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the number of those who believed; thus from the event concerning Ananias they were brought to their senses, and a greater fear came upon them. But see for me how the multitude increased. After the temptations, then it increased, not before this. And consider how great is the love of God for humanity. For from those high priests who incited the crowds to murder, who shouted and said such things as, "He saved others, Himself He cannot save;" from these, "Many," he says, "were obedient to the faith." d. Therefore, let us also become imitators of Him. He received them, and did not cast them out. Let us in this way repay our enemies who have done us countless terrible things. Whatever good we have, let us offer it to them; let us not pass them by when doing good. For if by suffering evil, it is necessary to sate their anger, much more so by doing good; for this is less than that. For it is not the same to do good to an enemy, and to wish to suffer greater things than one wants; from this we shall come to that also. This is the dignity of Christ's disciples. They crucified Him who came for their benefit, they scourged His disciples, and after these things He brings them to the same honor as the disciples, sharing His own things with them in like manner. Let us become imitators, I beseech you, of Christ; in this it is possible to imitate Him; this makes one equal to God, this is greater than what is human. Let us cling to mercy; this is the tutor and teacher of that philosophy. The one who learns to pity the one in misfortune will also learn not to bear a grudge; the one who learns this will also be able to do good to enemies. Let us learn to be broken by our neighbors' evils, and we will also learn to bear their evils. Let us ask him who treats us badly, if he does not condemn himself, if he would not wish to be a philosopher, if he does not say that the whole thing is of anger, if it is not of small-mindedness, if it is not of wretchedness, if he would not wish to be among the insulted and silent, rather than among the insulting and raging, if he does not go away admiring the one who has suffered. Do not then think that this makes one contemptible. Nothing makes one so contemptible as to insult; nothing makes one so venerable as to bear being insulted. For the one is an insulter, the other a philosopher; and the one is worse than a man, the other equal to angels. For even if he were inferior to the one insulting, even so, if he wished, he would have been able to defend himself. Besides, this one is pitied by all, while that one is hated. What then? Will this one not then be much better from this? For all will pay attention to the one as to a madman, but to this one as to a man of sense. Therefore, when you are compelled by someone to speak evil of someone, say to him: I cannot speak ill of him; for I fear lest he was not such a person. Above all, do not say it in your thought; but not even to another. Do not appeal to God against him; if you see him being spoken ill of, defend him; say, the words are of passion, not of the man; say, of anger, not of the friend; of madness, not of the soul. Let us consider these things for each of the 60.118 sins. Do not wait for the fire to be kindled, but restrain it before this; do not provoke the beast, nor allow it to be provoked; for you are no longer master to restrain it, if the flame is kindled. For what did he say? You fool and idiot? Who then is liable for the word, the one hearing, or the one speaking? For the one, even if he is very wise, has gained the reputation of a fool; while the other, even if he is a fool, that of a wise man and a philosopher. Who is a fool, tell me, the one who brings against another things that are not so, or the one who is not even moved by this? For if to be moved when not moved is a matter of philosophy, to be struck when no one is moving is a matter of how much foolishness! I do not yet say what kind of place of punishment is laid up for those who reproach with such things and blaspheme their neighbor. But what? Did he say you are dishonorable and from the dishonorable, and insignificant and from the insignificant? Again he turned the reproach upon himself. For the one will appear honorable and venerable, but the other truly insignificant; for to bring up such things in the manner of a reproach, I mean the insignificance of one's family, is truly of a small soul; but the other will be great and admirable, since he considers such a thing as nothing, but is disposed as if he heard that he had something different from others. But will he say adulterer and the other things? Here

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πιστευσάντων ὁ ἀριθμός· οὕτως ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ Ἀνανίαν συμβάντος ἐσωφρονίσθησαν, καὶ πλείων ὁ φόβος αὐτοῖς γέγονεν. Ὅρα δέ μοι, πῶς ἐπεδίδου τὸ πλῆθος. Μετὰ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, τότε ἐπέδωκεν, οὐχὶ πρὸ τούτου. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ πόση φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐξ ἐκείνων γὰρ τῶν ἀρχιερέων τῶν πρὸς φόνον τοὺς ὄχλους παροξυνόντων, τῶν τοιαῦτα βοώντων καὶ λεγόντων· Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι· ἐκ τούτων Πολλοὶ, φησὶν, ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει. δʹ. Αὐτοῦ τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα μιμηταί. Προσεδέξατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐξέβαλεν. Οὕτω τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀμειβώμεθα τοὺς τὰ μυρία ἡμᾶς ἐργασαμένους δεινά. Ὅπερ ἂν ἔχωμεν ἀγαθὸν, αὐτοῖς παρέχωμεν· μὴ παρέλθωμεν αὐτοὺς εὐποιοῦντες. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ παθεῖν κακῶς, ἐμπλῆσαι δεῖ τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῷ εὐποιῆσαι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔλαττον ἐκείνου. Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ἴσον εὐποιῆσαι ἐχθρὸν, καὶ μείζονα θελῆσαι παθεῖν ἢ βούλεσθαι· ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα ἥξομεν. Τοῦτο ἀξίωμα τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν. Ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτὸν ἐλθόντα ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ τῇ αὐτῶν, τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμάστιξαν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοὺς ἄγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς τιμὴν, ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς μεταδιδοὺς τῶν αὐτοῦ. Μιμηταὶ γενώμεθα, παρακαλῶ, τοῦ Χριστοῦ· κατὰ τοῦτο ἔστι μιμήσασθαι αὐτόν· τοῦτο ἴσον ποιεῖ τῷ Θεῷ, τοῦτο μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπόν ἐστιν. Ἐχώμεθα τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης· αὕτη παιδαγωγὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος ἐκείνης τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐστίν. Ὁ μαθὼν ἐλεεῖν τὸν ἐν συμφορᾷ, μαθήσεται καὶ μὴ μνησικακεῖν· ὁ μαθὼν τοῦτο, καὶ ἐχθροὺς εὐεργετεῖν δυνήσεται. Μάθωμεν κατακλᾶσθαι τοῖς τῶν πλησίον κακοῖς, καὶ μαθησόμεθα καὶ τὰ κακὰ αὐτῶν φέρειν. Αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσωμεν τὸν κακῶς ἡμᾶς διατιθέντα, εἰ μὴ καταγινώσκει ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ ἐθέλοι φιλοσοφεῖν, εἰ μὴ θυμοῦ τὸ πᾶν εἶναί φησιν, εἰ μὴ μικροψυχίας, εἰ μὴ ταλαιπωρίας, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο τῶν ὑβριζομένων εἶναι καὶ σιγώντων, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῶν ὑβριζόντων καὶ μαινομένων, εἰ μὴ θαυμάσας ἄπεισι τὸν παθόντα. Μὴ δὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι τοῦτο εὐκαταφρονήτους ποιεῖ. Οὐδὲν οὕτως εὐκαταφρονήτους ποιεῖ, ὡς τὸ ὑβρίζειν· οὐδὲν οὕτως αἰδεσίμους, ὡς τὸ ὑβριζομένους φέρειν. Ὁ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὑβριστὴς, ὁ δὲ φιλόσοφος· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνθρώπου χείρων, ὁ δὲ ἀγγέλων ἴσος. Κἄν τε γὰρ ἐλάττων ἦν τοῦ ὑβρίζοντος, καὶ οὕτως, εἰ βούλοιτο, δυνατὸς ὑπῆρχεν ἀμύνασθαι. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐλεεῖται μὲν παρὰ πάντων οὗτος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ μισεῖται. Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ἄρα πολλῷ βελτίων ἔσται οὗτος; Τῷ μὲν γὰρ ὡς μαινομένῳ, τούτῳ δὲ ὡς νοῦν ἔχοντι προσέξουσιν ἅπαντες. Ὅταν οὖν κακηγορῆσαί τινα ὑπό τινος ἀναγκάζῃ, εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Οὐ δύναμαι αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν κακῶς· δέδοικα γὰρ μή πως οὐκ ἦν τοιοῦτος. Μάλιστα μὲν ἐν διανοίᾳ μὴ εἴπῃς· ἀλλὰ μηδὲ πρὸς ἄλλον. Μὴ ἐντύχῃς κατὰ τούτου τῷ Θεῷ· ἂν ἴδῃς κακῶς ἀκούοντα, ἄμυνον· εἰπὲ, τοῦ πάθους ἐστὶ τὰ ῥήματα, οὐ τοῦ ἀνδρός· εἰπὲ, τῆς ὀργῆς, οὐ τοῦ φίλου· τῆς μανίας, οὐ τῆς ψυχῆς. Ταῦτα λογιζώμεθα ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἁμαρτη 60.118 μάτων. Μὴ περιμείνῃς ἀναφθῆναι τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτου κάτασχε· μὴ παροξύνῃς τὸ θηρίον, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ παροξυνθῆναι συγχωρήσῃς· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ κύριος εἶ κατασχεῖν, ἂν ἡ φλὸξ ἀναφθῇ. Τί γὰρ εἶπεν; ἀνόητε καὶ μωρέ; Τίς οὖν ὑπεύθυνος τῷ ῥήματι, ὁ ἀκούων, ἢ ὁ λέγων; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ κἂν σφόδρα σοφὸς ᾖ, μωροῦ δόξαν ἔλαβεν· ὁ δὲ κἂν ἀνόητος ᾖ, σοφοῦ καὶ φιλοσόφου. Τίς ἀνόητος, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ ἑτέρῳ προφέρων τὰ οὐκ ὄντα, ἢ ὁ μηδὲ οὕτω κινηθείς; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μηδὲ κινηθέντα κινεῖσθαι, φιλοσοφίας· τὸ μηδὲ κινοῦντος πλήττεσθαι, πόσης ἀνοίας! Οὔπω λέγω ποῖος ἀπόκειται τιμωρίας τόπος τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀνειδίζουσι καὶ βλασφημοῦσι τὸν πλησίον. Ἀλλὰ τί; ἄτιμον καὶ ἐξ ἀτίμων, καὶ εὐτελῆ καὶ ἐξ εὐτελῶν εἶπεν; Πάλιν εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὸ ὄνειδος περιέτρεψεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τίμιος φανεῖται καὶ αἰδέσιμος, ὁ δὲ εὐτελὴς ὄντως· τὸ γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἰς τάξιν ὀνείδους προφέρειν, γένους εὐτέλειαν λέγω, μικρᾶς ὄντως ψυχῆς· ὁ δὲ μέγας καὶ θαυμαστὸς ἔσται, ἅτε οὐδὲν ἡγούμενος τὸ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' οὕτω διακείμενος, ὡς ἂν εἰ ἤκουεν, ὅτι ἔχοι τι τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρον. Ἀλλὰ μοιχὸν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐρεῖ; Ἐνταῦθα