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to take vengeance, much more so when God is judging. But your neighbor has wronged you and grieved you, and inflicted countless evils. Not even so should you proceed against him yourself, lest you insult your own Master; yield to God, and he himself will handle the matter much better than you wish. He commanded you only to pray for the one who has grieved you; but how he should be dealt with, he ordered 49.203 you to leave to Him. You do not avenge yourself in the way that He is prepared to avenge you, if only you yield to him, and do not curse the one who has grieved you, but let him be lord of the verdict; for even if we forgive those who have wronged us, even if we are reconciled, even if we pray for them, God does not forgive, unless they themselves change and become better; and he does not forgive, looking to their benefit. For he praises and accepts you for your philosophy, but proceeds against that one, lest he become worse through your philosophy. So the argument of the many is superfluous. For many, when often reproached by us because they were not persuaded when urged to be reconciled to their enemies, seemed to put forward this defense, which was a screen for their own wickedness: 'I do not wish to be reconciled,' he says, 'lest I make him worse, lest he become harsher, lest he despise me more hereafter.' And in addition to these things they also say this, that 'Many people think that I come first to reconciliation and entreat my enemy out of weakness.' All these things are vain; for the sleepless eye has seen your intention; therefore one must take no account of fellow servants, when you persuade the judge and the one who is to judge you. But if you are concerned that your enemy not become worse for you through your forbearance, learn this, that he does not become worse this way, but rather if you are not reconciled; for even if he is the most defiled of all, even if he does not say it, even if he does not proclaim it, even in silence he will surely approve of your philosophy, he will be ashamed of your meekness in his own conscience; but if he remains in the same wickedness while being courted and attended to, he will have God as the greatest avenger. And that you may learn that, even if we entreat on behalf of our enemies and on behalf of those who have wronged us, God does not forgive if they are going to become worse through our long-suffering, I will tell you an ancient story. Miriam once spoke against Moses; what then did God do? He sent leprosy upon her, and made her unclean, although in other respects she was reasonable and prudent; then when Moses himself, the one who had been insulted, begged him to let go of his anger, God did not consent; but what does he say? 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be ashamed?' 'Let her remain,' he says, 'outside the camp for seven days.' What he says is something like this: 'If,' he says, 'she had a father and he cast her out of his sight, would she not have borne the rebuke?' I accept you for your brotherly love and meekness and forbearance; but I know when she must be released from her punishment. You, for your part, show all kindness toward your brother, and do not forgive his faults out of a desire for a greater punishment, but out of affection and a good disposition. For know this clearly, that the more he scorns you as you attend to him, the greater the punishment he will draw down upon himself. What are you saying, tell me? Does he become more base when he is attended to? This is an accusation against him, but a commendation of you; a commendation of you, because even seeing him become so, for the sake of what is pleasing to God you did not cease attending to him; but a charge against him, that not even by your forbearance has he become 49.204 better. But Paul says it is preferable for others to be blamed on our account, than for us on account of others. And do not say these cold words: 'Lest he think,' one says, 'that I ran to him because I was afraid of him, so that he may despise me more;' these are the words of a childish and foolish soul, and one terrified of human glory. Let him think that you approached him out of fear, and thus your reward will be greater, when, foreseeing even these things, for the fear of God you endure all. For the one who hunts for glory from men, and is reconciled for this reason, cuts short his

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ἐκδικεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς δικάζῃ. Ἀλλ' ἠδίκησέ σε καὶ λελύπηκε, καὶ μυρία διέθηκεν ὁ πλησίον κακά. Μηδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸς αὐτῷ ἐπεξέλθῃς, ἵνα μὴ ὑβρίσῃς σαυτοῦ τὸν ∆εσπότην· παραχώρησον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς διαθήσει τὸ πρᾶγμα πολλῷ βέλτιον οὗ σὺ βούλει. Σοὶ μόνον εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ λελυπηκότος ἐκέλευσε· τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐκείνῳ δεῖ χρήσασθαι, αὐτῷ καταλιπεῖν προσέτα 49.203 ξεν. Οὐχ οὕτως σὺ σαυτὸν ἐκδικεῖς, ὡς ἐκεῖνός σε ἐκδικῆσαι παρεσκεύασται, ἂν αὐτῷ παραχωρήσῃς μόνον, καὶ μὴ κατεύξῃ τοῦ λελυπηκότος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἀφῇς κύριον γενέσθαι τῆς ψήφου· κἂν γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀφῶμεν τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι, κἂν καταλλαγῶμεν, κἂν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δεηθῶμεν, ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἐὰν μὴ μεταβάλλωνται καὶ αὐτοὶ, καὶ βελτίους γένωνται· οὐκ ἀφίησι δὲ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον ἐκείνων βλέπων. Σὲ μὲν γὰρ ἐπαινεῖ καὶ ἀποδέχεται τῆς φιλοσοφίας, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἐπεξέρχεται, ἵνα μὴ τῇ σῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ χείρων γένηται. Ὥστε περιττὸς ὁ τῶν πολλῶν λόγος. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ἐγκαλούμενοι παρ' ἡμῶν, ἐπειδὴ παρακαλούμενοι καταλλαγῆναι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, ταύτην ἐδόκουν τὴν ἀπολογίαν προβαλέσθαι παραπέτασμα τῆς ἑαυτῶν οὖσαν πονηρίας· Οὐ βούλομαι καταλλαγῆναι, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ χείρονα αὐτὸν ἐργάσωμαι, ἵνα μὴ τραχύτερον, ἵνα μὴ μειζόνως μου καταφρονήσῃ μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις κἀκεῖνο λέγουσιν, ὅτι Πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξ ἀσθενείας με νομίζουσι πρότερον ἐπὶ τὰς καταλλαγὰς ἔρχεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν παρακαλεῖν. Ταῦτα πάντα μάταια· ὁ γὰρ ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε τὴν γνώμην τὴν σήν· διόπερ οὐδένα χρὴ ποιεῖσθαι τῶν συνδούλων λόγον, ὅταν τὸν κριτὴν πείσῃς καὶ τὸν μέλλοντά σοι δικάζειν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦ μὴ γενέσθαι σοι χείρονα διὰ τῆς σῆς ἐπιεικείας τὸν ἐχθρὸν φροντίζεις, ἐκεῖνο μάνθανε, ὅτι οὐχ οὕτω γίνεται χείρων, ἀλλ' ἂν μὴ καταλλαγῇς μᾶλλον· κἂν γὰρ ἁπάντων μιαρώτερος ᾖ, κἂν μὴ λέγῃ, κἂν μὴ κηρύττῃ, καὶ σιγῶν πάντως ἀποδέξεταί σου τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, αἰδεσθήσεταί σου τὴν πραότητα κατὰ τὸ συνειδὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένῃ πονηρίας κολακευόμενος καὶ θεραπευόμενος, ἕξει τιμωρὸν μέγιστον τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι, κἂν ἡμεῖς παρακαλέσωμεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἠδικηκότων, ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἂν μέλλωσι γίνεσθαι χείρους διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀνεξικακίας, ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν ἐρῶ παλαιάν. Κατελάλησέ ποτε τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἡ Μαρία· τί οὖν ὁ Θεός; Λέπραν ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀκάθαρτον αὐτὴν ἐποίησε, καίτοι γε τὰ ἄλλα οὖσαν ἐπιεικῆ καὶ σώφρονα· εἶτα τοῦ Μωϋσέως αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑβρισμένου παρακαλοῦντος ἀφεῖναι τὴν ὀργὴν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Εἰ ἐμπτύων ἐνέπτυσεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον, οὐκ ἂν ἐνετράπη; Μεινάτω, φησὶν, ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἰ πατέρα, φησὶν, εἶχε καὶ ἐξ ὄψεως αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἂν ἤνεγκε τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν; Σὲ μὲν ἀποδέχομαι τῆς φιλαδελφίας καὶ τῆς πραότητος καὶ τῆς ἐπιεικείας· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶδα πότε αὐτὴν ἀφεῖναι δεῖ τῆς κολάσεως. Σὺ μὲν πᾶσαν φιλοφροσύνην ἐπίδειξαι περὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ μὴ κολάσεως ἐπιθυμίᾳ μείζονος ἀφῇς τὰ πλημμελήματα, ἀλλὰ φιλοστοργίᾳ καὶ γνώμῃ χρηστῇ. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γάρ τοι σαφῶς ἴσθι, ὅτι ὅσῳ ἂν θεραπεύοντα ὑπερίδῃ σε, τοσούτῳ μείζονα ἐπισπάσεται καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν κόλασιν ἐκεῖνος. Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; Φαυλότερος γίνεται θεραπευόμενος; Τοῦτο ἐκείνου μὲν κατηγορία, σὸν δὲ ἐγκώμιον· σὸν μὲν ἐγκώμιον, ὅτι καὶ ὁρῶν τοιοῦτον γινόμενον, διὰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν οὐκ ἀπέστης θεραπεύων αὐτόν· ἐκείνῳ δὲ ἔγκλημα, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς σῆς ἐπιεικείας βελτίων γέ 49.204 γονε. Παῦλος δέ φησιν, αἱρετώτερον ἑτέρους ἐγκαλεῖσθαι δι' ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἡμᾶς δι' ἑτέρους. Μηδὲ λέγε τὰ ψυχρὰ ταῦτα ῥήματα· Μὴ νομίσῃ, φησὶν, ὅτι φοβηθεὶς αὐτὸν προσέδραμον, ἵνα μᾶλλόν μου καταφρονήσῃ· παιδικῆς ταῦτα ψυχῆς καὶ ἀνοήτου καὶ πρὸς δόξαν ἐπτοημένης ἀνθρωπίνην. Νομιζέτω, ὅτι φοβηθεὶς προσῆλθες, καὶ οὕτω μείζων ὁ μισθὸς ἔσται σοι, ὅταν καὶ ταῦτα προειδὼς διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ὑπομένῃς πάντα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξαν θηρώμενος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταλλαττόμενος, ὑποτέμνεται τῆς