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produces endurance, and endurance produces approval, and approval produces hope, and hope does not put to shame. A crooked heart did not cleave to me. Thus, reasoning correctly and walking in a straight path, when the Evil One came up against my heart, and I gave him no place, since he had no room against me, I did not know when he came, as I did not receive him; thus I did not know when he departed. For wickedness withdrew like a passing shadow, working no harm in me. 4. Therefore, let us also be taught, if ever a difficult or circumstantial matter befalls one of us, and a thought of the Evil One returns, that it not master our ruling faculty, but may it pass by, keeping our heart unharmed, so that we too may say; When the evil one departed from me, I knew it not.

Him who slanders his neighbor in secret, him I drove away. Let us learn a good lesson, beloved, not only not to slander, but not even to listen to slander. For slander is a terrible evil, an unruly demon, never rendering a person peaceful. For what evil is not from slander? From it enmities arise, through it strifes are formed, dissensions take their beginning from it, evil suspicions born from there provide the causes of countless evils; hatred gushes from it as from a spring; and whatever evils one might find by reasoning, one will find all these poured forth from slander, drawing all to wickedness. Slander knows, having filled a person with anger and partaking of murder from it, how to make him murderous against his neighbor. It knows also how to make the soul savage and to cause it to depart from brotherly communion, and to show as an enemy without cause one who was a friend a short while before. This also, having touched Miriam 55.634 the sister of Moses, immediately showed her leprous from itself, and brought upon her wrath and anger from the Lord.

This also overturns whole houses and rouses peaceful cities to war. This also dissolves the bonds of good peace, and breaks the tie of great love. This also, causing one to depart from the commandments of God, teaches transgression, and snatching one away from the friendship of God, leads one far from the truth. This was the first cause also of the perdition of the first-formed Adam, and it deprived him of the life in paradise and of heavenly delight. For having entered into the mouth of the serpent and worked a lie against the unfailing goodness of God, and said, 'Why did God say, You shall not eat of any tree in paradise?' it led to the transgression of the commandment, turning the obedient one away from the truth; and having drawn to itself him who was in conversation with the Lord, it presently made him an enemy through deceit, and showed him to be completely estranged from good things. Let us refrain, therefore, from slander, keeping far from it, lest we acquire a vain enmity toward our own Lord.

Let us cease from slander, lest we become unjust judges of the truth, and be found as false witnesses against the law. For he who speaks against a brother, it says, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are no longer a doer of the law, but a judge. But there is one judge and lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Do you see, beloved, how much weight slander has? Let us cease from this, lest we bring judgment upon ourselves. Let us drive away from us also those who wish to slander, lest by agreeing with the evils of others, we procure our own destruction; and let us not listen gladly to those who slander, lest we be filled with diabolical thoughts. For this slander is also called diabolical, having received its name naturally from its begetter, whenever one, being given to slander, serves the devil, performing the works of the devil. But he who does not receive such a one, frees himself from this empty

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ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμὴν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ κατ αισχύνει. Οὐκ ἐκολλήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή. Οὕτω λογιζόμενος ὀρθῶς, καὶ κατ' εὐθὺ πορευόμενος, τοῦ Πονηροῦ ἀναβαίνοντος ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου, καί μου τόπον αὐτῷ μὴ διδόντος, ἐν τῷ μὴ ἔχειν χώραν κατ' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον πότε παρεγένετο, ἐμοῦ μὴ παραδεχομένου αὐ τόν· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐγίνωσκον, ὅτε ἐξέκλινεν. Ἡ πονηρία γὰρ ὡς σκιὰ παρατρέχουσα ὑπεχώρει, μηδεμίαν ἐν ἐμοὶ κατεργαζομένη βλάβην. δʹ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν παιδευώμεθα, ἐάν ποτε συμβῇ τινι ἡμῶν χαλεπὸν ἢ περιστατικὸν πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἐπανέλθῃ λογισμὸς τοῦ Πονηροῦ, μὴ κυριεύσῃ ἡμῶν τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρέλθῃ ἀβλαβῆ τηρήσας ἡμῶν τὴν καρδίαν, ὥστε λέ γειν καὶ ἡμᾶς· Ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον.

Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα λάθρα τὸν πλη σίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον. Μάθωμεν καλὸν μάθημα, ἀγαπητοὶ, μὴ μόνον μὴ καταλαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἀκούειν καταλαλιᾶς. ∆εινὸν γὰρ κακὸν ἡ καταλαλιὰ, ἀκατάστατον δαιμόνιον, μηδέποτε εἰρηνικὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπεργαζόμενον. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι κακὸν ἀπὸ καταλαλιᾶς; Ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔχθραι ἀναφύον ται, ἔρεις δι' αὐτῆς συνίστανται, διχοστασίαι ἀπ' αὐτῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν λαμβάνουσιν, ὑπόνοιαι πονηραὶ ἐκεῖθεν γενό μεναι τῶν μυρίων κακῶν τὰς αἰτίας παρέχουσι· μῖσος ὥσπερ ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἐξ αὐτῆς βρύει· καὶ ὅσα ἄν τις λογι σάμενος εὑρήσει κακὰ, ταῦτα πάντα ἐκ τῆς καταλαλιᾶς εὕρῃ προχεόμενα, πάντας εἰς κακίαν ἑλκύουσα. Οἶδεν ἡ καταλαλιὰ, θυμῷ πληρώσασα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ φόνον ἐξ αὐτῆς μεταλαμβάνοντα, φονικὸν αὐτὸν κατὰ τοῦ πλη σίον ἐργάζεσθαι. Οἶδε καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγριάνασαν ἀπο στῆσαι τῆς ἀδελφικῆς κοινωνίας, καὶ ἐχθρὸν τὸν πρὸ ὀλίγου φίλον ἄνευ αἰτίας ἀποδεῖξαι. Αὕτη καὶ Μαρίας 55.634 τῆς ἀδελφῆς Μωϋσέως ἁψαμένη, λεπρῶσαν ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς παρευθὺ ἀπέδειξεν, ὀργὴν δὲ κατ' αὐτῆς καὶ θυμὸν ἐπ ήγαγε παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου.

Αὕτη καὶ ὅλους οἴκους ἀνα τρέπει καὶ πόλεις εἰρηνευούσας εἰς πόλεμον ἐξεγείρει. Αὕτη καὶ τῆς καλῆς εἰρήνης τὰ δεσμὰ διαλύει, καὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἀγάπης τὸν σύνδεσμον διαῤῥήσσει. Αὕτη καὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀφιστῶσα παρανομεῖν ἐκδιδάσκει, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλίας ἀποσπῶσα, μακρὰν τῆς ἀλη θείας ἀπάγει. Αὕτη παρὰ τὴν πρώτην καὶ τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου Ἀδὰμ αἰτία γεγένηται, καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ διαίτης, καὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου τρυφῆς ἀπ εστέρησεν. Εἰσελθοῦσα γὰρ εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ ὄφεως καὶ ψεῦδος ἐργασαμένη κατὰ τῆς ἀψευδοῦς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθό τητος, καὶ εἰποῦσα, Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Οὐ μὴ φά γησθε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ; παράβασιν ἤγαγε τῆς ἐντολῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας διαστρέ ψασα τὸν ὑπήκοον· καὶ τὸν συνόμιλον ὄντα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπισπασαμένη, ἄρτι ἐχθρὸν διὰ τῆς ἀπάτης κατέστησε, καὶ ἀλλότριον εἰς ἅπαξ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπέδειξε. Φεισώμεθα τοίνυν τῆς καταλαλιᾶς, μακρὰν αὐτῆς γινό μενοι, ἵνα μὴ μάτην ἔχθραν πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτῶν ∆εσπότην κτησώμεθα.

Παυσώμεθα τῆς καταλαλιᾶς, ἵνα μὴ ἄδικοι κριταὶ τῆς ἀληθείας γινώμεθα, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ νόμου ὡς ψευδεῖς μάρτυρες εὑρεθῶμεν. Ὁ γὰρ καταλαλῶν, φησὶν, ἀδελφοῦ, ἢ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καταλαλεῖ νόμου, καὶ κρίνει νόμον. Εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκέτι ποιητὴς νόμου εἶ, ἀλλὰ κριτής. Εἷς δέ ἐστιν ὁ κριτὴς καὶ νομοθέτης, ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι. Βλέπεις, ἀγαπητὲ, πόσον ἔχει βάρος ἡ καταλαλιά; Παυ σώμεθα ταύτης, ἵνα μὴ κρίσιν αὑτοῖς ἐπαγάγωμεν. Ἀπο διώξωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν καὶ τοὺς καταλαλεῖν βουλομένους, ἵνα μὴ ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς συντιθέμενοι, ἑαυτοῖς ἀπώλειαν προξενήσωμεν· καὶ μὴ ἡδέως ἀκούωμεν τῶν καταλα λούντων, ἵνα μὴ διαβολικῶν ἐνθυμημάτων πληρωθῶμεν. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἡ καταλαλιὰ διαβολικὴ ὀνομάζεται, φυσι κὴν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ γεγεννηκότος δεξαμένη τὴν προσηγορίαν, ὅταν τῇ καταλαλιᾷ σχολάζων δουλεύῃ τῷ διαβόλῳ, τὰ τῆς διαβολῆς ἔργα διαπραττόμενος. Ὁ δὲ τὸν τοιοῦτον μὴ προσιέμενος, ἑαυτὸν μὲν ἐλευθεροῖ τῆς διακένου ταύτης