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He gives a reason; but that is love most of all, when people are benefited when nothing has come from them beforehand. Let us therefore imitate this, let us do good to our enemies, let us approach those who hate us, those who turn away from us. This makes us like God. For if you love your friend, he says, what is the gain? This the Gentiles also do. But what is the proof of love? To love the one who hates you. I wish to give an example, forgive me, but I do not find one among spiritual things; therefore I will speak from things outside. Do you not see these lovers? though insulted so much by their beloveds, plotted against so much, suffering so much loss, they are riveted and inflamed, and love them more than their own souls, spending the night at their doorways? Let us take the example from there, not so as to love such women, I mean prostitutes, but so as to love our enemies in this way. For tell me, do they not treat them more insultingly than all enemies, and squander their substance, and insult their appearance, and command things more servile than their servants? But nevertheless they do not depart. And yet no one has such an enemy as a lover has in his beloved. For the beloved acts coy and torments him and often misuses him, and the more she is loved, the more she despises him. And yet what is more beastly than a soul so disposed? But nevertheless they love. But perhaps we shall find such a love also from spiritual things, not of the present; for it has grown cold; but of those great and wonderful men of old. The blessed Moses surpassed even these who love with passion. How and in what way? First, leaving the palace and the luxury there and the service and the being glorified, he chose to be with the Israelites. And yet not only would no one else have done this, but would have even been ashamed, if another revealed it, to appear as a kinsman not only of slaves, but also of those considered abominable; but he not only 62.54 was not ashamed of the kinship, but also defended them with all his spirit, and threw himself into dangers for them. How? Seeing, it says, someone doing wrong, he defended the one being wronged, and killed the one doing wrong. But these things were not yet for enemies; they were indeed great in themselves, but not so great as what came after. So on the following day he saw the same thing happening, and seeing that the one whom he had defended was doing wrong, he advised him to cease from the injustice; but he says, using great ingratitude, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Whom would these words not have enraged? If therefore the former deed had been done in anger and madness, he would have struck and killed this man too. For surely he, for whose sake this was done, would not have informed against him, but because they were kinsmen, he says, he said these things. When he was being wronged, he uttered nothing of the sort, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Why did you not say this yesterday? Your injustice and cruelty, he says, this made me a ruler and a judge. But now see that some say these things even to God. For in what they are wronged, they want him to be severe, and they accuse his long-suffering; but when they do wrong, no longer. What is more bitter than these words? But nevertheless after these things, being sent to the ungrateful, to the unthankful, he went, and did not shrink back. But also after those signs, and after the wonders that happened through him, they often attempted to stone him, and he escaped their hands; and they grumbled continuously, but nevertheless he loved them so with a passion, as to say to God, when they had committed that grievous sin; If you forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me out also from the book which you have written. I wish to perish with them, he says, rather than to be saved without them. Truly a madness, truly a great passion. What are you saying? Do you despise heaven? Yes, he says; for I love those who have wronged me. You ask to be blotted out? And what can I do, he says? for it is passion. And what of the things after this? Hear what the Scripture says elsewhere; And Moses was brought into trouble for their sakes. How many times did they insult him? how many times did they reject him, and his brother? to Egypt

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τίθησιν αἰτίαν· μάλιστα δὲ ἐκείνη ἀγάπη ἐστὶν, ὅταν εὐεργετῶνται ἄνθρωποι μηδενὸς προϋπάρξαντος παρ' αὐτῶν. Τοῦτον τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμώμεθα, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς εὖ ποιῶμεν, τοὺς μισοῦντας ἡμᾶς, τοὺς ἀποστρεφομένους προσιώμεθα. Τοῦτο ὁμοιοῖ ἡμᾶς τῷ Θεῷ. Ἂν γὰρ τὸν φίλον, φησὶν, ἀγαπήσῃς, τί τὸ κέρδος; τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ ποιοῦσιν. Ἀλλὰ τί τῆς ἀγάπης τεκμήριον; Τὸν μισοῦντα ἀγαπᾷν. Βούλομαί τι ὑπόδειγμα εἰπεῖν, σύγγνωτέ μοι, καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκω ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς· διὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐρῶ. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς ἐρῶντας τούτους; πόσα ὑβριζόμενοι παρὰ τῶν ἐρωμένων, πόσα ἐπιβουλευόμενοι, πόσα ζημιούμενοι, προσηλοῦνται καὶ ἐκκαίονται, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς μᾶλλον αὐτὰς ἀγαπῶσι, διανυκτερεύοντες ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων προθύροις; Ἐκεῖθεν λάβωμεν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, οὐχ ὥστε τοιαύτας φιλεῖν, πόρνας λέγω γυναῖκας, ἀλλ' ὥστε οὕτω φιλεῖν τοὺς ἐχθρούς. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, οὐχὶ πάντων ἐχθρῶν ὑβριστικώτερον αὐτοῖς κέχρηνται, καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν διασπαθῶσι, καὶ τὴν ὄψιν ὑβρίζουσι, καὶ τῶν διακονουμένων αὐταῖς δουλικώτερα ἐπιτάττουσιν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀφίστανται. Καίτοι οὐδεὶς οὐδένα ἔχει τοιοῦτον ἐχθρὸν, οἷον ὁ φιλῶν τὴν φιλουμένην. Καὶ γὰρ θρύπτεται καὶ αἰκίζεται, καὶ ἀποκέχρηται αὐτῷ πολλάκις ἡ φιλουμένη, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν φιλῆται, τοσούτῳ καταφρονεῖ. Καίτοι τί τῆς οὕτω διακειμένης ψυχῆς θηριωδέστερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως φιλοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι. Ἀλλὰ τάχα καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν εὑρήσομεν τοιαύτην ἀγάπην, οὐ τῶν νῦν· ἐψύγη γάρ· ἀλλὰ τῶν πάλαι μεγάλων καὶ θαυμαστῶν ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν. Ὁ Μωϋσῆς ὁ μακάριος καὶ τούτους αὐτοὺς ὑπερέβαλε τοὺς ἔρωτι φιλοῦντας. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Πρῶτον μὲν τὰ βασίλεια ἀφιεὶς καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ τρυφὴν καὶ τὴν θεραπείαν καὶ τὸ δοξάζεσθαι, εἵλετο εἶναι μετὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν. Καίτοι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἄν τις ἄλλος εἰργάσατο τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐπῃσχύνθη ἐλέγχοντος ἑτέρου φανῆναι συγγενὴς οὐ μόνον δούλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ μιαρῶν εἶναι νομιζομένων· ὁ δὲ οὐ μόνον 62.54 τὴν συγγένειαν οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντὶ θυμῷ ἤμυνε, καὶ εἰς κινδύνους ἑαυτὸν ἔῤῥιψεν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων. Πῶς; Ὁρῶν, φησὶ, τινὰ ἀδικοῦντα, ἤμυνε τῷ ἀδικουμένῳ, καὶ ἀπέκτεινε τὸν ἀδικοῦντα. Ἀλλ' οὔπω ταῦτα ὑπὲρ ἐχθρῶν· μεγάλα μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτὰ, οὐχ οὕτω δὲ ὡς τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. Τῇ οὖν ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶδε γινόμενον, κἀκεῖνον ᾧ ἤμυνεν ὁρῶν ἀδικοῦντα, παρῄνει παύσασθαι τῆς ἀδικίας· ὁ δέ φησι, πολλῇ ἀγνωμοσύνῃ κεχρημένος, Τίς σε κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστὴν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς; Τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἐνέπρησε τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα; Εἰ τοίνυν θυμῷ τὸ πρότερον ἐγένετο καὶ μανίᾳ, καὶ τοῦτον ἂν πλήξας ἀνεῖλεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐκεῖνος, ὑπὲρ οὗ τοῦτο ἐγένετο, κατεμήνυσεν ἂν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι συγγενεῖς ἦσαν, φησὶ, ταῦτα εἶπεν. Ὅτε ἠδικεῖτο, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐφθέγξατο, Τίς σε κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστὴν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς; ∆ιὰ τί μὴ χθὲς εἶπες τοῦτο; Ἡ ἀδικία ἡ σὴ καὶ ἡ ὠμότης, φησὶν, αὕτη με κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστήν. Ἀλλὰ νῦν ὅρα ὅτι καὶ τῷ Θεῷ ταῦτα λέγουσί τινες. Ἐν οἷς μὲν γὰρ ἀδικοῦνται, βούλονται αὐτὸν εἶναι σφοδρὸν, καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας αὐτοῦ κατηγοροῦσιν· ὅταν δὲ ἀδικῶσιν, οὐκέτι. Τί τούτων πικρότερον τῶν ῥημάτων; Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνώμονας, πρὸς τοὺς ἀχαρίστους πεμπόμενος, ἤρχετο, καὶ οὐκ ἀνεδύετο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὰ σημεῖα ἐκεῖνα, καὶ μετὰ τὰ θαύματα τὰ δι' αὐτοῦ γενόμενα, καταλεῦσαι αὐτὸν πολλάκις ἐπεχείρησαν, καὶ ἐξέφυγε τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν· καὶ κατεγόγγυζον συνεχῶς, ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτοὺς οὕτως ἐφίλει ἔρωτι, ὡς εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἡνίκα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκείνην τὴν χαλεπὴν εἰργάσαντο· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῆς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας. Βούλομαι μετ' ἐκείνων ἀπολέσθαι, φησὶν, ἢ χωρὶς ἐκείνων σώζεσθαι. Ὄντως μανία, ὄντως ἔρως μέγας. Τί λέγεις; τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταφρονεῖς; Ναὶ, φησί· φιλῶ γὰρ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας. Ἐξαλειφθῆναι αἰτεῖς; Καὶ τί πάθω, φησίν; ἔρως γάρ ἐστι. Τί δὲ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα; Ἄκουσον τί φησιν ἑτέρωθι ἡ Γραφή· Καὶ ἐκακώθη Μωϋσῆς δι' αὐτούς. Ποσάκις ὕβρισαν; ποσάκις ἀπεχειροτόνησαν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφόν; εἰς Αἴγυπτον