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they do not beseech God concerning their own sins, nor do they ask pardon for their offenses, but they direct all this zeal against their enemies, doing the same thing, as if someone having sharpened a sword, should not use the weapon against his enemies, but thrust it through his own neck. So also these men use their prayers not for the remission of their own sins, but for the punishment of their enemies; which is to thrust the sword against themselves. And the evil one also contrived this, that we might destroy ourselves from every quarter, both through sloth and through zeal. For some provoke God by their negligence concerning prayers, showing their contempt through their slothfulness; while others, because they show zeal, show their zeal, in turn, against their own salvation. "So-and-so," he says, "is slothful; it is enough for me that he obtains nothing. This one is zealous and aroused; what then is to be done? I cannot undo his zeal, nor cast him into negligence; I will contrive his destruction in another way." How? "I will prepare him to use his zeal for lawlessness; for to pray against one's enemies is lawless. He will depart, therefore, not only having gained nothing from his zeal, but also having sustained greater harm than that which comes through slothfulness." Such are the machinations of the devil; some he destroys through slothfulness, others he destroys through zeal itself, when it is not according to the laws. 11. But it is worthwhile also to hear the very words of the prayer, and how the words are of a childish mind, how of an infantile soul. I am ashamed, then, to be about to say them, but it is entirely necessary to speak and to imitate that uneducated tongue. What then are 51.363 the words? Avenge me of my enemies; show them, that I too have a God. They do not learn then, O man, that we have a God when we are indignant, and are angry, and are vexed; but when we are forbearing, and gentle, and meek, and practice all philosophy. Thus God also said: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do you not consider that it is an insult to God, to ask God for things against your enemies? And how is it an insult? he says. Because he himself said, Pray for your enemies, and he introduced this divine law. When, therefore, you think it right for the lawgiver to break his own laws, and you call upon him to legislate against himself, and you beseech him who forbade you to pray against your enemies to hear you praying against your enemies, you are not praying in doing this, nor are you entreating, but you are insulting the lawgiver, and you are behaving insolently toward the one who is about to give you the good things from prayer. And how is it possible to be heard while praying, tell me, when you provoke the one who is about to hear? For by doing these things you thrust your own salvation into a pit, and you are carried down a cliff, striking your enemy in the sight of the king. For even if you do not do this with your hands, you strike him with your words; which you do not dare to do even in the presence of your fellow-servants. Dare, at least, to do this in the presence of a ruler; even if you have accomplished ten thousand things, you will certainly be led away immediately to death. Then, while in the presence of a ruler you do not dare to insult your equal, when you do this in the presence of God, tell me, do you not shudder, nor are you afraid, at the time of supplication and prayer, of being so savage and bestial, and of showing greater ingratitude than the one who demanded the hundred denarii? For that you are more insolent than he, listen to the story itself. A certain man owed ten thousand talents to his master; then, being unable to pay, he begged him to be patient, so that when his wife and his house and his children were sold, he might settle the master's debt. But the master, seeing him lamenting, took pity and forgave the ten thousand talents. That man went out and found another servant who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat, he demanded payment with great cruelty and inhumanity. Hearing this, the master threw him into prison, and the debt of ten thousand talents which he had previously forgiven, he imposed upon him again, and of the into

