24

of love, having arranged matters concerning his nephew? the matter of the supplication on behalf of the Sodomites? For the saints were exceedingly, exceedingly tenderly affectionate, and sympathetic. For consider with me how Paul, who dared even fire, is affected out of love, the adamantine one, the firm, the unswerving, the ever-composed, the one nailed by the fear of God, the unbending. For who, he says, shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? He, therefore, who dared all these things, both of land and sea, who laughed at the adamantine gates of Hades, whom nothing at all could withstand; this man, when he saw the tears of certain beloved ones, this adamant was so broken down and crushed, as not even to hide his feeling, but to say straightway: What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? What are you saying? Tell me: did a tear have the power to crush that adamantine soul? Yes, he says; for I withstand all things, except love; this overcomes and masters me. This is pleasing to God. An abyss of waters did not crush him, and a few tears crushed him. What are you doing, weeping and crushing my heart? For great is its power. Do you wish to see him weeping again? Hear him saying elsewhere: For three years, he says, night and day, I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. From much love he was afraid, lest any ruin should enter in. And again: For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears. And what of Joseph, tell me, the firm, who stood against such tyranny, who appeared so noble against such a fire of passion, who so contended and wrestled against his mistress’s great madness? For what did not charm then? a comely face, the pride of rank, luxury of garments, fragrance of perfumes (for these things too know how to soften a soul), words softer than all? 5. For you know that a woman in love, and so vehemently, will not decline to say anything lowly, having taken on the guise of a suppliant. For so was the woman who wore gold broken down, and though she was in royal rank, as to perhaps throw herself at the knees of the captive boy, and perhaps also to implore him weeping and grasping his knees, and this not once, nor twice, but having contrived it many times. It was possible then to see her eye shining most brightly; for it is likely she adorned herself not simply, but with much artifice, as one wanting to catch the lamb of Christ in many nets. Add for me here also many spells. But still this unbending man, the firm, the one made of rock, when he saw his brothers, who had sold him, who had cast him into a pit, who had given him away, who also wanted to kill him, who also had become the cause of his imprisonment and his honor; when he heard from them how they had disposed of their father: For let us say, he says, that the one has been devoured by a wild beast; he was broken down, he was softened, he was crushed, and he wept; and not bearing the feeling, he went in and controlled himself, that is, he wiped away his tears. What is this? you are weeping, O Joseph? And yet the present circumstances are not worthy of tears, but of anger and rage and indignation, of great punishment and retribution; you have in your hands your enemies, the fratricides, you can sate your anger. And yet this is not even an injustice; for you are not initiating unjust hands, but are avenging those who wronged you. For do not look to my rank; it was not of their design, but of God who poured out His grace upon you. Why do you weep? But he might have said: May it not befall me, having been approved in all things, to destroy all those things through this bearing of a grudge; it is truly a time for tears; I am not fiercer than wild beasts; they make a truce with nature, whatever dreadful thing they suffer. I weep, he says, because they treated me thus at all. Let us also imitate this man, and mourn for those who have wronged us; let us not be angry with them; for they are truly worthy of tears,

