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the evangelist, that Some wished to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him; for if nothing else, this at least was sufficient to bring them to compunction; but they were not pierced with compunction, as the prophet says; They were rent asunder, and were not pierced with compunction. 3. For such is wickedness; it is willing to yield to nothing, it looks to one thing only, to destroy the one plotted against. But what says the Scripture? He that digs a pit for his neighbor shall fall into it; which is what happened then. For they wished to destroy him, as though to extinguish the preaching; but the opposite happened. For the preaching flourishes by the grace of Christ; but all of theirs has been extinguished and 59.286 has perished, and they have fallen from their fatherland and freedom, and security, and worship, and have been deprived of all prosperity, and have become slaves and captives. Knowing these things, therefore, let us never plot against others, having learned that we sharpen the sword against ourselves, and give ourselves a deeper wound. But has someone grieved you, and you wish to avenge yourself? Do not avenge yourself; for in this way you will be able to avenge yourself. But if you do avenge yourself, you have not avenged yourself. And do not think what has been said is a riddle, but a true saying. How and in what way? Because you, by not avenging yourself, make God an enemy to him; but by avenging yourself, no longer. For Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. For if we have servants, and even if they have quarreled with one another, they do not cede the judgment and the punishment to us, but take it on themselves, even if they should approach us ten thousand times, not only do we not avenge them, but we also become indignant, saying, ‘Runaway,’ and, ‘Scoundrel,’ ‘you should have entrusted the whole matter to us; but since you took it upon yourself and avenged yourself, bother us no more’; much more will God, who has commanded us to cede all things to Him, say this. For how is it not absurd, when we demand so much philosophy and obedience from our own servants, but to the Master we do not cede those things which we wish our servants to cede to us? And I say these things because of your eagerness for punishing one another; since for the one who truly practices philosophy it is not right to do even this, but to forgive and remit sins, even if that great prize were not there, to receive remission in return for these things. For if, tell me, you condemn the one who has sinned, for what reason do you also sin, and fall into the same things? Did he insult you? Do not insult him back; for you have insulted yourself. Did he strike you? Do not strike him back; for then there is no difference. Did he grieve you? Do not grieve him back; for there is no gain, but you have again become his equal. In this way you will be able to shame him, if you bear it gently with meekness; in this way to make him feel reverence, in this way to check his anger. No one heals evil with evil, but evil with good. Some among the Greeks philosophize about these things. Let us then be ashamed, if among the foolish Greeks there is so much philosophy, we should appear inferior. Many have been wronged, and have borne it; many have been slandered, and have not avenged themselves; they have been plotted against, and have done good. And it is no small fear, lest some among them be found greater than us in their life, and bring about a more severe punishment for us. For when those who have partaken of the Spirit, those who expect the kingdom, those who philosophize about things above the heavens, those who do not fear Gehenna, those who are commanded to become angels, those who enjoy the mysteries, do not even reach the same virtue as they, what excuse shall we have? For if we must surpass the Jews (For unless your righteousness exceeds, he says, that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven), much more the Greeks; if the Pharisees, much more the unbelievers. For if we do not surpass their way of life, the things of the kingdom are closed off; when we appear even worse than the Greeks, how shall we manage to attain it? Let us therefore cast out all bitterness, and wrath, and anger. To say the same things is not tedious for me, but for you it is safe. For physicians also often use the same medicine. And we will not cease echoing the same things, reminding, teaching, exhorting. For great is 59.287 of worldly affairs

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εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὅτι Τινὲς ἤθελον πιάσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον, τοῦτο γοῦν ἱκανὸν ἦν εἰς κατάνυξιν αὐτοὺς ἀγαγεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐ κατενύγησαν, καθώς φησιν ὁ προφήτης· ∆ιεσχίσθησαν, καὶ οὐ κατενύγησαν. γʹ. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πονηρία· οὐδενὶ βούλεται εἴκειν, πρὸς ἓν βλέπει μόνον, ὥστε τὸν ἐπιβουλευόμενον ἀνελεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τί φησιν ἡ Γραφή; Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται· ὅπερ καὶ τότε γέγονεν. Αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐβούλοντο αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν, ὡς δὴ σβεννύντες τὸ κήρυγμα· γέγονε δὲ τοὐναντίον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κήρυγμα ἀνθεῖ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι· τὰ δὲ ἐκείνων πάντα ἐσβέσθη καὶ ἀπ 59.286 όλωλε, καὶ πατρίδος καὶ ἐλευθερίας, καὶ ἀδείας, καὶ λατρείας ἐξέπεσον, καὶ πάσης ἀπεστερήθησαν εὐημερίας, καὶ γεγόνασι δοῦλοι καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, μηδέποτε ἐπιβουλεύωμεν ἑτέροις, μαθόντες ὅτι καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἀκονῶμεν τὸ ξίφος, καὶ βαθυτέραν ἑαυτοῖς διδόαμεν τὴν πληγήν. Ἀλλ' ἐλύπησέ τις, καὶ βούλει αὐτὸν ἀμύνασθαι; Μὴ ἀμύνῃ· οὕτω γὰρ ἀμύνασθαι δυνήσῃ. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀμύνῃ, οὐκ ἠμύνω. Καὶ μὴ νομίσῃς αἴνιγμα εἶναι τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀλλ' ἀληθῆ λόγον. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι σὺ μὴ ἀμυνόμενος, τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῷ καθιστᾷς ἐχθρόν· ἀμυνόμενος δὲ, οὐκέτι. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος. Εἰ γὰρ οἰκέτας ἔχομεν, κἂν πρὸς ἀλλήλους διενεχθέντες, μὴ τῆς δίκης καὶ τῆς κολάσεως ἡμῖν παραχωρήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέψωσι, κἂν μυριάκις προσέλθωσιν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀμυνόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγανακτοῦμεν, ∆ραπέτα, λέγοντες, καὶ, μαστιγία, τὸ πᾶν ἡμῖν ἐπιτρέψαι ἐχρῆν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ σαυτῷ προλαβὼν ἤμυνες, μηδὲν ἐνόχλει λοιπόν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ παραγγείλας αὐτῷ παραχωρεῖν ἁπάντων, τοῦτο ἐρεῖ. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, ὅταν παρὰ μὲν παίδων τῶν ἡμετέρων τοσαύτην ἀπαιτῶμεν φιλοσοφίαν καὶ ὑπακοήν· τῷ δὲ ∆εσπότῃ μὴ παραχωρῶμεν ὧν βουλόμεθα τοὺς οἰκέτας ἡμῖν παραχωρεῖν; Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, διὰ τὸ πρόθυμον ὑμῶν περὶ τὴν ἀλλήλων κόλασιν· ἐπεὶ τόν γε ἀληθῶς φιλοσοφοῦντα οὐδὲ τοῦτο χρὴ ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ συγγινώσκειν καὶ ἀφιέναι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖνο ἦν τὸ μέγα ἔπαθλον, τὸ ἄφεσιν ἀντὶ τούτων λαμβάνειν. Εἰ γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, καταγινώσκεις τοῦ ἡμαρτηκότος, τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἁμαρτάνεις, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπίπτεις; Ὕβρισε; Μὴ ἀνθυβρίσῃς· ἐπεὶ σαυτὸν ὕβρισας. Ἔπληξε; Μὴ ἀντιπλήξῃς· ἐπεὶ τὸ διάφορον οὐδαμοῦ. Ἐλύπησε; Μὴ ἀντιλυπήσῃς· ἐπεὶ τὸ κέρδος οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ γέγονας ἐκείνων πάλιν ἴσος. Οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐντρέψαι δυνήσῃ, ἂν μετὰ πραότητος ἐνέγκῃς ἐπιεικῶς· οὕτως αὐτὸν καταιδέσαι, οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐγκόψαι τῆς ὀργῆς. Οὐδεὶς κακῷ κακὸν ἰᾶται, ἀλλ' ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν. Ταῦτα παρ' Ἕλλησί τινες φιλοσοφοῦσιν. Αἰσχυνθῶμεν τοίνυν, εἰ παρ' Ἕλλησι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις τοσαύτης οὔσης τῆς φιλοσοφίας, ἡμεῖς ἐλάττους φαινοίμεθα. Πολλοὶ ἠδικήθησαν, καὶ ἤνεγκαν· πολλοὶ ἐσυκοφαντήθησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἠμύναντο· ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, καὶ εὐηργέτησαν. ∆έος δὲ οὐ μικρὸν, μὴ μείζους ἡμῶν τινες παρ' αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον εὑρεθῶσι, καὶ σφοδροτέραν ἡμῖν τὴν κόλασιν ἐργάσωνται. Ὅταν γὰρ οἱ Πνεύματος μετεσχηκότες, οἱ βασιλείαν προσδοκῶντες, οἱ ὑπὲρ τῶν οὐρανῶν φιλοσοφοῦντες, οἱ μὴ δεδοικότες γέενναν, οἱ κελευόμενοι ἄγγελοι γίνεσθαι, οἱ μυστηρίων ἀπολαύοντες, μηδὲ εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις φθάσωμεν ἀρετὴν, ποίαν ἕξομεν συγγνώμην; Εἰ γὰρ Ἰουδαίους ὑπερβαίνειν χρὴ (Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ περισσεύσῃ ὑμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, φησὶ, πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν), πολλῷ μᾶλλον Ἕλληνας· εἰ Φαρισαίους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀπίστους. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ὑπερβάντων ἡμῶν τὴν ἐκείνων πολιτείαν, ἀποκέκλεισται τὰ τῆς βασιλείας· ὅταν καὶ Ἑλλήνων φαινώμεθα χείρους, πῶς ἕξομεν ταύτης ἐπιτυχεῖν; Πᾶσαν τοίνυν πικρίαν, καὶ ὀργὴν, καὶ θυμὸν ἐκβάλωμεν. Τὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἰατροὶ τῷ αὐτῷ πολλάκις χρῶνται φαρμάκῳ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ παυσόμεθα τὰ αὐτὰ ἐνηχοῦντες, ἀναμιμνήσκοντες, διδάσκοντες, παρακαλοῦντες. Καὶ γὰρ πολὺς 59.287 τῶν βιωτικῶν