19

For indeed he himself, the one wearing the diadem, having descended from the 63.592 royal throne, spread sackcloth under himself and sprinkled himself with ashes; and it was possible to see a fearful and paradoxical thing, the purple robe surpassed by sackcloth. For what the purple garment could not do, this the sackcloth could do; what the diadem did not accomplish, this the ashes achieved. Let each of us consider then how great a burden of sins he has, and let us make our acts of charity a counterweight; or rather, much more, so that not only may our sins be extinguished, but that our alms may also be counted to us as righteousness. For if our good deeds are not so great as to strip away our offenses, and from what is left over be counted to us as righteousness, no one will deliver us from punishment. For when you provoke a man, you entreat friends and neighbors and doorkeepers, and you spend money, and you use up many days approaching and begging, and even if, being provoked, he puts you off once, twice, or ten thousand times, you do not give up at all, but rather becoming more earnest you make your supplication greater; but when the God of all is provoked, we yawn and give up and live in luxury; and when will we be able to propitiate him? How, by this very thing, do we not rather provoke him all the more? For more than the sinning, the not even feeling pain when we sin makes him more indignant and angry. And do not say, "I have sinned much, and I cannot entreat an angry God." For if the widow persuaded that judge, who neither feared God nor respected men, much more will constant intercession win over the good God. So that even if you are not a friend, even if you are not demanding what is owed, even if you have devoured and squandered your paternal inheritance, and have been out of his sight for a long time; even if you should approach him while he is angry, while he is indignant, only be willing to return, and you will receive everything back, and you will immediately extinguish his anger and the condemnation. For God's purpose, brothers, is to be long-suffering with those who sin. He is doubly merciful for salvation, promising them salvation from repentance, and storing up his beneficence for their descendants who are going to advance in virtue. And to take up my argument again, God is long-suffering, so that the sinner may repent, and that he might not close off salvation to those born from him. For even if the sinner himself stumbles unrepentantly, he often spares the root, in order to preserve the fruits; often indeed, awaiting even their salvation; and how, listen. Terah, the father of Abraham, was a worshiper and a maker of idols; but he did not pay the penalty for his impiety then, and with good reason. For if God had preemptively cut off the root, from where would so great a fruit of faith have sprung up? What is more wicked than Esau; what is more shameless than that evil? was he not a fornicator and profane, as Paul says? was he not a striker of his mother and father? was he not his brother's murderer, as far as 63.593 his intention went? was he not hated by God, as Scripture testifies, saying, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated"? If then he was a fornicator and a fratricide and profane and hated, why was he not destroyed? why was he not cut off? why did he not immediately receive the fitting punishment? Why? It is truly good, brothers, to state the reason. If he had been cut off, the world would have lost a very great fruit of righteousness; and listen what kind. Esau begot Reuel, Reuel begot Zerah, Zerah begot Job. Do you see how great a flower of patience would have been destroyed, if God had preemptively exacted punishment from the root? Therefore let no one who is in wickedness despair; let no one who is in virtue grow drowsy. Let not the latter be confident; for often even the prostitute will pass him by, nor let the former despair; for it is possible for him to pass even the first. For when we return to the fervent love of God, he does not remember former things. God is not like a man; for he does not reproach past deeds, nor does he say, "Why were you absent for so long a time?" if we repent; but he loves us, when we approach, only if we approach as we ought. What

19

Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος, ἀπὸ τοῦ 63.592 θρόνου καταβὰς τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, σάκκον ὑπεστρώσατο καὶ σποδὸν κατεπάσσατο· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πρᾶγμα φοβερὸν καὶ παράδοξον, ὑπὸ σάκκου πορφυρίδα παρευδοκιμηθεῖσαν. Ὅπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἡ ἁλουργὶς, τοῦτο ἴσχυσεν ὁ σάκκος· ὅπερ οὐκ ἤνυσε τὸ διάδημα, τοῦτο κατώρθωσεν ἡ σποδός. Ἐννοήσωμεν τοίνυν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ὅσα ἁμαρτημάτων ἔχει φορτία, καὶ ἀντιῤῥόπους ποιήσωμεν τὰς φιλανθρωπίας· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείους, ἵνα μὴ μόνον σβεσθῶσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ εἰς δικαιοσύνην ἡμῖν λογισθῶσιν αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ τοσαῦτα ᾖ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἐγκλήματα ἀποδύσασθαι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων εἰς δικαιοσύνην ἡμῖν λογισθῆναι, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς κολάσεως. Ἄνθρωπον μὲν γὰρ παροξύνων, καὶ φίλους καὶ γείτονας καὶ θυρωροὺς παρακαλεῖς, καὶ χρήματα δαπανᾷς, καὶ πολλὰς ἀναλίσκεις ἡμέρας προσιὼν καὶ δεόμενος, κἂν ἅπαξ, κἂν δὶς, κἂν μυριάκις σε διακρούσηται παροξυνθεὶς, καθάπαξ οὐκ ἀναπίπτεις, ἀλλ' ἐναγώνιος μᾶλλον γενόμενος πλείονα τὴν ἱκετηρίαν τίθης· τοῦ δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ παροξυνομένου, χασμώμεθα καὶ ἀναπίπτομεν καὶ τρυφῶμεν· καὶ πότε αὐτὸν ἐξιλεώσασθαι δυνησόμεθα; πῶς δὲ οὐκ αὐτῷ τούτῳ μειζόνως παροξυνοῦμεν μᾶλλον αὐτόν; τοῦ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνειν τὸ μηδὲ ἀλγεῖν ἁμαρτάνοντας, μᾶλλον ἀγανακτεῖν αὐτὸν ποιεῖ καὶ ὀργίζεσθαι. Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, ὅτι Πολλὰ ἥμαρτον, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι παρακαλέσαι τὸν Θεὸν ὀργιζόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἄρχοντα ἐκεῖνον, τὸν μήτε Θεὸν φοβούμενον, μήτε ἀνθρώπους αἰσχυνόμενον ἐπέκαμψεν ἡ χήρα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἐπισπάσεται ἡ συνεχὴς ἔντευξις. Ὥστε κἂν μὴ φίλος ᾖς, κἂν μὴ τὰ ὀφειλόμενα ἀπαιτῇς, κἂν τὰ πατρῷα κατεδηδοκὼς ᾖς καὶ καταναλωκὼς, καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐξ ὄψεως γενόμενος· κἂν ὀργιζομένῳ, κἂν ἀγανακτοῦντι προσέλθῃς, θέλησον μόνον ἐπανελθεῖν, καὶ πάντα ἀπολήψῃ, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν καταδίκην σβέσεις εὐθέως. Σκοπὸς γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀδελφοὶ, μακροθυμεῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι. ∆ιπλοῦς ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἵλεως, μνηστευόμενος αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐκ μετανοίας σωτηρίαν, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπογόνοις τοῖς εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδιδόναι μέλλουσι ταμιευόμενος τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. Καὶ ἵνα πάλιν ἀναλάβω τὸν λόγον, ὁ Θεὸς μακροθυμεῖ, ἵνα καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτάνων μετανοήσῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τικτομένοις μὴ ἀποκλείσῃ τὴν σωτηρίαν. Κἂν γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἀμετανόητα πταίῃ, φείδεται τῆς ῥίζης πολλάκις, ἵνα φυλάξῃ τοὺς καρπούς· πολλάκις μὲν οὖν, καὶ αὐτῶν ἀναμένων τὴν σωτηρίαν· καὶ ὅπως, ἄκουε. Θάῤῥα, ὁ πατὴρ Ἀβραὰμ, εἰδώλων ἦν καὶ προσκυνητὴς καὶ ποιητής· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἐνταῦθα τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν δίκην, καὶ εἰκότως. Εἰ γὰρ προλαβὼν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέτεμε τὴν ῥίζαν, πόθεν ὁ τοσοῦτος καρπὸς τῆς πίστεως ἀνεδίδοτο; Τί τοῦ Ἡσαῦ μοχθηρότερον· τί τῆς κακίας ἐκείνης ἀναιδέστερον; οὐ πόρνος καὶ βέβηλος, ὥς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος; οὐ μητρολῴας καὶ πατρολῴας; οὐκ ἀδελφοῦ φονεὺς, ὅσον εἰς 63.593 πρόθεσιν; οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ μισούμενος, ὡς ἡ Γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ, λέγουσα; Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἡσαῦ ἐμίσησα; Εἰ τοίνυν πόρνος καὶ ἀδελφοκτόνος καὶ βέβηλος καὶ μισούμενος, διὰ τί μὴ ἀφανίζηται; διὰ τί μὴ ἐκκόπτεται; διὰ τί παραχρῆμα τὴν προσήκουσαν τιμωρίαν οὐ δέχεται; ∆ιὰ τί; καλὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς, ἀδελφοὶ, τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν. Εἰ ἐξεκόπη, μέγιστον καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης ὁ κόσμος ἀπώλλυε· καὶ ὁποῖον ἄκουε. Ἡσαῦ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ῥαγουὴλ, Ῥαγουὴλ τὸν Ζαρὰ, Ζαρὰ τὸν Ἰώβ. Ὁρᾷς πηλίκον ὑπομονῆς ἄνθος ἠφανίζετο, εἰ προλαβὼν ὁ Θεὸς δίκην ἀπῄτησε τὴν ῥίζαν; Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἐν κακίᾳ ὢν, ἀπογινωσκέτω· μηδεὶς ἐν ἀρετῇ ὢν, νυσταζέτω. Μήτε οὗτος θαῤῥείτω· πολλάκις γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ἡ πόρνη παρελεύσεται, μήτε ἐκεῖνος ἀπογινωσκέτω· δυνατὸν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς πρώτους παρελθεῖν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐπανέλθωμεν εἰς τὴν σφοδρὰν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ μέμνηται τῶν προτέρων. Οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Θεός· οὐ γὰρ ὀνειδίζει τὰ παρελθόντα, οὐδὲ λέγει, ∆ιὰ τί τοσοῦτον ἀπελείφθης χρόνον; ἂν μετανοήσωμεν· ἀλλὰ ἀγαπᾷ, ὅτε, ἂν προσέλθωμεν, μόνον ὡς χρὴ προσέλθωμεν. Τί