυνόμενος τὸν προλελυπηκότα εἰς ὀργὴν ματαίως καὶ ἀλόγως ἐκφερόμενος καὶ τῷ πλησίον ἐμπαροινῶν εἰκότως ἐστὶ τιμωρίας ἔνοχος. ὃ καὶ ὁ δεσπότης δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει. καὶ ὁ μὲν παλαιὸς νόμος τὸν ἀνελόντα μάτην κολάζει, ἡ δὲ τῆς χάριτος ἐντολὴ καὶ τὸν μάτην ὀργιζόμενον ὑπὸ τιμωρίαν ἄγει ἐμφράττουσα τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ φόνου τὸν θυμόν, ἐξ οὗ εἴωθεν ἡ μιαιφονία προχεῖσθαι. 17 Mt 5, 22 Οὐ πᾶσα ὀργὴ τῆς κρίσεως ἔνοχος, ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ματαία καὶ εἰκῆ ἐστιν ἔνοχος, ἡ δὲ ἥττων ταύτης καὶ μὴ διὰ χρημάτων εὐπορίαν ἢ φθόνον γεγονυῖα μήτε μὴν δι' ἀρετὴν ἢ ψυχῆς ὠφέλειαν συγγνώμης ἐστὶν ἀξία, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀμελούντων τῆς ἀρετῆς γενομένη οὐ μόνον συγγνώμης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαίνου καὶ τιμῆς ὅτι πλείστης ἐστὶν ἀξία. 18 Mt 5, 22 Συνέδριον ἐνταῦθά φησι τὸ τῶν ἁγίων. καὶ ὁ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ εἰπὼν ῥακά, οὐκ εἰς ἕνα ἡμάρτηκεν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἅπαν τὸ κοινόν. διὸ καὶ τῷ συνεδρίῳ ἔνοχός ἐστιν ὡς τούτου καταφρονήσας. 19 Mt 5, 39 Πονηρὸν ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἀδίκως τύπτοντά τινα καὶ ἐπηρεάζοντα λέγει. ὁ δὲ ἀντιπίπτων καὶ ἀντιμαχόμενος ἔοικε τὸν πονηρὸν μιμεῖσθαι, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸν τύψαντα αὐτόν. εἰ τοίνυν κακόν ἐστι τὸ ἀντιλυπῆσαι τὸν λυπήσαντα, ἀγαθὸν ἂν εἴη τὸ μὴ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ παντοίως θεραπεῦσαι τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ παρακαλέσαι· αἰσχυνθήσεται γὰρ καὶ ἀγαθὸς ἀντὶ κακοῦ γενήσεται. Mt 5, 39 Ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ φησιν, ἀντὶ φιλονικῆσαι, ὁμοίως ἐκείνῳ πρᾶξαι καὶ ἀντιλυπῆσαι καὶ ἀντιπλῆξαι. οὐ δεῖ οὖν, φησίν, ὁμοίως ποιεῖν τῷ πονηρῷ. 21 Mt 5, 45 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀδελφοὺς ἡμᾶς κέκληκε δούλους ὄντας αὐτοῦ καὶ συγκληρονόμους