103

he brought him to an inn, and hired a physician, and gave some money, and promised the rest. But you, seeing one who has fallen not among robbers, but a phalanx of demons and a siege of anger, not in a desert, but in the middle of the marketplace, not about to spend money, nor to hire a beast of burden, nor to escort him on a long journey, but only to utter words, do you hesitate and shrink back, and run past cruelly and mercilessly? And how do you expect, when calling upon God, ever to have Him be merciful? Let me speak also to you who behave indecently in public, to the one who is insolent and does wrong. You inflict blows, tell me, and kick, and bite? Have you become a wild boar, and a wild ass? And are you not ashamed, nor do you blush, becoming like a wild beast, and betraying your own noble nature? For if you are poor, yet you are free; for if you are an artisan, yet you are a Christian. For this very reason, then, that you are poor, it is necessary to be quiet. For fighting belongs to the rich, not to the poor; to the rich, who have many compulsions for wars. But you, not having the pleasure of wealth, go about gathering for yourself the evils of wealth, enmities and contentions and fights; and you choke your brother, and strangle him, and strike him down in public while all are watching; and do you not think you yourself are behaving more indecently, imitating the impulses of irrational animals, or rather, becoming even worse than them? For all things are common to them, and they herd together with one another, and 57.238 walk together; but for us, nothing is common, but everything is upside down, fights, contentions, revilings, and enmities, and insults. And we respect neither heaven, to which we were all called in common, nor the earth which he has given to all in common, nor nature itself; but anger and the love of money have swept everything away. Have you not seen that man who owed ten thousand talents, then after their forgiveness choking his own fellow servant for a hundred denarii, how many evils he suffered, and how he was handed over to immortal punishment? Do you not dread the example? Do you not fear that you too might suffer the same things? For we too owe the Master many and great debts; but nevertheless He bears with us and is longsuffering, and neither presses us, as we do our fellow servants, nor strangles and chokes us; and yet if He wished to demand from us even the smallest part of them, we would have perished long ago. Considering these things, therefore, beloved, let us be humbled, and be grateful to those who owe us; for they become for us, if we are wise, the greatest occasion for forgiveness, and by giving little, we shall receive much. Why then do you demand with violence, when you ought, even if he wished to give, to forgive him yourself, so that you may receive everything from God? But now you do everything and use violence and are contentious, so that none of your own debts may be forgiven you; and you seem to be insulting your neighbor, but you are thrusting the sword against yourself, increasing the punishment in Gehenna; but if you will be a little wise here, you make the accounts against you gentle. For God wishes us for this reason to begin such generosity, that He may have an occasion to give us more in return. Therefore, however many debtors you have, both of money and of sins, having set them all free, demand from God the reward for such magnanimity. For as long as they are your debtors, you will not have God as a debtor; but if you release them, you will be able to hold God liable, and to demand with great generosity the reward for so great wisdom. For if a man, coming by and seeing you holding your debtor, and commanding you to release him, and to have the account with him instead, would not choose to be ungrateful after the release, since he transferred the whole thing to himself; how will God not repay many times and ten thousand times over, when, on account of His command, we, bringing no charge, small or great, let those who are liable to us go away having been made free from liability? Let us not then consider the temporary pleasure that comes to us from demanding payment from our debtors, but the loss, how great a one we shall consequently endure in the future, harming ourselves in immortal things. Therefore, having become superior to all things, let us forgive both money and

