131

Solomon the most wise, even if the most sinful of all men, when we are badly disposed, is not the cause of our evils. For to receive rulers according to our hearts is nothing other than that we had sinned beforehand, and for this reason we obtained such a ruler. But if he is exceedingly righteous, and so righteous as to have attained to the virtue of Moses, his righteousness alone will not be able to cover up the immeasurable failings of his 63.735 subjects. But rather, if you wish, I will show you, how often the sin of one man overcomes the confidence of those who live well. Jesus the son of Nave once attacked Jericho, and while carrying out that strange siege, when the walls were about to fall, he says to the people: This city is accursed, and all that is in it, to the Lord of Sabaoth. Beware then of the accursed thing, lest you, having coveted it, take some of it, and God will destroy us. What then after this? The walls fell, and the city came into the hands of the besiegers. While the whole people, therefore, was keeping this commandment, the transgression of one man kindled God's wrath against the whole multitude. For, it says, the sons of Israel committed a great trespass. And yet it was one who trespassed, Achan; how then did the sons of Israel trespass? And the Lord was angered, it says, with the sons of Israel. And Jesus sent men from Jericho to Ai. And about three thousand men went up, and they fled from the face of the men of Ai, and they killed thirty-six men of them. See the penalty for one sin, see the inconsolable blow; one man trespassed, and death and cowardice fell upon all the people. What then is this, O good Master? you alone are just, and your judgments are upright; you assign judgment to each according to his own works; you said, O lover of mankind, that each would die in his own sin, and that one would not be punished for another; what then is this just verdict of yours? All your things are good, Lord, and very good, and ordered for our benefit; why then did you bring punishment upon others for the sin of another? Sin, He says, is a defilement; let it be publicly exposed through punishment to all, so that it may not defile everyone. Do you see how the sin of one man brought punishment upon the whole people? See then also his shameful and destructive death. And Jesus, it says, brought him up to the valley of Achor, and his sons, and his daughters, and his calves, and his beasts of burden, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that belonged to him, and all Israel stoned them with stones. Therefore, let us not, because God bears being insulted with long-suffering, for this reason be confident, but rather for this very reason let us be all the more remorseful. For if among men, when someone, struck on the right cheek, offers also the left, he defends himself more greatly than if he had given ten thousand blows; and when, having been reviled, he not only does not revile in return but even blesses, he has struck more harshly than if he had showered him with ten thousand insults; much more in the case of God should those who sin continually and suffer nothing terrible be afraid; for indeed to the harm of their own head unspeakable punishment is stored up for them. For to be punished is not evil for the one who trespasses, but to be in such a state and not be punished; just as for one who is sick not to be healed. For when our good deeds are small and of no account, and the bulk of our sins is great, and then we enjoy prosperity here, and suffer nothing terrible, we will all depart destitute and naked of the reward for our good deeds, 63.736 having received everything here; just as, therefore, when our good deeds are great and many, but our sins are small and of no account, and then we suffer something terrible, having laid aside even these small things here, we receive there the recompense for our good deeds pure and complete. Let not being punished, therefore, but sinning and not being punished, be considered more grievous

