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the brothers only, but towards all. And again: "Let your gentleness be known," he did not say, to the brothers, but "To all men." For what benefit is it, he says, if you love those who love you? If, therefore, their friendships are harmful and draw you to fellowship with impiety, even if they are your parents, flee from them; even if it is an eye, pluck it out. "For if," he says, "your right eye causes you to stumble, cut it out," not speaking about the body; for how could he? For if he were speaking about the nature of the body, the blame would pass to the creator of that nature; and besides, one would not need to pluck out only one; for if the left one is left, it likewise causes the one who has it to stumble. But so that you might learn that the saying is not about an eye, he added "the right," showing that even if you have a certain friend as a right eye, cast him out and cut him off from your friendship, if he causes you to stumble. For what is the benefit of having an eye to the ruin of the rest of the body? If therefore, as I said, friendships are harmful, let us flee and leap away; but if they do us no wrong in the matter of piety, let us draw and attract them to ourselves; but if you neither benefit him and you receive harm from him, gain by remaining unharmed through the cutting off, and flee their friendships, if they are harmful; Flee only, do not fight, nor make war. Thus also Paul exhorts, saying: "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." You are a servant of the God of peace; when they called Him demon-possessed, who cast out demons and worked countless good deeds, He did not let loose a thunderbolt, nor did He crush the revilers, nor did He burn up the tongue that was so shameless and ungrateful, although He was able to do all these things, but He only refuted the accusation, saying: "I do not have a demon, but I honor Him who sent Me." And when the servant of the high priest struck Him, what does He say? "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" The Master of angels makes a defense and gives an account to a servant; there is no need of longer words. Turn these words over alone in your mind and constantly meditate on them and say: "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" And consider who is speaking and to whom He says it and for what reason, and these words will be for you a certain divine and perpetual incantation and will be able to quell every inflammation. Consider the dignity of the one insulted, the lowliness of the one insulting, the excess of the insult. For he not only reviled, but also struck; and he did not strike simply, but also slapped; and nothing is more dishonorable than this blow; but nevertheless He bore all things, so that you might learn abundantly to be self-controlled. Let us not only philosophize on these things here, but also when the time comes, let us remember them. You have praised the things that were said, but show me the praise in your works. For the wrestler trains in the wrestling school, so that in the contests he may show the benefit of the training there; and so you too, when anger comes upon you, show the profit of the hearing here and say this word continuously: "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" Inscribe this in your mind; for this reason I constantly remind you of these words, so that all the things that have been said may be implanted in your soul, so that the memory and the benefit from the memory may remain indelible. For if we have these words inscribed upon the breadth of our mind, no one is so stony and ungrateful and insensible as to ever be carried away to anger; for instead of every bridle and every rein, these words will be able to restrain our tongue when it is carried beyond measure and propriety, and to quell the swelling mind, and to make it moderate continually, and to establish peace in us completely, which may it be ours to enjoy always, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 2 Of the same, before

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τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πάντας. Καὶ πάλιν· «Τὸ ἐπιεικὲς ὑμῶν γνωσθήτω», οὐκ εἶπε· τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ἀλλὰ «Πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις». Τί γάρ, φησίν, ὄφελος, ἐὰν τοὺς φιλοῦντας ὑμᾶς φιλῆτε; Ἂν μὲν οὖν βλάπτωσιν αὐτῶν αἱ φιλίαι καὶ πρὸς κοινωνίαν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἕλκωσι, κἂν οἱ γεγεννηκότες ὦσιν, ἀποπήδησον· κἂν ὀφθαλμὸς ᾖ, ἐξόρυξον· «Ἐὰν γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτόν», οὐ περὶ σώματος λέγων· πῶς γάρ; Εἰ γὰρ περὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος φύσεως ἔλεγε, τὸ ἔγκλημα εἰς τὸν τῆς φύσεως δημιουργὸν διέβαινεν· ἄλλως δὲ οὐχ ἕνα ἐξορύττειν ἐχρῆν· κἂν γὰρ ὁ ἀριστερὸς ὑπολειφθῇ, ὁμοίως σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἔχοντα. Ἀλλὰ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ περὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὁ λόγος, προσέθηκε τὸν δεξιόν, δεικνὺς ὅτι κἂν ὡς δεξιὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἔχῃς τινὰ φίλον, καὶ τοῦτον ἔκβαλε καὶ ἀπότεμε τῆς πρὸς σὲ φιλίας, ἐάν σε σκανδαλίζῃ. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἔχειν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐπὶ λύμῃ τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος; Ἂν μὲν οὖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, βλάπτωσιν αἱ φιλίαι, φεύγωμεν καὶ ἀποπηδῶμεν· ἐὰν δὲ μηδὲν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀδικῶσι λόγον, ἕλκωμεν καὶ ἐπισπώμεθα πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνους· εἰ δὲ μήτε αὐτὸν ὠφελεῖς καὶ τὴν παρ' ἐκείνου δέχῃ βλάβην, κέρδανον τὸ μεῖναι διὰ τῆς ἐκκοπῆς ἀσινὴς καὶ φεῦγε αὐτῶν τὰς φιλίας, ἂν βλάπτωσι· φεῦγε μόνον, μὴ μάχου, μηδὲ πολέμει. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος παραινεῖ λέγων· «Εἰ δυνατόν, τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν, μετὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰρηνεύοντες.» ∆οῦλος εἶ τοῦ τῆς εἰρήνης Θεοῦ· ἐκεῖνος τοὺς δαίμονας ἐκβάλλων καὶ μυρία ἐργαζόμενος ἀγαθά, ἐπειδὴ δαιμονῶντα αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσαν, οὐκ ἀφῆκε σκηπτόν, οὐ συνέτριψε τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας, οὐ κατέκαυσε τὴν γλῶτταν τὴν οὕτως ἀναίσχυντον καὶ ἀγνώμονα, καίτοι πάντα ταῦτα δυνάμενος, ἀλλ' ἀπεκρούσατο τὴν κατηγορίαν μόνον εἰπών· «Ἐγὼ δαιμόνιον οὐκ ἔχω, ἀλλὰ τιμῶ τὸν πέμψαντά με.» Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως αὐτὸν ἐτύπτησεν, τί φησιν; «Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις;» Ὁ ∆εσπότης τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀπολογεῖται καὶ εὐθύνας δίδωσιν οἰκέτῃ· οὐ χρεία μακροτέρων λόγων. Ταῦτα μόνον στρέφε τὰ ῥήματα ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ συνεχῶς αὐτὰ μελέτα καὶ λέγε· «Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις;» Καὶ ἐννόησον τὸν λέγοντα καὶ πρὸς τίνα φησὶ καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ ἔσται σοι θεία τις ἐπῳδὴ καὶ διηνεκὴς τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα καὶ πᾶσαν δυνήσεται φλεγμονὴν καταστεῖλαι· ἐννόησον τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ ὑβρισθέντος, τὸ εὐτελὲς τοῦ ὑβρίσαντος, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ὕβρεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἐλοιδορήσατο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐτύπτησε· καὶ οὐκ ἐτύπτησεν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐρράπισεν· οὐδὲν δὲ ταύτης τῆς πληγῆς ἀτιμότερον· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἅπαντα ἤνεγκεν, ἵνα ἐκ περιουσίας μάθῃς σὺ σωφρονεῖν. Ταῦτα μὴ μόνον ἐνταῦθα φιλοσοφῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν καιρὸς ᾖ, αὐτῶν μνημονεύωμεν. Ἐπῃνέσατε τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων δείξατέ μοι τὸν ἔπαινον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ παλαιστὴς ἐν τῇ παλαίστρᾳ γυμνάζεται, ἵνα ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων δείξῃ τῆς ἐκεῖ γυμνασίας τὴν ὠφέλειαν· καὶ σὺ τοίνυν τῆς ἐνταῦθα ἀκροάσεως, ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ θυμός, δεῖξον τὸ κέρδος καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς λέγε τὸ ῥῆμα· «Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις;» Τοῦτο ἔγγραψον τῇ διανοίᾳ· διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ὑπομιμνήσκω τούτων τῶν λόγων ὑμᾶς, ὥστε ἐντεθῆναι ὑμῶν τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ εἰρημένα ἅπαντα, ὥστε ἀνεξάλειπτον μεῖναι τὴν μνήμην καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης ὠφέλειαν. Ἂν γὰρ ἔχωμεν ἐγγεγραμμένα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς διανοίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, οὐδεὶς οὕτω λίθινος καὶ ἀγνώμων καὶ ἀναίσθητος ὡς ἐξενεχθῆναί ποτε πρὸς ὀργήν· ἀντὶ γὰρ χαλινοῦ παντὸς καὶ πάσης ἡνίας, τὴν γλῶτταν ἡμῖν πέρα τοῦ μέτρου καὶ τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐκφερομένην ταῦτα ἐπισχεῖν δυνήσεται τὰ ῥήματα καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν οἰδοῦσαν καταστεῖλαι καὶ ποιῆσαι μετριάζειν διηνεκῶς καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἡμῖν ἐγκατοικίσαι τὴν εἰρήνην ἧς γένοιτο διαπαντὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπολαύειν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 2 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