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you may learn virtue from barbarians, I speak of the barbarian Ninevites, who in three days were able to dissolve so great a wrath for their sins, and you may marvel at the loving-kindness of God, who was satisfied with a repentance of three days for so many transgressions, and you yourself may not fall into despair, even if you have sinned ten thousand times. For just as the one who is sluggish and negligent in soul, even if he takes a long time for repentance, accomplishes nothing great, nor will he reconcile God to himself on account of his indolence; so the one who is roused and fervent with eagerness, and who demonstrates repentance with great earnestness, will be able, in a brief moment of time, to wipe away the transgressions of a long time. Did not Peter deny him a third time? Was it not with an oath the third time? Was it not fearing the words of a lowly servant-girl? What then? Did he need many years for repentance? By no means; but in that very night he both slipped and rose up, and received both the wound and the remedy, and he became sick, and he returned to health. How and in what way? By weeping and lamenting; or rather, not by simply weeping, but with great earnestness and disposition; and for this reason the evangelist did not say that he simply wept, but, 'He wept bitterly.' And what power those tears had, he says, no word will be able to represent; but the outcome of the events shows clearly. For after that grievous fall—for nothing is equal to the evil of denial—yet nevertheless after so great an evil, He restored him again to his former honor, and entrusted to him the superintendence of the universal Church; and what is greatest of all, He showed us that he had a greater love for the Master than all the apostles. For, 'Peter,' 49.309 He says, 'do you love me more than these?' And nothing could be equal to this in the matter of virtue. For lest you say that He rightly forgave the Ninevites, being barbarian and foolish men, for 'The servant,' it says, 'who did not know his master's will and did not do it, will be beaten with few stripes;' lest therefore you say this, for this reason He brought Peter also into the midst for you, a servant who especially knew the will of his master. But nevertheless, even he, having committed the ultimate sin, see to what height of confidence he ascended. Do not, therefore, you yourself fall down on account of your sins; for what is more grievous than sin is to remain in sin, and what is more terrible than the fall is to lie in the fall. This Paul also laments and mourns, this he says is worthy of grief. For 'Lest, when I come to you,' he says, 'God may humble me, and I shall mourn for many, not of those who have simply sinned, but of those who have not repented of the licentiousness, and impurity, and fornication which they have committed.' And for repentance what season could be more suitable than the season of the fast? 3. But let us return to the story. For having heard these words, the prophet went down to Joppa to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Where are you fleeing, man? Have you not heard the prophet saying: 'Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your presence?' To the earth? But, 'The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.' But to Hades? 'Even if I go down,' he says, 'to Hades, you are there.' To heaven? 'But if I ascend to heaven, you are there.' But to the sea? 'And there,' he says, 'your right hand shall hold me.' Which indeed also happened in his case. But such is sin; it casts our soul into great folly. For just as those who are seized by heavy-headedness and drunkenness wander about simply and at random, and if there is a pit, or a cliff, or anything whatever beneath, they fall down unguardedly; so also those who are slipping into sin, as if seized by a kind of drunkenness from the desire of the deed, do not know what they are doing; they foresee nothing of things present, nor of things to come. The Master

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βαρβάρων μάθῃς ἀρετὴν, βαρβάρων λέγω τῶν Νινευϊτῶν ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις δυνηθέντων τοσαύτην ἁμαρτημάτων ὀργὴν καταλῦσαι, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν θαυμάσῃς μετανοίᾳ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀρκεσθέντος ὑπὲρ τοσούτων πλημμελημάτων, καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ καταπέσῃς εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν, κἂν μυρία ἡμαρτηκὼς ᾖς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ νωθρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὀλίγωρος, κἂν πολὺν λάβῃ πρὸς μετάνοιαν χρόνον, οὐδὲν μέγα ἐργάζεται, οὐδὲ καταλλάξει τὸν Θεὸν ἑαυτῷ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν· οὕτως ὁ διεγηγερμένος καὶ τῇ προθυμίᾳ ζέων, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ πολλοῦ χρόνου παραπτώματα ἀφανίσαι δυνήσεται. Οὐχὶ τρίτον ὁ Πέτρος ἠρνήσατο; οὐχὶ μεθ' ὅρκου τὸ τρίτον; οὐχὶ θεραπαινιδίου τινὸς εὐτελοῦς ῥήματα δείσας; Τί οὖν; ἐνιαυτῶν πολλῶν ἐδέησεν αὐτῷ πρὸς μετάνοιαν; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ καὶ ὠλίσθησε καὶ ἀνέστη, καὶ τὴν πληγὴν καὶ τὸ φάρμακον ἐδέξατο, καὶ ἠῤῥώστησε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν ἐπανῆλθε. Πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον; Κλαύσας καὶ ἀποδυράμενος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ κλαύσας ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς σπουδῆς καὶ διαθέσεως· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἔκλαυσεν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ', Ἔκλαυσε πικρῶς. Καὶ ποταπὴ τῶν δακρύων ἐκείνων ἡ δύναμις, φησὶ, λόγος μὲν οὐδεὶς παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται· ἡ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔκβασις δείκνυσι σαφῶς. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ χαλεπὸν ἐκεῖνο πτῶμα· ἀρνήσεως γὰρ οὐδὲν ἴσον κακόν· ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τοσοῦτον κακὸν πάλιν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν προτέραν ἐπανήγαγε τιμὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐπιστασίαν τῆς οἰκουμενικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐνεχείρισε· καὶ ὃ πάντων μεῖζόν ἐστιν, ἀπέδειξεν ἡμῖν αὐτὸν πλείω τῶν ἀποστόλων ἁπάντων ἔχοντα τὴν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀγάπην. Πέτρε γὰρ, 49.309 φησὶ, φιλεῖς με πλεῖον τούτων; Τούτου δ' οὐδὲν γένοιτο ἂν ἴσον εἰς ἀρετῆς λόγον. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃς ὅτι τοῖς Νινευΐταις εἰκότως συνέγνω, ἀνθρώποις βαρβάροις καὶ ἀνοήτοις, Ὁ γὰρ δοῦλος, φησὶν, ὁ μὴ εἰδὼς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ποιήσας, δαρήσεται ὀλίγας· ἵνα οὖν μὴ τοῦτο λέγῃς, διὰ τοῦτό σοι καὶ τὸν Πέτρον εἰς μέσον παρήγαγε, δοῦλον μάλιστα τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου εἰδότα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὗτος ἁμαρτὼν καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἁμαρτίαν, ὅρα πρὸς ὅσον παῤῥησίας ὕψος ἀνῆλθε. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδ' αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι καταπέσῃς· τὸ γὰρ χαλεπώτερον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ μένειν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ τὸ δεινότερον τοῦ πτώματος, τὸ κεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ πτώματι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος θρηνεῖ καὶ ἀποδύρεται, τοῦτο πένθους ἄξιον εἶναί φησι. Μή πως γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐλθόντος μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ταπεινώσῃ με ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς, οὐχὶ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τῶν μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ, καὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ πορνείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν. Πρὸς δὲ μετάνοιαν ποῖος ἐπιτηδειότερος γένοιτ' ἂν καιρὸς τοῦ τῆς νηστείας καιροῦ; γʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπανίωμεν εἰς τὴν ἱστορίαν. Ἀκούσας γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ὁ προφήτης κατέβη εἰς Ἰόππην τοῦ φεύγειν εἰς Θαρσεῖς ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου. Ποῦ φεύγεις, ἄνθρωπε; οὐκ ἤκουσας τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω; Εἰς τὴν γῆν; Ἀλλὰ, Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν ᾅδην; Κἂν καταβῶ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει. Εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; Ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ. Ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν; Καὶ ἐκεῖ, φησὶ, καθέξει με ἡ δεξιά σου. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου γέγονεν. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον ἡ ἁμαρτία· εἰς πολλὴν ἄνοιαν ἐμβάλλει τὴν ἡμετέραν ψυχήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ καρηβαρίᾳ καὶ μέθῃ κατεχόμενοι ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ περιφέρονται, κἂν βάραθρον, κἂν κρημνὸς, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ᾖ ὑποκείμενον, καταπίπτουσιν ἀφυλάκτως· οὕτω καὶ οἱ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξολισθαίνοντες, καθάπερ μέθῃ τινὶ τῇ τῆς πράξεως ἐπιθυμίᾳ κατεχόμενοι, οὐκ ἴσασιν ὅπερ πράττουσιν· οὐ τῶν παρόντων, οὐ τῶν μελλόντων τι προορῶσι. Τὸν ∆εσπότην