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unless one, intervening as a mediator, should remove the enmity, it is then necessary for the case to be brought to court. Just as, therefore, many men disputing with one another, 51.186 if they resolve their differences outside of court more amicably with each other, they free themselves from many penalties and fears and dangers, with the outcome of the case turning out according to the mind of each; but if they entrust themselves to the judge, both loss of money and often punishment, and the result for them will be that the enmity remains unchanged; so indeed also here, if we are reconciled in the present life, we shall free ourselves from all punishment; but if, remaining enemies, we go to that fearful court, we will pay the ultimate penalty upon the verdict of that judge in any case, and we both shall undergo an inevitable punishment, the one being unjustly angry, because he was unjustly so, and the one being justly angry, because he justly held a grudge. For even if we have suffered some wrong unjustly, we must grant forgiveness to those who have wronged us. And consider how He pushes and urges those who have unjustly caused grief towards reconciliation with those they have wronged. If you bring your gift, He says, before the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, go, first be reconciled to your brother. He did not say, Bring it, offer the sacrifice, but, Be reconciled, and then offer it. Leave it lying there, He says, so that the necessity of the offering may compel even an unwilling man to go for reconciliation to the one who is justly angry. See how He urges again one to go to the one who has provoked him, saying, Forgive your debtors, so that your Father also may forgive your trespasses. For He has not set a small reward, but one exceedingly surpassing the magnitude of the good deed. Considering all these things, therefore, and reckoning the reward given for this, and how it is not of much labor and effort to wipe away sins, let us forgive those who have wronged us. For that which others with difficulty accomplish through fasting, and lamentations, and prayers, and sackcloth, and ashes, and countless confessions—I mean the wiping away of their own sins—this it is possible for us to do easily without sackcloth and ashes and fasting, if only we wipe away anger from our mind, and with sincerity forgive those who have wronged us. And may the God of peace and love, having banished all wrath and bitterness and anger from our soul, deem us worthy, being bound to one another with precision according to the due order of the members, with one accord, in one mouth and one soul, to continually send up to Him the thanksgiving hymns that are due, for to Him is the glory and the power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ἐπιστὰς ἀπαγάγῃ τὴν ἀπέχθειαν μεσολαβήσας, ἐκεῖ λοιπὸν εἰσαχθῆναι τὴν δίκην ἀνάγκη. Καθάπερ οὖν πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀμφισβητοῦντες, 51.186 ἂν μὲν ἔξω φιλικώτερον διαλύσωνται πρὸς ἀλλήλους, καὶ ζημίας καὶ φόβου καὶ κινδύνων πολλῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαλλάττουσι, κατὰ γνώμην ἑκατέροις τοῦ τέλους τῆς δίκης ἐκβαίνοντος· ἂν δὲ τῷ δικαστῇ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτρέψωσι, καὶ χρημάτων ζημία καὶ τιμωρία πολλάκις, καὶ τὸ τὴν ἔχθραν μένειν ἀκίνητον αὐτοῖς περιέσται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἂν μὲν κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν διαλυσώμεθα, πάσης ἑαυτοὺς κολάσεως ἀπαλλάξομεν· ἂν δὲ ἐχθροὶ μένοντες εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἀπέλθωμεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ φοβερὸν, τὴν ἐσχάτην δώσομεν δίκην ἐπὶ τῇ ψήφῳ τοῦ δικαστοῦ πάντως ἐκείνου, καὶ ἀμφότεροι τιμωρίαν ὑποστησόμεθα ἀπαραίτητον, ὁ μὲν ἀδίκως ὀργιζόμενος, διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι ἀδίκως, ὁ δὲ δικαίως, διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι δικαίως ἐμνησικάκησε. Κἂν γὰρ ἀδίκως ὦμέν τι πεπονθότες κακῶς, συγχώρησιν δεῖ προσνέμειν τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι. Καὶ σκόπει πῶς τοὺς ἀδίκως λυπήσαντας ὠθεῖ καὶ κατεπείγει πρὸς τὴν καταλλαγὴν τῶν ἠδικημένων. Ἐὰν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου, φησὶν, ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ὕπαγε, πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου. Οὐκ εἶπε, Συνάγαγε, προσ-ένεγκε τὴν θυσίαν, ἀλλὰ, ∆ιαλλάγηθι, καὶ τότε προσ-ένεγκε. Ἄφες αὐτὴν κεῖσθαι, φησὶν, ἵνα ἡ ἀνάγκη τῆς προσφορᾶς καὶ ἄκοντα καταναγκάσῃ πρὸς τὴν καταλ-λαγὴν ἐλθεῖν τὸν δικαίως ὀργιζόμενον. Ὅρα πῶς προ-τρέπει πάλιν πρὸς τὸν παροξύναντα ἐλθεῖν, εἰπὼν, Ἄφετε τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ὑμῶν, ὅπως καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἀφήσῃ ὑμῶν τὰ παραπτώματα. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν τέθεικε μισθὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ὑπερβαίνοντα τὸ τοῦ κατορθώματος μέγεθος. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες, καὶ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν τὴν ἐπὶ τούτῳ γινομένην λογιζόμενοι, καὶ ὡς οὐ πολλοῦ καμάτου καὶ σπουδῆς ἐστιν ἁμαρτήματα ἀπαλεῖψαι, συγχωρῶμεν τοῖς ἡμᾶς ἠδικηκόσιν. Ὃ γὰρ διὰ νηστείας, καὶ ὀδυρμῶν, καὶ εὐχῶν, καὶ σάκκου, καὶ σποδοῦ, καὶ μυρίας ἐξομο-λογήσεως μόλις ἕτεροι κατορθοῦσι, τὸ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐξαλείφειν λέγω τὰ ἑαυτῶν, τοῦτο ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν ῥᾳ-δίως ποιεῖν χωρὶς σάκκου καὶ σποδοῦ καὶ νηστείας, ἂν μόνον ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας ἐξαλείψωμεν τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ μετὰ εἰλικρινείας ἀφῶμεν τοῖς ἠδικηκόσιν ἡμᾶς. Ὁ δὲ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ ἀγάπης Θεὸς πάντα θυμὸν καὶ πικρίαν καὶ ὀργὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξορίσας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καταξιώσαι κατὰ τὴν τῶν μελῶν ἀκολουθίαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας συνδεδεμένους ἀλλήλοις, ὁμοθυμαδὸν, ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι καὶ μιᾷ ψυχῇ, διηνεκῶς ἀναπέμπειν τοὺς ὀφειλομένους εὐχαριστηρίους ὕμνους αὐτῷ, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.