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the soul’s freedom and nobility, both equally slaves of sin, we both equally have need of the one who takes away sins. Another is he who by his own blood ransomed us from death and from sins, who also purchased us and showed no arrogance towards those who had been purchased, he who calls the dead back to life, he who heals every sickness both of souls and of bodies, 249.19 Since, therefore, the pride against us and the mass of arrogance was all but constrained by the height of heaven, and I saw no material cause or occasion for this sickness, from which such a passion becomes pardonable in those who take up this sickness from some circumstance, as when either birth or education or superiority of rank puffs up the more flighty characters, I did not know how to admonish myself to be still, since my heart was swelling up within me against the irrationality of what was happening and spitting out the reasonings in favor of patience. 249.20 At which time I especially admired the divine apostle for so clearly describing for us the civil war, saying that there is a certain 20law of sin in our members, warring against the law of our mind,20 and often making the mind its 20captive20 and subject, seeing in myself this battle line of two opposing reasonings, that of being angry at the insolence from pride and that of suppressing what was swelling up. 249.21 But since by the grace of God the better inclination prevailed, then I said to him: "Is perhaps any of the efforts for the healing of your body being hindered by my presence, and is it a good time to withdraw?" 249.22 But when he said that his body had no need of being healed, I said some healing words to him, as was possible; and when he in a few words showed that he was grieved against us for many injustices, I answered these things to him, that "Among men falsehood has much power for deceit, but the divine tribunal does not accept the fallacy that comes from deceit. But my conscience has such confidence in matters concerning you, that I pray that forgiveness for my other sins may be granted to me, but if anything has been done by me against you, may this remain unforgiven forever." 249.23 But, indignant at this statement, he no longer accepted that proofs be added to what had been said. 249.24 It was later than the sixth hour, and the bath was ready and the meal in preparation, and it was the Sabbath, the day for honoring the martyrs; and again, how does the disciple of the gospel imitate the master of the gospel? He, eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, defended himself to those who reproached him on the grounds that he was doing this out of love for mankind, but this man judges fellowship at table a curse and a defilement. 249.25 After that toil which we endured from the journey, after so much heat in which we sat before his doors in the open air and were scorched, after that sullen dejection which we endured, being in his sight, he sends us away again for the same distance along the same road, suffering in a body already exhausted and worn out; so that with difficulty, late in the afternoon, having suffered much on the way, we reached our company; for a cloud, too, suddenly forming in the air from a storm, reached our very marrow with a violent downpour; for we were unprepared for protection against rain because of the excessive heat. 249.26 But nevertheless by the grace of God, as those saved from a wave or a shipwreck, we gladly reached our company, and having rested the night with one another, we were kept safe, alive, all the way to our own places, having gained this from the encounter, that the insolence recently shown against us renewed the memory of all that had happened before. 249.27 And so we are now forced to take counsel also for ourselves, or rather for that man himself; for for his purpose not to be checked in
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ψυχῆς ἐλευθερίαν τε καὶ εὐγένειαν, ἐπ' ἴσης δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀμφότεροι, ἐπ' ἴσης τοῦ αἴροντος τὰς ἁμαρτίας δεόμεθα. Ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμᾶς λυτρωσάμενος, ὃς καὶ ἐξηγόρασεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν τινὰ κατὰ τῶν ἐξαγορασθέντων οὐκ ἐπεδείξατο, ὁ νεκροὺς εἰς ζωὴν ἀνακαλούμενος, ὁ πᾶσαν ἐξιώμενος ἀρρωστίαν καὶ ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων, 249.19 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ καθ' ἡμῶν τῦφος καὶ ὁ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ὄγκος μικροῦ δεῖν τῷ οὐρανίῳ ὕψει στενοχωρούμενος ἦν, ὕλην δέ τινα καὶ ἀφορμὴν πρὸς τὴν νόσον οὐδεμίαν ἑώρων, ὅθεν συγγνωστὸν γίνεται τὸ τοιοῦτον πάθος ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ περιστάσεώς τινος ταύτην ἀναλαμβανόντων τὴν νόσον, ὅταν ἢ γένος ἢ παίδευσις ἢ ἀξιώματος ὑπεροχὴ τὰ χαυνότερα ἤθη διαφυσήσῃ, οὐκ εἶχον ὅπως ἐμαυτὸν ἀτρεμεῖν νουθετήσω, διοιδούσης μοι πρὸς τὴν ἀλογίαν τῶν γινομένων ἔνδοθεν τῆς καρδίας καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑπομονῆς λογισμοὺς διαπτυούσης. 249.20 Ὅτε καὶ μάλιστα τὸν θεῖον ἠγάσθην ἀπόστολον οὕτως ἐναργῶς τὸν ἐμφύλιον ἡμῖν διαγράφοντα πόλεμον, λέγοντα εἶναί τινα 20ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι νόμον ἁμαρτίας τὸν ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς20 καὶ ποιοῦντα πολλάκις ἑαυτῷ τὸν νοῦν 20αἰχμάλωτόν20 τε καὶ ὑποχείριον, ταύτην ἐν ἐμαυτῷ βλέπων τῶν δύο λογισμῶν τὴν ἐξ ἐναντίου παράταξιν, τοῦ τε χαλεπαίνοντος πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ὑπερηφανίας ὕβριν καὶ τοῦ τὸ διοιδοῦν καταστέλλοντος. 249.21 Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ Θεοῦ χάριν ἐπεκράτησεν ἡ κρείττων ῥοπή, τότε πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπον ἐγώ· «Μὴ ἄρα τί σοι τῶν περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τοῦ σώματος σπουδαζομένων τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου βλάπτεται, καὶ ὑπεξελθεῖν ἐστιν εὔκαιρον;» 249.22 Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος μὴ χρῄζειν τοῦ θεραπευθῆναι τὸ σῶμα, εἶπόν τινας λόγους πρὸς αὐτὸν θεραπευτικούς, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν· κἀκείνου δι' ὀλίγων τὸ ἐπὶ πολλοῖς ἀδικήμασιν τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν ἔχειν λύπην ἐνδειξαμένου, ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεκρινάμην ἐγώ, ὅτι «Ἐν ἀνθρώποις πολλὴν ἔχει δύναμιν πρὸς ἀπάτην τὸ ψεῦδος, τὸ δὲ θεῖον κριτήριον τὸν ἐξ ἀπάτης παραλογισμὸν οὐ προσδέχεται. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τοσοῦτον πέποιθεν ἐν τοῖς πρὸς σὲ πράγμασιν ἡ συνείδησις, ὡς εὔχεσθαι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἁμαρτιῶν γενέσθαι μοι τὴν συγχώρησιν, εἰ δέ τι κατά σου πέπρακταί μοι, τοῦτο μεῖναι εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἀσυγχώρητον.» 249.23 Σχετλιάσας δὲ τῷ λόγῳ, οὐκέτι προστεθῆναι τὰς ἀποδείξεις τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐδέξατο. 249.24 Ὥρα ἦν πλείων ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἕκτην, καὶ τὸ λουτρὸν εὐτρεπὲς καὶ ἐν παρασκευῇ ἡ ἑστίασις καὶ σάββατον ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ μαρτύρων τιμή· καὶ πάλιν ὁ μαθητὴς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πῶς μιμεῖται τὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου δεσπότην; Ὁ μὲν μετὰ τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων ἀπελογεῖτο τοῖς ὀνειδίζουσιν ὡς κατὰ φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦτο ποιῶν, ὁ δὲ ἄγος κρίνει καὶ μίασμα τὴν ἐπὶ τραπέζης κοινωνίαν. 249.25 Μετὰ τὸν κόπον ἐκεῖνον ὃν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ὑπέστημεν, μετὰ τὸ θάλπος τὸ τοσοῦτον ἐν ᾧ ὑπαίθριοι ταῖς θύραις αὐτοῦ προσκαθήμενοι κατεφρύ- γημεν, μετὰ τὴν σκυθρωπὴν ἐκείνην κατήφειαν ἣν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ γεγονότες ἀνέτλημεν, ἀποπέμπεται ἡμᾶς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ διάστημα διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁδοῦ ταλαιπωροῦντας ἐν ἐκλελοιπότι ἤδη καὶ καταπεπονημένῳ τῷ σώματι· ὥστε μόλις ἡμᾶς περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, πολλὰ διὰ μεσοῦ κακοπαθήσαντας, καταλαβεῖν τὴν συνοδίαν· καὶ γάρ τι καὶ νέφος ἐκ λαίλαπος κατὰ τὸ ἀθρόον ἐν τῷ ἀέρι γενόμενον αὐτῶν τῶν μυελῶν ἡμῶν λάβρῳ τῷ ὄμβρῳ καθίκετο· ἀπαράσκευοι γὰρ ἦμεν διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον θάλπος ὡς πρὸς ὑετοῦ φυλακήν. 249.26 Πλὴν ἀλλὰ κατὰ Θεοῦ χάριν, ὡς οἱ ἀπὸ κλύδωνος ἢ ναυαγίου περισωθέντες, ἄσμενοι τὴν συνοδίαν ἡμῶν κατελάβομεν, καὶ ἀναπαυσά-μενοι τὴν νύκτα μετὰ ἀλλήλων, ζῶντες μέχρι τῶν ἡμετέρων διεσώθημεν τόπων, τοῦτο προσλαβόντες ἐκ τῆς συντυχίας, ὅτι πάντων τῶν πρότερον γεγονότων ἡ ἔναγχος γενομένη καθ' ἡμῶν ὕβρις τὴν μνήμην ἀνενεώσατο. 249.27 Καί τι ἀναγκαζόμεθα λοιπὸν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν βουλεύσασθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου· τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἀνακοπῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐν τοῖς