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righteousness, are blessed. Not returning evil for evil, nor reviling for reviling; but on the contrary blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. Beloved, do not imitate evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God; but he who does evil has not seen God. Just as shining automatically follows light, and being fragrant follows myrrh, so too what is beneficial necessarily follows good deeds. Those who do good have in the work itself what is acceptable. Let no one make a pretext of ignorance concerning the good; a natural law has been sown in us, showing us affinity for what is noble and estrangement from what is harmful. He who sheds a warm tear for his neighbor's sin has atoned for himself, through the things for which he lamented his brother. Do you know what good you will do for your neighbor? As you wish to be done to you by another. He who keeps silent, and does not rebuke the sin of his brother, is pitiless, like one who leaves the venom in him who was bitten by a poisonous creature. Do not laugh at your neighbor's fall; but walk securely, as is your power; but also give a hand to him who lies on the ground. 95.1144 Let us forgive, that we may be forgiven. Let us release, that we may ask for release. Forgive, you who have been forgiven; have mercy, you who have been shown mercy. Acquire love for mankind while there is time. Let us forgive something small, that we may receive something greater, concord. Let us be defeated, that we may conquer. See the laws of athletics, and the contests of wrestlers, who by lying beneath often conquer those who are on top. It is good to conquer insolence with kindness, and to make better those who do wrong, by what we endure when we suffer. If you owed God no punishment, Neither be sympathetic to those who owe it; But if you know you owe, also lend gentleness. For pity is weighed by pity, even by God. Because I give more to former love than to present contempt, and for this reason I become more long-suffering, that I may reproach more fervently. Sufficient punishment for me against those who do wrong is the power to retaliate. Let not a vain thought deceive you, that to pursue justice is without responsibility, and to hand over the wrongdoer to the laws. Let us consider that a great business of loving-kindness lies before us, and let us forgive what is against us, that we ourselves may also obtain forgiveness. What teaching of kindness is more concise? Be such to your friends and to your neighbors, As you wish them to be to you. We keep watch on one another's sins, not that we may mourn, but that we may attack, and have as a defense for our own evils the wounds of our neighbors. The stronger you are, the more just you would be to support the weaker. For the strong ought to be strong not only for himself, but also for others. But if, while claiming to be strong, you overlook his weakness, you will pay a double penalty, both because you did not spare, and because we have much power to spare. For each of us is responsible for our neighbor's salvation. For this reason we were commanded not to look to our own interests, but to those of our neighbors. For we were bought with a price; and He who bought us commanded this for the common benefit of all. One must not simply apply censure according to the measure of the transgressions, but also take into account the disposition of the sinners, lest wishing to sew up what is torn, you make the tear worse. Let us consider one thing only, brothers, not that we may suffer no evil from our enemies, but that we 95.1145 may do no evil to them. When you get your enemy into your hands, do not consider how, having taken revenge on him and washed him with countless insults, you may send him away, but how you may lead him back to reasonableness; and do not desist until you have overcome his cruelty with gentleness. Then there will be greater rewards from life, when, having done countless good things to our enemies, we receive the opposite in return. When we consider what we have suffered from our fellow servants, let us reckon what we have done to the Master, and by the fear of our own sins we will be able to quickly cast off anger at the transgressions of others. For if it is necessary to remember sins, our own

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δικαιοσύνην, μακάριοι. Μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ, μὴ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας· τοὐναντίον δὲ εὐλογοῦντες, ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο ἐκλήθητε, ἵνα εὐλογίας κληρονομήσητε. Ἀγαπητὲ, μὴ μιμοῦ τὸ κακὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ὁ ἀγαθοποιῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ κακοποιῶν, οὐχ ἑώρακε τὸν Θεόν. Ὥσπερ τῷ φωτὶ αὐτομάτως ἕπεται τὸ φωτίζειν, καὶ τῷ μύρῳ τὸ εὐωδεῖν, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ὠφέλιμον. Οἱ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζόμενοι, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ ἀπόδεκτον ἔχουσι. Μηδεὶς ἄγνοιαν προφασιζέσθω περὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν· φυσικὰς λόγος, οἰκείωσιν ἡμῖν τοῦ καλοῦ, καὶ ἀλλοτρίωσιν ἀπὸ τῶν βλαβερῶν ὑποδεικνύων ἐγκατεσπάρη. Ὁ ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ πλησίον ἁμαρτίας θερμὸν ἀποτήξας δάκρυον, ἑαυτὸν ἐξιάσατο, δι' ὧν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπωδύρατο. Οἶδας τί ποιήσεις τῷ πλησίον σου καλόν; ὡς ἑαυτῷ βούλει παρ' ἑτέρου γενέσθαι. Ὁ ἐφησυχάζων, καὶ μὴ ἐλέγχων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ἄσπλαγχνός ἐστιν, ὥσπερ ὁ τὸν ἰὸν ἐναφεὶς τῷ δηχθέντι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰοβόλου. Μὴ γελάσῃς πτῶμα τοῦ πέλας· διάβαινε δὲ ἀσφαλῶς, ὥς σοι δύναμις· ἀλλὰ καὶ δίδου χεῖρα χαμαὶ κειμένῳ. 95.1144 Συγχωρήσωμεν, ἵνα συγχωρηθῶμεν. Ἀφῶμεν, ἵνα αἰτησώμεθα ἄφεσιν. Ἄφες ὁ ἀφεθείς· ἐλέησον ὁ ἐλεημένος. Κτῆσαι τὸ φιλάνθρωπον ἕως καιρός. Συγχωρήσωμέν τι μικρὸν, ἵνα μεῖζον ἀντιλάβωμεν, τὴν ὁμόνοιαν. Ἡττηθῶμεν, ἵνα νικήσωμεν. Ὁρᾶτε νόμους ἀθλήσεως, καὶ παλαιστῶν ἀγωνίσματα, οἳ τῷ κάτω κεῖσθαι πολλάκις νικῶσι τοὺς ὑπερκειμένους. Ἀγαθὸν χρηστότητι νικᾷν θρασύτητα, καὶ βελτίους ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, οἷς καρτεροῦμεν πάσχοντες. Εἰ μηδὲν ὤφλεις τῷ Θεῷ τιμωρίας, Μηδὲ αὐτοῖς ἴσθι τοῖς ὄφλουσι συμπαθής· Εἰ δὲ οἶδας ὄφλων, καὶ πρόχρησον τὸ πρᾶον. Οἴκτῳ γὰρ οἶκτος καὶ Θεῷ σταθμίζεται. Ὅτι δίδωμι πλέον τῇ πρὶν ἀγάπῃ τῆς παρούσης ὑπεροψίας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γίνομαι μακροθυμότερος, ἵνα ὀνειδίσω θερμότερον. Αὐτάρκης μοι τιμωρία κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων, ἡ τοῦ ἀντιδρᾷν ἐξουσία. Μή σε ἀπατᾷ μάταιος λογισμὸς, ὅτι τὸ δίκαιος ἐπεξελθεῖν ἀνεύθυνόν ἐστι, καὶ τὸ παραδοῦναι τοῖς νόμοις τὸν ἀδικήσαντα. Μεγάλην ἡμῖν νομίζωμεν προκεῖσθαι πραγματείαν φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ συγχωρήσωμεν τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ τύχωμεν συγχωρήσεως. Τί χρηστότητος δόγμα συντομώτερον; Τοιοῦτος ἴσθι τοῖς φίλοις, καὶ τοῖς πέλας, Οἵους ἑαυτῷ τούσδε τυγχάνειν θέλεις. Τηροῦμεν τὰς ἀλλήλων ἁμαρτίας, οὐχ ἵνα πενθήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα προσπλήξωμεν, καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἔχωμεν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν τὰ τῶν πλησίον τραύματα. Ὅσῳπερ ἂν ἰσχυρότερος ᾖς, τοσούτῳ δικαιότερος ἂν εἴης τὸν ἀσθενέστερον διαβάσταξαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτῷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις ἰσχυρὸν εἶναι χρὴ τὸν ἰσχύοντα. Εἰ δὲ λέγων ἰσχύειν, τὴν ἀσθένειαν, τὴν ἐκείνου περιορᾷς, διπλῆν δώσεις δίκην, ὅτι τε οὐκ ἐφείσω, καὶ ὅτι πολλὴν ἔχομεν τοῦ φείσασθαι δύναμιν. Ὑπεύθυνος γὰρ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν τῆς τοῦ πλησίον σωτηρίας ἐστίν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐχὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ σκοπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν πέλας, ἐκελεύσθημεν. Τιμῆς γὰρ ἠγοράσθημεν· ὁ δὲ ἀγοράσας ἡμᾶς, τοῦτο προσέταξεν ἐπὶ τῇ κοινῇ πάντων λυσιτελείᾳ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς πρὸς τὸ τῶν παραπτωμάτων μέτρον δεῖ τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν ἐπάγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων στοχάζεσθαι προαιρέσεως, μήποτε ῥάψαι τὸ διεῤῥηγὸς βουλόμενος, χεῖρον τὸ σχίσμα ποιήσῃς. Ἓν μόνον σκοπῶμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐχ ὅπως μηδὲν πάθωμεν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κακὸν, ἀλλ' ὅπως μηδὲν 95.1145 αὐτοῖς ἡμεῖς ἐργασώμεθα κακόν. Ὅταν λάβῃς τὸν ἐχθρόν σου εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὰς σὰς, μὴ σκόπει ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀμυνάμενος, καὶ μυρίαις πλύνας λοιδορίαις ἐκπέμψῃς, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐπαναγάγῃς πρὸς ἐπιείκειαν· καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῇς, ἕως ἂν περιγένῃ τῇ πραότητι τῆς ὠμότητος τῆς ἐκείνου. Τότε μείζους παρὰ τοῦ βίου κείσονται ἀντιδόσεις, ὅταν μυρία τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες, τοὐναντία ἀνταπολάβωμεν. Ὅταν ἐννοήσωμεν ἅπερ ἐπάθομεν παρὰ τῶν συνδούλων, λογισώμεθα ἅπερ ἐποιήσαμεν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων τὸν θυμὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις πλημμελήμασι ταχέως ἀπώσασθαι δυνησόμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ μεμνῆσθαι ἁμαρτημάτων, τῶν οἰκείων