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If anyone is lifted up against us, let us become humble; and if anyone is insolent, let us soothe them; and if one bites and devours with jests and mockery, let us not be overcome, lest by defending ourselves we destroy ourselves. For anger is a wild beast, a sharp and hot beast. Let us therefore sing to ourselves the incantations from the divine Scripture, and say, that You are earth and ashes; and, Why is earth and ashes proud? and, that The inclination of his anger is his fall; and, that An angry man is not graceful. For nothing is more shameful than an angry face, nothing more unsightly. If of the face, much more of the soul. For just as a stench is accustomed to arise from stirred-up filth, so when a soul is disturbed by anger, great will be the indecency and unpleasantness. But I cannot bear, he says, the insolence from my enemies. For what reason? Tell me. For if it is true, you ought to be contrite even before he speaks, and to be grateful to him for the reproofs; but if it is false, despise it. Did he call you poor? Laugh at it. Did he call you low-born or foolish? Groan for him then. For he who says to his brother, 'Fool,' will be liable to the Gehenna of fire. Therefore, when he insults you, consider the punishment he is being punished with, and not only will you not have anger, but you will also shed tears. For one is not provoked by a person with a fever, nor by one who is inflamed, but pities and weeps for all such people. For such is an angry soul. But, if you wish to defend yourself, be silent, and you will have given him a timely blow. But if you join reviling to reviling, you have kindled the fire. But those present condemn it as weakness, he says, if we are silent. They will not condemn it as weakness, but will marvel at your philosophy. But if, having been insulted, you are stung, you have insulted back; and having been stung, you compel what was said to be thought true. Why, tell me, does the rich man laugh when he is called poor? Is it not because he is not conscious of poverty in himself? Thus you also, if we rather laugh at insults, we will provide the greatest proof of not 59.273 being conscious of what is said. Besides, how long shall we fear the judgments of men? How long shall we despise the common Master, and be nailed to the flesh? For where there is strife and jealousy and divisions among you, are you not carnal? Let us therefore become spiritual, and let us bridle this terrible beast. There is nothing between anger and madness; but it is a temporary demon, or rather, even worse than one possessed by a demon. For the one possessed by a demon might enjoy forgiveness; but the angry one will be worthy of countless punishments, willingly carrying himself to the pits of destruction, and even before the Gehenna to come, paying the penalty from here, introducing a certain unceasing 59.274 turmoil and a storm that cannot be silenced to the reasonings of the soul through every night and through every day. Therefore, so that we may deliver ourselves both from the punishment in the present and the penalty in the future, casting out this passion, let us show all meekness and gentleness, so that we may find rest for our soul here, and in the kingdom of heaven; of which may it be granted to all of us to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

59.273 HOMILY 49. When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee; but when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

a'. The things humanly dispensed by Christ are not dispensed for this reason alone, that he might confirm the incarnation, but also that he might instruct us toward virtue. For if he had done all things as God, from where would we have been able to know, when we fall into involuntary things, what must be done? For example, what I say: being in this very

