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I might be able to overcome the evils brought upon him, and to pull down this great tower? 4. What pardon then will there be for us, beloved, and what defense, if while the wicked demon uses such great madness against us, we should not contribute even the smallest part of such zeal for the salvation of our brothers, and this, when we have God as our ally? When, therefore, you see a brother who is harsh and unfeeling, and not paying attention to you, say to yourself: Perhaps in time we might be able to persuade him? Thus Paul also commanded us to do: But the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. Do you not see fathers, how often when their sons have been despaired of, they sit beside them weeping, lamenting, kissing them tenderly, contributing everything in their power until their last breath? You also do this for your brother. And yet they from their lamentations and tears can neither drive away the sickness, nor ward off death when it comes; but you will often be able through endurance and constant attendance, through lamentations and tears, to draw back and raise up a soul despaired of. You have advised, and not persuaded? Weep, and you will often touch him; groan bitterly, so that, revering your care, he may turn back to salvation. What can I do alone? For I am not able to be with all of you every day alone, nor am I sufficient to speak to so great a multitude alone. But you, if you would be willing to portion out among yourselves one another's salvation, and each one take on one of the neglected brothers, quickly the work of our building will grow. And what must one say of those who after much exhortation recover themselves? For not even from those who are incurably sick must one withdraw and neglect them; even if we know clearly beforehand, that after receiving much zeal and counsel, they will gain nothing 48.968 more. But if this saying seems strange to you, come, from what Christ both did and said, from these things we will confirm it. For we men are ignorant of the future, wherefore we cannot insist concerning those who hear, whether they will be persuaded, or whether they will disobey what is said by us; but Christ, knowing both these things clearly, did not cease correcting him who would not hear him, until the end. For example, knowing that Judas would not desist from his betrayal, he did not cease with counsels, with exhortations, with benefits, with threats, with every kind of teaching restraining him from the betrayal, and continually checking him, as if with a bridle, by his word. And he does this, teaching us, even if we know beforehand that the brothers will not be persuaded, to fulfill all our part, as our reward for the counsel has been completed. And see how continually and wisely he restrained him by what he said: One of you shall betray me. And again: I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen. And again: One of you is a devil. And he endured putting all in agony, so as not to expose the traitor, and make him more shameless by the public nature of the reproofs. For that what was said instilled agony and fear in the others also, though they were conscious of no evil in themselves, hear how each in his agony said: Lord, is it I? And not only through words, but also through deeds did he instruct him. For since he had shown his own love for mankind often and through all things, cleansing lepers, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, strengthening the paralyzed, and he did good to all, but punished no one, and continually said, I came not to judge the world, but to save the world; lest Judas should think that Christ knows only how to do good, but not how to punish, he also teaches him this part, namely that he is able to punish and to chastise those who sin. 5. And see how wisely and fittingly this also

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τῶν ἐπαγομένων αὐτῷ κακῶν δυνηθῶ αὐτοῦ περιγίνεσθαι, καὶ τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον καθελεῖν πύργον; δʹ. Τίς οὖν ἡμῖν ἔσται συγγνώμη, ἀγαπητοὶ, τίς δὲ ἀπολογία, εἰ τοσαύτῃ τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος καθ' ἡμῶν κεχρημένου μανίᾳ, ἡμεῖς μηδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν τῆς τοσαύτης σπουδῆς εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀδελφῶν εἰσενέγκοιμεν, καὶ ταῦτα τὸν Θεὸν σύμμαχον ἔχοντες; Ὅταν γοῦν ἴδῃς σκληρὸν καὶ ἀπηνῆ τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ μὴ προσέχοντά σοι, λέγε πρὸς σεαυτόν· Μήποτε τῷ χρόνῳ δυνηθῶμεν