24

ἀγάπης, τὰ περὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν διαπραξάμενος; τὰ περὶ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν Σοδομιτῶν; Σφόδρα γὰρ, σφόδρα φιλόστοργοι ἦσαν οἱ ἅγιοι, καὶ συμπαθητικοί. Ἐννόησον γάρ μοι πῶς διατίθεται ἐξ ἀγάπης ὁ καὶ πυρὸς κατατολμῶν Παῦλος, ὁ ἀδαμάντινος, ὁ στεῤῥὸς, ὁ ἀκλινὴς, ὁ πάντοτε συγκεκροτημένος, ὁ καθηλωμένος τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἀκαμπής. Τίς γὰρ ἡμᾶς, φησὶ, χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ διωγμὸς, ἢ λιμὸς, ἢ γυμνότης, ἢ κίνδυνος, ἢ μάχαιρα· Ὁ τούτων τοίνυν ἁπάντων κατατολμῶν, καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης, ὁ τῶν ἀδαμαντίνων τοῦ ᾅδου πυλῶν καταγελῶν, ὃν οὐδὲν ὑφίστατο ὅλως· οὗτος ἐπειδή τινων ἀγαπητῶν εἶδε δάκρυα, οὕτω κατεκλάσθη καὶ συνετρίβη ὁ ἀδάμας, ὡς μηδὲ κρύψαι τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ' εἰπεῖν εὐθέως· Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες, καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν; Τί λέγεις· εἰπέ μοι· ἐκείνην τὴν ἀδαμαντίνην ψυχὴν συντρίψαι δάκρυον ἴσχυσε; Ναὶ, φησί· πρὸς πάντα γὰρ ἀντέχω, πλὴν τῆς ἀγάπης· αὕτη μου περιγίνεται καὶ κρατεῖ. Τοῦτο τῷ Θεῷ δοκεῖ. Ἄβυσσος αὐτὸν οὐ συνέτριψεν ὑδάτων, καὶ μικρὰ δάκρυα συνέτριψε. Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες καὶ συντρίβοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν; Πολλὴ γὰρ αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχύς. Θέλεις αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν πάλιν κλαίοντα; ἄκουε αὐτοῦ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγοντος· Τριετίαν, νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην μετὰ δακρύων νουθετῶν ἕνα ἕκαστον. Ἀπὸ πολλῆς ἀγάπης ἐδεδοίκει, μή τις ἐπεισέλθῃ λύμη. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐκ γὰρ πολλῆς θλίψεως καὶ συνοχῆς καρδίας ἔγραψα ὑμῖν διὰ πολλῶν δακρύων. Τί δὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ στεῤῥὸς, ὁ πρὸς τυραννίδα τοσαύτην στὰς, ὁ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἔρωτος πυρὰν οὕτω γενναῖος ὀφθεὶς, ὁ οὕτω καταγωνισάμενος καὶ καταπαλαίσας τῆς δεσποίνης τὴν τοσαύτην μανίαν; τί γὰρ οὐκ ἔθελγε τότε; ὄψις εὐπρεπὴς, ἀξιώματος τῦφος, ἱματίων πολυτέλεια, ἀρωμάτων εὐοσμία (καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα καταμαλάττειν οἶδε ψυχήν), ῥήματα πάντων μαλακώτερα; εʹ. Ἴστε γὰρ ὅτι ἡ ἐρῶσα, καὶ οὕτω σφοδρῶς, οὐδὲν ταπεινὸν παραιτήσεται εἰπεῖν, σχῆμα ἱκέτιδος ἀναλαβοῦσα. Οὕτω γὰρ κατεκλάσθη ἡ χρυσοφοροῦσα γυνὴ, καὶ ἐν ἀξιώματι οὖσα βασιλικῷ, ὡς τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου πρὸς τὰ γόνατα ἴσως ἑαυτὴν ῥῖψαι, ἴσως δὲ καὶ παρακαλέσαι δακρύουσαν καὶ τῶν γονάτων ἁπτομένην, καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐ δεύτερον, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις μηχανησαμένην. Ἐνῆν καὶ ὀφθαλμὸν ἰδεῖν τότε μάλιστα λάμποντα· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἰκὸς αὐτὴν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιεργίας καλλωπίζεσθαι, ἅτε βουλομένην πολλοῖς τοῖς δικτύοις ἑλεῖν τὸ ἀρνίον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πρόσθες μοι ἐνταῦθα καὶ μαγείας πολλάς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ ἀκαμπὴς οὗτος, ὁ στεῤῥὸς, ὁ πεπετρωμένος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἶδε τοὺς ἀπεμπολήσαντας, τοὺς εἰς λάκκον βαλόντας, τοὺς ἀποδομένους, τοὺς καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι βουλομένους, τοὺς καὶ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου καὶ τῆς τιμῆς αἰτίους γενομένους· ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσε παρ' αὐτῶν, ἃ τὸν πατέρα διέθηκαν· Εἴπωμεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι ὁ εἷς θηριόβρωτος γέγονε· κατεκλάσθη, συνεμαλάχθη, συνετρίβη, καὶ ἔκλαυσε· καὶ μὴ φέρων τὸ πάθος, εἰσελθὼν Ἐνεκρα 62.422 τεύσατο, τουτέστιν, ἀπεμάξατο. Τί τοῦτο; δακρύεις, ὦ Ἰωσήφ; Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παρόντα δακρύων, ἀλλ' ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ἀγανακτήσεως, μεγάλης τιμωρίας καὶ ἀνταποδόσεως· ἔχεις εἰς χεῖρας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς ἀδελφοκτόνους, δύνασαι τὸν θυμὸν ἐμπλῆσαι. Καίτοι οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀδικία· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἄρχεις χειρῶν ἀδίκων, ἀλλ' ἀμύνῃ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας. Μὴ γάρ μοι πρὸς τὸ ἀξίωμα ἴδῃς· οὐ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐγένετο γνώμης, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ καταχέαντός σοι τὴν χάριν. Τί κλαίεις; Ἀλλ' εἶπεν ἄν· Μή μοι γένοιτο ἐν πᾶσιν εὐδοκιμήσαντι πάντα καταλῦσαι ἐκεῖνα διὰ ταύτης τῆς μνησικακίας· δακρύων ὄντως καιρός· οὐκ εἰμὶ τῶν θηρίων ἀγριώτερος· ἐκεῖνα πρὸς τὴν φύσιν σπένδεται, πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πάθῃ δεινόν. Κλαίω, φησὶν, ὅτι με ὅλως τοιαῦτα διέθηκαν. Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμώμεθα, καὶ πενθῶμεν τοὺς ἠδικηκότας· μὴ ὀργιζώμεθα πρὸς αὐτούς· ὄντως γὰρ δακρύων ἄξιοι,