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Here stands for you the one who lays down the laws concerning forbearance, but he also proceeds further, saying thus: If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Have you seen the excess of philosophy? So after giving your tunic and your cloak, even if the enemy should wish to use your naked body for hardships and labors, not even so should you hinder him, he says. For he wants us to hold all things in common, both our bodies and our possessions, for those who are in need and for those who insult us; for the one is a matter of courage, the other of love for humanity. For this reason he said: If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him two; leading you higher again, and commanding you to show the same generosity. For if the things he said at the beginning, being much less than these, have so many blessings, consider what a reward awaits those who accomplish these things, and what they become even before the prizes, accomplishing all impassibility in a human and passible body. For when they are not stung by insults and blows, nor by the seizure of their possessions, nor do they yield to any other such thing, but rather lavish themselves more upon the suffering, consider what kind of soul is prepared for them. For this very reason, what he commanded in the case of blows, what in the case of possessions, this he commanded to do here also. For what am I saying, he says, about insult and possessions? Even if he should wish to use your very body for labor and toil, and this unjustly, again conquer and surpass his unjust desire. For to compel is this: to drag unjustly, and without any reason, and with insolence. But nevertheless, be prepared for this also, so as to suffer more than he wishes to inflict. To him who asks of you, give, and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. These things are less than those; but do not be surprised; for this he is always accustomed to do, mixing small things with great ones. But if these things are small compared to those, let those who take what belongs to others hear, those who distribute their own possessions to prostitutes, and kindle a double fire for themselves, both through unjust income and through destructive expenditure. But by a loan here he does not mean a contract with interest, but simply the use. And elsewhere he intensifies it, saying to give to those from whom we do not expect to receive back. You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you; bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you; that you may be like your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. See how he has placed the crown of good things last. For this is why he teaches not only to bear being struck, but also to offer the right cheek, not only to add the cloak to the tunic, but also to accompany for two miles the one who compels for one, so that you may accept with all ease that which is much greater than these 57.269. And what is greater than these? he says. That the one who does these things does not even have an enemy; or rather, something else even greater than this. For he did not say, Do not hate, but, Love; he did not say, Do not wrong, but, Do good. 4. But if one were to examine accurately, he would see another addition to these very things, much greater than these. For he did not simply command to love, but also to pray. Have you seen how many steps he ascended, and how he has placed us on the very summit of virtue? But consider, counting from the beginning. The first step is not to begin an injustice; the second, after it has begun, to retaliate with equal measure; the third, not to do to the persecutor what one has suffered, but to remain quiet; the fourth, to even offer oneself to suffer evil; the fifth, to offer even more than the one who did it wishes; the sixth, not to hate the one who did these things; the seventh, to even love him; the eighth, to even do him good; the ninth, to even beseech God on his behalf. Have you seen the height of philosophy? For this very reason it also has a splendid prize. For since the commandment was great, and required a youthful soul and much zeal, he also sets for it such a reward, as for none of the
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ἐνταῦθα ἵσταταί σοι ὁ τοὺς περὶ ἀνεξικακίας τιθεὶς νόμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ περαιτέρω πρόεισιν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἐάν τίς σε ἀγγαρεύσῃ μίλιον ἓν, ὕπαγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο. Εἶδες ὑπερβολὴν φιλοσοφίας; Μετὰ γοῦν τὸ δοῦναι τὸν χιτῶνα καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον, οὐδὲ εἰ γυμνῷ τῷ σώματι χρῆσθαι βούλοιτο ὁ ἐχθρὸς πρὸς ταλαιπωρίας καὶ πόνους, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν δεῖ κωλύειν, φησί. Πάντα γὰρ βούλεται κεκτῆσθαι ἡμᾶς κοινὰ, καὶ τὰ σώματα καὶ τὰ χρήματα, καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις καὶ τοῖς ὑβρίζουσι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνδρείας, τὸ δὲ φιλανθρωπίας ἐστί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· Ἐάν τίς σε ἀγγαρεύσῃ μίλιον ἓν, ὕπαγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο· ἀνωτέρω σε ἀνάγων πάλιν, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν φιλοτιμίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι κελεύων. Εἰ γὰρ ἅπερ ἀρχόμενος ἔλεγεν, ἐλάττονα ὄντα τούτων πολλῷ, τοσούτους ἔχει μακαρισμοὺς, ἐννόησον οἵα λῆξις τοὺς ταῦτα κατορθοῦντας ἀναμένει, καὶ τίνες καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐπάθλων γίνονται, ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ σώματι καὶ παθητῷ ἀπάθειαν ἅπασαν κατορθοῦντες. Ὅταν γὰρ μήτε ὕβρεσι καὶ πληγαῖς, μήτε χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσει δάκνωνται, μήτε ἄλλῳ μηδενὶ εἴκωσι τοιούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιδαψιλεύωνται τῷ πάθει μᾶλλον, σκόπησον οἵα αὐτοῖς κατασκευάζεται ἡ ψυχή. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν πληγῶν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐκέλευσε ποιεῖν. Τί γὰρ λέγω, φησὶν, ὕβριν καὶ χρήματα; Κἂν αὐτῷ τῷ σώματί σου βούληται εἰς πόνον χρήσασθαι καὶ κάματον, καὶ τοῦτο ἀδίκως, πάλιν νίκησον καὶ ὑπέρβηθι τὴν ἄδικον ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκείνου. Τὸ γὰρ ἀγγαρεῦσαι τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ ἀδίκως ἑλκύσαι, καὶ ἄνευ λόγου τινὸς, καὶ ἐπηρεάζοντα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἔσο παρατεταγμένος, ὥστε πλέον παθεῖν, ἢ ἐκεῖνος βούλεται ποιῆσαι. Τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου, καὶ τὸν θέλοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανείσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. Ταῦτα ἐκείνων ἐλάττονα· ἀλλὰ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· τοῦτο γὰρ εἴωθεν ἀεὶ ποιεῖν, ἀναμιγνὺς τοῖς μεγάλοις τὰ μικρά. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μικρὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα, ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ τὰ ἑτέρων λαμβάνοντες, οἱ πόρναις τὰ ἑαυτῶν διανέμοντες, καὶ διπλῆν ἑαυτοῖς ἀνάπτοντες πυρὰν, καὶ διὰ τῆς προσόδου τῆς ἀδίκου, καὶ διὰ τῆς δαπάνης τῆς ὀλεθρίας. ∆άνεισμα δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸ μετὰ τῶν τόκων λέγει συμβόλαιον, ἀλλὰ τὴν χρῆσιν ἁπλῶς. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπιτείνει, λέγων ἐκείνοις διδόναι, παρ' ὧν οὐ προσδοκῶμεν ἀπολαμβάνειν. Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, καὶ μισήσεις τὸν ἐχθρόν σου. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν· Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς· εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς, καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς· ὅπως γένησθε ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ὅτι ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Ὅρα τὴν κορωνίδα τῶν ἀγαθῶν πῶς ἐπέθηκεν ἐσχάτην. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο παιδεύει, μὴ μόνον ῥαπιζόμενον φέρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρέχειν τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, μηδὲ μόνον τῷ χιτῶνι τὸ ἱμάτιον προστιθέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο συνοδεύειν μίλια τῷ ἓν ἀγγαρεύοντι, ἵνα τὸ πολλῷ πλέον τούτων 57.269 μετ' εὐκολίας δέξῃ πάσης. Καὶ τί τούτων πλέον ἐστί; φησί. Τὸ τὸν ποιοῦντα ταῦτα μηδὲ ἐχθρὸν ἔχειν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τούτου ἕτερόν τι πλέον. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Μὴ μισήσῃς, ἀλλὰ, Ἀγάπησον· οὐκ εἶπε, Μὴ ἀδικήσῃς, ἀλλὰ, Καλῶς ποίησον. δʹ. Εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσειε, καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν ἑτέραν ὄψεται προσθήκην πολλῷ μείζονα τούτων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἐκέλευσεν ἀγαπᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὔχεσθαι. Εἶδες ὅσους ἀνέβη βαθμοὺς, καὶ πῶς εἰς αὐτὴν ἡμᾶς τὴν κορυφὴν ἔστησε τῆς ἀρετῆς; Σκόπει δὲ ἄνωθεν ἀριθμῶν. Πρῶτός ἐστι βαθμὸς, μὴ ἄρχειν ἀδικίας· δεύτερος, μετὰ τὸ ἄρξασθαι, τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνασθαι· τρίτος, μὴ δρᾶσαι τὸν ἐπηρεάζοντα ταῦτα ἃ ἔπαθεν, ἀλλ' ἡσυχάσαι· τέταρτος, τὸ καὶ παρασχεῖν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ παθεῖν κακῶς· πέμπτος, τὸ καὶ πλέον παρασχεῖν ἢ ἐκεῖνος βούλεται ὁ ποιήσας· ἕκτος, τὸ μὴ μισῆσαι τὸν ταῦτα ἐργασάμενον· ἕβδομος, τὸ καὶ ἀγαπῆσαι· ὄγδοος, τὸ καὶ εὐεργετῆσαι· ἔννατος, τὸ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παρακαλεῖν. Εἶδες ὕψος φιλοσοφίας; ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ λαμπρὸν τὸ ἔπαθλον ἔχει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα ἦν τὸ ἐπίταγμα, καὶ νεανικῆς δεόμενον ψυχῆς καὶ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς, καὶ μισθὸν αὐτῷ τίθησι τοιοῦτον, οἷον οὐδενὶ τῶν