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he will try in vain. For just as no man on earth could harm an angel, so neither can a man harm a man. But neither will he himself be able to harm another, as long as he is good. What then could be equal to this, when he can neither be harmed, nor harm another? For this is not less than that, the not wishing to harm another. Therefore he is some angel and like God. For such is God also; but He by nature, this one by choice. Therefore he can neither be harmed, nor harm another. But the "he cannot," do not think it is weakness (for the contrary is weakness); but I mean the impossibility. For that nature is susceptible neither to harm, nor to doing injustice to another; since this too is another harm. For we do not harm ourselves otherwise than by harming another, and the greater of our sins thus happen from the injustice towards ourselves. So for this reason also the Christian cannot be harmed, because he cannot harm either. But how by harming others we harm ourselves, come, let us take up the argument for each of the matters and lay bare what is being said. Let someone do wrong, let him be insolent, let him be greedy; whom then did this man harm? Not himself first? It is clear to everyone, I suppose. For to the one 60.357 the loss is in money, but to himself it is in his soul; for the soul of such a one is given over to destruction and to punishment. Again let another be envious; whom then has such a one wronged? Not himself, tell me? For such is the nature of injustice; it harms the one who begets it ten thousand times first, but another little, or rather it does not harm him even a little, but even benefits him. But I have said nothing credible. Let there be then (for the whole matter lies especially in these things) a poor man having little money and supplied with necessary food, and another a rich and well-provided man having much power, and let him then take the things of the poor man and make him naked and give him over to famine, while he himself revels in what was unjustly taken from that man; such a man not only has not harmed him at all, but has even benefited him, while himself he not only has not benefited, but has even harmed. How? First, being scourged by his wicked conscience, and being pricked every day, and being condemned by all; then in the future judgment. But that this man is harmed has been made clear from this; but how that one is benefited, say. Because to suffer evil and to bear it nobly has great gain; for to suffer evil is a release of sins, it is an exercise of philosophy, it is a teaching of virtue. Let us see then who is in evils, this man or that one. For that one, if he be a philosopher, will bear it nobly; but this one will be in trembling and suspicion every day. Who then is wronged, this man or that one? "You speak myths," he says. "For when someone has nothing to eat, and is forced to lament and to despair, or coming to beg does not receive, does he not destroy his soul and body as well?" You speak myths; for I am showing facts. For tell me, does no one of the rich despair? What then? Is not poverty the cause of this? But does he not hunger? And what of this? The punishment is greater, when he does this with wealth. For neither does wealth make a man noble, nor poverty make him weak; since no one living in wealth would have lived a wicked life, nor would anyone in poverty have cursed himself. But that your words are truly myths, from this I will make clear to you. Tell me, was Paul in poverty, or in wealth? Did he hunger, or not? It is possible to hear him saying: In hunger and thirst. Did the prophets hunger, or not? And they too were despairing. Again you bring me Paul, again the prophets, ten and twenty men. But from where do you wish? "From the many," he says, "show me some who bear it nobly." But the rare is always such, and few are the good. But if you wish, let us also examine the matter in itself. Let us see whose care is greater and sharper, and whose is more bearable. Does not one man care for necessary food, while the other, letting this go, for ten thousand matters? The rich man does not fear for hunger, but he fears for other things; often for his very salvation. The poor man does not have freedom from care for food, but he has the other freedom from care, safety, tranquility,

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μάτην πειράσεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄγγελον οὐδεὶς ἂν βλάψειεν ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντα ἄνθρωπον, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἕτερον βλάψαι δυνήσεται, ἕως ἂν ᾖ ἀγαθός. Τί οὖν ἂν τούτου γένοιτο ἴσον, ὅταν μήτε βλαβῆναι δύνηται, μήτε βλάψαι ἕτερον; Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου οὐκ ἔλαττον, τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι βλάπτειν ἕτερον. Ἄρα ἄγγελός τίς ἐστι καὶ Θεῷ ὅμοιος. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ καὶ ὁ Θεός· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν φύσει, οὗτος δὲ προαιρέσει. Οὔτε οὖν βλαβῆναι δύναται, οὔτε βλάψαι ἕτερον. Τὸ δὲ, οὐ δύναται, μὴ ἀδυναμίας νομίσῃς (τοὐναντίον γὰρ ἀδυναμία)· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀνένδεκτον λέγω. Ἡ γὰρ φύσις ἐκείνη οὔτε βλάβης ἐστὶ δεκτικὴ, οὔτε τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἕτερον· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἑτέρα βλάβη. Ἄλλως γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς οὐ βλάπτομεν, ἢ τῷ βλάπτειν ἕτερον, καὶ τὰ μείζονα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν ἐκ τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀδικίας οὕτω γίνεται. Ὥστε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Χριστιανὸς οὐ δύναται βλάπτεσθαι, ὅτι οὐδὲ βλάπτειν δύναται. Πῶς δὲ ἑτέρους βλάπτοντες ἑαυτοὺς βλάπτομεν, φέρε καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν πραγμάτων προχειρισάμενοι τὸν λόγον γυμνάσωμεν τὸ λεγόμενον. Ἀδικείτω τις, ὑβριζέτω, πλεονεκτείτω· τίνα ἄρα ἔβλαψεν οὗτος; οὐχ ἑαυτὸν πρότερον; Παντί που δῆλον. Τῷ 60.357 μὲν γὰρ εἰς χρήματα ἡ ζημία, αὐτῷ δὲ εἰς ψυχήν· καὶ γὰρ εἰς ἀπώλειαν καὶ εἰς κόλασιν παραδίδοται τοῦ τοιούτου ἡ ψυχή. Πάλιν φθονείτω ἕτερος· τίνα οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἠδίκησεν; οὐχ ἑαυτὸν, εἰπέ μοι; Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀδικίας φύσις· τὸν τίκτοντα πρῶτον βλάπτει μυρία, μικρὰ δὲ ἕτερον, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ μικρὸν βλάπτει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφελεῖ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀξιόπιστον εἴρηκα. Ἔστω τοίνυν (μάλιστα γὰρ ἐν τούτοις ἐστὶ τὸ πᾶν) πένης χρήματα ἔχων ὀλίγα καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐπορῶν τροφῆς, ἕτερος δὲ πλούσιος καὶ εὔπορος καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων δύναμιν, καὶ λαμβανέτω τὰ τοῦ πένητος λοιπὸν καὶ γυμνὸν ποιείτω καὶ παραδιδότω λιμῷ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐντρυφάτω τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνου ληφθεῖσιν ἀδίκως· ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἔβλαψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφέλησεν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ὠφέλησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔβλαψε. Πῶς; Πρῶτον μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος μαστιζόμενος τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κεντούμενος, καὶ παρὰ πάντων καταγινωσκόμενος· ἔπειτα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι κρίματι. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν οὗτος βλάπτεται, δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν κατέστη· πῶς δὲ ὠφελεῖται ἐκεῖνος, εἰπέ. Ὅτι τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν καὶ φέρειν γενναίως, μέγα κέρδος ἔχει· ἔστι γὰρ ἁμαρτημάτων λύσις τὸ παθεῖν κακῶς, ἔστι φιλοσοφίας γυμνάσιον, ἔστιν ἀρετῆς διδασκαλία. Ἴδωμεν οὖν τίς ἐν κακοῖς, οὗτος ἢ ἐκεῖνος. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἂν ᾖ φιλόσοφος, γενναίως οἴσει· οὗτος δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐν τρόμῳ ἔσται καὶ ὑποψίᾳ· τίς οὖν ἀδικεῖται, οὗτος ἢ ἐκεῖνος; Μύθους λέγεις, φησίν· ὅταν γάρ τις μὴ ἔχῃ φαγεῖν, καὶ ἀναγκάζηται ἀποδύρεσθαι καὶ ἀποδυσπετεῖν, ἢ προσελθὼν ἐπαιτεῖν καὶ μὴ λάβῃ, οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα προσαπολλύει; Μύθους σὺ λέγεις· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐπιδεικνύω πράγματα. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, οὐδεὶς τῶν πλουτούντων ἀποδυσπετεῖ; Τί οὖν; μὴ ἡ πενία αἰτία τούτου; Ἀλλὰ οὐ λιμώττει; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Μείζων ἡ δίκη, ὅταν μετὰ πλούτου τοῦτο ποιῇ. Οὔτε γὰρ πλοῦτος γενναῖον ποιεῖ, οὔτε ἀσθενῆ πενία· ἐπεὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν ἐν πλούτῳ ζώντων μοχθηρὸν ἔζη βίον, οὐδ' ἂν ἑαυτῷ κατηράσατο οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐν πενίᾳ. Ὅτι δὲ ὄντως μῦθοι τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖθεν ὑμῖν ποιήσω φανερόν. Εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Παῦλος ἐν πενίᾳ ἦν, ἢ ἐν πλούτῳ; ἐλίμωττεν, ἢ οὐχί; Αὐτοῦ ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος· Ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει. Οἱ προφῆται ἐλίμωττον, ἢ οὐχί; Κἀκεῖνοι ἀπεδυσπέτουν. Πάλιν Παῦλόν μοι φέρεις, πάλιν τοὺς προφήτας, δέκα καὶ εἴκοσιν ἀνθρώπους. Ἀλλὰ πόθεν βούλει; Ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν, φησὶ, δεῖξόν μοί τινας φέροντας γενναίως. Ἀλλὰ τὸ σπάνιον ἀεὶ τοιοῦτον, καὶ ὀλίγοι οἱ καλοί. Εἰ βούλει δὲ, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάσωμεν. Ἴδωμεν τίνος ἡ φροντὶς μείζων καὶ δριμυτέρα, καὶ τίνος εὐφορωτέρα. Οὐχ ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀναγκαίας μεριμνᾷ τροφῆς, ὁ δὲ ὑπὲρ μυρίων πραγμάτων ταύτης ἀφέμενος; Οὐ δέδοικεν ὑπὲρ λιμοῦ ὁ πλούσιος, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων δέδοικε· πολλάκις ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας αὐτῆς. Οὐκ ἔχει τὴν ἀμεριμνίαν τῆς τροφῆς ὁ πένης, ἀλλ' ἔχει τὴν ἑτέραν ἀμεριμνίαν, τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, τὴν ἡσυχίαν,