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Be cleansed; when he legislates, You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder’; but I say to you, Whoever says to his brother, ‘You fool,’ shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire. Have you seen him do everything with despotic authority, casting into Gehenna, and leading into the kingdom, and correcting paralysis, and driving away death, and forgiving sins, and rebuking demons, and calming the sea? And yet what is greater, tell me, to lead into the kingdom, and to cast into Gehenna, and to forgive sins, and to establish laws with authority, or to make loaves of bread? Is it not evident and acknowledged by all that these things are greater than those? But yet he does not pray over the greater things, showing that even over the lesser things he did not do this out of weakness of power, but for the instruction of those present at the time. And so that you may learn how great it is to forgive sins, I bring forward the prophet as a witness for you; for the prophet shows this belongs to no one else, but to God alone. For what God, he says, is like you, taking away iniquities, passing over injustices? And to lead into the kingdom is much greater than to loose death; but yet he does that also with authority. And to legislate belongs not to the subjects, but to the rulers; and the very nature of things proclaims this; for it is for kings alone to establish laws; and the Apostle also shows this, saying thus: Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. For since he was a servant and a minister, he did not dare to add to what had been legislated from the beginning. But Christ does not do so, but with great authority he reads the old laws, and again introduces those from himself. But if simply to establish laws belongs to royal authority alone, when this one is found not only establishing laws, but also correcting the old ones, what argument is left for those who wish to be shameless? For from this it is clear, that he is of the same substance as the one who begot him. And so that what I say may become clearer, let us come to the passage of Scripture itself. Having gone up on the mountain, it says, he sat down, and with everyone standing around he began to say: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart. Then after those beatitudes he says: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. For who suspected this? Or what of the things that had been said was contrary to the former things, that he should say this? Blessed, he says, are the poor in spirit, that is, the humble of mind. But the Old [Testament] also said this: For a sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and humbled heart 48.789 God will not despise. And again: Blessed are the meek. And this Isaiah again cries out, speaking in the person of God: On whom shall I look, but on the one who is meek and quiet and trembles at my words? Blessed are the merciful. And this again is scattered everywhere: For do not deprive, it says, the poor of his life, do not refuse an afflicted suppliant; and everywhere the word concerning philanthropy is great. Blessed are the pure in heart. This also David says: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within my inward parts. And if one were to go through the other beatitudes, he will find that there is great harmony. For what reason, then, having said nothing contrary to the former things, did he add: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets? Not because of the things that had been said, but because of the things about to be said, he offers this correction. For since he was about to proceed to an intensification of the commandments, so that they might not think the increase was a contradiction, nor the addition a conflict, for this reason he said: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; that is, I am about to say some things more perfect than the things previously said; for instance, that You have heard, ‘You shall not murder’; but I say, ‘You shall not be angry.’