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ἐπαίρηταί τις καθ' ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς ταπεινοὶ γινώμεθα· κἂν θρασύνηταί τις, θεραπεύσωμεν· κἂν δάκνῃ καὶ κατεσθίῃ σκώπτων καὶ κωμῳδῶν, ἡμεῖς μὴ νικώμεθα, μὴ ἀμυνόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς ἀνέλωμεν ἑαυτούς. Καὶ γὰρ θηρίον ἐστὶν ὁ θυμὸς, θηρίον ὀξὺ καὶ θερμόν. Ἐπᾴδωμεν τοίνυν ἑαυτοῖς τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἐπῳδὰς, καὶ λέγωμεν, ὅτι Γῆ εἶ καὶ σποδός· καὶ, Τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός; καὶ, ὅτι Ἡ ῥοπὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ, πτῶσις αὐτῷ· καὶ, ὅτι Ἀνὴρ θυμώδης, οὐκ εὐσχήμων. Οὐδὲν γὰρ αἰσχρότερον ὄψεως θυμουμένης, οὐδὲν δυσειδέστερον. Εἰ δὲ ὄψεως, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ψυχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἀνακυκωμένου βορβόρου δυσωδία εἴωθε γίνεσθαι· οὕτω ψυχῆς ταραττομένης ὑπὸ θυμοῦ, πολλὴ ἔσται ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη καὶ ἀηδία. Ἀλλ' οὐ φέρω, φησὶ, τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὕβριν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; εἰπέ. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἀληθὴς ᾖ, καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνου ὀφείλεις κατανύττεσθαι, καὶ χάριν ἔχειν αὐτῷ τῶν ἐλέγχων· ἂν δὲ ψευδὴς, καταφρόνησον. Εἶπε πένητα; Καταγέλασον. Εἶπε δυσγενῆ ἢ ἀνόητον; Στέναξον ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου λοιπόν. Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Μωρὲ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός. Ὅταν οὖν ὑβρίσῃ, ἐννόησον τὴν κόλασιν ἣν κολάζεται, καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐχ ἕξεις ὀργὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δάκρυα ἀφήσεις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν πυρέττοντά τις παροξύνεται, οὔτε πρὸς τὸν φλεγμαίνοντα, ἀλλ' ἐλεεῖ πάντας τοὺς τοιούτους καὶ δακρύει. Τοιοῦτον γάρ ἐστι ψυχὴ ὀργιζομένη. Ἀλλὰ, κἂν ἀμύνασθαι βούλῃ, σίγησον, καὶ καιρίαν ἔδωκας αὐτῷ τὴν πληγήν. Ἂν δὲ λοιδορίαν λοιδορίᾳ συνάψῃς, τὸ πῦρ ἀνῆψας. Ἀλλ' ἀσθένειαν καταγινώσκουσιν οἱ παρόντες, φησὶν, ἂν σιγήσωμεν. Οὐκ ἀσθένειαν καταγνώσονται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ θαυμάσονται. Ἂν δὲ ὑβρισθεὶς δηχθῇς, ὕβρισας· δηχθεὶς δὲ, ἀναγκάζεις ἀληθῆ νομίζεσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα. ∆ιατί, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ πλούσιος γελᾷ ἀκούων πένης; ἆρ' οὐχ ὅτι μὴ σύνοιδεν ἑαυτῷ πενίαν; Οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἂν μᾶλλον γελάσωμεν ἐπὶ ταῖς ὕβρεσι, μεγίστην ἀπόδειξιν παρέξομεν τοῦ μὴ 59.273 συνειδέναι τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ἄλλως δὲ, μέχρι πότε τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων δεδοίκαμεν εὐθύνας; μέχρι πότε τοῦ κοινοῦ καταφρονοῦμεν ∆εσπότου, καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ προσηλώμεθα; Ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος καὶ διχοστασίαι, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε; Γενώμεθα τοίνυν πνευματικοὶ, καὶ χαλινώσωμεν τὸ δεινὸν τοῦτο θηρίον. Ὀργῆς καὶ μανίας μέσον οὐδέν· ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστι δαίμων, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ δαιμονῶντος χαλεπώτερον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δαιμονῶν, καὶ συγγνώμης ἀπολαύσειεν ἄν· ὁ δὲ ὀργιζόμενος, μυρίων ἔσται κολάσεων ἄξιος, ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ βάραθρα τῆς ἀπωλείας φέρων, καὶ πρὸ τῆς μελλούσης γεέννης ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τὴν δίκην τιννύων, θόρυβόν τινα ἄπαυστον 59.274 καὶ ζάλην ἀσίγητον διὰ πάσης μὲν νυκτὸς, διὰ πάσης δὲ ἡμέρας ἐπεισάγων τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμοῖς. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ παρόντι κολάσεως, καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι τιμωρίας ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαλλάξωμεν, ἐκβαλόντες τουτὶ τὸ πάθος, πραότητα πᾶσαν ἐπιδειξώμεθα καὶ ἐπιείκειαν, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀνάπαυσιν εὕρωμεν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.273 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΜΘʹ. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν αὐτοῖς, ἔμεινεν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ· ὡς δὲ

ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, τότε καὶ αὐ τὸς ἀνέβη εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν, οὐ φανερῶς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν κρυπτῷ.

αʹ. Τὰ ἀνθρωπίνως ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἰκονομούμενα, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον

οἰκονομεῖται, ἵνα τὴν σάρκωσιν βεβαιώσηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἡμᾶς παιδεύσῃ πρὸς ἀρετήν. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα ὡς Θεὸς ἔπραττε, πόθεν ἐδυνάμεθα ἡμεῖς εἰδέναι, περιπίπτοντες ἀβουλήτοις, τί χρὴ ποιεῖν; οἷόν τι λέγω· ἐν τούτῳ τε αὐτῷ ὢν τῷ