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virtue constantly spoken of is virtue and is perfection, not as in the case of other actions. Thus, at any rate, the apostle also writes: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything giving thanks". The one who always rejoices always has virtue; for he rejoices not in anything else than in being well-pleasing in pleasing God. "loving to see good days". The word "to see" here signifies to experience, and "to experience good days," to enjoy. "Keep your tongue from evil". Pay attention to your word, test it, desire to have a word that is beyond reproach; as the apostle writes to Titus to have "sound speech" that is "beyond reproach". The one who has a word beyond reproach fulfills also oth199er many commandments of Jesus. It is impossible for one who does not have a word beyond reproach to keep the commandment: "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'"; for, not being believed, he is sometimes required to take an oath. But if he should never have a word that has been condemned, and if no one should ever doubt whether he speaks truth or not or whether he acts as he speaks, when he will be required to take an oath and his 'yes' is 'yes' and his 'no' is 'no', then such a word is beyond reproach. And again, the one who goes through the dogmas of the truth and demonstrates them with knowledge has speech concerning them that is also beyond reproach. No one is able to convict him as having lied, as thinking corruptly, as being outside of the truth. 15 Turn away from evil and do good. This says that: if you happen to be in evil, if you are conformed to it and acting according to it, since I call you to the doing of good, turn away from evil. It is impossible to be outside of both. But let infants be excepted for now. The one who is not in good is in evil, the one who happens to be outside of evil partakes of the good. "Turn away," therefore, "from evil." And turning away is a matter of choice; for it commands and counsels. But no one commands or counsels one who does not have choice. I call you to do good. And you cannot otherwise do it and act according to it, unless you depart from evil. Thus, at any rate, it is also said in Isaiah: "Cease from your wicked deeds, learn to do good"; for as long as someone is acting in his own wicked deeds, that is, his vices, he is able to learn to do nothing good. And again the divine apostle writes: "Test all things, hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil." "Turn away," therefore, "from evil and do good." It is not enough to turn away from evil, if one does not also do good; for it is possible to turn away from evil, being prevented by fear of punishment which leads to this, but this person does not do good by choice; for if you take away the voluntary from the good, it is no longer good at all. 15 Seek peace and pursue it. Evil is confusing and works turmoil in the soul; for the class of vice has much variety. Some vices occur by deficiency, and others by excess, such as cowardice and rashness, such as superstition and impiety. pursue this peace; for to pursue in this way does not mean to drive it away. You also have in the Proverbs: "those pursuing," it says, "righteousness He loves," God, that is, meaning those who pursue it. But the righteousness that is pursued is all virtue. At any rate, Wisdom says: "Evil men will seek me and will not find me." Evil men seek wisdom, as far as it pertains to them, wishing to hide it and make it disappear. But those who are eager to become wise do not seek wisdom in this way, but they pursue it. And I say, since you love exegesis: Herod sought Jesus in order to kill him. Many times the Jews sought him, in order to kill him. But the disciples sought him in order to be helped, in order to partake of him. At any rate, someone said to him: "The crowds are seeking you, wishing to see you"; for they wanted to believe and to see paradoxical works and to hear words and to receive healings. Therefore, "to pursue" is a homonym. 16 For the

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ἀρετὴ συνεχῶς λεγομένη ἀρετή ἐστιν καὶ τελειότης ἐστίν, οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων πράξεων. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει· "πάντοτε χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστοῦντες". ὁ πάντοτε χαίρων πάντοτε ἔχει τὴν ἀρετήν· χαίρει γὰρ οὐκ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ τινὶ ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ εὐδοκιμεῖν ἐν τῷ ἀρεστεῖν θεῷ. "ἀγαπῶν ἡμέρας ἰδεῖν ἀγαθάς". τὸ "ἰδεῖν" ὧδε τὸ πειραθῆναι σημαίνει, καὶ "ἀγαθῶν πειραθῆναι ἡμερῶν", ἀπολαῦσαι. "παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ". ἐπίστησον τῷ λόγῳ σου, δοκίμασον αὐτόν, λόγον ἀκατάγνωστον ἔχειν θέλησον· ὡς γράφει Τίτῳ ὁ ἀπόστολος "ὑγιῆν λόγον" ἔχειν "ἀκατάγνωστον". ὁ ἔχων ἀκατάγνωστον λόγον καὶ ἄλ199 λας πολλὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πληροῖ. ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τὸν ἀκατάγνωστον λόγον μὴ ἔχοντα τηρῆσαι τό· "ἔστω ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ"· μὴ πιστευόμενος γὰρ ἐνίοτε ἀπαιτεῖται ὅρκον. ἐὰν δὲ μηδέποτε κατεγνωσμένον σχῇ λόγον, μηδέποτε ἀμφιβάλῃ τις, πρότερον ἀληθεύει ἢ οὒ ἢ ὡς λέγει καὶ ποιεῖ, ὅταν ἀπαιτηθήσεται ὅρκον καὶ ἔστιν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ, ἀκατάγνωστος λόγος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ τοιοῦτος. καὶ πάλιν ὁ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων τῆς ἀληθείας διεξερχόμενος καὶ ἀποδεικνὺς αὐτὰ ἐπιστημονικῶς λόγον ἔχει καὶ περὶ αὐτὰ ἀκατάγνωστον. οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν ἐλέγξαι δύναται ὡς ψευσάμενον, ὡς φαύλως φρονοῦντα, ὡς ἐκτὸς τῆς ἀληθείας ὄντα. 15 ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν. τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· ἐὰν ἐν τῷ κακῷ τυγχάνῃς, ἐὰν κατ' αὐτὸ πεποιωμένος ᾖς καὶ ἐνεργῶν κατ' αὐτό, ἐπεὶ καλῶ σε ἐπὶ ποίησιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ. ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἐκτὸς εἶναι ἀμφοτέρων. ὑπεξῃρήσθω δὲ νῦν τὰ βρέφη. ὁ μὴ ὢν ἐν ἀγαθῷ ἐν κακῷ ἐστιν, ὁ ἐκτὸς τοῦ κακοῦ τυγχάνων μετέχει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. "ἔκκλινον" τοίνυν "ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ". ἡ ἔκκλισις δὲ προαιρετική ἐστιν· προστάττει γὰρ καὶ συμβουλεύει. οὐδεὶς δὲ προστάττει ἢ συμβουλεύει τῷ προαίρεσιν μὴ ἔχοντι. καλῶ σε εἰς τὸ ποιῆσαι τὸ ἀγαθόν. οὐκ ἄλλως δὲ αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι καὶ κατ' αὐτὸ ἐνεργῆσαι δύνῃ, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποστῇς τοῦ κακοῦ. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν Ἰσαίᾳ λέγεται· "παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν"· ἐν ὅσῳ γάρ τις ἐν ταῖς πονηρίαις ἑαυτοῦ, τουτέστιν ταῖς κακίαις, ἐστὶν ἐνεργῶν, οὐδὲν οὗτος δύναται μαθεῖν καλὸν ποιεῖν. καὶ πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἀπόστολος γράφει· "πάντα δοκιμάζετε, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε, ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε". "ἔκκλινον" τοιγαροῦν "ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν". οὐκ ἀπαρκεῖ τὸ ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, εἰ μὴ καὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν τις ποιήσῃ· ἔστιν γὰρ ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ κωλυόμενον φόβῳ κολάσεως εἰς τοῦτο ἀγούσης, ἀλλ' οὐ προαιρετικῶς οὗτος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ περιέλῃς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸ ἑκούσιον, οὐκέτι ὅλως ἀγαθόν ἐστιν. 15 ζήτησον εἰρήνην καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν. συνχυτικόν ἐστιν τὸ κακὸν καὶ τάραχον ἐργάζεται τῇ ψυχῇ· πο̣λ̣λὴν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ γένος τῆς κακίας διαφοράν. αἱ μὲν τῶν κακιῶν κατ' ἐλάττωσιν γίνονται, αἱ δὲ κατὰ πλεονασμόν, ὡς δειλία καὶ θρασύτης, ὡς δεισιδαιμονία καὶ ἀσέβεια. μεταδίωκε αὐτὴν τὴν εἰρήνην· τὸ γὰρ οὕτω διῶξαι οὐ τοῦτο σημαίνει ὅτι ἀπέλασον αὐτήν. ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις· "διώκοντας", φησίν, "δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ", ὁ θεὸς δηλονότι, τουτέστιν τοὺς μεταδιώκοντας. ἡ δικαιοσύνη δὲ ἡ μεταδιωκομένη πᾶσά ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή. λέγει γοῦν ἡ Σοφία· "ζητήσουσίν με κακοὶ καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν". οἱ κακοὶ ζητοῦσιν τὴν σοφίαν, τὸ ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς αὐτούς, κρύψαι αὐτὴν καὶ ἀφανίσαι θέλοντες. οὐχ οὕτω δὲ ζητοῦσιν τὴν σοφίαν οἱ σπεύδοντες σοφοὶ γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ μεταδιώκουσιν αὐτήν. καὶ λέγω, ἐπειδὴ τα`̣ ἐξηγητικὰ φιλεῖτε· Ἡρῴδης ἐζήτει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἵνα φονεύσῃ. πολλάκις ἐζήτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἵνα ἀπκτείνωσιν. οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν ἵνα ὠφεληθῶσιν, ἵνα μετάσχωσιν αὐτοῦ. εἶπεν γοῦν τις αὐτῷ· "οἱ ὄχλοι ζητοῦσίν σε ἰδεῖν σε θέλοντες"· πιστεῦσαι γὰρ ἠβούλοντο καὶ ἔργα παράδοξα ἰδεῖν καὶ λόγους ἀκοῦσαι καὶ θεραπειῶν τυχεῖν. ὁμώνυμον οὖν τὸ διώκειν. 16 ὅτι οἱ