John of Damascus, Sacred parallels

he is insatiable for interest; while another insists on withholding the principal. This one, being in want, is in pain; that one, being well-off, is disturbed. The one who has not is reproached, and the one who has is plotted against; the one who holds power is ambushed, the one in authority is regarded with suspicion; the one with authority is hated, the one in high office is conspired against; wars are continuous, murders are successive. Greed tyrannizes, covetousness holds sway, falsehood prevails; faith between one another has fled, truth has left the earth; friendship is confined to the dinner table, and some have even lost their own strength; greetings are filled with suspicion. Thus, with all of us being driven in evils, the prophet, spitting out this life, cries out, saying: Surely every man living is disquieted in vain.

TITLE 7. -Concerning the violent and the forced.

Do not force the flow of a river. Drive the willing ox. Not by compulsion, but willingly. What is forced, and contrary to nature, holding up for a little while, and this violently and with difficulty, is quickly dissolved into the things from which it was composed. The involuntary tends toward the tyrannical, and is neither praiseworthy nor lasting. For what has been forced, like a plant violently transplanted by hands, tends to revert to its former state when left 95.1285 to itself again. But that which is from choice, is at once most lawful and most secure, being preserved by the bond of goodwill. -The mystery of piety is for those who are willing, not those who are tyrannized. What is forced is also quickly unpleasant; but what is unforced knows no satiety, but always flourishes with grace and desire. Most of all, it is not permitted for Christians to correct the faults of sins by violence. For God crowns not those who abstain from wickedness by necessity, but those who do so by choice. Violence is not associated with God.

TITLE 8. -Concerning the blasphemous and the arrogant-speaker.

The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: Whoever curses God shall bear his sin; and he who names the name of the Lord, let the whole congregation of the sons of Israel stone him with stones. Let no arrogant speech come out of your mouth. What has your heart dared, that you have poured out wrath before the Lord? The Lord will cut off all deceitful lips, the tongue that speaks proud things; those who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" Samaria shall be destroyed, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword, and their infants shall be dashed to the ground. Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Because you have set your heart as the heart of God, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, the scourge of the nations, and they shall draw their swords against you, and against the beauty of your knowledge, and they shall cast your beauty down to destruction. The spirit of wisdom is a lover of mankind, and will not acquit a blasphemer from his lips. He who throws a stone on high, throws it on his own head. Every sin will be forgiven men; but he who has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the age to come. The one who sins transgresses a law; but the one who blasphemes commits impiety against the Godhead itself. Correct those who blaspheme in the city; and if you hear someone in a street or in the marketplace, rebuke him, and if it is necessary to inflict blows, do not refuse. Slap his face, crush his mouth, sanctify your hand by the blow. And if some accuse you, or if they drag you to court, follow. 95.1288 Just as one who hurls a stone on high cannot cut through the body of heaven, nor reach that height, but receives the blow on his own head, as the stone returns to the one who hurled it; so also he who blasphemes against the blessed substance of God will never harm it, since it is much greater and higher; but he sharpens the sword against his own soul, having become ungrateful toward his benefactor.

περὶ τόκους ἀπληστεύεται· ὁ δὲ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἀποστερεῖν διισχυρίζεται. Οὗτος ἀπορῶν ὀδυνᾶται, ἐκεῖνος εὐπορῶν θορυβεῖται. Ὁ μὴ ἔχων ὀνειδίζεται, καὶ ὁ ἔχων ἐπιβουλεύεται· ὁ κρατῶν ἐνεδρεύεται, ὁ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ὑποβλέπεται· ὁ ἐν ἐξουσίαις μισεῖται, ὁ ἐν δυναστείαις σκευάζεται· οἱ πόλεμοι συνεχεῖς, οἱ φόνοι ἐπάλληλοι. Ἡ ἀπληστία τυραννεῖ, ἡ πλεονεξία δυναστεύει, τὸ ψεῦδος ὑπεραίρεται· ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πίστις ἀπέφυγεν, ἡ ἀλήθεια τὴν γῆν κατέλιπεν· ἡ φιλία μέχρι τραπέζης περιώρισται, οἱ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ἰσχὺν ἀπώλεσαν· αἱ προσηγορίαι ὑποψίας πεπλήρωνται. Οὕτω δὴ πάντων ἐν κακοῖς σεσοβημένων ἡμῶν, ὁ προφήτης τὸν βίον ἐκπτυόμενος ἐκβοᾷ, λέγων· Πλὴν μάτην ταράσσεται πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ζῶν.

ΤΙΤΛ. Ζʹ. -Περὶ βιαίου καὶ βιαστοῦ.

Μὴ βιάζου ῥοῦν ποταμοῦ. Τὸν θέλοντα βοῦν ἔλαυνε. Μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως. Τὸ ἠναγκασμένον, καὶ παρὰ φύσιν, ἐπ' ὀλίγον ἀνίσχον, καὶ τοῦτο βιαίως, καὶ μόλις ταχὺ διελύθη εἰς τὰ ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη. Τὸ ἀκούσιον πρὸς τὸ τυραννικὸν εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ ἐπαινετὸν, οὐδὲ μόνιμον. Φιλεῖ γὰρ τὸ βιασθὲν, ὥσπερ φυτὸν βίᾳ χερσὶ μετασπώμενον, εἰς ἑαυτὸν πάλιν 95.1285 ἀφεθὲν ἀνατρέχειν. Τὸ δὲ ἐκ προαιρέσεως, ἐννομώτατον ἅμα καὶ ἀσφαλέστατον, εὐνοίας δεσμῷ τηρούμενον. -Βουλομένων, οὐ τυραννουμένων τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον. Τό τε βεβιασμένον, καὶ ἀηδὲς ταχύ· τὸ δὲ ἀβίαστον, οὐκ ἔχει κόρον, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ χάριτί τε καὶ πόθῳ θάλλει. Μάλιστα πάντων Χριστιανοῖς οὐκ ἐφίεται τὸ πρὸς βίαν ἐπανορθοῦν τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πταίσματα. Οὐ γὰρ τοὺς ἀνάγκῃ τῆς κακίας ἀπεχομένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς προαιρέσει, στεφανοῖ ὁ Θεός. Βία Θεῷ οὐ πρόσεστιν.

ΤΙΤΛ. Ηʹ. -Περὶ βλασφήμου καὶ μεγαλοῤῥήμονος.

Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων· Ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν καταράσηται Θεὸν, ἁμαρτίαν λήψεται· ὁ ὀνομάζων δὲ ὄνομα Κυρίου, λίθοις λιθοβολείτω αὐτὸν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Μὴ ἐξελθέτω μεγαλοῤῥημοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. Τί ἐτόλμησεν ἡ καρδία σου, ὅτι θυμὸν ἔῤῥηξας ἔναντι Κυρίου; Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, γλῶσσαν μεγαλοῤῥήμονα· τοὺς εἰπόντας, Τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῶν μεγαλυνοῦμεν, τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι· τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν; Ἀφανισθήσεται Σαμάρεια, ὅτι ἀντεῖπε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῆς· ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ πεσοῦνται αὐτοὶ, καὶ τὰ ὑποτίτθια αὐτῶν ἐδαφισθήσονται. Μεθύσατε αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἐπὶ Κύριον ἐμεγαλύνθη. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐπειδὴ δέδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς καρδίαν Θεοῦ, ἰδοὺ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ ἀλλοτρίους, λοιμοὺς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἐκκενώσουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἐπιστήμης σου, καὶ στρώσουσι τὸ κάλλος σου εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Φιλάνθρωπον πνεῦμα σοφίας, καὶ οὐ κατορθώσει βλάσφημον ἀπὸ χειλέων αὐτοῦ. Ὁ βάλλων λίθον εἰς ὕψος, ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ βάλλει. Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· τῷ δὲ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βλασφημήσαντι οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ὁ μὲν ἁμαρτάνων, παραβαίνει νόμον· ὁ δὲ βλασφημῶν, εἰς αὐτὴν ἀσεβεῖ τὴν Θεότητα. Τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει βλασφημοῦντας, σωφρόνιζε· κἂν ἀκούσῃς τινὸς ἐν ἀμφόδῳ, ἢ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐπιτίμησον, κἂν πληγὰς ἐπιθεῖναι δέῃ, μὴ παραιτήσῃ. Ῥάπισον αὐτοῦ τὴν ὄψιν, σύντριψον αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα, ἁγίασόν σου τὴν χεῖρα διὰ τῆς πληγῆς. Κἂν ἐγκαλῶσί τινες, κἂν εἰς δικαστήριον ἕλκωσιν, ἀκολούθησον. 95.1288 Καθάπερ ὁ λίθον ἀκοντίζων εἰς τὸ ὕψος, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὲν τὸ σῶμα διατεμεῖν οὐ δύναται, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος φθάσαι ἐκεῖνο, τὴν δὲ πληγὴν τῇ ἰδίᾳ δέχεται κορυφῇ, πρὸς τὸν ἀκοντίσαντα ἐπανιόντος τοῦ λίθου· οὕτως καὶ ὁ βλασφημῶν εἰς τὴν μακαρίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσίαν, ἐκείνην οὐ παραβλάψει ποτὲ, πολλῷ μείζονα οὖσαν καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν· κατὰ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς τὸ ξίφος ἀκονᾷ, ἀγνώμων περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γενόμενος.