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καθαρίσθητι· ὅταν νομοθετῆσαι, Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ φονεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, Ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Μωρὲ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός. Εἶδες πάντα μετὰ αὐθεντίας ποιοῦντα δεσποτικῆς, καὶ εἰς γέενναν ἐκβάλλοντα, καὶ εἰς βασιλείαν εἰσάγοντα, καὶ παράλυσιν διορθούμενον, καὶ εἰς θάνατον ἀπελαύνοντα, καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀφιέντα, καὶ δαίμοσιν ἐπιτιμῶντα, καὶ τὴν θάλατταν καταστέλλοντα; Καίτοι τί μεῖζον, εἰπέ μοι, εἰς βασιλείαν εἰσαγαγεῖν, καὶ εἰς γέενναν ἐμβαλεῖν, καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀφιέναι, καὶ νόμους θεῖναι μετὰ αὐθεντίας, ἢ ἄρτους ποιῆσαι; οὐκ εὔδηλον καὶ ὡμολογημένον ἅπασιν, ὅτι ταῦτα ἐκείνων μείζω; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπὶ τῶν μειζόνων οὐκ εὔχεται, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλαττόνων οὐ δι' ἀσθένειαν δυνάμεως τοῦτο ἐποίει, ἀλλὰ διὰ διδασκαλίαν τῶν τότε παρόντων. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἁμαρτίας ἀφιέναι, παράγω σοι μάρτυρα τὸν προφήτην· οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἑτέρου τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ὁ προφήτης, ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνου. Τίς γὰρ Θεὸς, φησὶν, ὥσπερ σὺ, ἐξαίρων ἀνομίας, ὑπερβαίνων ἀδικίας; Καὶ τὸ εἰς βασιλείαν δὲ εἰσαγαγεῖν τοῦ τὸν θάνατον λῦσαι πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστι· ἀλλ' ὅμως κἀκεῖνο μετ' ἐξουσίας ποιεῖ. Καὶ τὸ νομοθετεῖν δὲ, οὐ τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν βασιλευόντων ἐστί· καὶ τοῦτο βοᾷ μὲν αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φύσις· βασιλέων γὰρ μόνον ἐστὶ τιθέναι νόμους· δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, οὕτω λέγων· Περὶ δὲ τῶν παρθένων ἐπιταγὴν Κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω, γνώμην δὲ δίδωμι ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ Κυρίου πιστὸς εἶναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δοῦλος ἦν καὶ διάκονος, οὐκ ἐτόλμησε προσθεῖναι τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς νομοθετηθεῖσιν. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς αὐθεντίας τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀναγινώσκει νόμους, καὶ τοὺς παρ' αὑτοῦ πάλιν εἰσάγει. Εἰ δὲ τὸ νόμους ἁπλῶς τιθέναι, βασιλικῆς μόνον ἐστὶν ἐξουσίας. ὅταν εὑρίσκηται μὴ μόνον νόμους τιθεὶς οὗτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς παλαιοὺς διορθούμενος, τίς ὑπολείπεται λόγος τοῖς ἀναισχυντεῖν βουλομένοις; Ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτου δῆλον, ὅτι τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ τῷ γεγεννηκότι. Καὶ ἵνα σαφέστερον ὃ λέγω γένηται, ἐπ' αὐτὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ἔλθωμεν τὸ χωρίον. Ἀνελθὼν εἰς τὸ ὄρος, φησὶν, ἐκάθητο, καὶ περιεστώτων πάντων ἤρξατο λέγειν· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, οἱ πραεῖς, οἱ ἐλεήμονες, οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ. Εἶτα μετὰ τοὺς μακαρισμοὺς ἐκείνους λέγει· Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. Τίς γὰρ τοῦτο ὑπώπτευσεν; ἢ τί τῶν εἰρημένων ἐναντίον ἦν τοῖς προτέροις, ἵνα τοῦτο εἴπῃ; Μακάριοι, φησὶν, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, τουτέστιν, οἱ ταπεινόφρονες. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ Παλαιὰ εἶπε· Θυσία γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον· καρδίαν συντετριμμένην 48.789 καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Καὶ πάλιν· Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς. Καὶ τοῦτο Ἡσαΐας πάλιν βοᾷ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγων· Ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν πρᾶον καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους; Μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν πανταχοῦ διέσπαρται· Μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς γὰρ, φησὶν, τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ πτωχοῦ, ἱκέτην θλιβόμενον μὴ ἀπαναίνου· καὶ πολὺς πανταχοῦ περὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος. Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ φησι· Καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοὶ, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου. Καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς δὲ εἴ τις ἐπέλθοι μακαρισμοὺς, εὑρήσει πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν συμφωνίαν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, μηδὲν ἐναντίον εἰρηκὼς τοῖς προτέροις, ἐπήγαγεν· Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας; Οὐ διὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ῥηθήσεσθαι ταύτην τὴν διόρθωσιν τίθησιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἐμβαίνειν εἰς ἐπίτασιν ἐντολῶν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι τὴν αὔξησιν ἐναντίωσιν εἶναι, μηδὲ τὴν προσθήκην μάχην, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε· Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· τουτέστι, μέλλω τινὰ λέγειν τελεώτερα τῶν πρότερον εἰρημένων· οἷον ὅτι Ἠκούσατε, Οὐ φονεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω, Οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ.