250

more eager, and you will reap great pleasure, and much greater than those who come down from the theater. For those who rise up from there, are inflamed, burning with desire. For when they see those wanton women on the stage, and receive countless wounds from there, they will be in no better state than a surging sea, with the image of their faces, their figures, their words, their walk, and all the other things standing before their eyes and besieging their soul. But those who come out from here will undergo no such thing, but will reap great calm and tranquility. For the compunction that comes from the sight of the prisoners extinguishes all that fire. And if a prostituted and licentious woman should meet one coming out from the prisoners, she will do him no harm. For having become insensible, so to speak, he will not be caught in the nets of that sight, since instead of the licentious sight, the fear of judgment then lies before his eyes. For this reason also he who had experienced every kind of luxury said: It is better 59.334 to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of laughter. And here he will display so much philosophy, but there he will hear the words worthy of countless blessings. Therefore, let us not neglect such a practice and undertaking. For even if we are not able to bring in food, nor to help by giving money, yet we will be able to comfort with a word, and to raise up a downcast soul, and to assist in many other ways, both by speaking to those who cast them in, and by making their overseers gentler, and we will certainly achieve some gain, whether small or great. But if you say that there are no blessed people there, nor useful, nor virtuous men, but murderers and tomb-robbers, and cut-purses, and adulterers, and profligates, and men full of many evils, by this again you show me a necessary reason for spending time there. For we were not commanded to pity the good and punish the wicked, but to show this love for humanity toward all. For, it says, Be like your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Therefore do not accuse others bitterly, nor be a harsh judge, but gentle and humane. For we too, even if we have not become adulterers, nor tomb-robbers, nor cut-purses, still have other offenses worthy of countless punishments. For we have often called our brother a fool, which brings upon us Gehenna; and we have looked at women with licentious eyes, which constitutes a completed adultery; and, what is most grievous of all, we do not partake of the mysteries worthily, which makes us guilty of the body and blood of Christ. Let us not, then, become bitter examiners of others, but let us consider our own affairs, and so we will cease from this inhumanity and cruelty. And besides these things, it is also possible to say that we will find many virtuous men there, and often men worthy of the whole city. Since that prison where Joseph was also had many wicked men; but nevertheless that just man cared for them all, and was himself with the others, concealing who he was. For he was worthy of all Egypt, and yet he lived in the prison, and no one inside knew it. So now, therefore, it is likely that there are many good and virtuous men, even if they are not manifest to all; and care for such men gives you the reward for your diligence toward all. But even if there is no one of that sort, even here the recompense is great. Since your Master also did not converse only with the just, while shunning the unclean; but He also received the Canaanite woman with great favor, and the Samaritan woman who was polluted and unclean, and again another, a prostitute, on whose account the Jews reproached him, and He both received her and healed her, and endured His feet being wet by the tears of the polluted one, teaching us to condescend to those who are in sin. For this most of all

250

προθυμότερος, καὶ πολλὴν καρπώσῃ τὴν ἡδονὴν, καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα τῶν ἀπὸ θεάτρου καταβαινόντων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστάντες, φλέγονται ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας καιόμενοι. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωσι τὰς ἀνεπτερωμένας ἐκείνας ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς γυναῖκας, καὶ μυρία λάβωσιν ἐκεῖθεν τραύματα, θαλάσσης κυμαινούσης οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείσονται, τοῦ τύπου τῶν ὄψεων, τῶν σχημάτων, τῶν ῥημάτων, τῆς βαδίσεως, τῶν ἄλλων πάντων πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἱσταμένων, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῖς πολιορκούντων. Οἱ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ἐξελθόντες, οὐδὲν ὑποστήσονται τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν καρπώσονται τὴν γαλήνην καὶ τὴν ἀταραξίαν. Ἡ γὰρ κατάνυξις ἡ ἐκ τῆς ὄψεως τῶν δεδεμένων ἐγγενομένη, ἅπαν ἐκεῖνο σβέννυσι τὸ πῦρ. Κἂν ἀπαντήσῃ γυνὴ πορνευομένη καὶ ἀκόλαστος ἐξελθόντι τῶν δεσμωτῶν, οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἐργάσεται χαλεπόν. Ὡς γὰρ ἄπλαστος λοιπὸν γενόμενος, οὕτως οὐχ ἁλώσεται τοῖς δικτύοις τῆς ὄψεως ἐκείνης, ἀντὶ τῆς ὄψεως τῆς ἀκολάστου, τοῦ φόβου τῆς κρίσεως πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῷ τότε κειμένου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ πᾶν εἶδος τρυφῆς ἐπελθὼν ἔλεγεν· Ἀγα 59.334 θὸν πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πένθους, ἢ πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον γέλωτος. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν τοσαύτην ἐπιδείξει τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀκούσῃ τὰ μυρίων μακαρισμῶν ἄξια ῥήματα. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελῶμεν τῆς τοιαύτης πράξεως καὶ πραγματείας. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ δυνηθῶμεν τροφὴν εἰσενεγκεῖν, μηδὲ ἀργύριον βοηθῆσαι δόντες, ἀλλὰ παρακαλέσαι λόγῳ, καὶ τὴν κειμένην ἀναστῆσαι ψυχὴν δυνησόμεθα, καὶ ἕτερα ἐπικουρῆσαι πολλὰ, καὶ τοῖς ἐμβαλοῦσι διαλεγόμενοι, καὶ τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας ἡμερωτέρους ποιοῦντες, καὶ ἢ μικρὸν ἢ μέγα πάντως ἐργασόμεθα κέρδος. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις ὅτι οὐκ εὐδαίμονές εἰσιν ἐκεῖ, οὐδὲ εὔχρηστοι, οὐδὲ ἐπιεικεῖς ἄνδρες, ἀλλ' ἀνδροφόνοι καὶ τυμβωρύχοι, καὶ βαλαντιοτόμοι, καὶ μοιχοὶ, καὶ ἀκόλαστοι, καὶ πολλῶν γέμοντες κακῶν, πάλιν ἀναγκαίαν μοι καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δεικνύεις τῆς ἐκεῖ διατριβῆς τὴν πρόφασιν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοὺς μὲν ἀγαθοὺς ἐλεεῖν, τοὺς δὲ πονηροὺς κολάζειν ἐκελεύσθημεν· ἀλλὰ περὶ πάντας ἐνδείκνυσθαι τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ταύτην. Γίνεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Μὴ τοίνυν κατηγόρει τῶν ἀλλοτρίων πικρῶς, μηδὲ ἔσο σφοδρὸς δικαστὴς, ἀλλ' ἥμερος καὶ φιλάνθρωπος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἰ καὶ μὴ μοιχοὶ, μηδὲ τυμβωρύχοι, μηδὲ βαλαντιοτόμοι γεγόναμεν, ἀλλ' ἔχομεν ἕτερα πλημμελήματα μυρίας ἄξια κολάσεως. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν μωρὸν ἐκαλέσαμεν πολλάκις, ὅπερ τὴν γέενναν ἡμῖν προξενεῖ· καὶ γυναῖκας ἀκολάστοις εἴδομεν ὀφθαλμοῖς, ὅπερ μοιχείαν ἀπηρτισμένην συνίστησι· καὶ τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτερον, τῶν μυστηρίων οὐ μετέχομεν ἀξίως, ὅπερ ἐνόχους ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Μὴ τοίνυν πικροὶ γενώμεθα τῶν ἄλλων ἐξετασταὶ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐννοῶμεν, καὶ οὕτω παυσόμεθα τῆς ἀπανθρωπίας ταύτης καὶ τῆς ὠμότητος. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων κἀκεῖνο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς ἄνδρας πολλοὺς εὑρήσομεν αὐτόθι, καὶ τῆς πόλεως πολλάκις ἀνταξίους πάσης. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐκεῖνο, ἔνθα ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἦν, πολλοὺς εἶχε πονηρούς· ἀλλ' ὅμως πάντων ἐπεμελεῖτο ὁ δίκαιος ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων, κρυπτόμενος ὅστις ἦν. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς Αἰγύπτου πάσης ἀντάξιος ἦν, καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ὅμως ᾤκει, καὶ οὐδεὶς ᾔδει τῶν ἔνδον ὄντων. Καὶ νῦν τοίνυν πολλοὺς εἶναι εἰκὸς χρηστοὺς καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς, εἰ καὶ μὴ πᾶσιν εἶεν κατάδηλοι· καὶ ἡ περὶ τοὺς τοιούτους ἐπιμέλεια, τῆς περὶ πάντας σπουδῆς δίδωσί σοι τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Ἂν δὲ καὶ μηδεὶς ᾖ τοιοῦτος, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλὴ ἡ ἀντίδοσις. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης ὁ σὸς οὐχὶ δικαίοις διελέγετο μόνον, τοὺς δὲ ἀκαθάρτους ἔφευγεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Χαναναίαν μετὰ πολλῆς ἐδέξατο τῆς εὐνοίας, καὶ τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν τὴν ἐναγῆ καὶ ἀκάθαρτον, καὶ ἑτέραν δὲ πόρνην πάλιν, ὑπὲρ ἧς καὶ ὠνείδιζον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἐδέξατο καὶ ἐθεράπευσε, καὶ τοὺς πόδας βρεχομένους ὑπὸ τῶν δακρύων τῆς ἐναγοῦς ἠνείχετο, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς συγκατιέναι τοῖς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις οὖσι. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα