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an account. For just as we, having entrusted money to our servants, demand an account of everything from them, so also God, having entrusted words to us, will seek the manner of their expenditure. And we are required and examined with precision, whether we have not spent them rashly or in vain; for money simply spent has not done as much harm as words uttered rashly and in vain and to no purpose. For money spent in vain has often brought financial loss, but a word simply uttered has overturned entire households, and has destroyed and ruined souls; and while it is possible to correct the loss of money, it is not possible to take back a word once it has escaped. And that we give an account for words, hear what Christ says: But I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak on earth, they shall give account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. And not only for words do we give an account, but also for things heard; for instance, if you accept an accusation spoken falsely against your neighbor. For, it says, You shall not accept a false report. But if those who accept a false report would not obtain pardon, what defense will those have who slander and accuse? 5. And why do I speak of words and things heard, when we are even held accountable for thoughts? And Paul, declaring this very thing, said: Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And the Psalmist also says, The thought of man shall confess to you. What does it mean, The thought of man shall confess to you? For example, if you spoke with your brother with deceit and an evil mind, if while praising him with your mouth and tongue, in your mind you reviled and envied him. For Christ again, hinting at this very thing, that we give an account not only of deeds, but also of thoughts, said: Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And yet the sin has not proceeded to an act, but is for the time being in the mind; but not even so can he remain blameless who for this reason looks about at the beauty of women, in order to kindle the desire of fornication. When, therefore, you hear that he settles accounts with his servants, do not simply pass over the saying, but consider every rank, every age, both sexes, both of men and of women; consider what the tribunal will be like then, reckon up all your sins. For even if you yourself forget what you have done wrong, God will never forget, but will place everything before our eyes, unless we first destroy them now through repentance and confession, and by never bearing a grudge against our neighbors. But for what reason does he make the accounting? Not as if he himself were ignorant—for how could he be, who knows all things before their creation?—but in order to convince you, the servant, that you justly owe whatever you may owe; or rather, not only that you may learn, but also that you may wash it away; since for this reason also he commanded the prophet to speak of the sins of the Jews. For, he says, Declare their iniquities to the house of Jacob, and their sins to the house of Israel; not only that they may hear, but that they may be corrected. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who was a debtor of ten thousand talents. How much, then, was entrusted to him, that he devoured so much? Great is the mass of his debts; and not only was this the difficult thing, but that he was also the first to be brought before the master. For if he had been brought after many others who acted rightly, it would not have been so surprising that the master was not provoked; for the right conduct of those who came before would have been likely to make him gentler toward those who afterward acted wrongly. But for the first one brought in to appear ungrateful, and to have become so ungrateful,

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εὐθύνας. Καθάπερ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀργύρια τοῖς οἰκέταις ἐμπιστεύσαντες, ἁπάντων ἀπαιτοῦμεν αὐτοὺς λόγον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, ῥήματα ἡμῖν ἐμπιστεύσας, ζητήσει τῆς δαπάνης αὐτῶν τὸν τρόπον. Ἀπαιτούμεθα δὲ καὶ ἐξεταζόμεθα μετὰ ἀκριβείας, εἰ μὴ εἰκῆ μηδὲ μάτην αὐτὰ ἀναλώσαμεν· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἀργύριον ἁπλῶς ἀναλωθὲν ἔβλαψεν, ὡς ῥήματα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἐξενεχθέντα καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν δέον. Ἀργύριον μὲν γὰρ μάτην δαπανηθὲν ἐν χρήμασι πολλάκις τὴν ζημίαν ἤνεγκε, λόγος δὲ ἁπλῶς προενεχθεὶς ὁλοκλήρους ἀνέτρεψεν οἰκίας, καὶ ψυχὰς ἀπώλεσε καὶ κατέλυσε· καὶ τῶν μὲν χρημάτων τὴν ζημίαν διορθῶσαι πάλιν ἔνι, λόγον δὲ ἐκπηδήσαντα καθάπαξ ἀνακτήσασθαι πάλιν οὐκ ἔνι. Καὶ ὅτι λόγων δίδομεν δίκας, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, ὅτι πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν, ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀποδώσουσι λόγον περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου κατακριθήσῃ. Οὐ ῥημάτων δὲ μόνον δίδομεν εὐθύνας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκουσμάτων· οἷον εἰ παραδέξω κατηγορίαν κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον ψευδῆ λεγομένην· Ἀκοὴν γὰρ, φησὶ, ματαίαν μὴ παραδέξῃ. Εἰ δὲ οἱ δεχόμενοι ματαίαν ἀκοὴν οὐκ ἂν τύχοιεν συγγνώμης, οἱ διαβάλλοντες καὶ κατηγοροῦντες ποίαν ἕξουσιν ἀπολογίαν; εʹ. Καὶ τί λέγω ῥήματα καὶ ἀκοὴν, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων εὐθύνας ὑπέχομεν; Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὁ Παῦ51.24 λος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὥστε μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος, ὃς καὶ φωτίσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους, καὶ φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν. Καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς δέ φησιν, ὅτι Ἐνθύμιον ἀνθρώπου ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐνθύμιον ἀνθρώπου ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι; Οἷον, εἰ μετὰ δόλου καὶ πονηρᾶς γνώμης πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν διελέχθης, εἰ διὰ τοῦ στόματος αὐτὸν ἐπαινῶν καὶ τῆς γλώττης, κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐκάκωσας καὶ ἐφθόνησας αὐτῷ. Πάλιν γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὁ Χριστὸς αἰνιττόμενος, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἔργων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων δίδομεν δίκην, ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ. Καίτοι οὐ προῆλθεν εἰς ἔργον ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλ' ἐν διανοίᾳ τέως ἐστίν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀνέγκλητος δύναται μεῖναι ὁ διὰ τοῦτο περισκοπῶν κάλλη γυναικῶν, ἵνα ἀνάψῃ πορνείας ἐπιθυμίαν. Ὅταν οὖν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι συναίρει λόγον μετὰ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ, μὴ παρέλθῃς ἁπλῶς τὴν ῥῆσιν, ἀλλ' ἐννόησον πᾶσαν ἀξίαν, πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν, ἑκατέραν τὴν φύσιν, τῶν τε ἀνδρῶν, τῶν τε γυναικῶν· ἐννόησον οἷον ἔσται τότε τὸ δικαστήριον, ἀναλόγισαι τὰ ἡμαρτημένα σοι πάντα. Κἂν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐπιλάθῃ τῶν πεπλημμελημένων, Θεὸς οὐδέποτε ἐπιλήσεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν στήσει τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἂν μὴ προλαβόντες αὐτὰ καταλύσωμεν νῦν διὰ μετανοίας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως, καὶ τοῦ μηδέποτε μνησικακεῖν τοῖς πλησίον. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ποιεῖ τὸ λογοθέσιον; Οὐχ ὡς αὐτὸς ἀγνοῶν, πῶς γὰρ, ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν; ἀλλ' ἵνα σε πείσῃ τὸν οἰκέτην, ὅτι δικαίως ὀφείλεις, ὅπερ ἂν ὀφείλῃς· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ ἵνα μάθῃς μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἀπονίψῃ· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα λέγειν τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Λέγε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· οὐχ ἵνα ἀκούσωσι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα διορθώσωνται. Ἀρξαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν, προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ εἷς ὀφειλέτης μυρίων ταλάντων. Ἆρα πόσα ἐνεπιστεύθη, ὅτι τοσαῦτα κατέφαγε; Μέγας ὁ τῶν ὀφλημάτων ὄγκος· καὶ οὐχὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἦν τὸ χαλεπὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρῶτος προσηνέχθη τῷ δεσπότῃ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ πολλοὺς ἑτέρους εὐγνωμονήσαντας οὗτος προσηνέχθη, οὐχ οὕτω θαυμαστὸν ἦν τὸ μὴ παροξυνθῆναι τὸν δεσπότην· ἡ γὰρ τῶν φθασάντων εὐγνωμοσύνη τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἠγνωμονηκόσιν ἡμερώτερον αὐτὸν ἔμελλε ποιεῖν. Τὸ δὲ πρῶτον εἰσαχθέντα ἀγνώμονα φανῆναι, καὶ οὕτως ἀγνώμονα γενόμενον,