56

so that lawful judgment might not be perverted. 2.143 Having commanded that a just judgment be carried out, the right reason subsequently forbids: “Do not oppress a widow and orphan and sojourner and poor man.” For it is not fitting to tyrannically attack those deprived of human help, but on the contrary to extend a right hand to them, according to what is commanded: “For be,” it says, “like a father to orphans, and instead of a husband to their mother,” and “judging for orphans and justifying the widow.” 2.144 For this is a blameless way of life and according to the will of the one who established all things, as James writes in the letter he addressed to the faithful, thus: “Religion pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unstained from the world.” 2.145 One who serves God thus, how could he unjustly judge those whom he visits in their affliction, supplying their needs through almsgiving and other assistance and protection which those who receive the benefit might need? 2.146 And just as one must not oppress a widow and an orphan because of their lack of a husband and parents, so also one must not oppress a sojourner dwelling as a stranger among those to whom he has fled, considering him a native and a fellow citizen. And if any of those named, I mean a widow and an orphan and a sojourner, is deprived of money, to this one also equality must be imparted, not oppressing or in any other way distressing them. 2.147 It is therefore good and pleasing to God to care for those in such a state according to the literal sense, but especially according to the spiritual sense. 2.148 A widow is praised according to the elevated spiritual interpretation, who has cast off the evil husband she had, being none other than the devil or some other wicked spirit. Likewise, a good orphan is one whose father who begot him according to sin has died. A symbol of this is the one who came out from the house of his father, having been called by God, and she to whom it is said in the Psalms: “Forget your people and your father’s house,” he being already dead to you. 2.149 The souls thus widowed and orphaned, the divine bridegroom and father raises on high, according to what is said about him in the Psalms: “He will take up the orphan and the widow.” “For he is a father of orphans and a judge of widows,” according to what is said in another Psalm, caring also for the sojourners, those who have abandoned idolatry and have been added to piety, enriching with the poverty he undertook for our sake every poor and needy person, according to the apostolic word that stirs to thanksgiving those who have received benefits, which goes thus: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich.” 2.150 Having taught that one must not oppress those in need of protection and help, he harmoniously added that we should also be forgiving, not in word only but also from the depth of the mind, saying: “And let each one not bear a grudge in your heart for the evil of his brother.” What was said by the Savior in the Gospel is equivalent to the prophetic word: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your trespasses.” 2.151 In accord with the prophetic word set forth, Jeremiah also says from the person of God: “And let each of you not bear a grudge in your hearts for the evil of his neighbor.” This perfect amnesty for what one has done sinfully, the Savior reveals in the parable of the slave who owed ten thousand talents; for this is said by the master who forgave the debts to the “unprofitable slave,” addressed to all of us: “So also will my Father do to you, if each of you does not forgive from your heart those who are indebted to you.” 2.152 Taking the whole parable in hand, pay close attention to its words and meaning, so that, having been helped toward goodness, you may forgive from your whole heart the debts

56

ἵνα μὴ διαστραφῇ τὸ νόμιμον κρίμα. 2.143 Προστάξας ὁ ὀρθὸς λόγος δίκαιον κρίμα διεξάγεσθαι, ἑξῆς διαγορεύει· «Χήραν καὶ ὀρφανὸν καὶ προσήλυτον καὶ πένητα μὴ καταδυναστεύειν.» Οὐ γὰρ προσήκει τυραννικῶς ἐπιτίθεσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνης βοηθείας ἐστερημένων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου δεξιὰν αὐτοῖς ὀρέγειν, κατὰ τὸ προσταττόμενον· «Γίνου γάρ, φησίν, ὀρφανοῖς ὡς πατήρ, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀνδρὸς τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῶν», «κρίνων ὀρφανοῖς καὶ δικαιῶν χήραν.» 2.144 Αὕτη γὰρ ἀνεπίλημπτος καὶ κατὰ βούλησιν τοῦ πάντα συστησαμένου πολιτεία, ὡς Ἰάκωβος γράφει ἐν ᾗ προσεφώνησεν τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐπιστολῇ οὕτως· «Θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος παρὰ Θεῷ Πατρὶ αὕτη ἐστίν· ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν, ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου.» 2.145 Ὁ οὕτω Θεὸν θεραπεύων, πῶς ἂν ἀδίκως κρίνοι τούτους οὓς ἐπισκέπτεται ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν, ἀναπληρῶν αὐτῶν τὰ ὑστερήματα διὰ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ ἄλλης ἐπικουρίας καὶ προστασίας ἧς ἐὰν χρῄζωσιν οἱ εὐεργετούμενοι; 2.146 Ὅνπερ δὲ τρόπον οὐ δεῖ χήραν καὶ ὀρφανὸν καταδυναστεύειν δι' ἀνδρὸς καὶ γονέων ἐρημίαν, οὕτως οὐδὲ προσήλυτον ἐπιξενούμενον παρὰ τοὺς οἷς προσέφυγεν, ἡγουμένους αὐτὸν αὐτόχθονα καὶ συμπολίτην. Κἄν τις δὲ τῶν ὠνομασμένων, χήρας φημὶ καὶ ὀρφανοῦ καὶ προσηλύτου, ἐστέρηται χρημάτων, καὶ τούτῳ ἰσότητος μεταδοτέον, οὐ καταδυναστεύοντα ἢ ἄλλως πως καταπονοῦντα. 2.147 Καλὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ Θεῷ ἀρέσκον προΐστασθαι τῶν οὕτως ἐχόντων καθ' ἱστορίαν, μάλιστα δὲ κατ' ἀναγωγήν. 2.148 Ἐπαινεῖται χήρα κατὰ θεωρίαν ἀνηγμένην ἡ ἀποβαλοῦσα ὃν εἶχεν κακὸν ἄνδρα, οὐχ ἕτερον ὄντα τοῦ διαβόλου ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς πονηροῦ πνεύματος. Ὡσαύτως ὀρφανὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν ᾧ τέθνηκεν ὁ κατὰ ἁμαρτίαν γεννήσας αὐτὸν πατήρ. Τούτου σύμβολον ὑπάρχει ὁ ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κληθείς, κἀκείνη πρὸς ἣν εἴρηται ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· «Ἐπιλαθοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου», ἤδη τεθνηκότος σοι. 2.149 Τὰς οὕτω χηρευσάσας καὶ ὀρφανωθείσας ψυχὰς εἰς ὕψος μετεωρίζει ὁ θεῖος νυμφίος ὢν καὶ πατήρ, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἰρημένον περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Ὀρφανὸν καὶ χήραν ἀναλήμψεται.» «Πατὴρ γὰρ τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ τῶν χηρῶν κριτής ἐστιν», κατὰ τὰ ἐν ἄλλῳ Ψαλμῷ εἰρημένα, κηδόμενος καὶ τῶν προσηλύτων, τῶν καταλιπόντων τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ προστεθέντων τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ, πλουτίζων ᾗ ἀνεδέξατο ἡμῶν ἕνεκα πτωχείᾳ πάντα πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, κατὰ τὴν λέξιν τὴν ἀποστολικὴν εἰς εὐχαριστίαν διεγείρουσαν τοὺς εὖ παθόντας, οὕτως ἔχουσαν· «Γινώσκετε τὴν χάριν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι πλούσιος ὢν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν, ἵνα τῇ αὐτοῦ πτωχείᾳ ἡμεῖς πλουτήσωμεν.» 2.150 ∆ιδάξας ὡς δεῖ μὴ καταδυναστεύειν τοὺς δεομένους προστασίας καὶ βοηθείας, ἁρμονίως ἐπήγαγεν καὶ ἀμνησικάκους εἶναι οὐ λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ βάθους τῆς διανοίας, εἰπών· «Καὶ κακίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ἕκαστος μὴ μνησικακείτω ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν.» Ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ προφητικῷ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Ἐὰν ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν.» 2.151 Συνῳδὰ τῷ ἐκκειμένῳ προφητικῷ, καὶ Ἰερεμίας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ φησιν· «Καὶ κακίαν τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἕκαστος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν μὴ μνησικακεῖτε.» Ταύτην τὴν τελείαν ἀμνηστίαν ὧν τις ἔπραξεν ἁμαρτητικῶς φανεροῖ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τῇ παραβολῇ τοῦ μύρια τάλαντα χρεωστοῦντος δούλου· ἐπιλέγεται γὰρ αὕτη ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου τοῦ συγχωρήσαντος τὰ χρέα «τῷ ἀχρείῳ δούλῳ» πρὸς πάντας ἡμᾶς· «Οὕτω καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ ποιήσει ἂν μὴ ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν τοῖς ὀφείλουσιν ὑμῖν.» 2.152 Λαβὼν ἐν χερσὶν ὅλην τὴν παραβολήν, ἐπίστησον ἀκριβῶς ταῖς λέξεσιν καὶ νοήσει αὐτῆς, ἵνα εἰς ἀγαθότητα ὠφεληθείς, ἀφῇς ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας τὰ ὀφειλήματα