209

he loved and exhorted those who hated you; and the weaker they were, the more he cared for them, and he cried out, saying, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. And he thought tax collectors and sinners worthy of his own table; and as great a dishonor as the people of the Jews showed him, so great an honor 60.648 and care did he show for them, or rather, even much more. You, too, imitate this one. For what is achieved is no small thing, but without it not even a martyr can greatly please God, as Paul says. Therefore, do not say, 'I am hated, and for this reason I do not love;' for it is for this reason above all that you ought to love. Besides, it is not possible for one who loves to be quickly hated, but even if someone is a wild beast, he loves those who love him; for even the Gentiles, he says, and the tax collectors do this. But if everyone loves those who love them, who would not cherish those who love even while being hated? Show this, therefore, and do not cease saying this word, 'However much you may hate me, I will not cease loving you,' and you have relaxed all contentiousness, and you have softened every soul. For this sickness comes either from inflammation or from coldness; but the power of love is accustomed to correct both with its warmth. Do you not see those who are shamefully in love being slapped, spat upon, reproached, suffering countless terrible things from those prostituting women? What then dissolved this love? The insults? Not at all, but rather they inflamed it more; and yet those who do these things are not only prostituting themselves but are also of an obscure and mean family, while those who suffer these things often have illustrious ancestors to count, and much other distinction to speak of; but nevertheless not even this dissolves them, nor does it make them stand off from the beloved woman. 4. Are we not then ashamed, that the love of the devil and of demons has so much strength, while we are not able to show this for the friendship that is according to God? do you not consider that this is a most powerful weapon against the devil; do you not perceive that that wicked demon stands by, drawing the one who is hated to himself, and wishing to gain an advantage over the member? But you run past, and betray the prize of the battle? For the brother lies in the middle as a prize; and if you prevail, you have received the crown; but if you are negligent, you have departed uncrowned. Cease, therefore, from uttering that satanic saying, 'If my brother hates me, I do not even wish to see him.' For nothing is more shameful than this saying, although the many consider it to be a sign of a noble soul; but nothing is more ignoble nor more foolish nor more cruel than these things. For this reason especially I also grieve, that the many think the things of wickedness to be virtue, and to overlook and to despise has seemed to be a splendid and dignified thing; which is the greatest snare of the devil, to clothe wickedness with a good reputation; for which reason it becomes hard to efface. For I have heard many boasting in the fact that they do not receive those who turn away from them; and yet your Master even glories in this. How many times, indeed, have men spat upon him? How many times have they turned away? But he does not cease running after them. Therefore do not say, 'I cannot receive those who hate me,' but say, 'I cannot spit upon those who spit.' This is the saying of a disciple of Christ, while the other is of the devil; this one made men splendid and glorious, while the other made them shameful and ridiculous. For this reason we admire Moses, because even when God said, 'Let me alone, and in my wrath I will destroy them,' he could not spit upon those who had often turned away from him, but said, 'If you will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me out too.' For he was a friend and imitator of God. Let us not then boast 60.649 in those things for which we ought to be ashamed, nor let us say the things of these common and vulgar men, 'I know how to spit upon a myriad;' but even if another says this, let us laugh at and silence him, because he prides himself on things for which he should be ashamed. What are you saying, tell me? You spit upon a faithful man, whom Christ did not spit upon when he was an unbeliever? What am I saying, did not spit upon? Thus

209

σου μισοῦντας ἐφίλει καὶ παρεκάλει· καὶ ὅσῳ ἀσθενεῖς ἦσαν, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ἐπεμελεῖτο, καὶ ἐβόα λέγων, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. Καὶ τραπέζης ἠξίου τῆς αὑτοῦ τελώνας καὶ ἁμαρτωλούς· καὶ ὅσην αὐτὸν ἠτίμασεν ἀτιμίαν ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δῆμος, τοσαύτην περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπεδείξατο τι 60.648 μὴν καὶ κηδεμονίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα. Τοῦτον καὶ σὺ ζήλωσον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρόν ἐστι τὸ κατορθούμενον, ἀλλ' οὗ χωρὶς οὐδὲ ὁ μαρτυρῶν σφόδρα δύναται ἀρέσαι Θεῷ, καθὼς ὁ Παῦλός φησι. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγε, ὅτι Μισοῦμαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ φιλῶ· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα φιλεῖν ὀφείλεις. Ἄλλως δὲ οὐδ' ἔνι φιλοῦντα μισεῖσθαι ταχέως, ἀλλὰ κἂν θηρίον ᾖ τις, τοὺς φιλοῦντας φιλεῖ· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ, φησὶ, καὶ οἱ τελῶναι ποιοῦσιν. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἕκαστος φιλεῖ, τοὺς μετὰ τοῦ μισεῖσθαι φιλοῦντας τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀγαπήσειε; Τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐπίδειξαι, καὶ μὴ παύσῃ λέγων τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὅτι ὅσῳ ἄν με μισήσῃς, οὐ παύσομαί σε φιλῶν, καὶ πᾶσαν φιλονεικίαν ἐχάλασας, καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἐμάλαξας. Ἢ γὰρ ἀπὸ φλεγμονῆς γίνεται τὸ νόσημα τοῦτο, ἢ ἀπὸ ψυχρότητος· ἀλλ' ἀμφότερα ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης δύναμις διορθοῦν εἴωθε τῇ θερμότητι. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς αἰσχρῶς ἐρῶντας ῥαπιζομένους, ἐμπτυομένους, ὀνειδιζομένους. μυρία πάσχοντας δεινὰ ὑπὸ τῶν πορνευομένων γυναικῶν ἐκείνων; Τί οὖν ἐξέλυσε τοῦτον τὸν ἔρωτα; τὰ τῶν ὕβρεων; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀνῆψεν· καίτοι γε αἱ μὲν ταῦτα ποιοῦσαι μετὰ τοῦ πορνεύεσθαι καὶ ἀσήμου γένους εἰσὶ καὶ εὐτελοῦς, οἱ δὲ πάσχοντες πολλάκις λαμπροὺς ἔχουσι προγόνους ἀριθμεῖν, καὶ πολλὴν ἄλλην περιφάνειαν λέγειν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐκλύει, οὐδὲ ἀφίστησι τῆς ἐρωμένης. δʹ. Εἶτα οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα, ὅσην ὁ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων ἔρως ἰσχὺν ἔχει, ταύτην οὐ δυνάμενοι περὶ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι φιλίαν; οὐκ ἐννοεῖς, ὅτι τοῦτο μέγιστόν ἐστιν ὅπλον κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου· οὐ συνορᾷς, ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος, ἕλκων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὸν μισούμενον, καὶ βουλόμενος πλεονεκτῆσαι τὸ μέλος; σὺ δὲ παρατρέχεις, καὶ τὸ ἔπαθλον προδίδως τῆς μάχης; Καὶ γὰρ ἔπαθλον ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κεῖται· κἂν περιγένῃ, σὺ τὸν στέφανον ἔλαβες· ἂν δὲ ῥᾳθυμήσῃς, ἀστεφάνωτος ἀνεχώρησας. Παῦσαι τοίνυν τὸ σατανικὸν ἐκεῖνο φθεγγόμενος ῥῆμα, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἀδελφός μου μισῇ με, οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν βούλομαι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ αἰσχρότερον τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου, καίτοι γε εὐγενοῦς αὐτὸ ψυχῆς δεῖγμα εἶναι τίθενται οἱ πολλοί· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων δυσγενέστερον οὐδὲ ἀνοητότερον οὐδὲ ὠμότερον. ∆ιὸ δὴ μάλιστα καὶ πενθῶ, ὅτι τὰ τῆς κακίας ἀρετῆς εἶναι νομίζουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, καὶ ὑπερορᾷν καὶ καταφρονεῖν, λαμπρὸν ἔδοξεν εἶναι καὶ σεμνόν· ὅπερ μεγίστη παγίς ἐστι τοῦ διαβόλου, τὸ καὶ ἀγαθὴν περιθεῖναι δόξαν τῇ πονηρίᾳ· διὸ καὶ δυσεξάλειπτος γίνεται. Καὶ γὰρ πολλῶν ἔγωγε ἤκουσα σεμνυνομένων ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ προσίεσθαι τοὺς ἀποστρεφομένους αὐτούς· καίτοι γε ὁ ∆εσπότης σου καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζεται τούτῳ. Ποσάκις γοῦν αὐτὸν διέπτυσαν ἄνθρωποι; ποσάκις ἀπεστράφησαν; αὐτὸς δὲ οὐ παύεται ἐπιτρέχων. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγε, ὅτι Οὐ δύναμαι προσίεσθαι τοὺς μισοῦντας, ἀλλ' εἰπὲ, ὅτι Οὐ δύναμαι διαπτύσαι τοὺς διαπτύοντας. Τοῦτο τοῦ μαθητοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ ῥῆμα, ὡς τό γε ἕτερον τοῦ διαβόλου· τοῦτο λαμπροὺς ἐποίει καὶ ἐνδόξους, ὡς τό γε ἕτερον αἰσχροὺς καὶ καταγελάστους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο θαυμάζομεν Μωϋσέα, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος, Ἔασόν με, καὶ θυμωθεὶς ἐκτρίψω αὐτοὺς, οὐκ ἠδυνήθη διαπτύσαι τοὺς πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἀποστραφέντας, ἀλλ' ἔλεγεν, Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον. Θεοῦ γὰρ φίλος ἦν καὶ μιμητής. Μὴ δὴ σεμνυνώ 60.649 μεθα ἐν οἷς ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι δεῖ, μηδὲ λέγωμεν τὰ τῶν ἀγοραίων τούτων καὶ σεσυρμένων ἀνθρώπων, Οἶδα καταπτύσαι μυρίων· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἕτερος τοῦτο λέγῃ, καταγελῶμεν καὶ ἐπιστομίζωμεν, ὅτι καλλωπίζεται ἐφ' οἷς αἰσχύνεσθαι ἔδει. Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; καταπτύεις ἀνθρώπου πιστοῦ, οὗ ἀπίστου ὄντος οὐ κατέπτυσεν ὁ Χριστός; Τί λέγω, οὐ κατέπτυσεν; Οὕτω