103

πανδοχεῖον κατήγαγε, καὶ ἰατρὸν ἐμισθώσατο, καὶ τὸ μὲν ἔδωκεν ἀργύριον, τὸ δὲ ὑπέσχετο. Σὺ δὲ οὐ λῃσταῖς περιπεσόντα βλέπων, ἀλλὰ δαιμόνων φάλαγγι καὶ θυμοῦ πολιορκίᾳ, οὐκ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ, οὐ χρήματα ἀναλίσκειν μέλλων, οὐδὲ ὑποζύγιον μισθοῦσθαι, οὐδὲ μακρὰν προπέμπειν ὁδὸν, ἀλλὰ ῥήματα φθέγγεσθαι μόνον, ὀκνεῖς καὶ ἀναδύῃ, καὶ παρατρέχεις ὠμῶς καὶ ἀνηλεῶς; Καὶ πῶς προσδοκᾷς τὸν Θεὸν καλῶν ἵλεών ποτε ἕξειν; Εἴπω δὲ καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἀσχημονοῦντας δημοσίᾳ, πρὸς τὸν ἐπηρεάζοντα καὶ ἀδικοῦντα. Πληγὰς ἐντείνεις, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ λακτίζεις, καὶ δάκνεις; Ὗς ἄγριος ἐγένου, καὶ ὄνος ἄγριος; Καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, οὐδὲ ἐρυθριᾷς, ἐκθηριούμενος, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγένειαν προδιδούς; Εἰ γὰρ πένης εἶ, ἀλλ' ἐλεύθερος· εἰ γὰρ χειροτέχνης εἶ, ἀλλὰ Χριστιανός. ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ὅτι πένης εἶ, ἀναγκαῖον ἡσυχάζειν. Τῶν γὰρ πλουτούντων ἐστὶ τὸ μάχεσθαι, οὐ τῶν πενήτων· τῶν πλουτούντων, τῶν πολλὰς ἐχόντων ἀνάγκας πολέμων. Σὺ δὲ τὴν ἡδονὴν οὐκ ἔχων τοῦ πλούτου, τὰ κακὰ τοῦ πλούτου περιέρχῃ συνάγων σεαυτῷ, ἔχθρας καὶ φιλονεικίας καὶ μάχας· καὶ ἀποπνίγεις τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἄγχεις, καὶ καταβάλλεις δημοσίᾳ ἁπάντων ὁρώντων· καὶ οὐχ ἡγῇ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς ἀσχημονεῖν, τῶν ἀλόγων μιμούμενος τὰς ὁρμὰς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων χείρων γινόμενος; Πάντα γὰρ ἐκείνοις κοινὰ, καὶ συναγελάζονται ἀλλήλοις, καὶ συμ 57.238 βαδίζουσιν· ἡμῖν δὲ οὐδὲν κοινὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω, μάχαι, φιλονεικίαι, λοιδορίαι, καὶ ἀπέχθειαι, καὶ ὕβρεις. Καὶ οὔτε τὸν οὐρανὸν αἰδούμεθα, εἰς ὃν ἐκλήθημεν κοινῇ ἅπαντες, οὐδὲ τὴν γῆν ἢν κοινὴν πᾶσιν ἀνῆκεν, οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν· ἀλλὰ πάντα ὁ θυμὸς καὶ ὁ τῶν χρημάτων ἔρως παρασύρας οἴχεται. Οὐκ εἶδες ἐκεῖνον τὸν τὰ μυρία τάλαντα ὀφείλοντα, εἶτα μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἄφεσιν ἀποπνίγοντα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σύνδουλον ὑπὲρ ἑκατὸν δηναρίων. ὅσα ὑπέστη κακὰ, καὶ πῶς ἀθανάτῳ παρεδόθη κολάσει; Οὐ δέδοικας τὸ ὑπόδειγμα; οὐ φοβῇ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ πάθῃς; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ὀφλήματα· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀνέχεται καὶ μακροθυμεῖ, καὶ οὔτε ἐπίκειται, καθάπερ ἡμεῖς τοῖς συνδούλοις, οὔτε ἄγχει καὶ ἀποπνίγει· καίτοιγε εἰ καὶ τὸ πολλοστὸν μέρος αὐτῶν ἡμᾶς ἐβουλήθη ἀπαιτῆσαι, πάλαι ἂν ἀπολώλειμεν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοοῦντες, ἀγαπητοὶ, ταπεινωθῶμεν, καὶ χάριν ἔχωμεν τοῖς ὀφείλουσιν ἡμῖν· γίνονται γὰρ ἡμῖν, ἂν φιλοσοφῶμεν, ἀφορμὴ συγχωρήσεως μεγίστης, καὶ ὀλίγα διδόντες, πολλὰ ληψόμεθα. Τί τοίνυν ἀπαιτεῖς μετὰ βίας, δέον, εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἐβούλετο δοῦναι, αὐτὸν συγχωρῆσαι, ἵνα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πᾶν λάβῃς; Νυνὶ δὲ πάντα ποιεῖς καὶ βιάζῃ καὶ φιλονεικεῖς, ὥστε σοι μηδὲν ἀφεθῆναι τῶν σῶν· καὶ δοκεῖς μὲν ἐπηρεάζειν τῷ πλησίον, κατὰ δὲ σαυτοῦ τὸ ξίφος ὠθεῖς, αὔξων τὴν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ κόλασιν· εἰ δὲ μικρὸν ἐνταῦθα φιλοσοφήσεις, ἡμέρους σαυτῷ τὰς εὐθύνας ποιεῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς βούλεται ἄρχεσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης φιλοτιμίας, ἵνα ἀφορμὴν λάβῃ τοῦ πλείονα ἡμῖν ἀντιδοῦναι. Ὅσους τοίνυν ὀφειλέτας ἔχεις καὶ χρημάτων καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων, πάντας ἀφεὶς ἐλευθέρους, τὸν Θεὸν ἀπαίτει τῆς τοιαύτης μεγαλοψυχίας τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνοί σοι ὦσιν ὀφείλοντες, οὐχ ἕξεις τὸν Θεὸν ὀφειλέτην· ἐὰν δὲ ἐκείνους ἀφῇς, δυνήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν κατασχεῖν, καὶ ἀπαιτῆσαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φιλοτιμίας τῆς τοσαύτης φιλοσοφίας τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος παρελθὼν καὶ ἰδών σε τὸν ὑπεύθυνον κατέχοντα, καὶ κελεύσας ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἀφεῖναι, πρὸς δὲ αὐτὸν ἔχειν τὸν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου λόγον, οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτο ἀγνωμονῆσαι μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἅτε ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν τὸ πᾶν μεταθείς· πῶς ὁ Θεὸς οὐ πολλαπλασίονα καὶ μυριοπλασίονα ἀποδώσει, ὅταν διὰ τὸ αὐτοῦ πρόσταγμα τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ἡμῖν ὄντας, μὴ μικρὸν, μὴ μέγα ἐγκαλέσαντες, ἀφῶμεν ἀπελθεῖν ἀνευθύνους γενομένους; Μὴ δὴ τὴν πρόσκαιρον ἐννοῶμεν ἡδονὴν τὴν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ἀπαιτεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ζημίαν, ὅσην εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐντεῦθεν ὑπομενοῦμεν, ἐν τοῖς ἀθανάτοις ἑαυτοὺς καταβλάπτοντες. Πάντων οὖν ἀνώτεροι γενόμενοι, χαρισώμεθα καὶ χρήματα καὶ