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I did not pay you a debt for good deeds you had done before, but I myself began it, He says. So you too ought to do good to your dearest ones, and not as though you owe them. And leaving aside the mention of the wonders which they were about to do, He characterizes them by their love. Why so? Because this is what especially shows men to be holy. For it is the foundation of all virtue. Through this especially are we all saved. For this is to be a disciple, He says. Thus will all men praise you, when they see you imitating my love. 4. What then? do not miracles much more show this? Not at all. For many will say, Lord, have we not cast out demons in Your name? and again when they rejoiced that the demons were subject to them, He says, Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you, but that your names are written in heaven. And indeed this brought over the world, because that preceded; but if that had not been, neither would this have remained. This at least immediately made them good and excellent, and for the heart and soul of all to be one. But if they had been separated from one another, all would have been lost. But He spoke these things not to them alone, but to all who were to believe in Him; since even now nothing else scandalizes the Greeks, than that there is no love. But they also complain that signs do not happen, he says. But it is not so. And where did the apostles show love? Do you see Peter and John inseparably connected with each other, and going up to the temple? do you see Paul so disposed toward them; and are you at a loss? For if they possessed the other things, much more did they have the mother of good things. For from a virtuous soul this thing sprouts; but where there is wickedness, this plant withers. For when, He says, iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold. And signs do not bring over the Greeks in the same way as a good life does; and nothing makes a life to be so, as love. For those things they have often even called the doers of them deceivers; but they could not find fault with a pure life. Therefore, when the preaching was not yet spread abroad, signs were reasonably marveled at; but now one ought to be marveled at for his life. For nothing so shames the Greeks as virtue; nothing scandalizes them as vice; and rightly so. For when he sees the one who was commanded even to love his enemies being covetous, rapacious, commanding the opposite things, and treating his own kind like wild beasts, he will call the things spoken nonsense. When he sees one trembling at death, how will he accept the words about immortality? When he sees men loving power and enslaved to other passions, he will remain more firmly in his own doctrines, imagining nothing great about us. For we are the cause, we, of their remaining in their error. For they long ago condemned the doctrines among themselves, and likewise admire ours; but they are hindered by our life. For to philosophize in words is easy (for many even among them have done this); but they seek for the demonstration through works. But let them consider the ancients among us. But they do not believe at all, but seek for those now living. For show me, he says, your faith through your works. But it is not so; 59.395 but rather seeing us tearing our neighbors even as a wild beast, they call us the plague of the world. These things hold the Greeks back, and do not allow them to come over to us. So that we shall give an account for these things also, not only for what we do evilly, but also for the name of God being blasphemed. For how long are we given over to money, and luxury, and the other passions? Let us therefore depart now. Hear what the prophet says about some foolish ones: Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. But 59.396 in the present circumstances it is not even possible to say this; so many lay claim to the things of all. So also the prophet, reproaching them, said: Will you dwell alone upon the earth? Therefore I fear lest something terrible happen, and we draw down upon ourselves the great punishment from God. That this may not happen, let us care for all virtue, so that we may also obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord

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προϋπηργμένων ὑμῖν κατορθωμάτων ὄφλημα ὑμῖν ἀπέδωκα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς κατῆρξα, φησίν. Οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς εὐεργετεῖν τοὺς φιλτάτους χρὴ, καὶ μὴ ὀφείλοντας αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἀφεὶς εἰπεῖν τὰ θαύματα, ἃ ἔμελλον ποιεῖν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοὺς χαρακτηρίζει. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ δεικνύον ἀνθρώπους ἁγίους. Πάσης γάρ ἐστιν ἀρετῆς ὑπόθεσις. ∆ιὰ τούτου μάλιστα καὶ σωζόμεθα πάντες. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν εἶναι, φησὶ, μαθητήν. Οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἅπαντες ἐπαινέσονται, ὅταν ἴδωσιν ὑμᾶς μιμουμένους τὴν ἐμὴν ἀγάπην. δʹ. Τί οὖν; οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ θαύματα δείκνυσι τοῦτο; Οὐδαμῶς. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐροῦσι· Κύριε, οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν; καὶ πάλιν χαιρόντων αὐτῶν ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια αὐτοῖς ὑπακούει, φησί· Μὴ χαίρετε ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑπακούει, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ μὴν τοῦτο τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπηγάγετο, ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνο προῆν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἦν ἐκεῖνο, οὔτε τοῦτο παρέμενεν. Τοῦτο γοῦν εὐθέως αὐτοὺς ἐποίησε καλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ τὸ τὴν καρδίαν πάντων καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι μίαν. Εἰ δὲ διέστησαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ἅπαντα ἂν ἀπολώλει. Οὐκ ἐκείνοις δὲ ταῦτα διελέγετο μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς μέλλουσι πιστεύειν εἰς αὐτόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν τὸ σκανδαλίζον Ἕλληνας, ἢ τὸ μὴ ἀγάπην εἶναι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σημεῖα μὴ γίνεσθαι ἐγκαλοῦσι, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως. Ποῦ δὲ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπεδείξαντο οἱ ἀπόστολοι; Ὁρᾷς Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην ἀδιασπάστως ἔχοντας ἀλλήλων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἀναβαίνοντας; ὁρᾷς Παῦλον οὕτω πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακείμενον· καὶ ἀπορεῖς; Εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἄλλα ἐκέκτηντο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἶχον τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐναρέτου τοῦτο τὸ πρᾶγμα βλαστάνει· ἔνθα δὲ πονηρία, τοῦτο ξηραίνεται τὸ φυτόν. Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶ, πληθυνθῇ ἡ ἀνομία, ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν. Καὶ Ἕλληνας δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐπάγεται σημεῖα, ὡς βίος· βίον δὲ οὐδὲν οὕτως εἶναι ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀγάπη. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ποιοῦντας πολλάκις καὶ πλάνους ἐκάλεσαν· βίου δὲ ἐπιλαβέσθαι οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν καθαροῦ. Ὅτε μὲν οὖν οὔπω τὸ κήρυγμα διαδοθὲν ἦν, εἰκότως τὰ σημεῖα ἐθαυμάζετο· νῦν δὲ ἀπὸ βίου χρὴ θαυμάζεσθαι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἐντρέπει Ἕλληνας, ὡς ἀρετή· οὐδὲν σκανδαλίζει, ὡς κακία· καὶ εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ πλεονεκτοῦντα, ἁρπάζοντα, τὰ ἐναντία κελεύοντα, καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ὡς θηρίοις κεχρημένον τὸν κελευσθέντα καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾷν, λῆρον ἐρεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. Ὅταν ἴδῃ τρέμοντα θάνατον, πῶς δέξεται τοὺς περὶ ἀθανασίας λόγους; Ὅταν ἴδῃ φιλαρχοῦντας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δουλεύοντας πάθεσιν, ἀκριβέστερον ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μενεῖ δόγμασιν, οὐδὲν μέγα περὶ ἡμῶν φανταζόμενος. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν αἴτιοι, ἡμεῖς, τοῦ μένειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς πλάνης. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ δογμάτων τῶν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς πάλαι κατέγνωσαν, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα δὲ ὁμοίως θαυμάζουσιν· ἐκ τοῦ βίου δὲ ἡμῶν κωλύονται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ διὰ λόγων φιλοσοφῆσαι, εὔκολον (πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τοῦτο ἐποίησαν)· ἐπιζητοῦσι δὲ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπίδειξιν. Ἀλλὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς παρ' ἡμῖν ἐννοείτωσαν. Ἀλλ' οὐδαμῶς πιστεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νῦν ζῶντας ἐπιζητοῦσιν. ∆εῖξον γάρ μοι, φησὶ, τὴν πίστιν διὰ τῶν ἔργων σου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν· 59.395 ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὁρῶντες καὶ θηρίου σπαράττοντας ἡμᾶς τοὺς πλησίον, λύμην ἡμᾶς καλοῦσι τῆς οἰκουμένης. Ταῦτα Ἕλληνας κατέχει, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησι πρὸς ἡμᾶς μεταστῆναι. Ὥστε ἡμεῖς καὶ τούτων δίκην δώσομεν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ ὧν κακῶς πράττομεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μέχρι τίνος χρήμασι, καὶ τρυφῇ, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐσμὲν προδεδομένοι πάθεσιν; Ἀποστῶμεν οὖν λοιπόν. Ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης περί τινων ἀνοήτων· Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ 59.396 τῶν παρόντων οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· οὕτω πολλοὶ τὰ τῶν ἁπάντων περιβάλλονται. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτοῖς ὀνειδίζων ἔλεγεν ὁ προφήτης· Μὴ οἰκήσετε μόνοι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; ∆ιὸ καὶ δέδοικα μή τι γένηται χαλεπὸν, καὶ πολλὴν ἐπισπασώμεθα τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμωρίαν. Ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ γένηται, τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελώμεθα πάσης, ἵνα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν