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and he cursed the mountains that received the slaughter, saying: You mountains of Gilboa, may no dew or rain fall on you, because there the shield of the mighty was cast away. So also God, as if singing a kind of monody, says: The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me, and now you are cursed from the earth, 60.621 which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. And he said these things to quell his seething anger, and to persuade him to love even him who was departed. You have extinguished his life, he says, why then do you not extinguish the enmity? But what does he do? He loves both that one and this one; for he himself formed them both; what then? Should he leave the murderer unpunished? But he would have become worse. But will he punish? But he is more loving than a father. See, therefore, how he both punishes and shows his love in this very act; or rather, he does not even punish, but only corrects. For he did not kill him, but bound him with trembling, that he might cast off the crime, that even so he might return to his brotherly love, that he might make a truce even with him who was departed; for he did not wish him to depart from here as an enemy to the one who had died. Such are they that love, when, doing good, they are not loved, they are led to become vehement and to threaten, not willing it, but being led to it from love, so that even in this way they might draw to themselves those who despise them. And yet such friendship is of constraint, but nevertheless he comforts them even with this because he loves intensely; so that the punishment also comes from friendship. For those who do not grieve at being hated, do not choose to punish either. See, therefore, Paul also saying these things to the Corinthians: For who is it, he says, that makes me glad, but he who is made sorry by me? So when he intensifies the punishment greatly, then he shows his love. So also the Egyptian woman, from loving intensely, punished Joseph intensely; but she did so for evil; for her love was licentious; but God does so for good; for the love was worthy of the lover. For this reason he does not shrink from descending to coarser words, and uttering names of human passions, and calling himself jealous; For I am a jealous God, he says; that you may learn the intensity of his love. 60.622 Let us love him, therefore, as he wills; for he considers it a great thing. And if we turn away, he remains exhorting, and if we do not wish to turn back, he punishes because of his love, not to exact a penalty. See, at any rate, what he says in Ezekiel to the city that was loved and despised him: I will bring your lovers against you, and will deliver you into their hands, and they shall stone you and slay you, and my jealousy shall be taken away from you, and I will be at rest, and I will be no more anxious. What more than this would a vehement lover say, despised by his beloved, and after this being again inflamed for her? For God does all things that he may be loved by us; for this reason he did not spare even his Son. But we are harsh and cruel. But let us at length become gentle, and let us love God as we ought to love, that we may enjoy virtue with pleasure. For if someone having a beloved woman feels none of the daily sorrows; he who loves this divine and pure love, consider how much pleasure he will enjoy. For this, this is both the kingdom of heaven, this the enjoyment of good things, this pleasure, this gladness, this joy, this blessedness; or rather, whatever I may say, I shall not yet be able to represent it worthily, but experience alone knows how to teach this good thing. For this reason the prophet also said, Delight yourself in the Lord, and, Taste and see that the Lord is good. Let us be persuaded, therefore, and let us delight in his love. For so we shall from this point onward already see the kingdom, and we shall live an angelic life, and while dwelling on earth, we shall have nothing less than those who inhabit heaven, and after our departure from here, we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ more glorious than all, and we shall enjoy the ineffable glory; of which may it be granted for us all to partake, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus

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καὶ ἐκεῖνος τοῖς δεξαμένοις τὴν σφαγὴν ὄρεσιν ἐπηρᾶτο λέγων· Ὄρη τὰ Γελβουὲ, μὴ πέσοι ἐφ' ὑμᾶς δρόσος μηδὲ ὑετὸς, ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐξήρθη σκέπη δυνατῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ὥσπερ τινὰ μονῳδίαν ᾄδων φησί· Φωνὴ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με, καὶ νῦν ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, 60.621 ἢ ἔχανε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε καταστέλλων αὐτοῦ τὸν θυμὸν ζέοντα, καὶ πείθων κἂν ἀπελθόντα φιλῆσαι. Ἔσβεσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν, φησὶ, τί τὴν ἔχθραν λοιπὸν οὐ κατασβεννύεις; Ἀλλὰ τί ποιεῖ; Κἀκεῖνον φιλεῖ καὶ τοῦτον· ἀμφοτέρους γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔπλασε· τί οὖν; ἀτιμώρητον ἀφῇ τὸν πεφονευκότα; Ἀλλὰ χείρων ἂν ἐγένετο. Ἀλλὰ κολάσει; Ἀλλὰ πατρός ἐστι φιλοστοργότερος. Ὅρα τοίνυν πῶς καὶ κολάζει, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνδείκνυται καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τούτῳ· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ κολάζει, ἀλλὰ διορθοῦται μόνον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπέδησε τῷ τρόμῳ, ἵνα ἀποδύσηται τὸ ἔγκλημα, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἐπανέλθοι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου φιλοστοργίαν, ἵνα κἂν πρὸς ἀπελθόντα σπείσηται· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβούλετο ἐχθρὸν αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ τετελευτηκότι. Τοιοῦτοι οἱ φιλοῦντες, ὅταν εὐεργετοῦντες μὴ φιλῶνται, προάγονται σφοδροὶ γίνεσθαι καὶ ἀπειλεῖν, οὐκ ἐθέλοντες μὲν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ φιλεῖν εἰς τοῦτο ἀγόμενοι, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἐφελκύσωνται τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας αὐτῶν. Καίτοι γε ἀνάγκης ἡ τοιαύτη φιλία, ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτοὺς καὶ τούτῳ παραμυθεῖται διὰ τὸ σφόδρα φιλεῖν· ὥστε καὶ ἡ κόλασις ἀπὸ φιλίας. Οἱ γὰρ μὴ ἀλγοῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ μισεῖσθαι, οὐδὲ κολάσαι αἱροῦνται. Ὅρα τοίνυν καὶ Παῦλον ταῦτα λέγοντα Κορινθίοις· Τίς γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ὁ εὐφραίνων με, εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ; Ὥστε ὅταν σφόδρα ἐπιτείνῃ τὴν κόλασιν, τότε δείκνυσι τὸν ἔρωτα. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ Αἰγυπτία ἐκ τοῦ σφόδρα φιλεῖν σφοδρῶς ἐκόλασε τὸν Ἰωσήφ· ἀλλ' ἐκείνη μὲν ἐπὶ κακῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἀκόλαστος ἦν ὁ ἔρως· ὁ Θεὸς δὲ ἐπὶ ἀγαθῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἀξία ἦν τοῦ φιλοῦντος ἡ ἀγάπη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ παραιτεῖται εἰς παχύτερα κατιέναι ῥήματα, καὶ φθέγγεσθαι παθῶν ὀνόματα ἀνθρωπίνων, καὶ ζηλωτὴν ἑαυτὸν καλεῖν· Θεὸς γάρ εἰμι ζηλωτὴς, φησίν· ἵνα μάθῃς τῆς ἀγάπης τὴν ἐπίτασιν. 60.622 Φιλήσωμεν τοίνυν αὐτὸν, ὡς βούλεται· μέγα γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡγεῖται. Κἂν ἀποστραφῶμεν, μένει παρακαλῶν, κἂν μὴ θέλωμεν ἐπιστραφῆναι, κολάζει διὰ τὸ φιλεῖν, οὐχ ἵνα τιμωρίαν ἀπαιτήσῃ. Ὅρα γοῦν τί φησιν ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ πρὸς τὴν φιληθεῖσαν καὶ καταφρονήσασαν αὐτοῦ πόλιν· Ἄξω ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἐραστάς σου, καὶ παραδώσω σε εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν, καὶ λιθοβολήσουσί σε καὶ κατασφάξουσι, καὶ ἐξαιρεθήσεται ὁ ζῆλός μου ἐκ σοῦ, καὶ ἀναπαύσομαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ μεριμνήσω ἔτι. Τί τούτου πλέον ἂν εἶπε σφοδρὸς ἐραστὴς ὑπὸ τῆς ἐρωμένης καταφρονούμενος, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν περικαιόμενος αὐτῆς; Πάντα γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς πράττει, ἵνα φιληθῇ παρ' ἡμῶν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐφείσατο. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἀπηνεῖς, καὶ ὠμοί. Ἀλλὰ γενώμεθά ποτε ἥμεροι, καὶ φιλήσωμεν τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς φιλεῖν δεῖ, ἵνα μετὰ ἡδονῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ γυναῖκά τις ἐρωμένην ἔχων, οὐδενὸς αἰσθάνεται τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν λυπηρῶν· ὁ τὸν θεῖον τοῦτον καὶ καθαρὸν ἐρῶν ἔρωτα, ἐννόησον ὅσης ἀπολαύσεται ἡδονῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ, τοῦτο καὶ οὐρανῶν βασιλεία, τοῦτο ἀπόλαυσις ἀγαθῶν, τοῦτο ἡδονὴ, τοῦτο εὐφροσύνη, τοῦτο χαρὰ, τοῦτο μακαριότης· μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσα ἂν εἴπω, οὐδὲν οὐδέπω δυνήσομαι παραστῆσαι πρὸς ἀξίαν, ἀλλ' ἡ πεῖρα μόνη τοῦτο διδάσκειν οἶδε τὸ καλόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε, Κατατρύφησον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ, Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος. Πειθώμεθα τοίνυν, καὶ ἐντρυφῶμεν αὐτοῦ τῇ ἀγάπῃ. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τὴν βασιλείαν ὀψόμεθα, καὶ ἀγγελικὸν ζησόμεθα βίον, καὶ ἐν γῇ διατρίβοντες, τῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκούντων οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἕξομεν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν, πάντων λαμπρότεροι τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραστησόμεθα, καὶ τῆς ἀποῤῥήτου δόξης ἀπολαύσομεν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς μετασχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