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but through long-suffering love, reckoning yesterday's good things, 14__320 cast away today's hatred from your soul.
4.27 (27) Do not speak evil today, as worthless and wicked, of him whom yesterday you praised as good and lauded as virtuous, making censure of the brother an apology for the wicked hatred in you because of your own change from love to hatred; but persist in the same praises, even if you are still held by grief, and you will easily return to the same saving love.
4.28 (28) Do not adulterate the customary praise of the brother on account of the hidden grief still existing in you toward him in a meeting with the other brothers, covertly mingling censure with your words; but use pure praise in the meeting and pray genuinely for him as for yourself and you will be rid of the destructive hatred most quickly.
4.29 (29) Do not say: I do not hate my brother, while turning away from the memory of him; but hear Moses saying: You shall not hate your brother in your mind; you shall surely rebuke your brother, and not bear sin because of him.
4.30 (30) And if a brother, being tempted perhaps, persists in speaking evil of you, yet you, do not be carried away from a loving state, enduring the same wicked demon troubling you in your mind. You will not be carried away from this if, being reviled, you bless; if, being defamed, you speak well; if, being plotted against, you show goodwill; this is the way of the philosophy according to Christ, and he who does not walk this way does not dwell with Him.
4.31 (31) Do not reckon as well-wishers those bringing you words that cause grief (≡14__322> in you and work hatred toward your brother, even if they seem to speak the truth; but turn away from such people as from deadly serpents, so that you may both stop them from speaking evil and free your own soul from wickedness.
4.32 (32) Do not sting the brother with enigmatic words, so that, by receiving the same in return from him, you do not drive out the disposition of love from both of you; but with loving boldness go and rebuke him, so that by resolving the causes of the grief, you may deliver both from disturbance and grief.
4.33 (33) Examine your conscience with all accuracy, lest perhaps it is through your fault that the brother has not been reconciled; and do not deceive it, as it knows your hidden things and accuses you at the time of your departure, and becomes a stumbling block to you at the time of prayer.
4.34 (34) Do not remember in a time of peace the things said by your brother in a time of grief, whether the grievous things were spoken to your face, or to another about you and you heard of them afterwards; so that by enduring thoughts of resentment you do not return to the destructive hatred of your brother.
4.35 (35) A rational soul, nourishing hatred towards a man, cannot be at peace with God, the giver of the commandments. For, he says, if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses. But if he does not want to be at peace, you at least guard yourself (14__324> from hatred, praying for him genuinely and not speaking evil of him to anyone.
4.36 (36) The ineffable peace of the holy angels is maintained by these two dispositions: love for God and love for one another; and likewise that of all the saints from the beginning of time. Excellently, therefore, was it said by our Savior that on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
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ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς μακροθυμούσης ἀγάπης τὰ 14__320 χθεσινὰ καλὰ λογιζόμενος τὸ σήμερον μῖσος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπόβαλλε.
4.27 (κζ') Μὴ ὃν ἐπῄνεις χθὲς ὡς καλὸν καὶ ἐνεκωμίαζες ὡς ἐνάρετον, σήμερον ὡς φαῦλον καὶ πονηρὸν κακολογήσῃς, διὰ τὴν σὴν ἐξ ἀγάπης εἰς μῖσος μεταβολὴν τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ψόγον ἀπολογίαν τοῦ ἐν σοὶ πονηροῦ μίσους ποιούμενος· ἀλλὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐγκωμίοις ἐπίμεινον, κἆν ἔτι ὑπὸ τῆς λύπης κεκράτησαι, καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν σωτήριον ἀγάπην εὐχερῶς ἐπανέρχῃ.
4.28 (κη') Μὴ τὸν συνήθη τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἔπαινον διὰ τὴν ἔτι ἔν σοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπάρχουσαν κεκρυμμένην λύπην ἐν τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀδελφῶν συντυχίᾳ νοθεύσῃς, συμπαραμίσγων τοῖς λόγοις λεληθότως τὸν ψόγον· ἀλλὰ καθαρῷ τῷ ἐπαίνῳ ἐν τῇ συντυχίᾳ χρῆσαι καὶ γνησίως ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ σαυτοῦ προσεύχου καὶ τοῦ ὀλεθρίου μίσους τάχιστα ἀπαλλάττῃ.
4.29 (κθ') Μὴ εἴπῃς· οὐ μισῶ τὸν ἀδελφόν, τὴν μνήμην αὐτοῦ ἀποστρεφόμενος· ἀλλὰ ἄκουσον Μωϋσέως λέγοντος· Μὴ μισήσῃς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· ἐλεγμῷ ἐλέγξεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου καὶ οὐ λήψῃ δι᾽ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν.
4.30 (λ') Κἂν ὁ ἀδελφὸς τυχὸν πειραζόμενος ἐπιμείνῃ κακολογῶν σε, ἀλλὰ σύ γε μὴ ἐξενεχθῇς τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς καταστάσεως, τοῦ αὐτοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἀνεχόμενος ἐνοχλοῦντος κατὰ διάνοιαν. Οὐκ ἐξενεχθήσῃ δὲ ταύτης, ἐὰν λοιδορούμενος εὐλογήσῃς, ἐὰν δυσφημούμενος εὐφημήσῃς, ἐὰν ἐπιβουλευόμενος εὐνοήσῃς· αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν φιλοσοφίας καὶ ὁ μὴ ταύτην ὁδεύων οὐ συναυλίζεται αὐτῷ.
4.31 (λα') Μὴ ὡς εὐνοοῦντας λογίζου τοὺς λόγους σοι φέροντας λύπην (≡14__322> ἐν σοὶ καὶ μῖσος πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐργαζομένους, κἂν ἀληθεύειν δοκῶσιν· ἀλλ᾽ ὡς θανατοῦντας ὄφεις τοὺς τοιούτους ἀποστρέφου, ἵνα κἀκείνους τοῦ κακολογεῖν ἀνακόψῃς καὶ τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχὴν πονηρίας ἀπαλλάξῃς.
4.32 (λβ') Μὴ λόγοις δι᾽ αἰνιγμάτων τὸν ἀδελφὸν κεντήσῃς, ἵνα μὴ τὰ ὅμοια παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀντιδεχόμενος τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης διάθεσιν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἀπελάσῃς· ἀλλὰ μετὰ παρρησίας ἀγαπητικῆς ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτόν, ἵνα τὰς αἰτίας τῆς λύπης λύσας ταραχῆς καὶ λύπης ἀμφοτέρους ἀπαλλάξῃς.
4.33 (λγ') Ἐρεύνησον τὴν συνείδησιν μετὰ πάσης ἀκριβείας, μήποτε τῇ σῇ αἰτίᾳ ὁ ἀδελφὸς οὐ διηλλάγη· καὶ μὴ παραλογίζου ταύτην τὰ κρυπτά σου γινώσκουσαν καὶ κατηγοροῦσάν σου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐξόδου καὶ ἐν καιρῷ δὲ προσευχῆς πρόσκομμά σοι γινομένην.
4.34 (λδ') Μὴ μνημόνευε ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς λύπης ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ λεχθέντων, κἄν τε κατὰ πρόσωπον τὰ λυπηρὰ ἐρρέθῃ κἄν τε πρὸς ἄλλον περί σου καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἤκουσας· ἵνα μὴ τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς μνησικακίας ἀνεχόμενος εἰς τὸ ὀλέθριον μῖσος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ὑποστρέψῃς.
4.35 (λε') Οὐ δύναται ψυχὴ λογικὴ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον μῖσος τρέφουσα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηνεῦσαι, τὸν τῶν ἐντολῶν δοτῆρα. Ἐὰν γάρ, φησί, μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ἀφήσει ὑμῖν τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος εἰρηνεύειν οὐ θέλει, ἀλλὰ σύ γε σεαυτὸν (14__324> ἀπὸ μίσους φύλαξον, προσευχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γνησίως καὶ μὴ κακολογῶν αὐτὸν πρός τινα.
4.36 (λστ') Ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἄφραστος εἰρήνη ταῖς δυσὶ ταύταις κεκράτηται διαθέσεσι· τῇ τε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπῃ· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος ἁγίων. Παγκάλως οὖν εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ὅτι ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται.