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he demands philosophy, saying: Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. For what do I say, he says, that it is necessary to be at peace? For I even command to do good; For feed him and give him drink, he says. Then, since he had commanded something very difficult and great, he added: For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. He said these things, both restraining that one with fear, and making this one more eager with the hope of recompense. For the one who has been wronged, when he is weak, is not so much possessed by his own good things, as by the punishment of the one who has grieved him. For nothing is so sweet as to see an enemy being punished. Therefore, what he desires, this he gives him first; and when he has released the venom, then at last he advises the higher things, saying: Do not be overcome by evil. For he knew that even if the enemy is a wild beast, he does not remain an enemy when being fed; and even if the one who has been wronged is ten thousand times small-souled, by feeding him and giving him drink, he himself will no longer desire the punishment of that one. Therefore, being confident in the outcome of the matter, he did not merely threaten, but is even lavish with the punishment. For he did not say, You will be punished, but You will heap coals of fire on his head. Then he also proclaimed him victor, saying: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good; and he hinted gently that one should not do it with such a disposition; for to still bear a grudge is to be overcome by evil. But at first he did not say this; for it was not the right time; but when he had emptied him of his anger, then he added, saying: Overcome evil with good. Since this too is a victory. For the boxer wins then the more, not when he submits himself to receive the blows, but when by lifting himself up he makes his opponent empty his power into the air. For in this way he will neither be struck himself, and he will dissolve all the strength of that one; which indeed also happens in the case of insults. For when you return an insult, you have been defeated, not by a man, but, what is more shameful, moved by an ignoble passion of anger; but if you are silent, you have both won, and have effortlessly set up a trophy, and you will have ten thousand crowning you, and condemning the falsehood of the slander. For the one who speaks back seems to reply as if stung; but the one who is stung gives the suspicion of being conscious of what is said; but if you laugh, by your laughter you have dissolved the vote against yourself. And if you wish to receive clear proof of what has been said, ask the enemy himself, when he is more pained, when you, being heated, return the insult, or when you laugh at him insulting you; and you will hear this latter more. For he is not so pleased by not being insulted, as he is stung by not being able to attack you. Do you not see those who are angry, that taking little account of their own wounds, they advance with great force, and worse than wild boars seek the wounds of their neigh- 60.613 bor, and look to this one thing, and are more concerned with this, than with guarding against suffering anything? When, therefore, you deprive him of that which he most desires, you have deprived him of everything, you have made him contemptible, and have shown him to be easily despised, and a child rather than a man, while you receive the vote of a philosopher, and clothe him with the reputation of an evil beast. Let us do this also when we are being struck, and when we wish to strike, let us not strike back. But do you want to give a decisive blow? Turn to him the other cheek also, and you will strike him with ten thousand wounds. For those who applaud and admire are harsher to him than those who stone him; and before them his own conscience will condemn him, and will demand the greatest penalties from him, and as if having suffered the worst, so blushing he will withdraw. But if you also seek the glory from the many, you will enjoy this even more. For in other cases we have a certain sympathy for those who suffer evil; but when we see them not even striking back, but also giving themselves up, we not only pity, but also admire. 4. For these reasons it now comes upon me to lament, that we who are able to have even the present things, if we listened to the laws of Christ as we ought, and

