14

of the blow; and if some accuse you, and if they drag you to court, follow; and if the judge on the bench demand an account, say with boldness that he blasphemed the King of the angels. For if those who blaspheme an earthly king must be punished, how much more those who insult that one. The crime is a common one, the offense is public; it is permitted for anyone who wishes to bring an accusation; let both Jews and Greeks learn that Christians are the saviors of the city, and guardians and protectors and teachers, and let the licentious 49.33 and perverse learn this very thing, that they must fear even the servants of God, so that if ever they choose to utter anything of the sort, they may look around at each other everywhere, and tremble at the shadows, fearing lest a Christian, having heard, should leap upon them and punish them more severely. Have you not heard what John did? He saw a man, a tyrant, overturning the laws of marriage, and with boldness in the midst of the marketplace he says: It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother. But I have not led you against a tyrant, nor a judge, nor concerning laws of marriage being transgressed, nor concerning fellow-servants being insulted, but for the sake of the drunken violence against the Master, I deem it right to correct your peer. Indeed, if I said to you, Punish and correct transgressing kings or judges, would you not say that I was mad? And yet John did this; so this is not too great for us either. But now, correct your fellow-servant, correct your peer, and even if you must die, do not shrink from correcting your brother; this is a martyrdom for you; for John was also a martyr. And yet he was not commanded to sacrifice, nor to worship an idol, but on behalf of the sacred laws being insulted he laid down his head; therefore you also, strive unto death for the truth, and the Lord will fight for you. And do not say to me this cold saying, What is it to me? I have nothing in common with him. With the devil alone we have nothing in common, but with all men we have many things in common. For they partake of the same nature as we, they inhabit the same earth, and are nourished by the same foods, they have the same Master, they received the same laws, they are called to the same good things as we are. Therefore, let us not say that we have nothing in common with them; for this is a satanic voice, a diabolical inhumanity; therefore let us not say these things, 49.34 but let us show the care that is fitting for brothers. And I promise this with all exactness, and I guarantee to all of you, that if all of you present here should be willing to take upon yourselves the salvation of those who inhabit the city, it would all quickly be set right for us. And yet the smallest part of the city is here, smallest in number, but the chief part in piety. Let us therefore take upon ourselves the salvation of our brothers; one man, fired with zeal, is enough to set a whole people right. But when there is not one, nor two or three, but so great a multitude that is able to take up the care of the neglected, it is from nowhere else but from our own sloth, and not from weakness, that the majority are perishing and falling away. For how is it not absurd, if we should see a fight in the marketplace, to go up and reconcile those fighting; but why do I say a fight? if we see a donkey that has fallen, we all hasten to lend a hand and help raise it; but to neglect our perishing brothers? The blasphemer is a donkey, and unable to bear the burden of his anger, he has fallen; go to him, and raise him up both by words, and by deeds, and by gentleness and by severity; let the medicine be varied. If we thus manage our own affairs, and take hold of the salvation of our neighbors, we will quickly become longed-for and beloved even by those themselves who benefit from the correction; and what is greater than all, we shall enjoy the good things laid up for us, which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of the Lord

14

τῆς πληγῆς, κἂν ἐγκαλῶσί τινες, κἂν εἰς δικαστήριον ἕλκωσιν, ἀκολούθησον· κἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος εὐθύνας ὁ δικαστὴς ἀπαιτήσῃ, εἰπὲ μετὰ παῤῥησίας, ὅτι τὸν βασιλέα τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐβλασφήμησεν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλέα τοὺς βλασφημοῦντας κολάζεσθαι χρὴ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἐκεῖνον ὑβρίζοντας. Κοινόν ἐστι τὸ ἔγκλημα, δημόσιον τὸ ἀδίκημα, ἔξεστιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν βουλομένων κατηγορεῖν· μανθανέτωσαν καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, ὅτι σωτῆρές εἰσι τῆς πόλεως οἱ Χριστιανοὶ, καὶ κηδεμόνες καὶ προστάται καὶ διδάσκαλοι, καὶ μανθανέτωσαν αὐτὸ τοῦτο οἱ ἀκόλαστοι 49.33 καὶ διεστραμμένοι, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλους φοβεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς χρὴ, ἵνα κἂν ἕλωνταί ποτε φθέγξασθαί τι τοιοῦτον, ἀλλήλους πανταχοῦ περιβλέπωνται, καὶ τὰς σκιὰς τρέμωσιν, ἀγωνιῶντες μήπου ὁ Χριστιανὸς ἀκούσας ἐπιπηδήσῃ, καὶ κολάσῃ σφοδρότερον. Οὐκ ἤκουσας τί Ἰωάννης ἐποίησε; Τύραννον εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον γάμων ἀνατρέποντα νόμους, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς φησιν· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Ἐγὼ δέ σε οὐκ ἐπὶ τύραννον ἤγαγον, οὐδὲ δικαστὴν, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ γάμων παρανομουμένων, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ συνδούλων ὑβριζομένων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην παροινίας, τὸν ὁμότιμον ἀξιῶ σωφρονίζειν. Ἆρά γε εἰ ἔλεγόν σοι, ὅτι τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἢ τοὺς δικαστὰς παρανομοῦντας κόλαζε καὶ διόρθου, οὐκ ἄν με μαίνεσθαι ἔφης; Καίτοι γε Ἰωάννης τοῦτο ἐποίησεν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τοῦτο μεῖζον ἡμῶν. Νῦν δὲ κἂν τὸν ὁμόδουλον, κἂν τὸν ὁμότιμον διόρθωσον, κἂν ἀποθανεῖν δέῃ, σωφρονίζειν τὸν ἀδελφὸν μὴ ἀποκνήσῃς, μαρτύριόν σοι τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰωάννης μάρτυς ἦν. Καίτοι γε οὐ θῦσαι ἐκελεύσθη, οὐδὲ προσκυνῆσαι εἴδωλον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν ἱερῶν νόμων ὑβριζομένων τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπέθετο· καὶ σὺ τοίνυν ἀγώνισαι μέχρι θανάτου ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ Κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε τὸ ψυχρὸν τοῦτο ῥῆμα, Τί δέ μοι μέλει; οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχω πρὸς αὐτόν. Πρὸς τὸν διάβολον οὐδὲν ἔχομεν κοινὸν μόνον, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἅπαντας πολλὰ ἔχομεν κοινά. Τῆς γὰρ φύσεως ἡμῖν τῆς αὐτῆς μετέχουσι, τὴν αὐτὴν γῆν οἰκοῦσι, καὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς τρέφονται τροφαῖς, τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχουσι ∆εσπότην, τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐδέξαντο νόμους, ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ἡμῖν παρακαλοῦνται ἀγαθά. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγωμεν ὡς οὐδὲν ἡμῖν κοινὸν πρὸς αὐτούς· σατανικὴ γὰρ αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ, διαβολικὴ ἡ ἀπανθρωπία· μὴ τοίνυν ταῦτα 49.34 λέγωμεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πρέπουσαν ἀδελφοῖς κηδεμονίαν ἐπιδειξώμεθα. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο μετὰ πάσης ὑπισχνοῦμαι ἀκριβείας, καὶ ἐγγυῶμαι πᾶσιν ὑμῖν, ὅτι εἰ ὑμεῖς βουληθείητε πάντες οἱ παρόντες ἐνταῦθα διανείμασθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν τὴν πόλιν οἰκούντων, ταχέως ἡμῖν ἅπασα διορθοῦται. Καίτοι γε τὸ ἐλάχιστον μέρος τῆς πόλεως ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν, ἐλάχιστον κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος, τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον κατὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. ∆ιανειμώμεθα τοίνυν τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν· ἀρκεῖ εἷς ἄνθρωπος ζήλῳ πεπυρωμένος ὁλόκληρον διορθώσασθαι δῆμον. Ὅταν δὲ μὴ εἷς, μηδὲ δύο καὶ τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ᾖ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ δυνάμενον τῆς τῶν ἠμελημένων ἐπιμελείας ἅψασθαι, οὐδαμόθεν ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ῥᾳθυμίαν, καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν οἱ πλείους ἀπόλλυνται καὶ καταπίπτουσι. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, εἰ μὲν μάχην ἴδοιμεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, προσιέναι, καὶ καταλλάττειν τοὺς μαχομένους· τί δὲ λέγω μάχην; εἰ καταπεσόντα ἴδωμεν ὄνον, πάντες χεῖρα ὀρέγειν καὶ συνδιανιστᾷν σπεύδομεν· τῶν δὲ ἀδελφῶν ἀπολλυμένων ἀμελεῖν; Ὄνος ἐστὶν ὁ βλάσφημος, καὶ θυμοῦ φορτίον οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν, κατέπεσε· πρόσελθε, καὶ διανάστησον καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων, καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων, καὶ δι' ἐπιεικείας καὶ σφοδρότητος ποικίλον ἔστω τὸ φάρμακον. Ἂν οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἰκονομῶμεν, καὶ τῆς τῶν πλησίον ἀντιλαμβανώμεθα σωτηρίας, ταχέως κἀκείνοις αὐτοῖς τοῖς τῆς διορθώσεως ἀπολαύουσι ποθεινοὶ ἐσόμεθα καὶ ἐπέραστοι· καὶ ὃ πάντων ἐστὶ μεῖζον, τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀπολαύσομεν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου