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I wept for every one in distress, and I groaned when I saw a man in necessities. And if there is a reward for tears and groans, when words and zeal and many other things are added, consider how great the recompense becomes. For we also were enemies of God; and the Only-begotten reconciled us, placing himself in the midst, and receiving blows on our behalf, and enduring death on our behalf. Let us therefore also be zealous to deliver those who fall into countless evils, and not, as we now do, whenever we see some men clashing and fighting with one another, stand by rejoicing in the indecencies of others, and making it a diabolical theater; what could be more cruel than this? You see them being slandered, being torn apart, tearing their clothes, beating their faces, and you bear to stand by quietly? For is the one fighting a bear? Is he a wild beast? Is he a serpent? He is a man who has fellowship with you in everything, he is a brother, he is a member. Do not be a spectator, but break it up; do not be delighted, but correct it; do not incite others to the indecency, but also drive away and disperse those who have gathered. For it is the part of shameless men and profligates to rejoice in such misfortunes, and of refuse and senseless asses. You see a man behaving indecently, and do you not consider that you yourself are behaving indecently? Do you not step in between, and scatter the phalanx of the devil, and put an end to human evils? "So that I myself may receive blows," he says; "and you command this?" In the first place, you will not even suffer this; but if you should suffer this, the matter is a martyrdom for you; for you have suffered for God's sake. But if you shrink from receiving blows, consider that your Master did not shrink from enduring a cross for your sake. For they are drunk and darkened, with anger tyrannizing and commanding them, and they need someone sound in mind to help them, both the one doing wrong and the one being wronged; the one, that he may be delivered from suffering evil, the other, that he may cease from doing evil. Go then and stretch out a hand, you who are sober to the one who is drunk. For there is also a drunkenness of anger, and it is more grievous than that from wine. Do you not see the sailors, who, when they see some men fallen into a shipwreck, having spread their sails go with great haste, so as to snatch their fellow craftsmen from the surging waves? And if those who share a craft show so much protection, how much more is it right for those who share a common nature to do all these things? And 57.237 for here also there is a shipwreck more grievous than that one. For either he has blasphemed when insulted, and has emptied out everything; or he has perjured himself, being tyrannized by anger, and has again fallen into Gehenna; or he gives a blow and commits murder, and again endures this same shipwreck. Go then, and stop the evil, and pull up those who are sinking, descending into the very sea of the storm; and having broken up the devil's theater, and taking each one aside, advise him to put out the flame, and to calm the waves. But if the fire is greater, and the furnace becomes more grievous, do not be afraid; for you have many who will join in and lend a hand, if only you make a beginning, and above all, the God of peace. And if you are the first to shake out the flame, many others will also follow, and for the good deeds done by them you yourself will receive the reward. Hear what Christ advised the Jews who creep on the ground: "If you see your enemy's beast of burden," he says, "falling down, do not pass by, but raise it up." And yet it is much easier to raise up a fallen beast of burden than to separate and reconcile fighting men. And if an enemy's ass, much more one ought to help raise up the souls of friends; and especially when the fall is more grievous; for these do not fall into mire, but into the fire of Gehenna, not being able to bear the burden of anger. But you, seeing your brother lying under the load, and the devil standing over him and kindling the pyre, you run past cruelly and without pity; a thing which it is not without danger to do even in the case of a senseless animal. 11. And the Samaritan, seeing a wounded man, a stranger and not at all related to him, both came to him, and set him upon a beast of burden, and to the

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ἔκλαυσα ἐπὶ παντὶ ἀδυνάτῳ, ἐστέναξα δὲ ἰδὼν ἄνδρα ἐν ἀνάγκαις. Εἰ δὲ δακρύων καὶ στεναγμῶν ἔστι μισθὸς, ὅταν καὶ λόγοι καὶ σπουδὴ, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα προσῇ, ἐννόησον ἡλίκη ἡ ἀντίδοσις γίνεται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐχθροὶ ἦμεν τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ὁ Μονογενὴς ἡμᾶς κατήλλαξε, μέσον ἑαυτὸν ἐμβαλὼν, καὶ πληγὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν δεξάμενος, καὶ θάνατον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπομείνας. Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας μυρίων ἀπαλλάττειν κακῶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ, ὡς νῦν ποιοῦμεν, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμέν τινας συγκρουομένους καὶ συῤῥηγνυμένους ἀλλήλοις, ἑστήκαμεν εὐφραινόμενοι ταῖς ἑτέρων ἀσχημοσύναις, καὶ θέατρον περιιστῶντες διαβολικόν· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ὠμότερον; Ὁρᾷς κακῶς ἀκούοντας, διαῤῥηγνυμένους, κατατέμνοντας τὴν ἐσθῆτα, συγκοπτομένους τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ὑπομένεις ἡσυχῆ παρεστάναι; Μὴ γὰρ ἄρκτος ἐστὶν ὁ μαχόμενος; μὴ γὰρ θηρίον; μὴ γὰρ ὄφις; Ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ πανταχοῦ σοι κοινωνῶν, ἀδελφός ἐστι, μέλος ἐστί. Μὴ θεώρει, ἀλλὰ διάλυε· μὴ τέρπου, ἀλλὰ διόρθου· μὴ ἑτέρους παρακίνει ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς συνειλεγμένους ἀποσόβει καὶ διάλυε. Ἀναισχύντων γὰρ καὶ οἰκοτρίβων τὸ χαίρειν ταῖς τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς, καὶ καθαρμάτων καὶ ὄνων ἀλόγων. Ὁρᾷς ἄνθρωπον ἀσχημονοῦντα, καὶ οὐχ ἡγῇ αὐτὸς ἀσχημονεῖν; οὐδὲ εἰσέρχῃ μέσος, καὶ διασκεδάζεις τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν φάλαγγα, καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα διαλύεις κακά; Ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς πληγὰς λάβω, φησί· καὶ σὺ τοῦτο κελεύεις; Μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ τοῦτο πείσῃ· ἂν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πάθῃς, μαρτύριόν σοι τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι· διὰ γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν ἔπαθες. Εἰ δὲ πληγὰς ὀκνεῖς λαβεῖν, ἐννόησον ὅτι ὁ ∆εσπότης σου σταυρὸν οὐκ ὤκνησεν ὑπομεῖναι διὰ σέ. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ μεθύουσι καὶ ἐσκότωνται, τοῦ θυμοῦ τυραννοῦντος καὶ στρατηγοῦντος αὐτοῖς, δέονται δέ τινος ὑγιαίνοντος τοῦ βοηθήσοντος αὐτοῖς, ὅ τε ἀδικῶν, ὅ τε ἀδικούμενος· ὁ μὲν, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῇ πάσχων κακῶς, ὁ δὲ, ἵνα παύσηται ποιῶν κακῶς. Πάρελθε τοίνυν καὶ χεῖρα ὄρεξον, ὁ νήφων τῷ μεθύοντι. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ὀργῆς μέθη, καὶ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου χαλεπωτέρα. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς ναύτας, οἳ ὅταν ναυαγίῳ τινὰς περιπεσόντας ἴδωσι, τὰ ἱστία πετάσαντες μετὰ πολλῆς ἀπέρχονται σπουδῆς, ὥστε τοὺς ὁμοτέχνους ἐξαρπάσαι τοῦ κλύδωνος; Εἰ δὲ τέχνης κοινωνοὶ τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυνται προστασίαν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοὺς τῆς φύσεως κοινωνοὺς ταῦτα πάντα ποιεῖν δίκαιον; Καὶ 57.237 γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ναυάγιόν ἐστιν ἐκείνου χαλεπώτερον. Ἢ γὰρ ἐβλασφήμησεν ἐπηρεασθεὶς, καὶ πάντα ἐκένωσεν· ἢ ἐπιώρκησεν ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ τυραννούμενος, καὶ πάλιν εἰς γέενναν ἐνέπεσεν· ἢ πληγὴν δίδωσι καὶ φόνον ἐργάζεται, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάλιν ὑπομένει ναυάγιον. Ἄπελθε τοίνυν, καὶ στῆσον τὸ κακὸν, καὶ καταποντιζομένους ἀνάσπασον, εἰς αὐτὸ τῆς ζάλης τὸ πέλαγος καταβάς· καὶ διαλύσας τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ θέατρον, καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν λαβὼν ἕκαστον, παραίνεσον καταστεῖλαι τὴν φλόγα, καὶ τὰ κύματα κοιμίσαι. Εἰ δὲ μείζων ἡ πυρὰ, καὶ χαλεπωτέρα γίνεται ἡ κάμινος, μὴ φοβηθῇς· πολλοὺς γὰρ ἔχεις τοὺς συνεφαπτομένους καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέγοντας, ἂν ἀρχὴν παράσχῃς μόνον, καὶ πρό γε πάντων τὸν τῆς εἰρήνης Θεόν. Κἂν πρῶτος διατινάξῃς τὴν φλόγα, πολλοὶ καὶ ἕτεροι ἀκολουθήσουσι, καὶ τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνων κατορθουμένων αὐτὸς λήψῃ τὸν μισθόν. Ἄκουσον τί παρῄνεσεν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τοῖς χαμαὶ ἕρπουσιν· Ἂν τὸ ὑποζύγιον ἴδῃς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου, φησὶ, καταπῖπτον, μὴ παραδράμῃς, ἀλλ' ἀνάστησον. Καίτοι τοῦ κείμενον ὑποζύγιον ἀναστῆσαι πολὺ κουφότερον τὸ μαχομένους ἀνθρώπους διαλῦσαι καὶ διαλλάξαι. Εἰ δὲ ἐχθρῶν ὄνον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον φίλων ψυχὰς συνδιανιστάναι χρή· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν χαλεπώτερον ᾖ τὸ πτῶμα· οὐ γὰρ εἰς βόρβορον αὗται πίπτουσιν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ τῆς γεέννης πῦρ, τὸ φορτίον οὐ φέρουσαι τοῦ θυμοῦ. Σὺ δὲ ὁρῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑπὸ τὸν γόμον κείμενον, καὶ τὸν διάβολον ἐφεστῶτα καὶ τὴν πυρὰν ἀνάπτοντα, παρατρέχεις ὠμῶς καὶ ἀνηλεῶς· ὅπερ οὐδὲ ἐπ' ἀλόγῳ ποιῆσαι ἀκίνδυνον. ιαʹ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Σαμαρείτης τραυματίαν ἰδὼν ἀγνῶτα καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσήκοντα, καὶ ἐπέστη, καὶ ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον ἀνεβίβασε, καὶ εἰς τὸ