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ἁμαρτημάτων παρακαλοῦσι τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδὲ συγγνώμην αἰτοῦσι τῶν πλημμεληθέντων αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τὴν σπουδὴν ταύτην κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κινοῦσιν ἅπασαν, ταὐτὸν ποιοῦντες, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὸ ξίφος ἀκονήσας, μὴ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων χρῷτο τῷ ὅπλῳ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας αὐτὸ δέρης ὠθοῖ. Οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τῆς τιμωρίας τῶν ἐχθρῶν ταῖς εὐχαῖς κέχρηνται· ὅπερ ἐστὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὸ ξίφος ὠθεῖν. Ἐπενόησε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὁ πονηρὸς, ἵνα πάντοθεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπολλύωμεν, καὶ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας, καὶ διὰ σπουδῆς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῇ περὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ὀλιγωρίᾳ παροξύνουσι τὸν Θεὸν, τὴν καταφρόνησιν διὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἐπιδεικνύμενοι· οἱ δὲ ἐπειδὴ σπουδὴν ἐπιδείκνυνται, τὴν σπουδὴν πάλιν κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείκνυνται σωτηρίας. Ὁ δεῖνα, φησὶ, ῥᾳθυμεῖ· ἀρκεῖ μοι πρὸς τὸ μηδενὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιτυχεῖν· οὗτος σπουδαῖός ἐστι καὶ διεγηγερμένος· τί οὖν ἵνα γένηται; Οὐ δύναμαι ἐκλῦσαι τὴν σπουδὴν, οὐδὲ εἰς ὀλιγωρίαν ἐμβαλεῖν· ἑτέρως αὐτοῦ περιοδεύσω τὴν ἀπώλειαν. Πῶς; Εἰς παρανομίαν τῇ σπουδῇ χρήσασθαι παρασκευάσω· τὸ γὰρ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὔχεσθαι, παράνομόν ἐστιν. Ἀπελεύσεται τοίνυν οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν κερδάνας ἀπὸ τῆς σπουδῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονα τὴν βλάβην ὑπομείνας τῆς διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας. Τοιαῦται αἱ τοῦ διαβόλου μηχαναί· τοὺς μὲν διὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, τοὺς δὲ δι' αὐτῆς ἀπόλλυσι τῆς σπουδῆς, ὅταν μὴ κατὰ νόμους αὕτη γίνηται. ιαʹ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ἄξιον ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ῥημάτων τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ πῶς παιδικῆς ἐστι διανοίας τὰ ῥήματα, πῶς νηπιώδους ψυχῆς. Αἰσχύνομαι μὲν οὖν αὐτὰ μέλλων ἐρεῖν, πλὴν ἀνάγκη πάντως εἰπεῖν καὶ μιμήσασθαι τὴν ἀπαίδευτον γλῶτταν ἐκείνην. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι 51.363 τὰ ῥήματα; Ἐκδίκησόν με ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου· δεῖξον αὐτοῖς, ὅτι Θεὸν ἔχω κἀγώ. Οὐ τότε μανθάνουσιν, ἄνθρωπε, ὅτι Θεὸν ἔχομεν, ὅταν ἀγανακτῶμεν, καὶ ὀργιζώμεθα, καὶ δυσχεραίνωμεν· ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐπιεικεῖς ὦμεν, καὶ πρᾶοι, καὶ ἥμεροι, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀσκῶμεν φιλοσοφίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς εἶπε· Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὐκ ἐννοεῖς ὅτι ὕβρις ἐστὶν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ αἰτεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὸν Θεόν; Καὶ πῶς ὕβρις ἐστί; φησίν. Ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν, Εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὸν θεῖον τοῦτον εἰσήγαγε νόμον. Ὅταν οὖν τὸν νομοθέτην ἀξιοῖς τοὺς οἰκείους παραλύειν νόμους, καὶ παρακαλῇς αὐτὸν ἀντινομοθετεῖν αὐτῷ, καὶ τόν σε κωλύσαντα κατεύχεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἱκετεύῃς ἀκοῦσαί σου κατευχομένου τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐκ εὔχῃ τοῦτο ποιῶν, οὐδὲ παρακαλεῖς, ἀλλ' ὑβρίζεις τὸν νομοθέτην, καὶ παροινεῖς εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα διδόναι σοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς. Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν ἀκουσθῆναι εὐχόμενον, εἰπέ μοι, ὅταν τὸν μέλλοντα ἀκούειν παροξύνῃς; Ταῦτα γὰρ ποιῶν εἰς βάραθρον τὴν οἰκείαν ὠθεῖς σωτηρίαν, καὶ κατὰ κρημνοῦ φέρῃ, τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἐπ' ὄψεσι τύπτων τοῦ βασιλέως. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖς, τοῖς ῥήμασιν αὐτὸν τύπτεις· ὅπερ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοδούλων ποιῆσαι τολμᾷς. Τόλμησον γοῦν ἐπὶ ἄρχοντος τοῦτο ποιῆσαι· κἂν μυρία ᾖς κατωρθωκὼς, τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον εὐθέως ἀπαχθήσῃ πάντως. Εἶτα ἐπὶ ἄρχοντος μὲν οὐ τολμᾷς τὸν ὁμότιμον ὑβρίσαι, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιῶν, εἰπέ μοι, οὐ φρίττεις, οὐδὲ δέδοικας ἐν καιρῷ δεήσεως καὶ εὐχῆς ἀγριαίνων οὕτω καὶ ἐκθηριούμενος, καὶ μείζονα ἀγνωμοσύνην ἐπιδεικνύμενος τοῦ τὰ ἑκατὸν ἀπαιτοῦντος δηνάρια; Ὅτι γὰρ ἐκείνου σὺ μᾶλλον ὑβρίζεις, αὐτῆς ἄκουσον τῆς ἱστορίας. Μύρια τάλαντα ὤφειλέ τις τῷ δεσπότῃ· εἶτα οὐκ ἔχων ἀποδοῦναι, ἠξίου μακροθυμῆσαι, ἵνα πραθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς οἰκίας καὶ τῶν παίδων, διαλύσηται τὸ ὄφλημα τὸ δεσποτικόν. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ὀδυρόμενον ὁ δεσπότης κατηλέησε καὶ τὰ μύρια ἀφῆκε τάλαντα. Ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος καὶ εὑρὼν οἰκέτην ἕτερον ὀφείλοντα αὐτῷ δηνάρια ἑκατὸν, ἄγχων ἀπῄτει μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὠμότητος καὶ τῆς ἀπανθρωπίας. Ἀκούσας ταῦτα ὁ δεσπότης ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ ὃ πρότερον ἀφῆκεν ὄφλημα τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων, ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῷ πάλιν, καὶ τῆς εἰς