151

acknowledged and manifest to all, and dared by almost everyone; but there are also others, which the conscience of sinners knows; if we consider all these things and reckon them to ourselves, even if we are the most cruel and harsh of all, when we look at the multitude of our sins, from fear and agony we will not even be able to remember the insult done to us by others. Remember the river of fire, the venomous worm, the terrible judgment, at which all things are naked and laid bare; consider that the things now hidden are then revealed. If, therefore, you forgive your neighbor's sins, which are going to be revealed then, all these are blotted out here, and you will depart dragging nothing of your offenses behind you, so that you receive more than you give. For many times we have committed such sins as no one else knows; then, considering that on that day our sins will lie before the eyes of all in the common theater of the world, we suffer more grievously than from punishment, being choked and strangled by our conscience. But it is possible to wash away so great a shame, so many sins, so great a punishment, through forgiveness toward our neighbor; for indeed nothing is equal to this virtue. Do you want to learn the power of this virtue? If Moses and Samuel stand, he says, before my face, my soul is not with them. But yet, those whom Moses and Samuel could not snatch from the wrath of God, this commandment could snatch away; for this reason He continually exhorted those to whom He said these things, saying: Let each one not bear a grudge for the evil of his brother in your hearts; and, Let each one not take into account the evil of his neighbor. He did not say, Forgive, only, but, Do not even have it in your mind, nor take it into account; let go of all anger, wipe out the wound. For you think you are avenging yourself on that person, but you are first tormenting yourself, having set up your anger within you everywhere like an executioner, and tearing your own insides. For what could be more miserable than a person who is continually angry? And just as those who are mad never enjoy tranquility, so one who bears a grudge and has an enemy will never enjoy any peace, being continually inflamed, and increasing the storm of his thoughts each 49.201 day, remembering the words and the deeds, and being hostile toward the very name of the one who has grieved him. Even if you only say the name of the enemy, he becomes like a wild beast and endures great pain within; even if he sees but his mere face, he is afraid and trembles, as if suffering the worst evils; and if he sees any of his relations, or a cloak, or a house, or a narrow street, he is tormented by everything he sees. For just as with those who are loved, their cloaks, and faces, and sandals, and houses, and narrow streets immediately give us wings when seen; so with enemies and hated persons, if we see a servant, or a friend, or a house, or a narrow street, or anything else, we are bitten by all of them, and frequent and continual wounds are inflicted on us from each of the things seen.

3. What need is there then for such a siege, for so much torment and punishment? For even if Gehenna had not been threatened for those who bear grudges, for the sake of the torment that comes to us from the matter itself, we ought to have forgiven the sins of those who have grieved us; but when the punishments also remain immortal, what could be more foolish than the one who punishes himself both here and there, while thinking he is punishing his enemy? For if we see him prospering, we are destroyed by despondency; and if he is in adversity, we are afraid lest some favorable change happen again; and for both of these an inescapable punishment is laid up for us. For at the stumbling of your enemy, it says, do not exult. And do not tell me of the magnitude of the injustices; for this is not what makes anger remain with you, but your not remembering your own offenses, nor having Gehenna before your eyes and the fear of God. And that you may learn that this

151

ὡμολογημένα καὶ πᾶσι δῆλα, καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων σχεδὸν τολμώμενα· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερα, ἅπερ τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων συνειδὸς οἶδεν· ἐὰν ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἐννοήσωμεν καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἀναλογισώμεθα, κἂν ἁπάντων ὦμεν ὠμότεροι καὶ ἀπηνέστεροι, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν σκοπήσαντες, ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου καὶ τῆς ἀγωνίας οὐδὲ μνησθῆναι τῆς παρ' ἑτέρων εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένης ὕβρεως δυνησόμεθα. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ πυρὸς, τοῦ σκώληκος τοῦ ἰοβόλου, τῆς φοβερᾶς κρίσεως, καθ' ἣν ἅπαντα γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα· ἐννόησον, ὅτι τὰ κρυπτόμενα νῦν ἐκκαλύπτεται τότε. Ἂν τοίνυν ἀφῇς τῷ πλησίον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἅπερ ἐκκαλύπτεσθαι μέλλει τότε, ταῦτα ἐνταῦθα ἀφανίζεται πάντα, καὶ ἀπελεύσῃ μηδὲν ἐπισυρόμενος ὧν ἐπλημμέλησας, ὥστε μείζονα λαμβάνεις, ἢ δίδως. Καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ πολλάκις ἡμαρτήκαμεν τοιαῦτα, ἃ μηδεὶς ἕτερος οἶδεν· εἶτα ἐννοοῦντες ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἁπάντων κείσεται ἡμῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐν τῷ κοινῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης θεάτρῳ, τῆς κολάσεως χαλεπώτερον ἀλγοῦμεν, πνιγόμενοι καὶ ἀγχόμενοι τῷ συνειδότι. Ἀλλὰ τὴν τοσαύτην αἰσχύνην, τὰ τοσαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα, τὴν τοσαύτην κόλασιν ἔστιν ἀπονίψασθαι διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν πλησίον συγχωρήσεως· καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν ταύτης ἴσον ἐστὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς. Βούλει μαθεῖν ταύτης τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν δύναμιν; Ἐὰν στῇ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ, φησὶ, πρὸ προσώπου μου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς αὐτούς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὓς οὐκ ἠδύνατο Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐξαρπάσαι τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὕτη ἠδύνατο ἐξαρπάσαι ἡ ἐντολή· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνοις, οἷς ταῦτα εἶπε, συνεχῶς παρεκελεύετο λέγων· Κακίαν ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ μὴ μνησικακείτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν· καὶ, Τὴν κακίαν τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἕκαστος μὴ λογιζέσθω. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἄφες, μόνον, ἀλλὰ, Μηδὲ ἔχε ἐν διανοίᾳ, μηδὲ λογίζου· ἄφες τὴν ὀργὴν ἅπασαν, ἀφάνισον τὸ ἕλκος. ∆οκεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνον ἀμύνεσθαι, πρότερον δὲ σεαυτὸν βασανίζεις, καθάπερ δήμιον ἔνδοθεν περιστήσας σου πανταχόθεν τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ καταξαίνων σαυτοῦ τὰ σπλάγχνα. Τί γὰρ γένοιτ' ἂν ἀθλιώτερον ἀνθρώπου διηνεκῶς ὀργιζομένου; Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ μεμηνότες οὐδέποτε ἀπολαύουσι γαλήνης, οὕτως ὁ μνησικακῶν καὶ ἐχθρὸν ἔχων, οὐδέποτε ἀπολαύσεταί τινος εἰρήνης, διηνεκῶς φλεγμαίνων, καὶ τὸν χειμῶνα τῶν λογισμῶν καθ' ἑκάστην 49.201 αὔξων τὴν ἡμέραν, τὰ ῥήματα ἀναμιμνησκόμενος καὶ τὰ πράγματα, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν προσηγορίαν τοῦ λελυπηκότος ἀπεχθῶς ἔχων. Κἂν τὸ ὄνομα μόνον εἴπῃς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἐκθηριοῦται καὶ πολλὴν ἔνδον ὑπομένει τὴν ὀδύνην· κἂν ψιλὴν ἴδῃ τὴν ὄψιν μόνον, δέδοικε καὶ τρέμει, καθάπερ τὰ ἔσχατα πάσχων κακά· κἄν τινας τῶν ἐκείνῳ προσηκόντων, κἂν ἱμάτιον, κἂν οἰκίαν, κἂν στενωπὸν θεάσηται, ὑπὸ πάντων βασανίζεται τῶν ὁρωμένων. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῶν φιλουμένων καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα, καὶ αἱ οἰκίαι, καὶ οἱ στενωποὶ πτεροῦσιν ἡμᾶς εὐθέως ὀφθέντες· οὕτω τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ μισουμένων κἂν οἰκέτην, κἂν φίλον, κἂν οἰκίαν, κἂν στενωπὸν ἴδωμεν, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον, ὑπὸ πάντων δακνόμεθα, καὶ πυκναὶ καὶ συνεχεῖς ἡμῖν ἀφ' ἑκάστου τῶν ὁρωμένων πληγαὶ γίνονται.

γʹ. Τίς οὖν χρεία τῆς τοιαύτης πολιορκίας, τοσαύτης βασάνου καὶ κολάσεως; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ γέεννα προηπείλητο τοῖς μνησικάκοις, διὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος ἡμῖν γινομένην βάσανον ἀφεῖναι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τοῖς λελυπηκόσιν ἐχρῆν· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀθάνατοι μένωσιν αἱ τιμωρίαι, τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀνοητότερον τοῦ καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐκεῖ κολάζοντος μὲν ἑαυτὸν, νομίζοντος δὲ τὸν ἐχθρὸν τιμωρεῖσθαι; Ἄν τε γὰρ εὐδοκιμοῦντα ἴδωμεν, ἀπολλύμεθα ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας· κἂν δυσπραγοῦντα, δεδοίκαμεν μή τις γένηται δεξιὰ πάλιν μεταβολή· ἀμφοτέρων δὲ τούτων ἡμῖν κεῖται κόλασις ἀπαραίτητος. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ ὑποσκελίσματι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου, φησὶ, μὴ ἐπαίρου. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε τῶν ἀδικημάτων τὸ μέγεθος· οὐ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν μένειν παρὰ σοὶ τὴν ὀργὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ μεμνῆσθαί σε τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων, μηδὲ τὴν γέενναν ἔχειν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τοῦτό