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saying: He who comes after me, is preferred before me, for he was before me, this means, that he is more honorable and more glorious; so also here Paul having said: Being made so much better than the angels, showed that He was better and more approved, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Do you see that the discourse was about that which is according to the flesh? For this name, God 63.17 the Word, always had, He did not inherit it later, nor did He then become better than the angels, when He had made purification for our sins, but He was always better, and incomparably better. But this was said concerning that which is according to the flesh. So then it is our custom also, when discoursing about man, to utter both lofty and lowly things. For when we say, Man is nothing, man is earth, man is ash, we call the whole from the lesser part; but when we say, Man is an immortal animal, and man is rational, and that he is akin to those above, we again call the whole from the better part. So also concerning Christ, Paul discourses sometimes from the lesser, and sometimes from the better part, wishing both to establish the economy, and to teach about the undefiled nature. 3. Since then He made purification for our sins, let us remain pure, and let us not receive any stain, but the beauty, which He has placed in us, and the comeliness let us be so diligent to preserve undefiled and pure, so as to have no spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. For a spot and a wrinkle are also the small sins; for instance, reviling, insolence, lying; or rather not even are these small, but even very great, and so great, as even to deprive of the kingdom of heaven. How and in what way? He who calls his brother a fool, is in danger, it says, of the hell of fire. If he who calls 'fool', which seems to be the lightest of all, and child's talk; he who calls another malicious and an evildoer and envious, and assails him with countless other reproaches, what punishment will he not undergo? what is more dreadful than this? But bear with my discourse, I beseech you. For if he who does it to one of the least, does it to Him, and he who does it not to one of the least, does it not to Him; how is it not the same in the case of praise and in the case of accusation? For he who insults his brother, has insulted God; and he who honors his brother, honors God. 4. Let us therefore train our tongue to speak well; for Keep, it says, thy tongue from evil. For God did not give it for this purpose, that we should accuse, that we should insult, that we should slander one another; but that we should praise God, that we should speak those things which give grace to the hearers, things for edification, things for profit. Have you spoken ill of someone? what do you gain by involving yourself in harm along with him? for you have gained the reputation of a slanderer. For there is, there is no evil, which stops at the one who suffers it, but it also includes the one who does it; for instance, the envious man seems to plot against another, but he himself is the first to reap the injustice, being consumed and destroyed, and being hated by all. The greedy man deprives another of money, but also himself of being loved; or rather he causes himself to be spoken ill of by all. For a good reputation is much better than money; for the one is not easy to wash away, but the other is easy to acquire; or rather, the one when not present has not harmed him who does not have it at all; but the other when not present makes one reproachful 63.18 and ridiculous, and an enemy and foe to all. The angry man again first punishes himself by tearing himself apart, and then him with whom he is angry. Thus the slanderer first shames himself, and then the one who is slandered; or perhaps he has not even been able to do this, but this one has gone away having acquired the reputation of someone foul and despicable, while causing the other to be loved more. For when one, hearing evil things, does not defend himself with the same things, but praises and admires; he will not be praising that one, but himself. For just as, which I said before, the slanders against neighbors first affect those who plot them; so also the good things done to neighbors first gladden those who do them. For he who begets also the good

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λέγων· Ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν, τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι ἐντιμότερος καὶ λαμπρότερος· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα Παῦλος εἰπών· Τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος ἀγγέλων, ὅτι βελτίων ἐδήλωσε καὶ εὐδοκιμώτερος, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι περὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ὁ λόγος ἦν; τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα, ὁ Θεὸς 63.17 Λόγος, ἀεὶ εἶχεν, οὐχ ὕστερον ἐκληρονόμησεν, οὐδὲ τότε τῶν ἀγγέλων κρείττων ἐγένετο, ὅτε καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ κρείττων ἦν, καὶ κρείττων ἀσυγκρίτως. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα τοῦτο εἴρηται. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἡμῖν ἔθος περὶ ἀνθρώπου διαλεγομένοις, καὶ ὑψηλὰ καὶ ταπεινὰ φθέγγεσθαι. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ λέγωμεν, Οὐδὲν ἄνθρωπος, γῆ ἄνθρωπος, σποδὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἀπὸ τοῦ χείρονος τὸ πᾶν καλοῦμεν· ὅταν δὲ λέγωμεν, Ἀθάνατον ζῶον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ λογικὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὅτι τῶν ἄνω συγγενὴς, ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος τὸ πᾶν πάλιν καλοῦμεν. Οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ποτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλάττονος, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος διαλέγεται ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν συστῆσαι βουλόμενος, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀκηράτου διδάξαι φύσεως. γʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καθαρισμὸν ἐποίησε τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, μένωμεν καθαροὶ, καὶ μηδεμίαν δεξώμεθα κηλῖδα, ἀλλὰ τὸ κάλλος, ὅπερ ἡμῖν ἐνέθηκε, καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν διαφυλάττειν οὕτω σπουδάζωμεν ἀμόλυντον καὶ καθαρὰν, ὥστε μηδένα σπῖλον ἔχειν ἢ ῥυτίδα, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων. Σπῖλος γάρ ἐστι καὶ ῥυτὶς καὶ τὰ μικρὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· οἷόν τι λέγω, λοιδορία, ὕβρις, ψεῦδος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα μικρὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μεγάλα, καὶ οὕτω μεγάλα, ὡς καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀποστερεῖν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὁ καλῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ μωρὸν, ἔνοχός ἐστι, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός. Εἰ δὲ ὁ μωρὸν καλῶν, ὃ δοκεῖ πάντων εἶναι κουφότερον, καὶ παίδων ὁμιλία· ὁ κακοήθη καλῶν καὶ κακοῦργον καὶ βάσκανον, καὶ μυρίοις ἑτέροις βάλλων ὀνείδεσι, τίνα οὐχ ὑποστήσεται κολάσεως δίκην; τί φρικωδέστερον τούτου; Ἀλλ' ἀνάσχεσθε, παρακαλῶ, τοῦ λόγου. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ποιῶν ἑνὶ τῶν ἐλαχίστων, αὐτῷ ποιεῖ, καὶ ὁ μὴ ποιῶν ἑνὶ τῶν ἐλαχίστων, αὐτῷ οὐ ποιεῖ· πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς εὐφημίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κατηγορίας ταὐτόν ἐστιν; Ὁ ὑβρίζων γὰρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ, τὸν Θεὸν ὕβρισε· καὶ ὁ τιμῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ, τὸν Θεὸν τιμᾷ. δʹ. Παιδεύωμεν οὖν τὴν γλῶτταν εὔφημον εἶναι· Παῦσον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα κατηγορῶμεν, ἵνα ὑβρίζωμεν, ἵνα ἀλλήλους διαβάλλωμεν· ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνῶμεν, ἵνα ταῦτα λαλῶμεν ἃ δίδωσι χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσι, τὰ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν, τὰ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν. Εἶπες τὸν δεῖνα κακῶς; τί κερδαίνεις καὶ σαυτὸν μετ' ἐκείνου βλάβῃ περιβάλλων; δόξαν γὰρ ἔλαβες κακηγόρου. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν κακὸν, ὃ μέχρι τοῦ πάσχοντος ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ποιοῦντα περιλαμβάνει· οἷον, ὁ βάσκανος δοκεῖ μὲν ἐπιβουλεύειν ἑτέρῳ, πρότερος δὲ αὐτὸς ἀπολαύει τῆς ἀδικίας, τηκόμενος καὶ φθειρόμενος, καὶ παρὰ πάντων μισούμενος. Ὁ πλεονέκτης ἀποστερεῖ χρήματα ἕτερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φιλεῖσθαι ἑαυτόν· μᾶλλον δὲ παρὰ πάντων ποιεῖ κακηγορεῖσθαι. Πολλῷ δὲ κρείττων ἀγαθὴ δόξα χρημάτων· τὴν μὲν γὰρ οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἀπονίψασθαι, τὰ δὲ ῥᾴδιον ἀποκτήσασθαι· μᾶλλον δὲ, τὰ μὲν οὐ παρόντα οὐδὲν τὸν οὐκ ἔχοντα ἔβλαψεν· ἡ δὲ μὴ παροῦσα ἐπονείδιστον 63.18 ποιεῖ καὶ καταγέλαστον, καὶ πᾶσιν ἐχθρὸν καὶ πολέμιον. Ὁ ὀργίλος πάλιν πρότερον ἑαυτὸν τιμωρεῖται σπαράττων, καὶ τότε ἐκεῖνον ᾧ ὀργίζεται. Οὕτως ὁ κακήγορος πρότερον ἑαυτὸν αἰσχύνει, καὶ τότε τὸν κακηγορούμενον· ἢ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἴσως δεδύνηται, ἀλλ' ἀπῆλθεν οὗτος μὲν μιαροῦ τινος καὶ καταπτύστου δόξαν λαβὼν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ μᾶλλον φιλεῖσθαι παρασκευάζων. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούων κακῶς, μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς αὐτὸν ἀμύνηται, ἀλλ' ἐπαινῇ καὶ θαυμάζῃ· οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἐπαινέσεται, ἀλλ' ἑαυτόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, αἱ κατὰ τῶν πλησίον κακηγορίαι τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων ἅπτονται πρῶτον· οὕτω καὶ τὰ εἰς τοὺς πλησίον ἀγαθὰ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους εὐφραίνει πρῶτον. Ὁ γὰρ τίκτων καὶ τὸ καλὸν