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of sweetness. For if he were not a wild beast, and had a heart of stone, all those things were sufficient to lead him away from his untimely madness: the table at which he shared salt with his father, the house, the councils where words were spoken to him; all the other things, where he was reconciled to him after committing such a murder. Along with these things, there were others sufficient to soften him. For he had heard that he was wandering as a fugitive and a vagabond, that he was suffering the worst of terrible things. And how did he not consider that, even if he were victorious, he would live a life more wretched than all, being accursed and unclean from the trophy? and this, when his father was an old man, and at the doors of expectation, he did not wait a little longer. Where now are those who bewail poverty? How much worse are these things than any poverty, than any sickness, than any pain? This just man said nothing of the sort to himself, nor did he despair, nor did he lament, saying: I receive fine rewards indeed! I who meditate on His law day and night, I who in such a position became humbler than all, I who spared my enemies, am delivered into the hands of an intemperate child. He said nothing of the sort, nor did he think it. But he bore everything with philosophy, having only one consolation in these events: the conviction that these things happen with God’s knowledge. And just as the three youths in the furnace said: But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up. But if someone had said to them, "And in what hope do you die? what do you expect, what do you hope for after death, after the fire? For there was not yet an expectation of the resurrection. He would have heard from them: "This is the greatest reward for us, to die for God." So also this man considered this to be his greatest consolation, that God, knowing these things, did not prevent them. For if a lover would choose ten thousand times to be slaughtered for his beloved, though expecting nothing from her after death; much more ought we to suffer these things not in expectation of a kingdom, nor in hope of any other future good, but for God Himself; because to Him belongs glory forever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY 28. Concerning Oaths.

Let us not neglect the virtue of the soul, beloved. For what pain is it, tell me,

to put away anger against one who has grieved you? Indeed, the pain is in bearing a grudge and not being reconciled. What labor is it to speak ill of no one? What difficulty is it to be rid of envy and strife and malice? What toil is it to love one's neighbor? What weariness is it not to swear? For often, being overcome by temper and anger, we have sworn never to be reconciled to those who have grieved us, then, when our anger has cooled and we wish to be reconciled, being held by the necessity of our oaths as by some snare, we are not willing to do it; so that we suffer one of two things: either being reconciled we will commit perjury, or by not being reconciled we will make ourselves liable to the penalties for bearing a grudge. For how is it not absurd that, while having a garment better than the rest, we do not tolerate using it continuously, but we drag the name of God about everywhere simply and at random? For not every sin brings the same punishment, but those that are easy to set right bring a greater penalty upon us; for those who swear do not have any excuse to offer, but only contempt. And I know that I seem to be burdensome now and tiresome, appearing to be annoying with the constancy of my exhortation; but nevertheless I do not desist, so that, if only out of respect for my shamelessness, you may abandon the wicked habit of swearing. For if that harsh and cruel judge, respecting the persistence of a widow, changed his way, much more will you do this; and especially when he who exhorts you does this not for himself, but for your salvation. Rather, for my own sake too 63.772 I would not deny

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γλυκύτητος. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ θηρίον ἦν, καὶ λιθίνην εἶχε ψυχὴν, ἱκανὰ ἦν ἐκεῖνα πάντα αὐτὸν ἀπαγαγεῖν τῆς ἀκαίρου μανίας· ἡ τράπεζα, καθ' ἣν ἐκοινώνει τῷ πατρὶ τῶν ἁλῶν, ὁ οἶκος, τὰ συνέδρια, ἔνθα οἱ λόγοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐγίνοντο· τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἔνθα αὐτῷ κατηλλάγη φόνον τοιοῦτον πεποιηκότι. Μετὰ τούτων καὶ ἕτερα ἦν ἱκανὰ αὐτὸν μαλάξαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἤκουσεν, ὅτι φυγὰς καὶ ἀλήτης περιήρχετο, ὅτι τὰ ἔσχατα ἔπασχε δεινά. Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἐνενόησεν, ὅτι καὶ νικήσας, πάντων ἀθλιώτερον ἂν ἔζη βίον, ἐναγὴς ὢν καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἀπὸ τοῦ τροπαίου; καὶ ταῦτα λοιπὸν, γέροντος ὄντος τοῦ πατρὸς, καὶ ἐπὶ θύραις τῆς προσδοκίας οὔσης, οὐκ ἀνέμενε χρόνον ἔτι μικρόν. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ πενίαν ὀδυρόμενοι; πόσης ταῦτα πενίας χαλεπώτερα, πόσης νόσου, πόσης ὀδύνης; Οὐκ εἶπεν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ δίκαιος οὗτος, οὐδὲ 63.772 ἀπεδυσπέτησε οὐδὲ ἐθρήνησε λέγων· Καλάς γε ἀπολαμβάνω τὰς ἀμοιβάς· ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ὁ ἐν ἀξιώματι τοιούτῳ πάντων γενόμενος ταπεινότερος, ὁ τῶν ἐχθρῶν φεισάμενος, εἰς χεῖρας ἀκολάστου παιδὸς ἐκδίδομαι. Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν· ἀλλ' ἔφερεν ἅπαντα μετὰ φιλοσοφίας, μίαν μόνον ἔχων παραμυθίαν ἐν τοῖς γινομένοις, τὸ πεπεῖσθαι, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα εἰδότος γίνεται. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ ὄντες ἔλεγον· Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ, γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν, καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ ᾗ ἔστησας οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν. Εἰ δέ τις εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς, Καὶ ποίᾳ ἐλπίδι ἀποθνήσκετε; τί προσδοκῶντες, τί δὲ ἐλπίζοντες μετὰ τὸν θάνατον, μετὰ τὸ πῦρ; οὐδέπω γὰρ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἦν προσδοκία· ἤκουσεν ἂν παρ' αὐτῶν· ὅτι Αὕτη μεγίστη ἐστὶν ἡμῖν ἀντίδοσις, τὸ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ἀποθανεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ οὗτος μεγίστην ταύτην ἡγεῖτο αὐτῷ εἶναι παραμυθίαν, τὸ τὸν Θεὸν εἰδότα ταῦτα μὴ κωλύειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐραστὴς μυριάκις ἂν ἕλοιτο ὑπὲρ ἐρωμένης κατασφαγῆναι, καίτοι οὐδὲν μετὰ θάνατον προσδοκῶν παρ' ἐκείνης· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς δεῖ μὴ βασιλείας προσδοκίᾳ, μὴ ἄλλῃ τινὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδι, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτα πάσχειν· ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΗʹ. Περὶ ὅρκων.

Μὴ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς ἀμελῶμεν, ἀγαπητοί. Ποία γὰρ ὀδύνη, εἰπέ μοι,

ὀργὴν ἀφεῖναι τῷ λελυπηκότι; ὀδύνη μὲν οὖν ἐστι τὸ μνησικακεῖν καὶ μὴ καταλλάττεσθαι. Ποῖος πόνος μὴ κακῶς εἰπεῖν μηδένα; ποία δυσκολία ἀπαλλαγῆναι φθόνου καὶ ἔριδος καὶ βασκανίας; ποῖος μόχθος ἀγαπᾷν τὸν πλησίον; ποῖος κάματος μὴ ὀμνύναι; Πολλάκις γὰρ ὑπὸ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς κατεχόμενοι διωμοσάμεθα μηδέποτε διαλλάττεσθαι τοῖς λελυπηκόσιν, εἶτα τῆς ὀργῆς σβεσθείσης βουληθέντες καταλλαγῆναι, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν ὅρκων ὥσπερ τινὶ παγίδι κατεχόμενοι, τοῦτο ποιῆσαι οὐ βουλόμεθα· ὡς δυοῖν θάτερον πάθοιμεν, ἢ καταλλαγέντες ἐπιορκήσομεν, ἢ μὴ καταλλαγέντες τοῖς τῆς μνησικακίας ἐπιτιμίοις ὑπευθύνους ἑαυτοὺς καταστήσομεν. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἱμάτιον μὲν ἔχοντες τῶν λοιπῶν βέλτιον, μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι συνεχῶς αὐτῷ καταχρᾶσθαι, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνομα πανταχοῦ περισύρειν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα τὴν αὐτὴν φέρει κόλασιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ εὐκατόρθωτα μείζονα ἡμῖν ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ὀμνύοντες ἔχουσί τινα πρόφασιν προβαλέσθαι. ἀλλὰ καταφρόνησιν μόνον. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι ἐπαχθὴς εἶναι δοκῶ λοιπὸν καὶ φορτικὸς τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς παραινέσεως δοκῶν ἐνοχλεῖν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀφίσταμαι, ἵνα κἂν τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν αἰδεσθέντες τὴν ἐμὴν, ἀποστῆτε τῆς πονηρᾶς τῶν ὅρκων συνηθείας. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ δικαστὴς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀπηνὴς καὶ ὠμὸς, χήρας ἐνόχλησιν αἰδεσθεὶς, τὸν τρόπον μετέβαλε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς τοῦτο ἐργάσεσθε· καὶ μάλιστα, ὅταν ὁ παρακαλῶν ὑμᾶς μὴ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας τοῦτο ποιοῖτο Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμαυ 63.772 τοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἀρνησαίμην