13

May the blasphemy be turned upon the head of those forcing these things on us. You see to what great a blasphemy the argument has led. And yet the facts cry out that He is God; therefore He is also just; and if He is just, He assigns to each one what is according to their merit; and if He assigns to each one what is according to their merit, it is necessary that there be some time after this, in which each one will receive what is according to their merit, and will be punished, and will be honored for the things he has done rightly. Let us become sober, beloved; some have an ignorance of God; let us become sober, let us watch. You have sinned, add no more; you have sinned, be still; you have sinned, do not bind sins twice. But we bind them three and fourfold, bringing a burden of such doctrines into our souls. You have sinned, recognize the Master, the merciful one, the man-loving one, the good one, the physician, the forgiving one, the one easily entreated, the one easily besought. Have you not heard that a certain man, having squandered ten thousand talents, and having lost and scattered all his master's substance, being ready to sell even his wife and children, because he only wept, because he only touched his feet, found release and forgiveness of that entire debt? But if you should say that after these things he handed him over to the tormentors, those who know the story know; you tell me the subject of another act of love for man. For indeed both then, having had mercy on him, he released him, and again, having had mercy on that other one, he cast him in; just as then he acted helping this one, so also now he was acting helping that one, in order to teach this one not to be cruel, nor inhuman, but that one in order to deliver him from violence and inhumanity. See, beloved; for it was good that while I was speaking this thought came to me, how not only being greedy and seizing, but also not having mercy becomes for us a cause of Gehenna. For this man, not because he unjustly took what belonged to others, but because he inhumanly demanded his own things, was handed over to the tormentors; for it is said that that man owed; but if that man owed, you also owed the same debt, and the same justice ought to have been kept for both. For this reason He forgave you, in order that He might show you His love for man, in order that He might make you an imitator of the master's gentleness. But since, having received good, you did not become better, He corrects you by another way, by that of punishment, by that of vengeance; so that this also is a form of beneficence. He handed him over to the tormentors, in order that he might remove wickedness from the soul, just as an excellent physician. You did not yield to a gentle medicine, henceforth you have need of iron and fire. Having forgiven the ten thousand talents, He knew that he is cruel and inhuman, but he waited to make his defense to you through the outcome of events, which he does in many places, knowing that he acts justly. After making his defense to you he does this; as in the case of Sodom, he did not simply send the fire, nor did he destroy those cities, but what? The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah, and not even up to this point, but, "Having gone down, I will see." And not even here did he stop, but he sends the angels, pointing out to you the wickedness of those inhabiting the city, so that not even one of the 50.765 shameless might be able to blaspheme God that it was necessary to destroy the inhospitable, the inhuman, the lawless, and those ignorant of the rights of justice, and those who overturned the common laws of nature, and those filled with wickedness. What is equal to so man-loving and gentle a God? And yet we, when we punish, often do not deign to state the reasons; but he, unless he first teaches you, unless he first persuades you, and receives the vote from you that he justly inflicts the punishment, does not punish those long worthy of punishment and vengeance, and is ready in many places to give an account to you, and is judged with you and does not shrink from being tried. You see the prophets filled with these words; everywhere are courts of God against men. And often indeed he calls as judges those themselves who have done wrong, but often

