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For it is a humble and a lofty thing, if he who is about to ascend into the heavens is according to Moses; but nevertheless, for the present, it was a great thing. For the saying, 'And it shall be that everyone who will not hear shall be destroyed,' is not according to Moses. And he said countless other things showing that he is not according to Moses, so that he touched upon a great testimony. God will raise him up, he says, from your brethren. So that Moses himself threatened those who would not hear. All these things are persuasive. And all the prophets, he says, from Samuel. He did not wish to go through them one by one, so as not to make the discourse long; but having mentioned the opportune testimony of Moses, he sent them on. You are, he says, the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made. Sons of the covenant, he says, that is, heirs. For lest they should seem to be receiving these things from the grace of Peter, he shows that it was owed to them from of old, so that they might believe the more, that this also is pleasing to God. To you first, he says, God, having raised up His Servant, sent Him. 60.81 He did not say, 'To you,' simply, 'he sent his Servant,' but also, 'after the resurrection,' and 'when he was crucified.' For lest they should think that he himself bestowed these things, but the Father did not, for this reason he added, 'Blessing you.' For if he himself is your brother and blesses you, the matter is a promise; that is, you are so far from not partaking in these things, that He wishes you to become causes and leaders for others also. Therefore, do not be disposed as if rejected or cast off. 'In turning away,' he says, 'each one from his wickednesses.' Thus he blesses you, and not simply. And what sort of blessing is this? A great one. For surely turning away from wickednesses is not sufficient to undo them. But if it was not sufficient to undo them, how could it provide a blessing? For surely he who has done wrong is not immediately also blessed, but is forgiven his sins. But the phrase, 'like me,' unless one should understand it according to the manner of the lawgiving, would have no meaning anywhere else. 'Him shall you hear,' he says; and not simply, but, 'It shall be that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.' When he had shown them to be sinners, and had granted them forgiveness, and had promised good things, then indeed he shows that Moses also says the same thing. And what sort of consistency is this, to say, 'Until the times of restitution,' and to bring in Moses saying that they will hear all things that Christ will say; and not simply, but with a fearful threat? A great one; for he shows that for this reason also they ought to obey him. What is, 'Sons of the prophets, and of the covenant'? Heirs, successors. If therefore you are sons, why are you disposed towards your own things as if they were alien? So then, you have done things worthy of accusation; but nevertheless you will be able to obtain forgiveness. Then, since he said these things, he reasonably says next: 'To you God sent His Servant to bless you.' He did not say, 'to save,' but what is greater, 'to bless'; showing that he who was crucified blesses those who crucified him. Let us therefore imitate him also. Let us cast out a murderous and hostile soul. It is not enough not to take revenge (this happened also in the Old Testament), but let us do all things for those who have wronged us, as for genuine friends, as for ourselves. We are imitators of him, disciples of him who after being crucified set everything in motion for those who crucified him, and sent forth the apostles. And yet we in many cases suffer justly; but he not only unjustly, but also impiously; for they crucified their benefactor, who had done no wrong. Why? Tell me, for the sake of glory? And yet he himself honored them. How? 'The scribes and the Pharisees,' he says, 'have seated themselves on the chair of Moses.' 'All things therefore that they tell you to do, do; but do not do according to their works.' And again elsewhere: 'Go, show yourself to the priest.' And though able to destroy them, he saves them. Let us therefore imitate him, and let no one be an enemy to anyone, no one a foe, but only to the devil. 5. Not a little also does not swearing contribute to this, and not being angry. From not being angry we will not even have an enemy. Cut off a man's oath, and you have clipped the wings of anger, the rage

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Ταπεινὸν γὰρ καὶ ὑψηλὸν, εἰ ὁ μέλλων εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνιέναι κατὰ Μωσέα ἐστί· πλὴν ἀλλὰ τέως μέγα ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ κατὰ Μωσέα τὸ, Καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὁ μὴ ἀκούων ἐξολοθρευθήσεται. Μυρία δὲ καὶ ἄλλα εἶπε τὰ δεικνύντα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ Μωσέα, ὥστε μεγάλης ἥψατο μαρτυρίας. Ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἀναστήσει, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν. Ὥστε Μωσῆς αὐτὸς ἠπείλησε τοῖς μὴ ἀκούουσι. Ταῦτα ὅλα ἐπαγωγά. Καὶ πάντες δὲ, φησὶν, οἱ προφῆται ἀπὸ Σαμουήλ. Οὐκ ἠθέλησε καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπεξιέναι, ὥστε μὴ μακρὸν ποιῆσαι τὸν λόγον· ἀλλὰ καιρίας μνησθεὶς μαρτυρίας τῆς Μωσαϊκῆς, παρέπεμψεν αὐτούς. Ὑμεῖς ἐστε, φησὶν, υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῆς διαθήκης ἧς διέθετο ὁ Θεός. Τῆς διαθήκης, φησὶν, υἱοὶ, τουτέστι, κληρονόμοι. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξωσιν ὡς ἀπὸ χάριτος Πέτρου ταῦτα λαμβάνειν, δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἄνωθεν αὐτοῖς ὠφείλετο, ἵνα μᾶλλον πιστεύσωσιν, ὅτι καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο δοκεῖ. Ὑμῖν πρῶτον ἀναστήσας, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλεν. 60.81 Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὑμῖν, ἁπλῶς, ἀπέστειλε τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ, μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ ὅτε ἐσταυρώθη. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσωσιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ταῦτα ἐχαρίζετο, ὁ δὲ Πατὴρ οὐχὶ, διὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκε τὸ, Εὐλογοῦντα ὑμᾶς. Εἰ γὰρ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν αὐτὸς καὶ εὐλογεῖ ὑμᾶς, ὑπόσχεσις τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι· τουτέστι, Τοσοῦτον ἀπέχετε τοῦ μὴ κοινωνεῖν τούτοις, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑμᾶς αἰτίους καὶ ἀρχηγοὺς βούλεται γενέσθαι. Οὐκοῦν μὴ ὡς ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι διάκεισθε ἢ ἀποβεβλημένοι. Ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν, φησὶν, ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν. Οὕτως ὑμᾶς εὐλογεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς. Καὶ ποία αὕτη εὐλογία; Μεγάλη. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ ἀποστρέψαι ἀπὸ πονηριῶν, τοῦτο ἱκανὸν καὶ λῦσαι αὐτάς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ λῦσαι οὐχ ἱκανὸν ἦν, πῶς εὐλογίαν παρασχεῖν; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁ ἠδικηκὼς, ἤδη καὶ εὐλογεῖται, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφίεται. Τὸ δὲ, Ὡς ἐμὲ, εἰ μὴ κατὰ τὸν τῆς νομοθεσίας τις τρόπον ἐκδέξαιτο, οὐδαμοῦ λόγον ἂν ἀλλαχοῦ ἕξοι. Αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε, φησί· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ', Ἔσται πᾶσα ψυχὴ, ἥτις ἂν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ. Ὅτε αὐτοὺς ἔδειξεν ἡμαρτηκότας, καὶ συγγνώμης μετέδωκε, καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο χρηστά· τότε δὴ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ Μωσῆς τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἀκολουθία εἰπεῖν, Ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως, καὶ ἐπαγαγεῖν Μωσέα λέγοντα, ὅτι πάντα ἀκούσουσιν, ἃ ἐρεῖ ὁ Χριστός· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀπειλῆς φοβερᾶς; Μεγάλη· δείκνυσι γὰρ, ὅτι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πείθεσθαι ὀφείλουσιν αὐτῷ. Τί ἐστιν, Υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῆς διαθήκης; Κληρονόμοι, διάδοχοι. Εἰ οὖν υἱοὶ, τί ὡς περὶ ἀλλότρια διάκεισθε πρὸς τὰ ὑμέτερα; Ἄρα κατηγορίας μὲν ἐπράξατε ἄξια· δυνήσεσθε δὲ ὅμως συγγνώμης τυχεῖν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ εἶπε ταῦτα, εἰκότως λοιπὸν λέγει· Ὑμῖν ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ εὐλογοῦντα ὑμᾶς. Οὐκ εἶπε, Σώζοντα, ἀλλ' ὃ μεῖζόν ἐστιν, Εὐλογοῦντα· δεικνὺς, ὅτι ὁ σταυρωθεὶς εὐλογεῖ τοὺς σταυρώσαντας. Μιμησώμεθα τοίνυν τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς. Ἐκβάλωμεν ψυχὴν φονικὴν καὶ πολεμίαν. Οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τὸ μὴ ἀμύνασθαι (τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ γέγονεν), ἀλλὰ πάντα πράττωμεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἠδικηκότων, ὡς ὑπὲρ φίλων γνησίων, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν. Ἐκείνου μιμηταί ἐσμεν, ἐκείνου μαθηταὶ τοῦ μετὰ τὸ σταυρωθῆναι πάντα κινοῦντος ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρωσάντων, καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐκπέμποντος. Καίτοι γε ἡμεῖς πολλαχοῦ καὶ δικαίως πάσχομεν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐ μόνον ἀδίκως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβῶς· τὸν εὐεργέτην γὰρ, τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα, τοῦτον ἐσταύρωσαν. ∆ιὰ τί; εἰπέ μοι, δόξης ἕνεκεν; Καὶ μὴν αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἐσέμνυνε. Πῶς; Ἐπὶ τῆς Μωσέως καθέδρας, φησὶν, ἐκάθισαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι. Πάντα οὖν ἃ λέγουσιν ὑμῖν ποιεῖν, ποιεῖτε· κατὰ δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν μὴ ποιεῖτε. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Ὕπαγε, δεῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ. Καὶ δυνάμενος αὐτοὺς ἀπολέσαι, σώζει. Τοῦτον οὖν μιμησώμεθα, καὶ μηδεὶς ἐχθρός τινος ἔστω, μηδεὶς πολέμιος, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ διαβόλου μόνον. εʹ. Οὐ μικρόν τι πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ τὸ μὴ ὀμνύναι συντελεῖ, καὶ τὸ μὴ ὀργίζεσθαι. Ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ὀργίζεσθαι οὐδὲ ἐχθρὸν ἕξομεν. Ἔκκοψον ἀνθρώπου τὸν ὅρκον, καὶ τὰ πτερὰ περιέκοψας τῆς ὀργῆς, τὸν θυμὸν