"a man after my own heart". And yet a good law had been given, even to care for an enemy’s beast of burden. And Job was justified as one holding to guilelessness, and Joseph did not avenge himself on his treacherous brothers, and Abel walked simply and unsuspectingly with his fratricide brother. And theology proclaims all the good-like to be so, not foreseeing evils, not feigning them, but not even being changed from the good by the malice of others, but on the contrary, in a godlike manner, making the evil good and extending even to them their great goodness and gently calling them to its likeness. But let us look up to the steep, not proclaiming the gentleness of holy men, nor the goodness of philanthropic angels, who have mercy on nations and intercede for their good and rebuke the destructive and malevolent multitudes and are vexed at evils, but rejoice in the salvation of those called to the good, nor whatever else theology hands down concerning the good-doing angels; but receiving in quiet the good-making rays of the truly good and super-good Christ, let us be enlightened by them to his divine good works. For is it not of an ineffable and supraconceptual goodness that he makes beings to be and that he brought them all forth to be and wishes all always to become like himself and partakers of his own things according to the fitness of each? What of the fact that he lovingly holds fast to those who depart, and strives, and begs not to be disdained by his loved ones, and endures their coyness and their baseless accusations, and he himself makes a defense? And rather, he promises to heal and still, to those far off, yet approaching, he runs toward them and meets them and, embracing them whole, he kisses them and does not accuse them of their former things, but loves the present things and holds a feast and "calls together his friends"—namely the good—so that the dwelling may be of all who are rejoicing. (But Demophilus, and if any other hates the good, is very justly rebuked and is taught the good things and is made good). For how should not the good one, he says, rejoice at the salvation of the lost and at the life of the dead? Indeed, he even takes upon his shoulders the one who has with difficulty turned from error and rouses the good angels to gladness and "is kind to the ungrateful" and makes his sun rise "on the evil and on the good" and "lays down his own life for" those who flee. But you, as your letters show, even when he who, as you say, is impious and a sinner fell down before the priest—I know not how, being present against himself—you kicked him away. Then he indeed was begging and confessing that he had come for the healing of evils, but you did not shudder, but with audacity you also reviled the good priest for pitying a penitent and justifying the impious man; and finally, "Go out," you said to the priest, "with those like you," and you rushed in—it not being lawful—to the inner sanctuary and you shut up the holy of holies and you write to us that "I providentially saved the sacred things when they were about to be defiled and I still keep them unstained." Now then, hear our words: it is not lawful for a priest to be called to account by ministers above you or by servants of the same rank as you, even if he seems to be impious towards divine things, even if he should be convicted of doing something else of the forbidden things. For if there is disorder and lack of discipline of the most divine things and a transgression of boundaries and laws, it is not reasonable for the divinely handed-down order to be overturned for the sake of God. Not

«ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου». Καίτοι καὶ θεσμὸς ἀγαθὸς ἐδεδώρητο καὶ ὑποζυγίων ἐχθροῦ προνοεῖν. Καὶ Ἰὼβ ὡς ἀκακίας ἐχόμενος ἐδικαιοῦτο, καὶ Ἰωσὴφ τοὺς ἐπιβούλους ἀδελφοὺς οὐκ ἠμύνετο, καὶ Ἄβελ ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀνυπόπτως συνεπορεύετο τῷ ἀδελφοκτόνῳ. Καὶ πάντας ἡ θεολογία τοὺς ἀγαθοειδεῖς ἀνακηρύττει, μὴ προεννοοῦντας τὰ κακὰ, μὴ προποιοῦντας, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ πρὸς τῆς ἄλλων κακίας ἐκ τἀγαθοῦ μεταποιουμένους, τοὐ ναντίον δὲ θεοειδῶς καὶ τοὺς κακοὺς ἀγαθύνοντας καὶ ἐφαπλοῦντας καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἀγαθότητα καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὅμοιον ἐπιεικῶς ἐκκαλουμένους. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ ἄναντες ἀνανεύσωμεν, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν ἱερῶν ἐπιεικείας, οὐ φιλανθρώπων ἀγγέλων ἀγαθότητας ἐξαγγέλλοντες, ἐλεούντων ἔθνη καὶ ὑπερδεομένων αὐτῶν τἀγαθοῦ καὶ ταῖς ὀλεθρίαις καὶ κακεργέτισιν ἐπι τιμώντων πληθύσι καὶ ἀχθομένων μὲν ἐπὶ κακοῖς, εὐφραινομένων δὲ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν εἰς τἀγαθὰ μετακαλουμένων, οὐδ' ὅσα ἄλλα περὶ τῶν ἀγαθοεργῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ θεολογία παραδίδωσιν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὄντως ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ὑπεραγάθου Χριστοῦ τὰς ἀγαθοποιοὺς ἀκτῖνας ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ παραδε χόμενοι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰς θείας ἀγαθουργίας αὐτοῦ φωταγωγηθῶμεν. Ἀρα γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφάτου καὶ ὑπὲρ νόησιν ἀγαθότητος, ὅτι τὰ ὄντα εἶναι ποιεῖ καὶ ὅτι πάντα αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγε καὶ πάντα βούλεται ἀεὶ γενέσθαι παραπλήσια ἑαυτῷ καὶ κοινωνικὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου ἐπιτηδειότητα; Τί δέ, ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀποφοιτώντων ἐρωτικῶς ἔχεται καὶ φιλονεικεῖ καὶ δεῖται μὴ ἀπαξιωθῆναι τῶν ἐρωμένων καὶ θρυπτομένων αὐτῶν καὶ εἰκῆ κατεγκαλούντων ἀνέχεται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπο λογεῖται; Καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπαγγέλλεται θεραπεύσειν καὶ ἔτι αὐτοῖς ἀπέχου σιν, ὅμως προσιοῦσι, προστρέχει καὶ ὑπαντᾷ καὶ ὅλος ὅλους περιφὺς ἀσπάζεται καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖ περὶ τῶν προτέρων, ἀλλ' ἀγαπᾷ τὰ παρόντα καὶ ἑορτὴν ἄγει καὶ «συγκαλεῖται τοὺς φίλους«-δηλαδὴ τοὺς ἀγαθούς -, ἵνα ᾖ πάντων εὐφραινομένων ἡ κατοικία. (∆ημόφιλος δέ, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἀγαθοῖς ἀπεχθάνεται, λίαν ἐνδίκως ἐπιτιμᾶται καὶ ἐκδιδάσκεται τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἀγαθύνεται). Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔδει, φησί, τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀπολωλότων εὐφραίνεσθαι καὶ ζωῇ τῶν τεθανατωμένων; Ἀμέλει καὶ ἐπ' ὤμων αἴρει τὸ μόλις ἀπὸ πλάνης ἐπιστραφὲν καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἀγγέλους εἰς εὐφροσύνην ἐγείρει καὶ «χρηστός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀχαρί στους» καὶ ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ «ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς» καὶ αὐτὴν «τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ» τῶν ἀποφευγόντων. Σὺ δέ, ὡς τὰ γράμματά σου δηλοῖ, καὶ προσπεσόντα τῷ ἱερεῖ τόν, ὡς φῄς, ἀσεβῆ καὶ ἁμαρτωλόν-οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως καθ' ἑαυτοῦ παρών-ἀπελάκτισας. Eἶτα ὁ μὲν ἐδεῖτο καὶ ὡμολόγει πρὸς ἰατρείαν κακῶν ἐληλυθέναι, σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔφριξας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἱερέα μετὰ θράσους προεπηλάκιζες ἐλεητὸν εἶναι μετανοοῦντα καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ δικαιώσαντα· καὶ τέλος· Ἔξιθι" ἔφης τῷ ἱερεῖ μετὰ τῶν ὁμοίων" καὶ εἰσεπήδησας-οὐκ ὄντος θεμιτοῦ -πρὸς τὰ ἄδυτα καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων συνέστειλας καὶ γράφεις ἡμῖν, ὅτι μέλλοντα διαφθαρῆναι τὰ ἱερὰ προνοητικῶς ἀπέσωσα καὶ ἔτι ἄχραν τα διαφυλάττω. Νῦν οὖν ἄκουε τῶν ἡμετέρων· οὐ θεμιτὸν ἱερέα πρὸς τῶν ὑπὲρ σὲ λειτουργῶν ἢ τῶν ὁμοταγῶν σοι θεραπευτῶν εὐθύνεσθαι, κἂν ἀσεβεῖν εἰς τὰ θεῖα δοκῇ, κἂν ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀπειρημένων ἐξελέγχοιτο δράσας. Eἰ γὰρ ἀκοσμία καὶ ἀταξία τῶν θειοτάτων ἐστὶ καὶ ὅρων καὶ θεσμῶν ἔκβασις, οὐκ ἔχει λόγον ὑπὲρ θεοῦ τὴν θεοπαράδοτον ἀνατρέπεσθαι τάξιν. Oὐ