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a law restrains him. And see what kind it is: May I fall, he says, from my enemies empty-handed. Then may the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; and tread down my life into the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust. That is, may he destroy me dishonored, nameless; with my life may he also corrupt my glory. What is, And bring down my glory to the dust? To humble, to tread down; may I become ready for my enemies, he says. What could be more defiled than Absalom, who persecuted his father, and such a father, so gentle and kind, being licentious and intemperate and insolent? What then? did he not repay those who repaid him evil, nor did he bear a grudge? By no means. And if you examine the history of Saul, then most of all you will see this voice shining through. For the one who, after countless good deeds, and trophies, and victories, was wronging him, and plotting against him, and desiring to kill him each day, having taken him into his hands once, and twice, and many times sleeping, and as if shut up in a prison, and bereft of bodyguards, with many urging him to slay and kill him, he spared him, and controlled his anger, and this knowing that by letting him escape, he would release a foe for himself and an irreconcilable enemy. But nevertheless, neither the memory of past things, nor the fear of future things, nor anything else of the sort led him to that slaughter; but he acted philosophically, and stayed his hand, and bridled his temper, and chose rather to be in danger and to be plotted against, and to be cast out from his own country and from freedom, than to slay and kill the enemy who was plotting against him rashly and in vain, 55.88 the one who, after countless good deeds, was seeking to murder him. And from many other things it is possible to see his philosophical mind; which is why he also curses him with many and harsh things, such as to return without success, for his enemies to prevail with his great presence, to die nameless, to suffer this at the hands of enemies, which seems to be much harder than death; which is why he also devises countless contrivances, in order to be remembered after death. See, then, how many things he curses himself with: to labor without result, to be defeated by enemies, to die, and not even a common death, for his memory also to be wiped out, with dishonor; he would not have cursed himself with so many things, if he were not very confident in his conscience. But if he had an enemy, this was no charge against that man; for he himself did not provide the pretexts. For what pretext did he give to his child? What to Saul? Did he not, after chastening for a time the one who had done things worthy of punishment, bring him back and restore him; and did he not save the one seeking to murder him, having taken him into his hands many times? Therefore do not consider this, if he had enemies, but if he himself made them. For Christ did not command this, not to have enemies; for of this we are not masters; but not to hate; for of this we are masters, but of that not at all. But as for being hated without cause, the power lies not in us, but in those who hate. For the wicked are accustomed to hate the good rashly and in vain. For they also hated Christ without cause, as he says: They hated me without a cause. And the apostles had the false apostles as enemies, and the prophets the false prophets. For we must not consider this, how we may not have enemies, but how not justly, nor reasonably; and how, even if we are hated ten thousand times, we may not hate, nor turn away; for enmity is this, to hate and to turn away. When, therefore, I am hated and do not hate, he has me as an enemy, not I him. When I pray, when I wish to do good, how do I have such a one as an enemy? For this reason Paul said: If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

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νόμος αὐτὸν εἴργει. Καὶ ὅρα ποία αὐτή· Ἀποπέσοιμι, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός. Καταδιώξαι ἄρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ καταλάβοι, καὶ καταπατήσαι εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου, καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου εἰς χοῦν κατασκηνώσαι. Τουτέστιν, ἄτιμον, ἀνώνυμον ἀπολέσειε, μετὰ τῆς ζωῆς μου καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου διαφθείρειε. Τί ἐστι, Καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου εἰς χοῦν κατασκηνώσαι; Ταπεινώσαι, πατήσαι· γενοίμην ἕτοιμος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, φησί. Τί γένοιτ' ἂν μιαρώτερον τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, ὅστις πατέρα, καὶ πατέρα τοιοῦτον, οὕτως ἥμερον καὶ ἐπιεικῆ, ἐδίωκεν, ἀσελγὴς ὢν καὶ ἀκόλαστος καὶ ὑβριστής; Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἀπέδωκε τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσιν αὐτῷ κακὰ, οὐδὲ ἐμνησικάκησεν; Οὐδαμῶς. Κἂν ἐξετάσῃς τοῦ Σαοὺλ τὴν ἱστορίαν, τότε μάλιστα ὄψει ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν διαλάμπουσαν. Τὸν γὰρ μετὰ μυρίας εὐεργεσίας, καὶ τὰ τρόπαια, καὶ τὰς νίκας ἀδικοῦντα, καὶ ἐπιβουλεύοντα, καὶ ἀνελεῖν καθ' ἑκάστην ἐπιθυμοῦντα τὴν ἡμέραν, λαβὼν εἰς χεῖρας καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ πολλάκις καθεύδοντα, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ συγκεκλεισμένον, καὶ δορυφόρων ἔρημον, πολλῶν ἐγκελευομένων σφάξαι καὶ ἀνελεῖν, ἐφείσατο, καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς ἐκράτησε, καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς, ὅτι ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν διαφυγεῖν, πολέμιον ἀφήσει ἑαυτῷ καὶ ἐχθρὸν ἀκατάλλακτον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὔτε ἡ μνήμη τῶν παρελθόντων, οὔτε ὁ φόβος τῶν μελλόντων, οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν εἰς τὴν σφαγὴν αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν ἐκείνην· ἀλλ' ἐφιλοσόφει, καὶ τῆς χειρὸς ἐκράτει, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ἐχαλίνου, καὶ ᾑρεῖτο κινδυνεύειν καὶ ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι μᾶλλον, καὶ τῆς πατρίδος αὐτῆς ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας, ἢ τὸν ἐχθρὸν τὸν εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην αὐτῷ ἐπι 55.88 βουλεύοντα, τὸν μετὰ μυρίας εὐεργεσίας φονῶντα, σφάξαι καὶ ἀνελεῖν. Καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων δὲ πλειόνων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὴν φιλόσοφον αὐτοῦ διάνοιαν· διὸ καὶ ἐπαρᾶται αὐτῷ πολλὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ, οἷον τὸ ἄπρακτον ἐπανελθεῖν, τὸ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς κρατῆσαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, τὸ ἀνώνυμον ἀποθανεῖν, τὸ παρὰ πολεμίων τοῦτο παθεῖν, ὃ πολὺ τοῦ θανεῖν χαλεπώτερον εἶναι δοκεῖ· διὸ καὶ μυρία μηχανήματα ποιεῖ, πρὸς τὸ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν μνημονεύεσθαι. Ὅρα τοίνυν ὅσα ἑαυτῷ ἐπαρᾶται· τὸ ἀνήνυτα πονεῖν, τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡττηθῆναι, τὸ ἀποθανεῖν, τὸ μηδὲ κοινῇ τῇ τελευτῇ, τὸ καὶ τὴν μνήμην αὐτοῦ ἐξαλειφθῆναι, τὸ μετὰ ἀτιμίας· οὐκ ἂν τοσαῦτα ἑαυτῷ ἐπαρασάμενος, εἰ μὴ σφόδρα ἐθάῤῥει τῷ συνειδότι. Εἰ δὲ ἐχθρὸν εἶχεν, οὐδὲν τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ ἔγκλημα· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς παρεῖχε λαβάς. Ποίαν γὰρ λαβὴν ἔδωκε τῷ παιδί; ποίαν τῷ Σαούλ; Οὐχὶ τὸν μὲν ἄξια τιμωρίας πράξαντα, πρὸς καιρὸν σωφρονίσας, ἐπανήγαγε καὶ ἀνεκτήσατο· τὸν δὲ φονῶντα κατ' αὐτοῦ, πολλάκις εἰς χεῖρας λαβὼν διέσωσε; Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο σκόπει, εἰ ἐχθροὺς εἶχεν, ἀλλ' εἰ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς κατεσκεύασεν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο ἐκέλευσε, τὸ μὴ ἐχθροὺς ἔχειν· τούτου γὰρ οὐκ ἐσμὲν κύριοι· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ μισεῖν· τούτου γὰρ ἡμεῖς κύριοι, ἐκείνου δὲ οὐ πάντως. Τοῦ δὲ μισεῖσθαι εἰκῆ, οὐκ ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ ἐξουσία κεῖται, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς μισοῦσι. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ πονηροὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς μισεῖν εἰώθασιν εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐμίσουν εἰκῆ, καθὼς λέγει· Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν. Καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοὺς ψευδαποστόλους εἶχον ἐχθροὺς, καὶ οἱ προφῆται τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο δεῖ σκοπεῖν, ὅπως μὴ σχοίημεν ἐχθροὺς, ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ δικαίως, μηδὲ εὐλόγως· καὶ ὅπως, κἂν μυριάκις μισώμεθα, μὴ μισῶμεν, μηδὲ ἀποστρεφώμεθα· ἔχθρα γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ μισεῖν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι. Ὅταν οὖν μισῶμαι καὶ μὴ μισῶ, ἐκεῖνός με ἐχθρὸν, οὐκ ἐγὼ τοῦτον ἔχω. Ὅταν εὔχωμαι, ὅταν εὐεργετεῖν βούλωμαι, πῶς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐχθρὸν ἔχω; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εἰ δυνατὸν, τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν, μετὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰρηνεύοντες.