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to Jews and to Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Since the sun also harms those with weak eyes, what then? Ought the sun not to have been made? And honey seems bitter to the sick, what then? Ought it to be removed from our midst? And the apostles themselves, were they not to some a fragrance of death unto death, but to others a fragrance of life unto life? Therefore, on account of those who are perishing, ought the living not to have enjoyed such great care? 15.5 But this coming of Christ, our salvation, the fount of good things, the life, the countless blessings, how many has it burdened, how many has it deprived of excuse and pardon? Do you not hear what Christ says concerning the Jews? “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” 15.6 What then? Since their sins became inexcusable after his coming, ought he not to have come because of those who made bad use of what is good? And who would say these things? No one, not even those who are utterly out of their minds. What then, from the Scriptures, tell me, how many were scandalized? How many heresies from thence begot pretexts for themselves? Ought the Scriptures, therefore, to have been blotted out on account of those who were scandalized, or not even to have been given in the first place? By no means; but rather, they ought most certainly to have been given on account of those who were going to reap the benefit from them. 15.7 For those men—again I will not cease saying the same things—let them reckon the scandals to themselves; but those who are to be most greatly benefited by them would have suffered no ordinary loss if, on account of the ingratitude and indolence of others, they themselves, being destined to profit by receiving them, were deprived of such a benefit. Do not, therefore, speak to me of those who are perishing; for as I also said in the preceding discourse, no one who does not wrong himself is ever wronged by others, even if his very life is in danger.

16.t Chapter 16. That no one else can harm the one who does not harm himself

16.1 For what harm did Abel suffer, tell me, struck down by a brother's right hand and enduring an untimely and violent death? But did he not rather gain, having bound on a more brilliant crown? And what of Jacob, who suffered so many things from his brother and became city-less and a fugitive and an exile and a servant, and was brought to extreme famine? 16.2 What then of Joseph, he too likewise city-less, homeless and a captive and a slave and a prisoner, and having been in danger of the utmost extremities both in his own house and in a foreign land, and having endured such slanders? What then of Moses, nearly stoned ten thousand times by so great a people and plotted against by those he had benefited? What then of all the prophets, who suffered so many evils from the Jews? What then of Job, warred against by the devil with countless devices? 16.3 What then of the three youths? What then of Daniel, whose life, whose freedom, whose very existence was in danger? What then of Elijah, living with extreme poverty, being persecuted, fleeing, dwelling in deserts, becoming a perpetual fugitive and exile? What then of David, suffering so many things from Saul, and so many things later from his own son? Did he not shine more brightly when suffering the worst of evils than when he was enjoying prosperity? 16.4 What then of John who was beheaded? What then of the apostles, some beheaded, others delivered over to other punishments? What then of the martyrs, who gave up their souls under terrible tortures?

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Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησι, Χριστὸν Θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίαν». Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ἥλιος βλάπτει τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, τί οὖν; οὐκ ἔδει γενέσθαι τὸν ἥλιον; Καὶ τὸ μέλι πικρὸν τοῖς νοσοῦσι φαίνεται, τί οὖν; ἀφανισθῆναι ἔδει τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ μέσου; Αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, οὐχὶ τοῖς μὲν ὀσμὴ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον ἦσαν, τοῖς δὲ ὀσμὴ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν; ∆ιὰ τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους οὖν οὐκ ἔδει τοὺς ζῶντας ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς τοσαύτης κηδεμονίας; 15.5 Αὕτη δὲ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἡ σωτηρία ἡ ἡμετέρα, ἡ πηγὴ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἡ ζωή, τὰ μυρία καλά, πόσους ἐβάρησε, πόσους ἀπολογίας ἀπεστέρησε καὶ συγγνώμης; Οὐκ ἀκούεις τί φησι περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ Χριστός; «Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.» 15.6 Τί οὖν; ἐπειδὴ ἀναπολόγητα αὐτοῖς γέγονε μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὐκ ἔδει αὐτὸν παραγενέσθαι δι' ἐκείνους τοὺς κακῶς τῷ καλῷ χρησαμένους; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα εἴποι; Οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ τῶν σφόδρα ἐξεστηκότων. Τί δαί, ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, εἰπέ μοι, πόσοι ἐσκανδαλίσθη σαν; πόσαι αἱρέσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἔτεκον ἑαυταῖς προφάσεις; Ἐξαλειφθῆναι οὖν ἔδει τὰς Γραφὰς διὰ τοὺς σκανδαλισθέντας ἢ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν δοθῆναι; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα δοθῆναι διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας καρποῦσθαι τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν. 15.7 Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γάρ- πάλιν οὐ παύσομαι τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων-ἑαυτοῖς λογιζέσθωσαν τὰ σκάνδαλα· οἱ δὲ μέλλοντες ἐξ αὐτῶν τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖσθαι, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ὑπέμειναν ἂν ζημίαν, εἰ διὰ τὴν ἑτέρων ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν αὐτοὶ μέλλοντες κερδαίνειν τῷ λαβεῖν αὐτάς, ἀπεστερήθησαν τῆς τοιαύτης ὠφελείας. Μὴ τοίνυν μοι λέγε τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους· ὅπερ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον λόγῳ, οὐδεὶς τῶν ἑαυτοὺς μὴ ἀδικούντων παρ' ἑτέρων ἀδικεῖταί ποτε, κἂν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ ζῆν κινδυνεύῃ.

16.t Κεφ. ιςʹ. Ὅτι τὸν ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἀδικοῦντα οὐδεῖς παραβλάψαι δύναται ἕτερος

16.1 Τί γὰρ ὁ Ἄβελ ἐβλάβη, εἰπέ μοι, ὑπὸ ἀδελφικῆς κατενεχθεὶς δεξιᾶς καὶ

ἄωρον καὶ βίαιον ὑπομείνας θάνατον; ἀλλ' οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐκέρδανε, λαμπρότερον ἀναδησάμενος στέφανον; Τί δὲ ὁ Ἰακώβ, ὁ τοσαῦτα παθὼν παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ ἄπολις καὶ φυγὰς καὶ μετανάστης καὶ δοῦλος γενόμενος καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον λιμὸν κατενεχθείς; 16.2 Τί δαὶ ὁ Ἰωσήφ, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς ἄπολις, ἄοικος καὶ αἰχμάλωτος καὶ δοῦλος καὶ δεσμώτης γεγονὼς καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κινδυνεύσας καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ καὶ τοιαύτας ὑπομείνας διαβολάς; Τί δαὶ ὁ Μωυσῆς ὑπὸ τοσούτου δήμου μυριάκις καταλευσθεὶς καὶ παρὰ τῶν εὐεργετηθέντων ἐπιβουλευθείς; Τί δαὶ οἱ προφῆται πάντες τοσαῦτα παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων παθόντες κακά; Τί δαὶ ὁ Ἰώβ, ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου μυρίαις μηχαναῖς πολεμηθείς; 16.3 Τί δαὶ οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς; Τί δαὶ ὁ ∆ανιήλ, περὶ ζωῆς, περὶ ἐλευθερίας, περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κινδυνεύσας αὐτῶν; Τί δαὶ ὁ Ἠλίας ἐσχάτῃ πενίᾳ συζῶν, ἐλαυνόμενος, δραπετεύων, τὰς ἐρήμους οἰκῶν, φυγὰς ἀεὶ καὶ μετανάστης γινόμενος; Τί δαὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ, τοσαῦτα μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Σαούλ, τοσαῦτα δὲ ὕστερον παρὰ τοῦ ἰδίου παιδὸς παθών; οὐχὶ μᾶλλον διέλαμψε, τὰ ἔσχατα πάσχων κακά, ἢ ὅτε εὐημερίας ἀπήλαυε; 16.4 Τί δαὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀποτμηθείς; Τί δαὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, οἱ μὲν ἀποτμηθέντες, οἱ δὲ ἑτέραις τιμωρίαις παραδοθέντες; Τί δαὶ οἱ μάρτυρες, οἱ δειναῖς βασάνοις τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπορρήξαντες;