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It urges them to love their children, and the children to serve their parents as masters. Love calls for masters to be merciful to their servants, and advises servants to minister to their masters without deceit. Love is understood in many ways, through meekness, through kindness, through patience, through generosity and lack of envy, through freedom from malice. It is undivided in all things, indiscriminately communal. We are taught three kinds of friendship, and of these the first and best is that according to virtue; for love that comes from reason is firm. The second and middle kind is that according to reciprocity; this is communal, and communicative, and useful for life; for grateful friendship is common. The last and third, we say is from habit, but the Greeks say is according to pleasure, which is fickle and changeable. Therefore, one is the friendship of a philosopher, another of a human, and another of an animal. To love one's enemies does not mean to love evil, nor impiety, nor adultery, or theft, but the thief, and the adulterer; not in that he sins and by such an act pollutes the name of 95.1204 man, but in that he is a man and a work of God. Indeed, sinning lies in the action, and not in the substance; wherefore it is not a work of God. The gnostic will never bear a grudge. He is angry with no one, even if they happen to be worthy of hatred for what they do. For he reveres the Creator, and loves his companion in life, pitying and praying for him because of his ignorance. Love to heal the inflamed parts of anger. Love is divided into three persons for a man; one loves for God's sake whom he loves; another because he is rich, for the sake of receiving gifts; and another with passion. And one sincerely glorifies whom he loves, another for greed, another for the sake of pleasure. Peace, even if it be very damaging, is more profitable than war.

TITLE 19. -Concerning truth and faithful witness.

You shall not agree with the unjust to be an unjust witness. On the testimony of two or three witnesses shall he who is to die be put to death. A single witness shall not stand to testify against a man, concerning any charge, and concerning any sin. A truthful mouth will be filled with laughter, and his lips with rejoicing. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to those who seek his covenant. The Lord will seek out truth. Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have greatly hoped in your judgments. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverse in them. Good men devise mercy and truth. A faithful witness delivers from evils. To do just things and to speak the truth is more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices. The law of truth was in their mouth, and iniquity was not found on their lips. Speak truth each one with his neighbor; truth and peace, says the Lord Almighty. With truth there is no showing of partiality. I will not pass by the truth, nor will I consort with consuming envy; for this has no fellowship with wisdom. Do not speak against the truth; do not show favor to a ruler. Strive for the truth unto death, and the Lord God will fight for you. 95.1205 Birds alight with their own kind, and truth will return to those who practice it. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God. Putting away lying, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children walk in truth. The best of good things is truth. The word of truth is hard to hunt, being able easily to escape those who do not pay attention. Such a thing is irrationality, and fighting against the truth, so that not even when they fall into self-contradiction, do they understand or feel ashamed. The strength of truth needs no help, but even if it has ten thousand who would extinguish it, not only is it not destroyed, but also through those very ones

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φιλεῖν τὰ τέκνα προτρέπεται, καὶ τὰ τέκνα δουλεύειν ὡς δεσπόταις τοῖς γονεῦσιν. Ἀγάπη τοὺς δεσπότας ἐλεήμονας εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας παρακαλεῖ, καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας ὑπουργεῖν τοῖς δεσπόταις ἀδόλως παραινεῖ. Πολλαχῶς ἀγάπη νοεῖται, διὰ πραότητος, διὰ χρηστότητος, δι' ὑπομονῆς, διὰ ἀφθονίας καὶ ἀζηλίας, δι' ἀμνησικακίας. Ἀμέριστός ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσι, ἀδιάκριτος κοινωνική. Τρισσὰ εἴδη φιλίας διδασκόμεθα, καὶ τούτων τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καὶ ἄριστον, τὸ κατ' ἀρετήν· στεῤῥὰ γὰρ ἡ ἐκ λόγου ἀγάπη· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον καὶ μέσον, τὸ κατ' ἀμοιβήν· κοινωνικὸν τοῦτο, καὶ μεταδοτικὸν, καὶ βιωφελές· κοινὴ γὰρ ἡ εὐχάριστος φιλία. Τὸ δὲ ὕστατον καὶ τρίτον, ἡμεῖς μὲν τὸ ἐκ συνηθείας φαμὲν, οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνές φασι, τὸ καθ' ἡδονὴν τρεπτὸν καὶ μετάβλητον. Οὐκοῦν ἡ μέν τίς ἐστι φιλοσόφου φιλία, ἡ δὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἡ δὲ ζώου. Τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, οὐκ ἀγαπᾷν τὸ κακὸν λέγει, οὐδὲ ἀσέβειαν, οὐδὲ μοιχείαν, ἢ κλοπὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸν κλέπτην, καὶ τὸν μοιχόν· οὐ καθ' ὃ ἁμαρτάνει, καὶ τῇ ποιᾷ ἐνεργείᾳ μολύνει τὴν ἀνθρώπου προσ 95.1204 ηγορίαν, καθ' ὃ δὲ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, καὶ ἔργον Θεοῦ. Ἀμέλει τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐνεργείᾳ κεῖται, καὶ οὐκ οὐσίᾳ· διὸ οὐδὲ ἔργον Θεοῦ. Οὐ μνησικακήσει ὁ γνωστικός ποτε. Οὐ χαλεπανεῖ οὐδενὶ, κἂν μίσους ἄξια τυγχάνῃ, ἐφ' οἷς διαπράττεται. Σέβει μὲν γὰρ τὸν Ποιητὴν, ἀγαπᾷ δὲ τὸν κοινωνὸν τοῦ βίου, οἰκτείρων καὶ ὑπερευχόμενος αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν. Ἀγάπη τὰ φλεγόμενα μόρια τοῦ θυμοῦ θεραπεύειν. Ἡ ἀγάπη τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰς τρία μερίζεται πρόσωπα· ὁ μὲν διὰ Θεὸν ἀγαπᾷ, ὃν ἀγαπᾷ· ὁ δὲ ἐπεὶ πλούσιός ἐστι, χάριν λήψεως δώρων· ὁ δὲ ἐμπαθῶς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν εἰλικρινῶς δοξάζει ὃν ἀγαπᾷ, ὁ δὲ διὰ πλεονεξίαν, ὁ δὲ χάριν ἡδονῆς Εἰρήνη, κἂν ᾖ σφόδρα ἐπιζήμιος, λυσιτελεστέρα ἐστὶ πολέμου.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΘʹ. -Περὶ ἀληθείας καὶ μαρτυρίας πιστῆς.

Οὐ συγκαταθήσῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδίκου γενέσθαι μάρτυς ἄδικος. Ἐπὶ δυσὶ μάρτυσιν ἢ τρισὶν ἀποθανεῖται ὁ ἀποθνήσκων. Οὐκ ἐμμενεῖ μάρτυς εἷς, μαρτυρῆσαι κατὰ ἀνθρώπου, κατὰ πάσας αἰτίας, καὶ κατὰ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα. Ἀληθινὸν στόμα ἐμπλησθήσεται γέλωτος, καὶ τὰ χείλη αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλιάσεται. Πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ Κυρίου ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια, τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ. Ἀλήθειαν ἐκζητήσει Κύριος. Μὴ περιέλῃς ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου λόγον ἀληθείας ἕως σφόδρα, ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῖς κρίμασί σου ὑπερήλπισα. Μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου· οὐδὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς σκολιὸν, οὐδὲ στραγγαλιῶδες. Ἔλεον καὶ ἀλήθειαν τεκταίνουσιν ἀγαθοί. Ῥύεται ἐκ κακῶν μάρτυς πιστός. Ποιεῖν δίκαια καὶ ἀληθεύειν, ἀρεστὰ παρὰ Θεῷ, ἢ θυσιῶν αἷμα. Νόμος ἀληθείας ἦν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀδικία οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν χείλεσιν αὐτῶν. Λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ· τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ. Οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ λαμβάνειν πρόσωπα. Οὐ μὴ παροδεύσω τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὔτε μὴν φθόνῳ τετηκότι συνοδεύσω· ὅτι οὗτος οὐ κοινωνεῖ σοφίᾳ. Μὴ ἀντίλεγε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· μὴ λάβῃς πρόσωπον δυνάστου. Ἕως θανάτου ἀγώνισαι περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 95.1205 Πετεινὰ πρὸς τὰ ὅμοια καταλύει, καὶ ἀλήθεια πρὸς τοὺς ἐργαζομένους αὐτὴν ἐπανήξει. Πᾶς ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα φανερωθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐν Θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα. Ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος, λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσμὲν ἀλλήλων μέλη. Μείζονα ταύτης οὐκ ἔχω χαρὰν, ἵνα ἀκούω τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα ἐν ἀληθείᾳ περιπατοῦντα. Τὸ κράτιστον τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια. ∆υσθήρατός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος, ῥᾳδίως δυνάμενος ἐκφυγεῖν τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας. Τοιοῦτόν τι ἡ ἀλογία, καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀπομάχεσθαι, ὡς μηδὲ περιπίπτοντας αὐτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς, ἢ νοεῖν, ἢ αἰσχύνεσθαι. Οὐδεμιᾶς δεῖται βοηθείας ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ἰσχὺς, ἀλλὰ κἂν μυρίους ἔχῃ τοὺς σβεννύντας αὐτὴν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀφανίζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν