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to exercise. "For what have I to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those who are within?" Does he call those within and those without, Christians and Greeks? "But those who are outside God will judge. For since he said, What have I to do with judging those outside? lest anyone should think them to be unpunished, he sets over them another tribunal more fearful than this one. He said this, at once frightening those, and comforting these; and he shows that this temporary punishment snatches one from the everlasting. Which he also made clear elsewhere saying; But now being judged, we are chastened, so that we may not be condemned with the world. "And you shall remove the evil one from among yourselves." He offers a testimony from the Old Testament, showing that such a thing is no innovation, but that he had given it to the lawgiver from the beginning.

CHAP. VI. "Does any of you, having a matter against another, dare to be judged before the unjust

and not before the saints." Speaking concerning the covetous, being fervent with care for the correction of sinners, he does not endure to keep to order; but again corrects the sin which was brought forward from the sequence of his argument, and thus he returns to his former topic. But see how by exercising with the names, he both dissuades and reproaches. What he says is something like this, that one ought by no means to be judged before the unjust; for how is it not absurd, being small-souled toward a friend, to take an enemy as a reconciler? or how are you not ashamed and do you not blush, when the Greek sits judging the Christian? And it was good not to say, "before the unbelievers," but, "before the unjust." For since his argument was about justice, and those being judged seek nothing so much as that there be much forethought for what is just among those hearing, from this he dissuades them, as if to say; And what are you doing, O man, suffering the contrary of what you desire, and for the sake of obtaining justice allowing men to do injustice. He shows that the matter is one of daring and of lawlessness. 95.613 "Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" For since it seemed a contemptible thing to be judged by those within, private individuals and inexperienced in many matters, see how he contrives this also. For it is as if he were to say: You who are going to judge them then, how can you be judged by them now? But the saints judge the world, not themselves sitting and demanding an account, but by condemning. Therefore he adds, in you the world is judged. He did not say, by you, but, in you; as when he says: The queen of the south will rise up and will condemn this generation; and, The men of Nineveh will rise up and will condemn this generation. "And if the world is judged in you." So that he might not seem to be speaking about others, see how he makes the argument general. "Are you unworthy of the smallest tribunals?" The matter brings shame upon you, he says. For since it was likely they would be ashamed being judged by those within, he says, that the shame is the opposite, when you are judged by those without. For those are the smallest tribunals, not these. "Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more the things of this life?" He speaks of those angels, concerning whom Christ says: Depart into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And the Apostle himself says that the angels, of Satan, that is, are transformed as ministers of righteousness. And again in these cases also, "we shall judge" is in the place of "we shall condemn." For when those incorporeal powers are found to have less than we who are clothed in flesh, they will pay a heavier penalty. "If then you have tribunals pertaining to this life, set up those who are of no account in the Church; I say this to your shame." He wishes to teach with hyperbole, that not for any reason whatever is it right to entrust the case to those outside; and he removes the apparent objection, as if to say: What will you say, that there is no one wise among you, nor able to judge? And what of that? For even if there is no one wise, entrust it to the least. But the phrase, "I say this to your shame"? is a refutation of their objection, as being false

52

γυμνάζειν. «Τί γάρ μοι καὶ τοῖς ἔξω κρίνειν; Οὐχὶ τοὺς ἔσω ὑμεῖς κρίνετε;» Τοὺς δὲ ἔσω καὶ τοὺς ἔξω, τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας καλεῖ; «Τοὺς δὲ ἔξω ὁ Θεὸς κρινεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε, Τί μοι τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειν; Ἵνα μήτις νομίσῃ ἀτιμωρήτους τούτους εἶναι, ἕτερον δικαστήριον αὐτοῖς ἐφίστησι φοβερώτερον τούτου. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπεν, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἐκείνους φοβῶν, ὁμοῦ δὲ τούτους παραμυθούμενος· καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅτι ἡ κόλασις αὕτη ἡ πρόσκαιρος τῆς διηνεκοῦς ἐξαρπάζει. Ὃ καὶ δηλῶν ἀλλαχοῦ ἔλεγε· Νυνὶ δὲ κρινόμενοι, παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. «Καὶ ἐξαρεῖτε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν.» Μαρτυρίαν ἐκ τῆς Παλαιᾶς τίθησι, δηλῶν ὅτι οὐ καινοτομία τὸ τοιοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνωθεν αὐτῷ ἔδωκεν τῷ νομοθέτῃ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ςʹ. «Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον, κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων

καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων.» Περὶ πλεονεκτῶν διαλεγόμενος, ζέων τῇ φροντίδι τῆς διορθώσεως τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, οὐκ ἀνέχεται διατηρῆσαι τάξιν· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἀχθὲν εἰς μέσον ἁμάρτημα διορθοῦται πάλιν, καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ πρότερον ἐπάνεισιν. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς ἐκ τῶν ὀνομάτων γυμνάζων, καὶ ἀποτρέπει καὶ ἐγκαλεῖ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι Μάλιστα μὲν ἤδη κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων οὐ δεῖ· πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον πρὸς τὸν φίλον μικροψυχοῦντα τὸν ἐχθρὸν διαλλάκτην λαμβάνειν; ἢ πῶς οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ ἐρυθριᾷς, ὅταν ὁ Ἕλλην τῷ Χριστιανῷ καθέζεται δικάζων; Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ, ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπίστων, εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ', ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ δίκης αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος ἦν, οἱ δικαζόμενοι δὲ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἐπιζητοῦσιν, ὡς τὸ πολλὴν εἶναι πρόνοιαν τοῦ δικαίου παρὰ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοὺς ἀποτρέπει, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Καὶ τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, τοὐναντίον πάσχων ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖς, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ τυχεῖν τοῦ δικαίου ἀδικῆσαι ἐπιτρέπων ἀνθρώποις. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι τόλμης ἐστὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ παρανομίας. 95.613 «Ἦ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρίνουσιν;» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἐδόκει τὸ παρὰ τοῖς ἔνδοθεν δικάζεσθαι, ἀνθρώποις ἰδιώταις καὶ πολλῶν ἀπείροις πραγμάτων, ὅρα πῶς καὶ τοῦτο μεθοδεύει. Ὅμοιον γὰρ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Σὺ ὁ μέλλων ἐκείνους κρίνειν τότε, πῶς ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἂν ἔχεις κρίνεσθαι νῦν; κρίνουσι δὲ τὸν κόσμον οἱ ἅγιοι, οὐκ αὐτοὶ καθήμενοι καὶ λόγον ἀπαιτοῦντες, ἀλλὰ κατακρίνοντες. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει, ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ κόσμος κρίνεται. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὑφ' ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ, ἐν ὑμῖν· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Βασίλισσα νότου ἀναστήσεται, καὶ κατακρινεῖ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην· καὶ, Ἄνδρες Νινευῖται ἀναστήσονται, καὶ κατακρινοῦσι τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην. «Καὶ εἰ ἐν ὑμῖν κρίνεται ὁ κόσμος.» Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ περὶ ἄλλων λέγειν, ὅρα πῶς κοινοποιεῖ τὸν λόγον. «Ἀνάξιοί ἐστε κριτηρίων ἐλαχίστων.» Αἰσχύνην ὑμῖν φέρει τὸ πρᾶγμα, φησίν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἔσω κρινομένους αἰσχύνεσθαι, φησὶν, ὡς Τὸ ἐναντίον ἐστὶν ἡ αἰσχύνη, ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξω κρίνεσθε. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἐλάχιστα κριτήρια, οὐ ταῦτα. «Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τοὺς ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν; μή τί γε βιωτικά;» Περὶ ἐκείνων λέγει τῶν ἀγγέλων, περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι, τοῦ Σατανᾶ δηλονότι, μετασχηματίζονται ὡς διάκονοι δικαιοσύνης. Πάλιν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων τὸ, κρινοῦμεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, κατακρινοῦμεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐκεῖναι αἱ ἀσώματοι δυνάμεις ἔλαττον ἡμῶν εὑρεθῶσιν ἔχουσαι τῶν σάρκα περιβεβλημένων, χαλεπωτέραν δώσουσι δίκην. «Βιωτικὰ μὲν οὖν κριτήρια ἐὰν ἔχητε, τοὺς ἐξουθενημένους ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τούτους καθίζετε· πρὸς ἐντροπὴν ὑμῖν λέγω.» Μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς διδάξαι βούλεται, ὅτι οὐδ' ἂν ὁτιοῦν ᾖ τοῖς ἔξωθεν τὴν δίκην ἐπιτρέπειν χρή· ἀναιρεῖ δὲ τὴν δοκοῦσαν ἀντίθεσιν, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Τί ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐν ὑμῖν σοφὸς, οὐδὲ ἱκανὸς διακρῖναι; καὶ τί τοῦτο; Κἂν γὰρ μηδεὶς ᾖ σοφὸς, τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις ἐπίτρεψον. Τὸ δὲ, πρὸς ἐντροπὴν ὑμῖν λέγω; ἐλέγχοντός ἐστι τὴν τούτων ἀντίθεσιν, ὡς ψευδῆ