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plotting against one another, kindling slanders, daring to commit perjury, practicing to accuse of things they have neither seen nor heard, raging like dogs by day, and seeking the enemy, but spending most of the night in plotting some evil and stitching together 63.554 conspiracies. For such men, not even sleep is pure from passions, but imagining their enemy is present and reviling and striking him, they leap up from their sleep, loving one another's slaughter more than a feast; while others, drunk with anger, hire slanderers, and cause unspeakable troubles for one another, and the more evils they inflict on each other, the more they are provoked to madness. For just as they say happens to drunkards, to be driven by insatiable drunkenness into a more terrible thirst, this is what those who are enslaved to anger suffer, being driven by immoderate contentiousness into a greater and more terrible madness; one called another a slave, another the son of a prostitute, one a fool, another a madman, one a thief and unjust, another full of all wickedness. Then, drunk with anger, grappling with each other, they all but imitate wild beasts, striking, kicking, biting, mangling their bodies, sparing no part, not eyes, not ears, not nose, not face, not any other limb, but clashing with one another and having mangled themselves—and what evil have they not done?—they withdraw from the battle, some with an eye gouged out, others their lips, others some other part of the body; corrupted in soul more than in body, being mad, being delirious, raving, ignorant of the law of God and the Savior, which commands those who are slapped and struck and suffer other things to bear all things nobly with a tranquil soul, and to conquer with meekness the anger of those who do wrong. For he who does this is praised by men, and is crowned by God and the Savior. Therefore one must persevere, and bear with the angry gently, looking to the crown which God prepares for the gentle and good. For it is absurd that athletes in gymnastic contests should endure dust and blows and wounds while looking to an empty glory and a worthless crown; but that we who are about to be crowned by Christ should not control our anger, nor bear all things nobly, but prefer a brief pleasure and unjust wrath to the honor and glory in heaven. And indeed we also know this, that while there are many and great things with which the life of the righteous is adorned, this before all other things has made men illustrious: to live with kindness and to deal gently with those who do wrong. For by this Moses, meekly bearing with the madness of the Jews and saving his enemies with prayers, enjoyed honor and glory in heaven before others, and was called a friend of God; and by this David, having spared his enemies and foes, drew God to great goodwill and friendship. For this can adorn every man, but especially those in authority. For when sovereign power permits one to do all things, to restrain oneself and to make the law of God the guide of one's actions is a great thing for good repute and glory. And indeed, both Paul and Peter, having reached the vault of heaven through the virtue with which they lived, shone forth from gentleness more than from their other good qualities, honoring those who reviled them, doing good to their enemies. often saving by their prayers those who stoned them; for they knew that in doing this, they were doing what was especially pleasing to God, and what is admired in heaven before other good things. For which reason, they were seen to adorn their own lives with gentle-63.556-ness, and to exhort other men to this. Since

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ἐπιβουλεύοντες ἀλλήλοις, συκοφαντίας ἀνάπτοντες, ἐπιορκεῖν τολμῶντες, ἃ μήτε ἑωράκασι μήτε ἀκηκόασι κατηγορεῖν μελετῶντες, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μὲν ὥσπερ κύνες λυττῶντες, καὶ ζητοῦντες τὸν ἐχθρὸν, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς τὸ πλεῖστον ἀναλίσκοντες ἐν τῷ βουλεύεσθαί τι κακὸν καὶ ῥάπτειν ἐπι 63.554 βουλάς. Τοῖς τοιούτοις οὐδὲ ὕπνος καθαρεύει παθημάτων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐχθρὸν παρεῖναι καὶ λοιδορεῖσθαι καὶ τύπτειν νομίζοντες, ἐκ τῶν ὕπνων ἀναπηδῶσιν, ἐρῶντες τῆς ἀλλήλων σφαγῆς πλέον ἢ τραπέζης· ἕτεροι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς μεθύοντες, συκοφάντας μισθούμενοι, καὶ πράγματα ἀμύθητα παρέχοντες ἀλλήλοις, ὅσῳ ἂν πλείω κακὰ παράσχωσιν ἀλλήλοις, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον εἰς μανίαν ἐρεθιζόμενοι. Ὅπερ γάρ φασι τοὺς μεθύοντας πάσχειν, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπλήστου μέθης εἰς χαλεπωτέραν δίψαν ἐκφέρεσθαι, τοῦτο πάσχουσιν οἱ δουλεύοντες ὀργῇ, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμέτρου φιλονεικίας εἰς μείζω καὶ χαλεπωτέραν ἐκφερόμενοι μανίαν· ὁ μὲν δοῦλον ἐκάλεσεν, ὁ δὲ πόρνης υἱὸν, ὁ μὲν ἀνόητον, ὁ δὲ μαινόμενον, ὁ μὲν κλέπτην καὶ ἄδικον, ὁ δὲ πάσης πονηρίας ἀνάμεστον. Εἶτα ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς μεθύοντες, συμπλακέντες ἀλλήλοις, μικροῦ δεῖν τὰ θηρία μιμοῦνται, τύπτοντες, λακτίζοντες, δάκνοντες, κατακόπτοντες τὰ σώματα, οὐδενὸς φειδόμενοι μέρους, οὐκ ὀφθαλμῶν, οὐκ ὤτων, οὐ ῥινὸς, οὐ προσώπου, οὐκ ἄλλου μέλους τινὸς, ἀλλὰ συῤῥαγέντες ἀλλήλοις καὶ κατακόψαντες ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ τί κακὸν οὐ ποιήσαντες; ἀναχωροῦσιν ἐκ τῆς μάχης, οἱ μὲν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐκκοπέντες, οἱ δὲ χείλη, οἱ δὲ ἄλλο τι τοῦ σώματος μέρος· πλέον τὴν ψυχὴν ἢ τὸ σῶμα διεφθαρμένοι, μεμηνότες, παραφρονοῦντες, λυττῶντες, ἀγνοοῦντες τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος, τὸν κελεύοντα ῥαπιζομένους καὶ τυπτομένους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάσχοντας, ἡσυχαζούσῃ τῇ ψυχῇ πάντα φέρειν γενναίως, καὶ νικᾷν τῇ πραότητι τὸν τῶν ἀδικούντων θυμόν. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιῶν ἐπαινεῖται μὲν ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων, στεφανοῦται δὲ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος. ∆ιόπερ χρὴ καρτερεῖν, καὶ τῶν ὀργιζομένων ἡμέρως ἀνέχεσθαι, βλέποντας πρὸς τὸν στέφανον, ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἑτοιμάζει τοῖς ἐπιεικέσι καὶ χρηστοῖς. Ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς μὲν γυμνικῶν ἀγώνων ἀθλητὰς καὶ κονιορτοῦ καὶ πληγῶν καὶ τραυμάτων ἀνέχεσθαι, πρὸς δόξαν κενὴν καὶ στέφανον οὐδενὸς ἄξιον βλέποντας· ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ στεφανοῦσθαι μέλλοντας μὴ κρατεῖν ὀργῆς, μηδὲ πάντα φέρειν γενναίως, ἀλλὰ βραχεῖαν ἡδονὴν καὶ θυμὸν ἄδικον τῆς ἐν οὐρανοῖς προτιμᾷν τιμῆς τε καὶ εὐδοξίας. Καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνό γε ἴσμεν, ὅτι πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μεγάλων, οἷς ὁ τῶν δικαίων κεκόσμηται βίος, τοῦτο πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων λαμπροὺς πεποίηκε τοὺς ἄνδρας, τὸ χρηστότητι συζῇν καὶ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἡμέρως προσφέρεσθαι. Τούτῳ μὲν γὰρ ὁ Μωϋσῆς πράως ἀνεχόμενος τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων μανίας, καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς διασώζων, τῆς ἐν οὐρανοῖς τιμῆς τε καὶ εὐδοξίας πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπήλαυσεν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλος ἐκλήθη· τούτῳ δὲ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων φεισάμενος, εἰς πολλὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ φιλίαν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπεσπάσατο. Ἅπαντα μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον τοῦτο κοσμεῖν δύναται, διαφερόντως δὲ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἐξουσίαις. Τὸ γὰρ, πάντα ποιεῖν ἐπιτρεπούσης τῆς βασιλείας, κατέχειν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον ἡγεμόνα ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἔργων, μέγα μὲν εἰς εὐφημίαν τε καὶ δόξαν. Καὶ μὴν καὶ Παῦλος καὶ Πέτρος τῆς οὐρανίας ἁψῖδος ἁψάμενοι διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν, ᾗ συνέζησαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμερότητος μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξέλαμψαν ἀγαθῶν, τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας τιμῶντες, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς εὖ ποιοῦντες. τοὺς καταλιθάσαντας πολλάκις ταῖς εὐχαῖς διασώζοντες· ᾔδεισαν γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα κεχαρισμένον τῷ Θεῷ ποιοῦντες, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς θαυμαζόμενον. ∆ι' ὅπερ αὐτοί γε τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον ἡμερό63.556 τητι κοσμοῦντες ἐφάνησαν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ ταύτην παρακαλοῦντες. Ἐπεὶ