131

Σολομὼν ὁ σοφώτατος, κἂν ἁπάντων ἁμαρτωλότερος ἀνθρώπων, ἡμῶν κακῶς διακειμένων, ἀδιάφορον ἔχει τὴν πρὸς τὰ κακὰ αἰτίαν. Τὸ γὰρ κατὰ τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν λαμβάνειν ἄρχοντας, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ ὅτι προημαρτηκότες ἦμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοιούτου τοῦ προεστηκότος ἐτύχομεν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ λίαν δίκαιος ᾖ, καὶ οὕτω δίκαιος, ὡς μέχρι τῆς Μωσέως ἀρετῆς ἐληλακέναι, οὐχ ἡ αὐτοῦ μόνη δικαιοσύνη τὰ ἄμετρα τῶν 63.735 ὑπηκόων συγκαλύψαι δυνήσεται πταίσματα. Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ βούλεσθε, δείξω ὑμῖν, πῶς καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς πολλάκις ἁμαρτία τὴν τῶν καλῶς πολιτευομένων ὑπερακοντίζει παῤῥησίαν. Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ προσέβαλέ ποτε τῇ Ἱεριχὼ, καὶ τὴν ξένην ἐκείνην πολιορκίαν ἐνεργῶν, ἤδη τῶν τειχῶν καταπίπτειν μελλόντων, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν λαόν· Ἔστιν ἀνάθεμα ἡ πόλις αὕτη, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτῇ, Κυρίῳ Σαβαώθ. Φυλάξασθε οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀναθέματος, μήποτε ἐνθυμηθέντες ὑμεῖς λάβετε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψεται ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός. Τί οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα; Κατέπεσον τὰ τείχη, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ τῶν πολιορκούντων τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐγένετο. Παντὸς τοίνυν τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην διατηροῦντος, ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς παράβασις εἰς ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνῆψεν ὀργήν. Ἐπλημμέλησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πλημμέλειαν μεγάλην. Καὶ μὴν εἷς ἦν ὁ πλημμελήσας ὁ Ἄχαρ· πῶς οὖν ἐπλημμέλησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ; Καὶ ἐθυμώθη, φησὶ, Κύριος τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ. Ἀπέστειλε δὲ Ἰησοῦςἄνδρας ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ εἰς Γαί. Καὶ ἀνέβησαν ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιοι ἄνδρες, καὶ ἔφυγον ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ἀνδρῶν Γαὶ, καὶ ἀπέκτειναν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἄνδρας. Ὅρα μίας ἁμαρτίας εἴσπραξιν, ὅρα πληγὴν ἀπαραμύθητον· εἷς ἐπλημμέλησε, καὶ εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν δῆμον ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἡ δειλία ἐπέπεσε. Τί οὖν τοῦτο, ὦ φιλάγαθε ∆έσποτα; σὺ εἶ μόνος δίκαιος, καὶ εὐθεῖς αἱ κρίσεις σου· σὺ ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἔργα ἀπονέμεις τὴν κρίσιν· σὺ ἔφης, φιλάνθρωπε, ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἕκαστον ἀποθανεῖσθαι ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ μὴ ἄλλον ἀντιτιμωρηθήσεσθαι ἑτέρου· τίς οὖν αὕτη ἡ δικαία σου ψῆφος; Καλά σου τὰ πάντα, Κύριε, καὶ λίαν καλὰ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν οἰκονομούμενα· διὰ τί δὴ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑτέρου ἁμαρτίας ἑτέροις τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγες; Λύμη τίς ἐστι, φησὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτία· ἐκπομπευέσθω διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας εἰς πάντας, ἵνα μὴ τοὺς πάντας καταλυμήνηται. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτία παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τὴν τιμωρίαν προεξένησεν; Ὅρα λοιπὸν καὶ τὸν ἐπονείδιστον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀλέθριον θάνατον. Καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὸν, φησὶν, Ἰησοῦς εἰς φάραγγα Ἀχὼρ, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς μόσχους αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ὑπῆρχεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐλιθοβόλησαν αὐτὰ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν λίθοις. Μὴ τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ μακροθύμως φέρει ὑβριζόμενος ὁ Θεὸς, διὰ τοῦτο θαῤῥῶμεν, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μᾶλλον δακνώμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων, ὅταν τις πληγεὶς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, δῷ καὶ τὴν ἀριστερὰν, μειζόνως ἀμύνεται, ἢ εἰ μυρίας ἔδωκε πληγάς· καὶ ὅταν λοιδορηθεὶς μὴ μόνον ἀντιλοιδορήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐλογήσῃ, χαλεπώτερον ἔπληξεν ἢ εἰ μυρίοις ὀνείδεσιν ἔπλυνε· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ Θεοῦ δεδοικέναι χρὴ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας διηνεκῶς καὶ οὐδὲν πάσχοντας δεινόν· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῆς ἑαυτῶν κεφαλῆς ἡ ἄφατος αὐτοῖς θησαυρίζεται τιμωρία. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ κολάζεσθαι κακὸν τῷ πλημμελοῦντι, ἀλλὰ τὸ οὕτως ἔχοντα μὴ κολάζεσθαι· ὡσπεροῦν τὸ τὸν ἀῤῥωστοῦντα μὴ θεραπεύεσθαι. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ μικρὰ καὶ εὐτελῆ κατορθώματα ἡμῶν ᾖ, καὶ πολὺς ὁ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὄγκος, εἶτα ἐνταῦθα εὐπραγίας ἀπολαύσωμεν, καὶ μηδὲν πάσχωμεν δεινὸν, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀμοιβῆς ἔρημοι καὶ γυμνοὶ πάντες 63.736 ἀπελευσόμεθα, πάντα ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαβόντες· ὥσπερ οὖν, ὅταν μεγάλα μὲν ᾖ τὰ κατορθώματα καὶ πολλὰ, μικρὰ δὲ καὶ εὐτελῆ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, εἶτα πάθωμέν τι δεινὸν, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ μικρὰ ἐνταῦθα ἀποθέμενοι, καθαρὰν καὶ ἀπηρτισμένην ἐκεῖ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαμβάνομεν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Μὴ δὴ τὸ κολάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνοντας μὴ κολάζεσθαι μᾶλλον χαλεπὸν εἶναι