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he contended against the devil, he would have done nothing great by conquering the apostate angel created by him, nor would the victory have been credited to humanity; but as a man he overcame him by forbearance, teaching us that it is necessary to overcome the devil not through signs, but through forbearance and long-suffering and to do nothing at all for show and ambition. 21 Mt 4, 8 But the Lord endured the devil leading him here and there just as he endured those who dragged him to the slaughter like a sheep, in order that through his extreme humility he might cast down that one's arrogance without being harmed in his purpose by this in that to which he was challenged to run, yet not to be defeated by him and obey the things commanded by him. 22 Mt 4, 8 <By way of dispensation> it must be understood that the devil led him away, since this, which Christ was eager and seeking to do, was arranged for the clear defeat of him who attempted to tempt in vain. For in the case of Job it says that the devil spoke to the Lord; and yet who is so simple as to think that the devil conversed with God? But, because he wished it, God permitted it for a demonstration of Job's steadfastness. Thus also here he attaches to the devil what was arranged on behalf of all, as he wished it to happen. And the "he showed" makes it clear that he was not showing it in substance, since it is not even possible to find a mountain so high from which it is possible for one who wishes to look down upon the whole world, but by fantasy, as is the custom for demons to show many things, a clear sign of which is that those who know how to bewitch accurately show many things that are not present nor happening as though they were present and happening. 23 Mt 4, 10 The devil is demented, promising to give to God the Word the things which he himself made. But the Lord speaks rebukingly to the devil, saying, that we have been taught to worship God alone, not another; for all are his ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.

24 Mt 5, 13 It is necessary therefore for virtue to have its own nature; salt is useful for many things,

but having turned aside it is completely useless as it is not able to receive correction from anything else. Therefore it is also thrown out. Thus you also, if you take hold of virtue, will benefit others; but if you turn aside to things to which no <sensible person turns aside> there being no other who is able to correct you, you will also be punished. 25 Mt 5, 14 25 Just as one sees all things by means of the light, so also those who are persuaded by you see through you the works of virtue. 26 Mt 5, 15 He called wickedness a bushel basket, and virtue a lamp. What then is it that the Savior says: a bushel basket under which some people place the lamp? He here calls wickedness the bushel basket, and virtue the lamp; and just as those who are about to do something unlawful walk in darkness, shunning the light, so also those who work wickedness hide virtue under it so as to seem not to be doing evil, but rather good. 28 Mt 5, 22 But by mentioning the judgment and the council and the hell of fire he brings on the same punishment; for he does not mean one thing and another through the different words, nor a different punishment. If it is not permitted to say "fool," how did the Lord say "fools"? It is not fitting to call one's brother a fool; for the word is one of anger and not of righteousness, but also impious, when it is said against a holy person. But the Lord justly calls "fools" those who are in no way his own or belong to righteousness, not in anger, but in truth. Gehenna is the eternal and tartarean place of punishment. 31 Mt 5, 28 He who looks in order to lust in a certain way rouses the dormant passions through his sight. 32 Mt 5, 31 Because of wanting to be with other women, he cast out the first ones and through this device the men took other men's wives, and the women other women's husbands. 33 Mt 5, 31-32 And he mixed the argument about divorces with the fornicators; for those who dismiss their own wives without cause because they want to have intercourse with others were making

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κατηγωνίσατο τὸν διάβολον, οὐδὲν μέγα ἐποίει νικήσας τὸν πλασθέντα ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄγγελον ἀποστάτην, οὐδὲ ἡ νίκη ἐπεγράφετο τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι· ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθρωπος τῇ ἀνεξικακίᾳ περιεγίνετο αὐτοῦ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τοῦ διαβόλου οὐ διὰ σημείων, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀνεξικακίας καὶ μακροθυμίας περιγίνεσθαι χρὴ καὶ μηδὲν εἰς ἐπίδειξιν ποιεῖν καὶ φιλοτιμίαν ἁπλῶς. 21 Mt 4, 8 Ἠνείχετο δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ διαβόλου τῇδε κἀκεῖσε αὐτὸν περιάγοντος ὡς καὶ τῶν ἑλκόντων αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ὡς πρόβατον, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἄγαν ταπεινοφροσύνης καθέλῃ τὸ ἐκείνου φρύαγμα μηδὲ ἐκ τούτου βλαβεὶς τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐν τῷ ἐφ' ὃ αὐτὸν προεκαλεῖτο τρέχειν, μὴ μὴν ἡττᾶσθαι αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπακούειν τοῖς ἐπιταττομένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 22 Mt 4, 8 <Οἰκονομικῶς> νοητέον τὸ ὅτι ὁ διάβολος ἀπήγαγεν αὐτόν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τοῦ Χριστοῦ προθυμουμένου ποιεῖν καὶ ζητοῦντος ᾠκονομεῖτο εἰς ἧτταν σαφῆ τοῦ μάτην ἐπιχειροῦντος πειράζειν. καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ λέγει, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ διάβολος τῷ κυρίῳ· καίτοιγε τίς οὕτω εὐήθης, ὥστε οἰηθῆναι τῷ θεῷ διαλέγεσθαι τὸν διάβολον; ἀλλ', ὅτι ἐβούλετο, συνεχώρει ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς στερρότητος τοῦ Ἰώβ. οὕτως κἀντεῦθεν τῷ διαβόλῳ περιάπτει, ὅπερ ἐκείνου βουλομένου γίνεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ᾠκονομεῖτο. τὸ δὲ ἔδειξεν δῆλον, ὡς οὐ καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἐδείκνυ, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ οἷόν τε ὄρος οὕτω εὑρεῖν ὑψηλόν, δι' οὗ πάντα τὸν κόσμον τῷ βουλομένῳ δυνατὸν κατιδεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φαντασίαν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἔθος δεικνύναι τοῖς δαίμοσιν οὗ δὴ γνώρισμα σαφὲς τὸ τοὺς γοητεύειν ἀκριβῶς ἐπισταμένους πολλὰ δεικνύναι οὐ παρόντων οὐδὲ γινομένων ὡς παρόντα τε καὶ γινόμενα. 23 Mt 4, 10 Παράπληκτος ὁ διάβολος τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ ἐπαγγελλόμενος διδόναι ἅπερ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν. ἐπιπληκτικῶς δὲ ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ λαλεῖ λέγων, ὅτι μόνῳ θεῷ ἐδιδάχθημεν προσκυνεῖν, οὐχ ἑτέρῳ· πάντες γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἰσι λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν.

24 Mt 5, 13 ∆εῖ οὖν ἀρετῇ ἰδίας φύσεως· τὸ ἅλας εἰς πολλὰ χρησιμεύει,

παρατραπὲν δὲ ὁλοτελῶς ἄχρηστον ὡς μὴ δυνάμενον ἐξ ἄλλου τινὸς διόρθωσιν λαβεῖν. διὸ καὶ ῥίπτεται ἔξω. οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἐὰν ἐπιλάβησθε τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ ἑτέρους ὠφελήσετε· εἰ δὲ ἐκνεύσητε πρὸς ἃ μηδεὶς <φρόνιμος ἐκνεύει> μὴ ὄντος ἄλλου τοῦ δυναμένου ὑμᾶς διορθώσασθαι, καὶ τιμωρηθήσεσθε. 25 Mt 5, 14 25 Ὥσπερ διὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ὁρᾷ τις ὅλα, οὕτω καὶ οἱ πειθόμενοι ὑμῖν δι' ὑμῶν ὁρῶσι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα. 26 Mt 5, 15 Μόδιον τὴν κακίαν εἶπεν, λύχνον δὲ τὴν ἀρετήν. Τί οὖν ἐστιν, ὅ φησιν ὁ σωτήρ· μόδιον ὑφ' ᾧ τὸν λύχνον τιθέασίν τινες; μόδιον μὲν τὴν κακίαν ἐνταῦθα λέγει, λύχνον δὲ τὴν ἀρετήν· καὶ καθάπερ οἱ μέλλοντές τι ποιῆσαι τῶν ἀθεμίτων ἐν σκότει πορεύονται ἐκκλίνοντες τὸ φῶς, οὕτως καὶ οἱ τὴν κακίαν ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ ταύτην κρύπτουσιν ὥστε δοκεῖν μὴ κακὸν ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἀγαθόν. 28 Mt 5, 22 Τῷ δὲ εἰπεῖν τῇ κρίσει καὶ τῷ συνεδρίῳ καὶ τῇ γεέννῃ τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπάγει κόλασιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλο καὶ ἄλλο σημαίνει διὰ τῶν διαφόρων λέξεων οὔτε διάφορον τιμωρίαν. εἰ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται μωρὸν λέγειν, πῶς ὁ κύριος μωροὺς εἶπεν; μωρὸν τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὐ προσήκει καλεῖν· ὀργῆς γὰρ τὸ ῥῆμα καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβές, ὅτε κατὰ ἁγίου λέγεται. ὁ δὲ κύριος τοὺς οὐδαμῶς ἰδίους αὐτῷ καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ μωροὺς ὀνομάζει δικαίως, οὐ πρὸς ὀργήν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν. γέεννα δέ ἐστι τὸ αἰώνιον κολαστήριον καὶ ταρταρῶδες. 31 Mt 5, 28 Ὁ ἐμβλέψας πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι τρόπον τινὰ ἠρεμοῦντα τὰ πάθη διανύττει διὰ τοῦ ὁρᾶν. 32 Mt 5, 31 ∆ιὰ τὸ θέλειν ἄλλαις συνεῖναι ἐξέβαλε τὰς πρώτας καὶ διὰ τῆς μηχανῆς ταύτης οἱ μὲν ἐλάμβανον τὰς ἄλλων γυναῖκας, αἱ δὲ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἄνδρας. 33 Mt 5, 31-32 Τὸν δὲ περὶ ῥεπουδίων λόγον συνέμιξε τοῖς πόρνοις· οἱ γὰρ εἰκῇ ἀπολύοντες τὰς ἰδίας γαμετὰς διὰ τὸ θέλειν ἄλλαις συμμίγνυσθαι ἐποίουν