125

the wisdom of the lawgiver, and he will see that one and the same is He who legislated both those things and these, and wrote both very usefully and at the fitting time. For if from the beginning He had introduced these lofty and exceeding great precepts, they would have received neither these nor those; but now, by setting down both at the fitting time, through both He has set the whole world aright. Moreover, He commanded this, not that we should knock out one another's eyes, but that we should keep our hands to ourselves. For the threat of suffering has hindered the impulse to act. And thus indeed, He gently sows much philosophy, where He commands one who has suffered to retaliate with equal measure; and yet he who began this transgression was worthy of a greater punishment, and the principle of justice requires this. But since He also wished to mix loving-kindness with justice, He condemns the one who transgressed more greatly to a punishment less than what is deserved, teaching us to show much forbearance even in suffering. Having therefore stated the old law, and having read it all, He shows again that it is not the brother who did these things, but the evil one. For this reason He also added: But I say to you, do not resist the evil one. He did not say, Do not resist the brother, but, The evil one; showing that at his instigation these things are dared, and in this way He relaxes and cuts short much of the anger toward the one who did it, by transferring the cause to another. What then? Must we not resist the evil one? he says. We must indeed, but not in this way; but as He Himself commanded, by offering oneself to suffer evil; for thus you will overcome him. For fire is not extinguished by fire, but fire by water. But that you may learn that even in the old law the one who suffered is more the victor, and it is he who is crowned, examine the very thing that happens, and you will see his great preeminence. For he who began 57.266 the unjust violence will himself have destroyed both eyes, both his neighbor's and his own. Wherefore he is also justly hated by all, and is pelted with countless accusations. But the one who was wronged, even after retaliating with equal measure, will have done nothing terrible. Wherefore he also has many who sympathize with him, since he is pure of this transgression, even after doing it. And while the things of the misfortune are equal for both, the things of their reputation are not equal, neither before God, nor before men. Therefore in the end not even the things of the misfortune are equal. In the beginning, then, He said: He who is angry with his brother without a cause, and he who calls him a fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire; but here He requires even more philosophy, not only commanding the one who suffers evil to be quiet, but also to vie more greatly in generosity by offering the other cheek. And He says this, not legislating only concerning such a blow, but also teaching us longsuffering in all other things. 2. For just as when He says that He who calls his brother a fool shall be in danger of hell, He is not speaking about this word only, but also about all reviling; so indeed also here, He legislates not that being struck on the cheek we should bear it nobly, but that even when suffering anything whatsoever we should not be troubled. For this reason, both there He chose the ultimate insult, and here He has set forth the blow that seems most disgraceful, the one on the cheek, and which contains much insult. And He commands this, taking account for both the one striking and the one being struck. For the one who has been insulted will consider that he suffers nothing terrible, being so prepared to be a philosopher (for he will not even have a perception of the insult, since he is contending rather than being struck); and the one who is abusive, being put to shame, will no longer inflict a second blow, even if he be more fierce than any wild beast, but will even strongly condemn himself for the first one. For nothing so restrains those who do wrong, as for those who are wronged to bear what happens with forbearance; and it not only restrains them from further impulse, but also prepares them to repent of what they have already done, and to depart marveling at the forbearance, and it makes them more friendly, and slaves,

125

νομοθέτου τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ ὄψεται ὅτι εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ὁ ἐκεῖνα καὶ ταῦτα νομοθετήσας ἐστὶ, καὶ σφόδρα χρησίμως ἑκάτερα καὶ μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος γράψας καιροῦ. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τὰ ὑψηλὰ ταῦτα καὶ ὑπέρογκα εἰσήγαγε παραγγέλματα, οὔτ' ἂν ταῦτα ἐδέξατο, οὔτε ἐκεῖνα· νυνὶ δὲ ἐν καιρῷ τῷ προσήκοντι ἑκάτερα διαθεὶς, τὴν οἰκουμένην δι' ἀμφοτέρων κατώρθωσεν ἅπασαν. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσεν, οὐχ ἵνα τοὺς ἀλλήλων ἐκκόπτωμεν ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἀλλ' ἵνα παρ' ἑαυτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας κατέχωμεν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀπειλὴ τοῦ παθεῖν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ δρᾶσαι ὁρμὴν διεκώλυσε. Καὶ οὕτω δὴ πολλὴν ἠρέμα ὑποσπείρει τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ὅπου γε παθόντα τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνεσθαι κελεύει· καίτοιγε μείζονος κολάσεως ἄξιος ἦν ὁ τῆς παρανομίας ταύτης κατάρξας, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ τοῦ δικαίου λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐβούλετο κεράσαι τῷ δικαίῳ, τὸν μείζονα πλημμελήσαντα ἐλάττονι τῆς ἀξίας καταδικάζει τιμωρίᾳ, παιδεύων καὶ ἐν τῷ πάσχειν πολλὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν ἐπιείκειαν. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὸν παλαιὸν νόμον, καὶ ἀναγνοὺς αὐτὸν ἅπαντα, δείκνυσι πάλιν οὐ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὄντα τὸν ταῦτα ἐργασάμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸν πονηρόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, μὴ ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ. Οὐκ εἶπε, Μὴ ἀντιστῆναι τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἀλλὰ, Τῷ πονηρῷ· δεικνὺς ὅτι ἐκείνου κινοῦντος ταῦτα τολμᾶται, καὶ ταύτῃ τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς πρὸς τὸν πεποιηκότα χαλῶν καὶ ὑποτεμνόμενος, τῷ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐφ' ἕτερον μεταθεῖναι. Τί οὖν; οὐ χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἀνθίστασθαι τῷ πονηρῷ· φησί. ∆εῖ μὲν, οὐ τούτῳ δὲ τῷ τρόπῳ· ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπέταξε, τῷ παρέχειν ἑαυτὸν πάσχειν κακῶς· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοῦ περιέσῃ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πυρὶ σβέννυται πῦρ, ἀλλ' ὕδατι πῦρ. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ παλαιῷ νόμῳ ὁ παθὼν κρατεῖ μᾶλλον, καὶ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ στεφανούμενος, ἐξέτασον αὐτὸ τὸ γινόμενον, καὶ ὄψει πολλὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν προεδρίαν οὖσαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἄρ 57.266 ξας χειρῶν ἀδίκων ἀμφοτέρους αὐτὸς ἔσται ἀνηρηκὼς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τὸν τοῦ πλησίον, καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ μισεῖται παρὰ πάντων δικαίως, καὶ μυρίαις βάλλεται κατηγορίαις. Ὁ δὲ ἠδικημένος, καὶ μετὰ τὸ τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνεσθαι. οὐδὲν ἔσται δεινὸν πεποιηκώς. ∆ιὸ καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς συναλγοῦντας, ἅτε καθαρὸς ὢν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ ποιῆσαι, ταύτης τῆς πλημμελείας Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς συμφορᾶς ἴσα ἀμφοτέροις· τὰ δὲ τῆς δόξης οὐκ ἴσα, οὔτε παρὰ Θεῷ, οὔτε παρὰ ἀνθρώποις. ∆ιόπερ λοιπὸν οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἴσα. Ἀρχόμενος μὲν οὖν ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῆ, καὶ ὁ μωρὸν καλῶν, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ γεέννῃ τοῦ πυρός· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ πλείονα ἀπαιτεῖ φιλοσοφίαν, οὐ μόνον κελεύων ἡσυχάζειν τὸν πάσχοντα κακῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντιφιλοτιμεῖσθαι μειζόνως, τὴν ἑτέραν παρέχοντα σιαγόνα. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, οὐ περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης πληγῆς νομοθετῶν μόνον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνεξικακίαν παιδεύων ἡμᾶς. βʹ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, ὅτι Ὁ καλῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μωρὸν, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ γεέννῃ. οὐ περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου λέγει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ λοιδορίας ἁπάσης· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, οὐχ ἵνα ῥαπιζόμενοι φέρωμεν γενναίως, νομοθετεῖ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πάσχοντες μὴ θορυβώμεθα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀκεῖ τὴν ἐσχάτην ὕβριν ἐπελέξατο, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν μάλιστα δοκοῦσαν εἶναι πληγὴν ἐπονείδιστον, τὴν ἐπὶ σιαγόνος, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν ὕβριν τέθεικε. Κελεύει δὲ τοῦτο, ὑπέρ τε τοῦ πλήττοντος, ὑπέρ τε τοῦ πληττομένου τὸν λόγον ποιούμενος. Ὅ τε γὰρ ὑβρισμένος, οὐδὲν ἡγήσεται πάσχειν δεινὸν, οὕτω παρεσκευασμένος φιλοσοφεῖν (οὐδὲ γὰρ τῆς ὕβρεως αἴσθησιν λήψεται, ἅτε ἀγωνιζόμενος μᾶλλον ἢ τυπτόμενος)· ὅ τε ἐπηρεάζων καταισχυνθεὶς οὐκέτι δευτέραν ἐπάξει πληγὴν, κἂν θηρίου παντὸς χαλεπώτερος ᾖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ προτέρᾳ σφόδρα ἑαυτοῦ καταγνώσεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω κατέχει τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, ὡς τὸ φέρειν τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἐπιεικῶς τὰ γινόμενα· οὐ κατέχει δὲ μόνον τῆς προσωτέρω ῥύμης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς φθάσασι μετανοῆσαι παρασκευάζει, καὶ θαυμάζοντας τὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἀναχωρεῖν, καὶ οἰκειοτέρους καθίστησι, καὶ δούλους,