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worse than wild beasts. For they, either needing food, or having been provoked by us beforehand, take up arms against us; but these, even when often having been treated well, have done the things of those who wrong their benefactors. Therefore, these are more dangerous than wild beasts, and equal to demons, and perhaps even worse than them. For they have an irreconcilable enmity towards us, but they do not plot against their own kind; for which reason Christ also silenced the Jews with this, when they said he was casting out demons by Beelzebul. But these have respected neither the community of nature, nor have they spared themselves. For they punish their own souls before those they envy, filling them with all disturbance and despondency, rashly and in vain. For what reason do you grieve, O man, at the good things of your neighbor? We truly ought to grieve for the evils we suffer, not for seeing others held in high esteem. For this reason this sin is deprived of all pardon. For the fornicator has desire to plead, and the thief poverty, and the murderer anger; they are cold and irrational excuses, yet they have some pretexts to offer. But you, what cause will you state, tell me? None from any source, but only heightened wickedness. For if we are commanded to love our enemies, when we hate even those who love us, what penalty shall we pay? And if he who loves those who love him will be in no better state than the Gentiles; he who abuses those who have wronged him in nothing, what pardon will he have? and what consolation? Hear what Paul says: If I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I am profited nothing. That where there is envy and malice, the things of love are destroyed, is surely clear to everyone. This passion is worse than both fornication and adultery. For the one stops with the one who has done 59.211 it, but the tyranny of malice has overturned whole Churches, and has ruined the entire world. This is the mother of murder; thus Cain killed his brother, thus Esau Jacob, thus the brothers Joseph, thus the devil all men. But you now do not kill, but you do many things more grievous than murder, praying for your brother to be disgraced, setting snares from all sides, undoing the labors for virtue, grieving that he pleases the Master of the world. Therefore you war not against him, but against the One who is served through him; you insult Him, preferring your own honor to His. And what is most grievous of all, is that the sin seems to be a matter of indifference, and yet it is more grievous than the others. For even if you show mercy, even if you keep vigil, even if you fast, you have become more accursed than all by envying your brother. And this is clear from that: Someone once committed fornication among the Corinthians; but he was accused and quickly corrected. Cain envied Abel, but he was not healed, but even as God continuously charmed his wound, he was rather in greater pain and turmoil, and hurried towards murder. 59.212 Thus this is more grievous than that passion, and does not easily yield to therapy, unless we pay attention. Let us therefore tear it up by the roots from every side, considering this, that just as we offend God by wasting away at others' good things; so we are well-pleasing when we rejoice with them, and we make ourselves partakers of the good things laid up for the one who succeeds. For this reason Paul also exhorts, to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep, so that from both we may reap a great gain. Considering therefore, that even if we do not labor, by rejoicing with him who labors, we become sharers of his crowns, let us cast out all malice, and plant love in our souls, so that by applauding the esteemed among the brethren, we may attain both the present and the future good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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θηρίων χείρους. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἢ τροφῆς δεόμενα, ἢ πρότερον ὑφ' ἡμῶν παροξυνθέντα, ὁπλίζεται καθ' ἡμῶν· οὗτοι δὲ καὶ εὐεργετηθέντες πολλάκις, τὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων τοὺς εὐεργέτας διέθηκαν. Θηρίων μὲν οὖν οὗτοι χαλεπώτεροι, δαιμόνων δὲ ἴσοι, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων χείρους. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ πρὸς μὲν ἡμᾶς ἄσπονδον ἔχουσιν ἔχθραν, τοῖς δὲ ὁμογενέσιν οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύουσιν· ὅθεν τούτῳ καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπεστόμιζεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἡνίκα αὐτὸν ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔλεγον ἐκβάλλειν τὰ δαιμόνια. Οὗτοι δὲ οὔτε τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς φύσεως ᾐδέσθησαν, οὔτε ἑαυτῶν ἐφείσαντο. Πρὸ γὰρ τῶν φθονουμένων τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς κολάζουσι, θορύβου παντὸς καὶ ἀθυμίας πληροῦντες αὐτὰς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀλγείς, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τοῖς τοῦ πλησίον καλοῖς; Ἀλγεῖν ὄντως χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἐφ' οἷς πάσχομεν κακοῖς, οὐκ ἐφ' οἷς ἑτέρους εὐδοκιμοῦντας ὁρῶμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἁπάσης ἀπεστέρηται συγγνώμης τουτὶ τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πόρνος ἔχει τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν εἰπεῖν, καὶ ὁ κλέπτης τὴν πενίαν, καὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος τὸν θυμόν· ψυχρὰς μὲν καὶ ἀλόγους, ὅμως δὲ ἔχουσί τινας προφάσεις εἰπεῖν. Σὺ δὲ ποίαν αἰτίαν ἐρεῖς, εἰπέ μοι; Οὐδεμίαν οὐδαμόθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ πονηρίαν ἐπιτεταμένην μόνην. Εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾷν κελευόμεθα, ὅταν καὶ τοὺς φιλοῦντας μισῶμεν ποίαν τίσομεν δίκην; Καὶ εἰ ὁ τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶν, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῶν ἐθνικῶν διακείσεται· ὁ τοῖς μηδὲν ἠδικηκόσιν ἐπηρεάζων, ποίαν ἕξει συγγνώμην; τίνα δὲ παραμυθίαν; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου τί φησιν· Ἐὰν τὸ σῶμά μου παραδῶ ἵνα καυθήσωμαι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι. Ὅτι δὲ ὅπου φθόνος καὶ βασκανία, τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀνῄρηται, παντί που δῆλόν ἐστι. Τοῦτο τὸ πάθος καὶ πορνείας καὶ μοιχείας χεῖρόν ἐστι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ πράξαν 59.211 τος ἵσταται, τῆς δὲ βασκανίας ἡ τυραννὶς Ἐκκλησίας ὁλοκλήρους ἀνέτρεψε, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἐλυμήνατο. Αὕτη φόνου μήτηρ ἐστίν· οὕτως ἀπέκτεινε τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὁ Κάϊν, οὕτω τὸν Ἰακὼβ ὁ Ἡσαῦ, οὕτω τὸν Ἰωσὴφ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ, οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἅπαντας ὁ διάβολος. Ἀλλὰ σὺ νῦν οὐκ ἀναιρεῖς, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ τοῦ φόνου ποιεῖς χαλεπώτερα, εὐχόμενος τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀσχημονεῖν, πάγας πανταχόθεν τιθεὶς, ἐκλύων τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς πόνους, ἀλγῶν ὅτι τῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀρέσκει ∆εσπότῃ. Οὐκ ἐκείνῳ ἄρα, ἀλλὰ τῷ δι' ἐκείνου θεραπευομένῳ πολεμεῖς, ἐκεῖνον ὑβρίζεις, τὴν σαυτοῦ τιμὴν τῆς ἐκείνου προτιθείς. Καὶ τὸ δὴ πάντων χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ ἀδιάφορον δοκεῖ τὸ ἁμάρτημα εἶναι, καίτοι γε τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶ χαλεπώτερον. Κἂν γὰρ ἐλεῇς, κἂν ἀγρυπνῇς, κἂν νηστεύῃς, ἁπάντων ἐναγέστερος γέγονας φθονῶν τῷ ἀδελφῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· Ἐπόρνευσέ τις παρὰ Κορινθίοις ποτέ· ἀλλ' ἐνεκλήθη καὶ διωρθώθη ταχέως. Ἐφθόνησε τῷ Ἄβελ ὁ Κάϊν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐθεραπεύθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδοντος αὐτοῦ τῷ ἕλκει, μᾶλλον ὤδινε καὶ ἐκυματοῦτο, καὶ πρὸς τὸν φόνον ἠπείγετο. 59.212 Οὕτω τοῦτο ἐκείνου τοῦ πάθους χαλεπώτερον, καὶ οὐκ εὐκόλως εἴκει τῇ θεραπείᾳ, ἐὰν μὴ προσέχωμεν. Πρόῤῥιζον τοίνυν αὐτὸ πάντοθεν ἀνασπάσωμεν, ἐκεῖνο ἐννοοῦντες, ὅτι ὥσπερ προσκρούομεν τῷ Θεῷ, τηκόμενοι τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις καλοῖς· οὕτως εὐδοκιμοῦμεν συγχαίροντες, καὶ κοινωνοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ποιοῦμεν τῶν ἀποκειμένων τῷ κατορθοῦντι καλῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος παραινεῖ, Χαίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων, καὶ κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων, ἵνα ἑκατέρωθεν μέγα καρπωσώμεθα κέρδος. Ἐννοήσαντες τοίνυν, ὅτι κἂν μὴ πονῶμεν, τῷ πονοῦντι συνηδόμενοι, μερισταὶ γινόμεθα τῶν ἐκείνου στεφάνων, πᾶσαν ἐκβάλωμεν βασκανίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν φυτεύσωμεν ψυχαῖς, ἵνα συγκροτοῦντες τοὺς εὐδοκιμοῦντας τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ τῶν παρόντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.