279

SERMON V.

Concerning justice. Matt. 5. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they

shall be filled. Levit. 19. You shall have just balances and just measures and a just chous. Isa. 26. Learn justice, you that dwell on the earth. Prov. 14. Justice exalts a nation, but sins diminish the tribes. Prov. 12. A precious possession is a pure man walking in the ways of justice. The way of justice and mercy will find life and glory. Prov. 27. He who digs a pit for his neighbor will fall into it; he who rolls a stone, upon

himself it rolls. Better is a little getting with justice, than many fruits with injustice. Sirach 40. The riches of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and like a great thunder in

the rain it will sound out. (752) Basil. He who does not have true justice pre-established in his soul,

but is either corrupted by money, or showing favor to friendship, or avenging enmity, or being swayed by power, cannot direct judgment aright.

Justice is a state of character that renders to each what is deserved. But this is hard to attain, as some, because of their lack of prudence, do not find how to distribute to each what is equal; while others, because they are possessed by human passions, obscure what is just.

The Theologian. We both believe and hear of a certain dregs of God's wrath: the remnant of motion against the deserving, since God is the Lord of vengeance. For even if He inclines through loving-kindness from the abrupt toward the lenient, still He does not grant everything to sinners, lest by His goodness they become worse.

Chrysostom. God neither demands punishment from all here, lest you should despair of the resurrection, and lose hope in the judgment, with all giving an account here; nor are all left to depart unpunished, lest again you should think all things are without providence.

Of Nyssa. The just judgment of God is made like to our own dispositions; and whatsoever things are from us, such things He furnishes to us in return from like things.

Evagrius. An unjust judge is a defiled conscience. Cyril. Everyone who is wronged is indeed consumed by grief; but not being able to defend himself

or to retaliate in kind, sometimes, because he is overcome by the hand of the wrongdoer, he calls upon the sting of the hatred-of-evil from above for aid.

Plato. Honorable indeed is he who wrongs no one; but he who does not even permit wrongdoers to do wrong is worthy of more than double the honor of the former. For the one is a match for one, but the other for many others.

For I indeed think, both I, and you, and all other men, that to do wrong is worse than to suffer wrong; and not to pay the penalty is worse than to pay it.

(753) It is right to praise those among men who prefer no advantage to what is just; for it is possible to acquire wealth, but glory is not easy to purchase with money.

Moschion. It is better to judge justly and be unjustly blamed by the one condemned, than to judge unjustly and be justly reproached by nature.

From the Seven Sages. And it seems to me that a city fares best and best preserves democracy, in which they prosecute and punish the one who did wrong on behalf of the one who was wronged.

279

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ε.

Περί δικαιοσύνης. Ματθ. ε´. Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καί διψῶντες τήν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοί

χορτασθήσονται. Λευϊτ. ιθ´. Ζυγά δίκαια καί μέτρα δίκαια καί χοῦς δίκαιος ἔστι ὑμῖν. Ἡσαΐ. κστ´. ∆ικαιοσύνην μάθετε, οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐπί τῆς γῆς. Παροιμ. ιδ´. ∆ικαιοσύνην ὑψοῖ ἔθνος, ἐλασσονοῦσι δέ φυλάς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Παροιμ. ιβ .´Κτῆμα τίμιον ἀνήρ καθαρός πορευόμενος ἐν ὁδοῖς δικαιοσύνης. Ὁδός δικαιοσύνης καί ἐλεημοσύνης εὑρήσει ζωήν καί δόξαν. Παροιμ. κζ΄. Ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν· ὁ κυλίων λίθον, ἐφ᾿

ἑαυτόν κυλίει. Κρεῖσσον ὀλίγη λῆψις μετά δικιοσύνης, ἤ πολλά γεννήματα μετά ἀδικίας. Σιράχ μ΄. Χρήματα ἀδίκων ὡς ποταμός ξηρανθήσεται, καί ὡς βροντή μεγάλη ἐν

ὑετῷ ἐξηχήσει. (752) Βασιλείου. Ὁ τήν ἀληθῆ δικαισύνην μή ἔχων προεναποκειμένην τῇ ψυχῇ,

ἀλλ᾿ ἤ χρήμασι διεφθαρμένος, ἤ φιλίᾳ χαριζόμενος, ἤ ἔχθρᾳ ἀμυνόμενος, ἤ δυναστείᾳ δυσωπούμενος, τό κρῖμα κατευθύνειν οὐ δύναται.

∆ικαιοσύνη ἐστίν ἕξις ἀπονεμητική τοῦ κατ᾿ ἀξίαν. ∆υσθήρατον δέ τοῦτο, τῶν μέν διά τό περί τήν φρόνησιν ἐλλιπές οὐχ εὑρισκόντων ἑκάστῳ διανεῖμαι τό ἴσον· τῶν δέ διά τό προκατέχεσθαι ὑπό παθῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀφανιζόντων τό δίκαιον.

Θεολόγου. Θεοῦ μέν ὀργῆς τρυγίαν τινά καί πιστεύομεν, καί ἀκούομεν· τό λεῖμμα τῆς κατά τῶν ἀξίων κινήσεως, ἐπειδή Θεός ἐκδικήσεων Κύριος. Εἰ γάρ καί κλίνει διά φιλανθρωπίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἀποτόμου πρός τό ἐνδόσιμον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ πᾶν συγχωρεῖ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἵνα μή τῇ χρηστότητι χείρους γίνωνται.

Χρυσοστ. Οὕτε πάντας ἐνταῦθα ἀπαιτεῖ δίκην ὁ Θεός, ἵνα μή ἀπογνῷς τήν ἀνάστασιν, καί ἀπελπίσῃς τήν κρίσιν, πάντων ἐνταῦθα διδόντων λόγον· οὔτε πάντα ἀφίεται ἀτιμωρητί ἀπελθεῖν, ἵνα μή πάλιν ἀπρονότητα εἶναι πάντα νομίσῃς.

Τοῦ Νύσσης. Ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισία, ταῖς ἡμετέραις διαθέσεσιν ἐξομοιοῦται· καί οἷά περ ἄν τά παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ᾗ, τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀντιπαρέχεται.

Εὐαγρίου. Ἄδικος δικαστής, μεμολυσμένη συνείδησις. Κυρίλλου. Πᾶς ὁ ἀδικούμενος, καταφλέγεται μέν ὑπό λύπης· ἀμύνασθαι δέ οὐκ

ἔχων ἤ διά τῶν ἴσων ἐλθεῖν, ἔσθ᾿ ὅτε διά τό ἡττᾶσθαι τῆς τοῦ ἀδικοῦντος χειρός, τῆς ἄνωθεν μισοπονηρίας τό κέντρον καλεῖ πρός ἐπικουρίαν.

Πλάτωνος. Τίμιος μέν δή καί ὁ μηδένα ἀδικῶν· ὁ δέ μηδ᾿ ἐπιτρέπων τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἀδικεῖν, πλέον ἤ διπλασίας τιμῆς ἄξιος ἐκείνου. Ὁ μέν γάρ ἑνός, ὁ δέ πολλῶν ἀντάξιος ἑτέρων.

Ἐγώ γάρ δή οἶμαι, καί ἐμέ, καί σέ, καί τούς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους, τό ἀδικεῖν τοῦ ἀδικεῖσθαι κάκιον ἡγεῖσθαι· καί τό μή διδόναι δίκην, τοῦ διδόναι.

(753) Ἄξιον τούτους ἐπαινεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἵ μηδεμίαν ὠφέλειαν προαιροῦνται τοῦ δικαίου· χρήματα γάρ ἔστι κτήσασθαι, δόξαν δέ, χρημάτων οὐ ῥᾴδιον πρίασθαι.

Μοσχίωνος. Ἄμεινον δικαίως κρίναντα, πρός τοῦ καταδικασθέντος ἀδίκως μεμφθῆναι, ἤ ἀδίκως κρίναντα, παρά τῇ φύσει δικαίως ψέγεσθαι.

Ἐκ τῶν ἑπτά φιλοσόφων. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι πόλις ἄριστα πράττειν καί μάλιστα σώζειν δημοκρατίαν, ἐν ᾗ τόν ἀδικήσαντα τοῦ ἀδικηθέντος προβάλλονται καί κολάζουσιν.