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you will prepare another reward for yourself along with them; for he will provide you with the reward from the persecution, and you for yourself the reward from the blessing toward him, showing the greatest sign of your love for Christ. For this reason, the spiritual teacher commanded that we repay in every way with the opposite those who insult and persecute and harm us through their actions, and above he ordered to bless them, and going further he also advises to do good to them in deeds: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. For since it is possible to bless and not curse, but not to do this out of love, he wants us also to be warmed with friendship. Therefore he added these things, so that we not only bless, but also feel pain and suffer with them, whenever we see them fallen into misfortune. For nothing so brings love together, as when we share in each other's joy and sorrow. Listen to what Peter says to Christ: 'How many times, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him? Up to seven times?' He both asks and makes a promise, and before he learns, he is ambitious. For knowing clearly the mind of the teacher, that he inclines more toward loving-kindness, wishing to please the teacher, he says: 'Up to seven times?' Then, that you may learn what man is, and what God is, and how the ambition of the disciple, wherever it may 63.788 reach, when compared to the abundance of the teacher, is more worthless than all poverty; and as a drop to a boundless sea, so is our goodness to his ineffable loving-kindness; when he said 'seven times,' and thought he was being very ambitious and generous, Christ says: 'I do not say, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven;' which is four hundred and ninety. And do not think the command is difficult; for if you are prepared so many times to despise the sins against you, being trained from the first and second and third forgiveness, you will no longer have trouble with such a philosophy, having once and for all practiced with the frequency of forgiveness, not even to be struck by your neighbor's sins. But also if someone having suffered an unjust robbery gives thanks to God for such an injustice, he will reap countless rewards through that thanksgiving. For nothing so pleases God as not returning evil for evil. But if someone should say: 'For what could I do to avenge myself on the one who wronged me, being weaker?' I would say this, that you were able to act, by being displeased, by being indignant, by praying against the one who grieved you, by cursing him ten thousand times, by slandering him to everyone; for these things lie within our power. Therefore the one who did not do these things will also receive the reward for not taking revenge; for it is clear that even if he had been master of that, he would not have done it. Therefore, when you see your enemy fallen into your hands, do not consider that time to be for vengeance, but for salvation. For then especially we must spare our enemies, when we have become their masters; and if we so manage our own affairs, and take hold of the salvation of our neighbors, we shall quickly become desirable and beloved to them themselves, and what is greatest of all, we will enjoy the good things that are laid up for us; by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, with the Father and the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 34. An Encomium on the Holy Apostle Paul, composed

by Theodore Magistros, from various homilies of our Father among the Saints, John Chrysostom.

Concerning the title of the Acts of the Apostles, the entire debt to you has now

been paid. It therefore remained to take up the beginning of the book, and

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ἕτερον σὺ σαυτῷ μετ' ἐκείνων κατασκευάσεις μισθόν· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γάρ σοι τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ διωγμοῦ παρέξει, σὺ δὲ σαυτῷ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον, σημεῖον μέγιστον ἐκφέρων τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο παντὶ τρόπῳ τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας καὶ διώκοντας, καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπηρεάζοντας τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀμείβεσθαι ἐκέλευσεν ὁ πνευματικὸς διδάσκαλος, καὶ ἄνω μὲν αὐτοὺς εὐλογεῖν ἐπέταξε, προϊὼν δὲ καὶ ἔργοις εὐεργετεῖν παραινεῖ· Χαίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων, καὶ κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔστιν εὐλογῆσαι μὲν καὶ μὴ καταράσασθαι, μὴ μὴν ἐξ ἀγάπης τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, βούλεται καὶ διαθερμαίνεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῇ φιλίᾳ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταῦτα ἐπήγαγεν, ὥστε μὴ μόνον εὐλογεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συναλγεῖν καὶ συμπάσχειν, εἴποτε ἴδοιμεν αὐτοὺς συμφορᾷ περιπεσόντας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀγάπην συνάγει, ὡς ὅταν καὶ χαρᾶς καὶ λύπης κοινωνῶμεν ἀλλήλοις. Ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Πέτρος πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν· Ποσάκις, ἐὰν ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ ἀδελφός μου, ἀφήσω αὐτῷ; ἕως ἑπτάκις; Ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐπερωτᾷ καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται, καὶ πρὶν ἢ μάθῃ, φιλοτιμεῖται. Τὴν γὰρ γνώμην τοῦ διδασκάλου σαφῶς εἰδὼς, ὅτι πρὸς φιλανθρωπίαν ῥέπει πλέον, βουλόμενος ἀρέσαι τῷ διδασκάλῳ, φησίν· Ἕως ἑπτάκις; Εἶτα ἵνα μάθῃς, τί μὲν ἄνθρωπος, τί δὲ Θεὸς, καὶ πῶς ἡ τοῦ μαθητοῦ φιλοτιμία, ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀφ 63.788 ίκηται, πρὸς τὴν εὐπορίαν τοῦ διδασκάλου συγκρινομένη, πενίας ἐστὶ πάσης εὐτελεστέρα· καὶ ὅσον σταγὼν πρὸς πέλαγος ἄπειρον, τοσοῦτον ἡ ἡμῶν ἀγαθότης πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἄφατον φιλανθρωπίαν· εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ. ἑπτάκις, καὶ νομίσαντος μεγάλα φιλοτιμεῖσθαι καὶ δαψιλεύεσθαι, φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· Οὐ λέγω, ἕως ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ' ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τετρακόσια καὶ ἐνενήκοντα. Καὶ μὴ νομίσῃς δύσκολον εἶναι τὸ ἐπίταγμα· ἐὰν γὰρ ᾖς παρεσκευασμένος τοσαυτάκις καταφρονεῖν τῶν εἰς σὲ ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀπὸ μιᾶς καὶ δευτέρας καὶ τρίτης συγχωρήσεως γυμνασθεὶς, οὐδὲ πόνον ἕξεις λοιπὸν τῆς τοιαύτης φιλοσοφίας, καθάπαξ ἐμμελετήσας τῇ πυκνότητι τῆς συγχωρήσεως, μηδὲ πλήττεσθαι παρὰ τῶν τοῦ πέλας ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἁρπαγὴν ὑποστὰς ἄδικον, ὑπὲρ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀδικίας εὐχαριστήσει τῷ Θεῷ, μυρίους διὰ τῆς εὐχαριστίας ἐκείνης καρπώσεται τοὺς μισθούς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω τὸν Θεὸν εὐφραίνει, ὡς τὸ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· Τί γὰρ ἠδυνάμην ἀμύνασθαι τὸν ἀδικήσαντα ἀσθενέστερος ὤν; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι ἠδύνασο πρᾶξαι, τῷ δυσχερᾶναι, τῷ ἀποδυσπετῆσαι, τῷ κατεύξασθαι τοῦ λελυπηκότος, τῷ καταράσασθαι αὐτῷ μυρία, τῷ πρὸς πάντας διαβαλεῖν· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ κεῖται τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ. Ὁ τοίνυν ταῦτα μὴ ποιήσας, καὶ τοῦ μὴ ἀμύνασθαι μισθὸν λήψεται· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι καὶ ἐκείνου κύριος ὢν, οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησεν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἐμπεσόντα εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὰς σὰς, μὴ νόμιζε τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ σωτηρίας ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν καιρόν. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα δεῖ φείδεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅταν αὐτῶν γενώμεθα κύριοι· κἂν οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἰκονομῶμεν, καὶ τῆς τῶν πλησίον ἀντιλαμβανώμεθα σωτηρίας, ταχέως κἀκείνοις αὐτοῖς ποθεινοὶ ἐσόμεθα καὶ ἐπέραστοι, καὶ ὃ πάντων μεῖζον, τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀπολαύσομεν ἀγαθῶν· χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Λʹ. Ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον Παῦλον, συντεθὲν

παρὰ Θεοδώρου Μαγίστρου, ἀπὸ διαφόρων λόγων τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου.

Τῆς μὲν ἐπιγραφῆς τῶν ἀποστολικῶν Πράξεων ἅπαν ὑμῖν ἤδη τὸ χρέος

καταβεβλήκαμεν. Ἀκόλουθον δὲ λοιπὸν ἦν, καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἅψασθαι τοῦ βιβλίου, καὶ