13

βλασφημία εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαζόντων περιτραπείη. Ὁρᾶτε πρὸς ὅσην βλασφημίαν ὁ λόγος ἐξενήνεκται. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι Θεός ἐστι τὰ πράγματα βοᾷ· οὐκοῦν καὶ δίκαιός ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ δίκαιός ἐστι, τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμει ἑκάστῳ· εἰ δὲ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμει ἑκάστῳ, ἀνάγκη τινὰ εἶναι μετὰ ταῦτα καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἕκαστος ἀπολήψεται, καὶ δώσει δίκην, καὶ τιμηθήσεται ὑπὲρ τῶν κατωρθωμένων αὐτῷ. Ἀνανήψωμεν, ἀγαπητοί· ἀγνωσίαν Θεοῦ τινὲς ἔχουσιν· ἀνανήψωμεν, γρηγορήσωμεν. Ἥμαρτες, μὴ προσθῇς ἔτι· ἥμαρτες, ἡσύχασον· ἥμαρτες, μὴ καταδήσῃς δὶς ἁμαρτίας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τριπλᾶς καὶ τετραπλᾶς καταδεσμοῦμεν, τοιούτων δογμάτων φόρτον εἰς τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχὰς εἰσάγοντες. Ἥμαρτες, ἐπίγνωθι τὸν ∆εσπότην, τὸν ἐλεήμονα, τὸν φιλάνθρωπον, τὸν ἀγαθὸν, τὸν ἰατρὸν, τὸν συγγνωμονικὸν, τὸν εὐπαραίτητον, τὸν εὐαξίωτον. Οὐκ ἤκουσας ὅτι μυρία τάλαντά τις κατεδηδοκὼς, καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν πᾶσαν τὴν δεσποτικὴν ἀπολέσας καὶ διασπάσας, ἕτοιμος ὢν καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἀποδόσθαι καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἐπειδὴ μόνον ἔκλαυσεν, ἐπειδὴ μόνον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἥψατο, παντὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ ὀφειλήματος λύσιν ηὕρατο καὶ ἄφεσιν; Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτὸν παρέδωκε τοῖς βασανισταῖς, ἴσασιν οἱ εἰδότες τὴν ἱστορίαν· ἑτέρας μοι λέγεις φιλανθρωπίας ὑπόθεσιν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ἐλεήσας ἀφῆκε, καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνον ἐλεήσας ἐνέβαλεν· ὥσπερ τότε τούτῳ βοηθῶν ἐποίησεν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἐκείνῳ βοηθῶν ἀνέπραττε, τοῦτον μὲν ἵνα παιδεύσῃ μὴ εἶναι ὠμὸν, μηδὲ ἀπάνθρωπον, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἵνα καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ βίας καὶ ἀπανθρωπίας. Ὁρᾶτε, ἀγαπητοί· καλῶς γάρ με μεταξὺ λέγοντα τοῦτο εἰσῆλθε τὸ νόημα, πῶς οὐ μόνον τὸ πλεονεκτεῖν καὶ ἁρπάζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐλεεῖν γεέννης ἡμῖν πρόξενον γίγνεται. Οὗτος γὰρ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἔλαβεν ἀδίκως, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπῄτει ἀπανθρώπως, παρεδόθη τοῖς βασανισταῖς· καὶ γὰρ εἴρηται, ὅτι ὤφειλεν ἐκεῖνος· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνος ὤφειλεν, ὤφειλες καὶ σὺ τὸ αὐτὸ ὄφλημα, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δίκαιον ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων φυλάττεσθαι ἐχρῆν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σοι ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα τὴν αὐτοῦ σοι δείξῃ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἵνα ζηλωτήν σε τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἡμερότητος ἐργάσηται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ παθὼν εὖ οὐκ ἐγένου βελτίων, ἑτέρῳ σε διορθοῦται τρόπῳ, τῷ τῆς κολάσεως, τῷ τῆς τιμωρίας· ὥστε καὶ τοῦτο εὐεργεσίας εἶδός ἐστι. Παρέδωκε τοῖς βασανισταῖς, ἵνα κακίαν ἐξέλῃ ψυχῆς, καθάπερ ἰατρὸς ἄριστος. Οὐκ εἶξας φαρμάκῳ προσηνεῖ, σιδήρου σοι δεῖ καὶ πυρὸς λοιπόν. Ἤδει μυρία τάλαντα ἀφεὶς ὅτι ὠμός ἐστι καὶ ἀπάνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἀνέμεινε διὰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως ἀπολογήσασθαί σοι, ὃ πολλαχοῦ ποιεῖ, εἰδὼς ὅτι δικαίως ποιεῖ. Μετὰ τὸ ἀπολογήσασθαί σοι τοῦτο ποιεῖ· οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν Σοδόμων οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀφῆκε τὸ πῦρ, οὐδὲ τὰς πόλεις ἐκείνας ἀνήρπασεν, ἀλλὰ τί; Κραυγὴ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων, καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλὰ, Καταβὰς ὄψομαι. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ πέμπει τοὺς ἀγγέλους ὑποδεικνύοντάς σοι τὴν κακίαν τῶν ἐνοικούντων τὴν πόλιν, ἵνα μηδὲ τῶν 50.765 ἀναισχύντων μηδεὶς ἔχῃ βλασφημεῖν τὸν Θεὸν ὅτι τοὺς ἀξένους, ὅτι τοὺς ἀπανθρώπους, ὅτι τοὺς παρανόμους, καὶ τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀγνοήσαντας δίκαια, καὶ τοὺς κοινοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἀνατρέψαντας νόμους, καὶ τοὺς κακίᾳ πεπληρωμένους ἀπολέσθαι ἔδει. Τί ἴσον τοῦ οὕτω φιλανθρώπου καὶ προσηνοῦς Θεοῦ; Καίτοι γε ἡμεῖς κολάζοντες, οὐκ ἀξιοῦμεν τὰς αἰτίας λέγειν πολλάκις· αὐτὸς δὲ ἂν μὴ πρότερόν σε διδάξῃ, ἂν μὴ πρότερόν σε πείσῃ, καὶ τὴν παρὰ σοῦ λάβῃ ψῆφον, ὅτι δικαίως ἐπάγει τὴν κόλασιν, οὐ τιμωρεῖται τοὺς πάλαι κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας ἀξίους, καὶ εὐθύνας σοι πολλαχοῦ παρέχειν ἕτοιμός ἐστι, καὶ κρίνεται πρός σε καὶ δικάζεσθαι οὐκ ὀκνεῖ. Ὁρᾷς τοὺς προφήτας τούτων ἐμπεπλησμένους τῶν λόγων· πανταχοῦ δικαστήρια Θεοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους. Καὶ πολλάκις μὲν αὐτοὺς δικάζοντας τοὺς ἠδικηκότας καλεῖ, πολλάκις δὲ