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I have advised, these things I also advise again now; knowing the greatness of the righteous act, imitate your Master; he was crucified, and for those crucifying him he prayed. And how am I able, he says, to imitate the Master? If you are willing, you are able; if it were not possible, he would not have said: Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; if it were not possible for a man to imitate, Paul would not have said: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. But if you do not want to imitate the Master? Imitate your fellow servant, I mean Stephen, the first to open the gates of martyrdom; he imitated the Master. For just as the Master, hanging among those crucifying him, prayed for those crucifying him, so also the servant, being among those stoning him, being struck by all, and receiving the showers of stones, putting aside the pains resulting from these, said: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Do you see how the Son speaks, and how the servant prays? The one says: Father, forgive them this sin; for they know not what 49.416 they do; this one says: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And so that you may learn that he does this earnestly, he did not pray simply, nor perfunctorily, nor standing, but kneeling down, with compunction, with much sympathy. Do you want me to show you also another fellow servant praying a greater prayer for his enemies? hear the blessed Paul saying; for after saying all he had suffered, that "Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked"; and having enumerated the onslaught and the plots, which he endured from them every day, he himself also says: I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. Do you want to see others also, not from the New, but also from the Old Testament, doing this same thing? For this is most wonderful, when those who were not commanded to love their enemies, but to exact an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, and to retaliate with equal measure, these should reach the apostolic height. Listen then to what Moses says, who was often stoned by the Jews; If you will forgive them their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me out of the book which you have written. Do you see each of the righteous putting the security of others before their own salvation? You have not sinned; for what reason do you wish to share in their punishment? I do not feel, he says, my own well-being, when others are suffering evil. It is also possible to see another making such a prayer. For I deliberately bring forward many examples, so that we might in this way correct ourselves, and banish this grievous disease from our own soul, I mean that of praying against enemies. Hear also the blessed David, when God was provoked and sent an angel to punish the multitude, what he says, when he saw the angel showing his drawn sword and about to inflict the blow; I the shepherd have done wrong, and these the flock, what have they done? Let your hand be upon me, and upon my father’s house. Do you see again the kindred righteous acts? Do you want me to show you another doing this? Samuel the prophet was insulted by the Jews, was scorned, was dishonored so much, that God wished to console him. Pay attention, I beseech you, with exactness. For God said to him: They have not scorned you, but me. What then of him who was scorned, who was dishonored, who was despised, who was insulted? Hear what he says: As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. He considered it a sin not to pray for his enemies. Far be it from me, he says, to sin in this way, as not to pray for you. Have you seen each of the righteous, how much of this

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παρῄνεσα, ταῦτα καὶ νῦν πάλιν παραινῶ· εἰδὼς τοῦ κατορθώματος τὸ μέγεθος, μίμησαί σου τὸν ∆εσπότην· ἐκεῖνος ἐσταυροῦτο, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρούντων παρεκάλει. Καὶ πῶς δύναμαι, φησὶ, τὸν ∆εσπότην μιμήσασθαι; Ἂν ἐθέλῃς, δύνασαι· εἰ μὴ ἦν δυνατὸν, οὐκ ἂν ἔλεγε· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ· εἰ μὴ δυνατὸν ἦν ἀνθρώπῳ μιμήσασθαι, οὐκ ἂν ὁ Παῦλος εἶπε· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐ βούλει μιμήσασθαι τὸν ∆εσπότην; μίμησαί σου τὸν σύνδουλον, τὸν Στέφανον λέγω, τὸν πρῶτον ἀνοίξαντα τὰς τοῦ μαρτυρίου θύρας· ἐκεῖνος τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐμιμήσατο. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης μεταξὺ τῶν σταυρούντων αὐτὸν κρεμάμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρούντων παρεκάλει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ δοῦλος μεταξὺ τῶν λιθαζόντων ὢν, βαλλόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰς νιφάδας τῶν λίθων δεχόμενος, τὰς ὀδύνας τὰς ἐκ τούτων γινομένας ἀφεὶς ἔλεγε· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Εἶδες πῶς Υἱὸς διαλέγεται, καὶ πῶς δοῦλος εὔχεται; ἐκεῖνος λέγει· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί 49.416 ποιοῦσιν· οὗτος λέγει· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἐσπουδασμένως τοῦτο ποιεῖ, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ηὔξατο, οὐδὲ ἀφωσιωμένως, οὐδὲ ἑστὼς, ἀλλὰ θεὶς τὰ γόνατα, μετὰ κατανύξεως, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς συμπαθείας. Βούλει σοι δείξω καὶ ἄλλον σύνδουλον μείζονα εὐχόμενον εὐχὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν; ἄκουε τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν ὅσα πέπονθεν, ὅτι Πεντάκις τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν παρὰ Ἰουδαίων ἔλαβον, τρὶς ἐῤῥαβδίσθην, ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθην, τρὶς ἐναυάγησα· καὶ ἀπαριθμήσασθαι τὸν ὁρμαθὸν καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, ἃς παρ' αὐτῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπέμεινε, φησὶ καὶ αὐτός· Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα, οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται. Θέλεις καὶ ἑτέρους ἰδεῖν, οὐχὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Καινῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς, τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας; Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅταν οἱ μὴ κελευσθέντες τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φιλεῖν, ἀλλ' ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ, καὶ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος ἐκβάλλειν, καὶ τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνεσθαι, οὗτοι πρὸς τὴν ἀποστολικὴν φθάσωσι κορυφήν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φησι Μωϋσῆς ὁ καταλευσθεὶς πολλάκις ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας. Ὁρᾷς ἕκαστον τῶν δικαίων τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἀσφάλειαν πρὸ τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας τιθέμενον; Οὐδὲν ἥμαρτες· τίνος ἕνεκεν κοινωνῆσαι βούλει αὐτῶν τῆς τιμωρίας; Οὐκ αἰσθάνομαι, φησὶ, τῆς εὐπραγίας, ἑτέρων πασχόντων κακῶς. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερον ἰδεῖν τοιαύτην ποιούμενον εὐχήν. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἐπίτηδες παράγω τὰ παραδείγματα, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς διορθώσωμεν, καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦτο νόσημα τῆς αὑτῶν ψυχῆς ἐξορίσωμεν, τὸ κατεύχεσθαι λέγω τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἄκουε καὶ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αυῒδ, ἡνίκα τοῦ Θεοῦ παροξυνθέντος καὶ ἄγγελον ἀποστείλαντος τὸν τιμωρησόμενον τὸ πλῆθος, τί φησιν, ὁρῶν λοιπὸν γυμνὴν τὴν ῥομφαίαν δεικνύντα τὸν ἄγγελον καὶ τὴν πληγὴν ἐπιφέρειν μέλλοντα· Ἐγὼ ὁ ποιμὴν ἐκακοποίησα, καὶ οὗτοι τὸ ποίμνιον τί ἐποίησαν; Γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου. Ὁρᾷς πάλιν συγγενῆ τὰ κατορθώματα; Βούλει σοι δείξω καὶ ἕτερον τοῦτο ποιοῦντα; Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης ὑβρίσθη παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐξουθενήθη, ἠτιμώθη οὕτως, ὡς τὸν Θεὸν θελῆσαι αὐτὸν παραμυθήσασθαι. Προσέχετε, παρακαλῶ, μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Εἶπε γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός· Οὐ σὲ ἐξουθενήκασιν, ἀλλ' ἐμέ. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς, ὁ ἀτιμασθεὶς, ὁ καταφρονηθεὶς, ὁ ὑβρισθείς; Ἄκουε τί φησιν· Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο ἁμαρτεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ διαλιπεῖν προσευχόμενον ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Ἁμαρτίαν ἐνόμισεν εἶναι τὸ μὴ προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Μὴ γένοιτό μοι, φησὶν, ἁμαρτεῖν οὕτως, ὡς μὴ προσεύξασθαι ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Εἶδες ἕκαστον τῶν δικαίων, πόσην τούτου τοῦ