πεῖσαι; Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσε ποιεῖν· ∆οῦλον δὲ Κυρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἤπιον εἶναι πρὸς πάντας, ἐν πραότητι παιδεύοντα τοὺς ἀντιδιατιθεμένους, μήποτε δώῃ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς μετάνοιαν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς πατέρας, πῶς πολλάκις τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῖς ἀπεγνωσμένων, παρακάθηνται δακρύοντες, θρηνοῦντες, καταφιλοῦντες, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέροντες ἅπαντα ἕως ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς; Τοῦτο καὶ σὺ περὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ποίησον. Καίτοι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν θρήνων καὶ τῶν δακρύων οὔτε τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ἀπελάσαι, οὔτε τὸν θάνατον ἐπελθόντα ἀποκρούσασθαι δύνανται· σὺ δὲ ψυχὴν ἀπογνωσθεῖσαν τῇ καρτερίᾳ καὶ τῇ προσεδρίᾳ δυνήσῃ πολλάκις διὰ τῶν θρήνων καὶ τῶν δακρύων ἐπισπάσασθαι καὶ ἀναστῆσαι. Συνεβούλευσας, καὶ οὐκ ἔπεισας; δάκρυσον, καὶ καθάψῃ πολλάκις· στέναξον πικρὸν, ἵνα αἰδεσθείς σου τὴν κηδεμονίαν, ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν. Τί δυνήσομαι ἐγὼ μόνος ποιεῖν; οὐ γὰρ δὴ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν καθ' ἑκάστην συγγίνεσθαι δύναμαι μόνος τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐδὲ ἀρκῶ πλήθει τοσούτῳ διαλέγεσθαι μόνος. Ὑμεῖς δὲ, εἰ βουληθείητε τὴν ἀλλήλων διανείμασθαι σωτηρίαν, καὶ ἕκαστος ἕνα ἀπολαβεῖν τῶν ἠμελημένων ἀδελφῶν, ταχέως ἡμῖν τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς αὐξηθήσεται. Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν τῶν μετὰ πολλὴν παραίνεσιν ἀνακτωμένων ἑαυτούς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκείνων τῶν ἀνίατα νοσούντων ἀφίστασθαι χρὴ καὶ ἀμελεῖν· κἂν προειδότες ὦμεν σαφῶς, ὅτι πολλῆς ἀπολαύσαντες τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τῆς συμβουλῆς, οὐδὲν κερδανοῦσι 48.968 πλέον. Εἰ δὲ παράδοξος ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος οὗτος εἶναι δοκεῖ, φέρε, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησέ τε καὶ εἶπεν, ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτὸν πιστωσόμεθα. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸ μέλλον ἀγνοοῦμεν, ὅθεν οὐδὲ διισχυρίζεσθαι δυνάμεθα περὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων, εἴτε πεισθήσονται, εἴτε ἀπειθήσουσι τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν λεγομένοις· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ταῦτα ἀμφότερα εἰδὼς σαφῶς, οὐ διέλιπε τὸν οὐκ ἀκουσόμενον αὐτοῦ διορθούμενος μέχρι τέλους. Τὸν γοῦν Ἰούδαν εἰδὼς οὐκ ἀποστησόμενον τῆς προδοσίας, οὐ διέλιπε συμβουλαῖς, παραινέσεσιν, εὐεργεσίαις, ἀπειλαῖς, παντὶ τρόπῳ διδασκαλίας ἀναστέλλων αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς προδοσίας, καὶ συνεχῶς ἀνακρουόμενος, ὥσπερ τινὶ χαλινῷ, τῷ λόγῳ. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, κἂν προειδότες ὦμεν, ὅτι οὐ πεισθήσονται οἱ ἀδελφοὶ, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντα ἀποπληροῦν, ὡς ἀπηρτισμένου τῆς συμβουλῆς ἡμῖν τοῦ μισθοῦ. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς συνεχῶς αὐτὸν καὶ σοφῶς ἀνέστελλε δι' ὧν ἔλεγεν· Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν λέγω· οἶδα οὓς ἐξελεξάμην. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστι. Καὶ ἠνείχετο πάντας ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ καθιστᾷν, ὥστε μὴ ἐκπομπεῦσαι τὸν προδότην, καὶ ἀναισχυντότερον ποιῆσαι τῇ τῶν ἐλέγχων περιφανείᾳ. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀγωνίαν καὶ φόβον ἐνέβαλε τὰ λεγόμενα, καίτοι μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδόσι πονηρὸν, ἄκουσον πῶς ἕκαστος ἀγωνιῶν ἔλεγε· Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, Κύριε; Οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων αὐτὸν ἐπαίδευεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο πολλάκις καὶ διὰ πάντων, λεπροὺς καθαίρων, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνων, νοσοῦντας ἰώμενος, νεκροὺς ἐγείρων, παραλελυμένους σφίγγων, καὶ πάντας μὲν εὐηργέτησεν, ἐκόλασε δὲ οὐδένα, καὶ συνεχῶς ἔλεγεν, Οὐκ ἦλθον ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω τὸν κόσμον· ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ ὁ Ἰούδας, ὅτι εὐεργετεῖν μὲν μόνον οἶδεν ὁ Χριστὸς, κολάζειν δὲ οὐκέτι, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸν διδάσκει τὸ μέρος, οἷον ὅτι καὶ κολάζειν δύναται καὶ τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας. εʹ. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς σοφῶς καὶ προσηκόντως καὶ τοῦτον