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φιλοσοφίαν ἀπαιτεῖ, λέγων· Ἐὰν οὖν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, ψώμιζε αὐτόν· ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Μὴ νικῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀλλὰ νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν. Τί γὰρ λέγω, φησὶν, ὅτι εἰρηνεύειν δεῖ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ εὐεργετεῖν ἐπιτάττω· Ψώμιζε γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ πότιζε, φησίν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἐπίπονον ἐπέταξε καὶ μέγα, ἐπήγαγε· Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, κἀκεῖνον καταστέλλων τῷ φόβῳ, καὶ τοῦτον προθυμότερον ποιῶν τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀντιδόσεως. Ὁ γὰρ ἠδικημένος ὅταν ἀσθενήσῃ, οὐχ οὕτω κατέχεται τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀγαθοῖς, ὡς τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τοῦ λελυπηκότος αὐτόν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἡδὺ, ὡς ἐχθρὸν κολαζόμενον ἰδεῖν. Ὅπερ οὖν ἐπιθυμεῖ, τοῦτο δίδωσιν αὐτῷ πρῶτον· καὶ ὅταν ἀφῇ τὸν ἰὸν, τότε λοιπὸν παραινεῖ τὰ ὑψηλότερα, λέγων· Μὴ νικῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἤδει γὰρ, ὅτι κἂν θηρίον ᾖ ὁ ἐχθρὸς, οὐ μένει ψωμιζόμενος ἐχθρός· κἂν μυριάκις μικρόψυχος ᾖ ὁ ἠδικημένος, ψωμίζων αὐτὸν καὶ ποτίζων, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς λοιπὸν ἐπιθυμήσει τῆς τιμωρίας τῆς ἐκείνου. ∆ιὸ τῷ τέλει θαῤῥῶν τοῦ πράγματος, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ἠπείλησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιδαψιλεύεται τῇ τιμωρίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Τιμωρήσῃ, ἀλλ' Ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα καὶ ἀνεκήρυξεν αὐτὸν εἰπών· Μὴ νικῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀλλὰ νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν· καὶ ἠρέμα πως ᾐνίξατο τὸ μὴ δεῖν τοιαύτῃ προαιρέσει ποιεῖν· τὸ γὰρ ἔτι μνησικακεῖν, ἡττᾶσθαί ἐστιν ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸ οὐκ εἶπεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχε καιρόν· ὅτε δὲ ἐκένωσεν αὐτοῦ τὸν θυμὸν, τότε ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο νίκη. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ πυκτεύων τότε μᾶλλον νικᾷ, οὐχ ὅταν ὑποτιθῇ ἑαυτὸν ὥστε δέξασθαι τὰς πληγὰς, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐξαίρων ἑαυτὸν παρασκευάζῃ τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα κενοῦν τὴν δύναμιν. Οὕτω γὰρ οὔτε αὐτὸς πληγήσεται, κἀκείνου λύσει τὴν ἰσχὺν ἅπασαν· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὕβρεων γίνεται. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ἀνθυβρίσῃς, ἡττήθης οὐχ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἐστὶν αἰσχρότερον, ὑπὸ πάθους ἀνελευθέρου τοῦ θυμοῦ κινηθείς· ἂν δὲ σιγήσῃς, καὶ ἐνίκησας, καὶ ἀπονητὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησας, καὶ μυρίους ἕξεις τοὺς στεφανοῦντας, καὶ τῆς λοιδορίας τὸ ψεῦδος καταγινώσκοντας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀντιλέγων, ὡς δακνόμενος ἀντερεῖν δοκεῖ· ὁ δὲ δακνόμενος, ὑπόνοιαν παρέχει τοῦ συνειδέναι τοῖς λεγομένοις· ἂν δὲ καταγελάσῃς, τῷ γέλωτι τὴν κατὰ σαυτοῦ ψῆφον ἐξέλυσας. Καὶ εἰ βούλει σαφῆ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀπόδειξιν λαβεῖν, αὐτὸν ἐρώτησον τὸν ἐχθρὸν, πότε μᾶλλον ἀλγεῖ, ὅταν θερμανθεὶς ἀνθυβρίσῃς, ἢ ὅταν ὑβρίζοντος καταγελάσῃς· καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσῃ μᾶλλον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἥδεται τῷ μὴ ὑβρίζεσθαι, ὡς δάκνεται τῷ μὴ δύνασθαί σου καθάπτεσθαι. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς θυμουμένους, ὅτι τῶν ἰδίων πληγῶν οὐ πολὺν ποιούμενοι λόγον, ἐπέρχονται ῥύμῃ πολλῇ, καὶ συῶν ἀγρίων χεῖρον τὰ τοῦ πλη 60.613 σίον ζητοῦντες τραύματα, καὶ πρὸς ἓν τοῦτο ὁρῶντες, καὶ τούτου μᾶλλον ὄντες, ἢ τοῦ φυλάξασθαί τι παθεῖν; Ὅταν οὖν, οὗ μάλιστα ἐπιθυμῇ, τούτου μάλιστα ἀποστερήσῃς αὐτὸν, τοῦ παντὸς ἀπεστέρησας, ἐξευτέλισας, καὶ ἔδειξας εὐκαταφρόνητον, καὶ παιδίον μᾶλλον ἢ ἄνδρα, καὶ σὺ μὲν φιλοσόφου ψῆφον λαβὼν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ θηρίου πονηροῦ δόξῃ περιβάλλων. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ τύπτεσθαι ποιῶμεν, καὶ ὅταν βουλώμεθα τύπτειν, μὴ ἀντιτύπτωμεν. Ἀλλὰ βούλει καιρίαν δοῦναι πληγήν; Στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σιαγόνα, καὶ μυρίοις αὐτὸν πλήξεις τραύμασιν. Οἱ γὰρ κροτοῦντες καὶ θαυμάζοντες τῶν καταλευόντων εἰσὶν αὐτῷ χαλεπώτεροι· καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνων τὸ συνειδὸς αὐτοῦ καταγνώσεται, καὶ μεγίστας αὐτὸν ἀπαιτήσει δίκας, καὶ ὡς τὰ ἔσχατα παθὼν, οὕτως ἐρυθριάσας ἀναχωρήσει. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ζητεῖς δόξαν, καὶ ταύτης ἀπολαύσῃ μειζόνως. Καὶ ἄλλως μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς πάσχοντας ἔχομέν τινα συμπάθειαν· ὅταν δὲ μηδὲ ἀντιτύπτοντας ἴδωμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόντας, οὐκ ἐλεοῦμεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάζομεν. δʹ. ∆ιὰ ταῦτά μοι νῦν ἀνοιμῶξαι ἔπεισιν, ὅτι οἱ δυνάμενοι καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἔχειν, εἰ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ νόμων ἠκούομεν ὡς ἐχρῆν, καὶ