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not tolerating what is troublesome, nor bearing what is painful, nor enduring what is laborious, walks outside of divine love and the purpose of Providence?

18. If love is patient and kind, how does one who is fainthearted in the face of painful events, and for this reason acts wickedly toward those who have caused him pain, and cuts himself off from love for them, not fall away from the purpose of divine Providence.

19. Pay attention to yourself, lest the wickedness that separates you from your brother be found not in your brother, but in you; and hasten to be reconciled to him, so that you may not fall away from the commandment of love.

20. Do not despise the commandment of love, for through it you will be a son of God; but if you transgress it, you will be found a son of Gehenna.

21. The things that separate from the love of friends are these: to envy or to be envied; to harm or to be harmed; to dishonor or to be dishonored, and thoughts arising from suspicion. Have you then done or suffered any such thing, and for this reason are you separated from your friend's love [unus Reg. ἀποχωρίζῃ].

22. A temptation from your brother has befallen you, and sorrow has led you to hatred. Do not be overcome by hatred, but overcome hatred with love. And you will overcome in this way: by praying for him genuinely to God; by accepting his apology; or by healing him yourself through one, and by considering yourself the cause of the temptation, and by being patient until the cloud passes.

(1053) 23. He is patient who awaits the end of the temptation and receives the boast of endurance.

24. A patient man is great in understanding; because he refers all that happens to the end; and awaiting that, he endures painful things. And the end is eternal life, according to the divine Apostle. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

25. Do not be quick to cast away spiritual love, because no other way of salvation is left to men.

26. Do not judge the brother who yesterday was spiritual and virtuous as base and wicked, because of the hatred arising in you today from the influence of the evil one; but through patient love, considering the good things of yesterday, cast off the hatred of today from your soul.

27. Do not speak evil today as base and wicked of him whom you praised yesterday as good and eulogized as virtuous, because of your own change from love to hatred, making the reproach of your brother an excuse for the wicked hatred in you. But persist in the same praises, even if you are still held by sorrow, and you will easily return to saving love.

28. Do not, in the company of the other brothers, adulterate the customary praise of your brother because of the hidden sorrow for him that still exists in you, secretly mixing reproach with your words; but use pure praise in company, and pray for him genuinely as for yourself; and you will be quickly freed from destructive hatred.

29. Do not say, "I do not hate my brother," while turning away from his memory. But hear Moses saying: You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your brother and not bear sin because of him.

30. If a brother, being tempted, perhaps persists in speaking evil of you, do not you, at least, be moved from the state of love, enduring the same wicked demon who troubles you in your mind. And you will not be moved from it if, when you are reviled, you bless; if, when you are plotted against, you show goodwill. This is the way of the philosophy according to Christ; and he who does not walk this way does not dwell with Him.

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στέγων τά ὀχληρά, μηδέ φέρων τά λυπηρά, μηδέ ὑπομένων τά ἐπίπονα, ἐκτός τῆς θείας ἀγάπης καί τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς Προνοίας περιπατεῖ;

ιη΄. Εἰ ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ καί χρηστεύεται, ὁ ὀλιγοψυχῶν ἐπί τοῖς συμβαίνουσι λυπηροῖς, καί διά τοῦτο πονηρευόμενος ἐπί τοῖς λυπήσασι, καί τῆς πρός αὐτούς ἀγάπης ἑαυτόν ἀποκόπτων, πῶς τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς θείας Προνοίας οὐκ ἐκπίπτει.

ιθ΄. Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, μήποτε ἡ χωρίζουσά σε ἐκ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ κακία, οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ· ἀλλ᾿ ἐν σοί εὑρίσκηται· καί σπεῦσον αὐτῷ διαλλαγῆναι, ἵνα μή τῆς ἐντολῆς τῆς ἀγάπης ἐκπέσῃς.

κ΄. Μή καταφρονήσῃς τῆς ἐντολῆς τῆς ἀγάπης, ὅτι δι᾿ αὐτῆς υἱός Θεοῦ ἔσῃ· ἥν παραβαίνων, υἱός γεέννης εὑρεθήσῃ.

κα΄. Τά χωρίζοντα τῆς τῶν φίλων ἀγάπης, εἰσί ταῦτα τό φθονεῖν, ἤ φθονεῖσθαι· τό ζημιοῦν, ἤ ζημιοῦσθαι· τό ἀτιμάζειν, ἤ ἀτιμάζεσθαι, καί οἱ ἐξ ὑπονοίας λογισμοί. Μήποτε οὖν ἕδρασάς τι τοιοῦτον ἤ πέπονθας, καί διά τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ φίλου ἀγάπης χωρίζῃ [unus Reg. ἀποχωρίζῃ].

κβ΄. Συνέβη σοι πειρασμός ἐκ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, καί ἡ λύπη εἰς μῖσός σε ἤγαγε. Μή νικῶ ὑπό τοῦ μίσους, ἀλλά νίκα ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τό μῖσος. Νικήσεις δέ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ· προσευχόμενος ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ γνησίως πρός τόν Θεόν· τήν τε ἀπολογίαν αὐτοῦ δεχόμενος· ἤ καί αὐτός διά ταύτης αὐτόν θεραπεύων, καί σεαυτόν αἴτιον τοῦ πειρασμοῦ λογιζόμενος, καί μακροθυμῶν μέχρις οὗ παρέλθῃ τό νέφος.

(1053) κγ΄. Μακρόθυμός ἐστιν, ὁ τό τέλος ἐκδεχόμενος τοῦ πειρασμοῦ, καί τό καύχημα τῆς καρτερίας λαμβάνων.

κδ΄. Ἀνήρ μακρόθυμος, πολύς ἐν φρονήσει· ὅτι πάντα τά συμβαίνοντα ἐπί τό τέλος ἀναφέρει· κἀκεῖνο περιμένων, ἀνέχεται τῶν λυπηρῶν. Τό δέ τέλος ἐστί, ζωή αἰώνιος, κατά τόν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τόν μόνον ἀληθινόν Θεόν, καί ὅν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.

κε΄. Μή εὔκολος ἔσο ἐπί ἀποβολῇ πνευματικῆς ἀγάπης, διότι ἄλλη σωτηρίας ὁδός οὐχ ὑπολέλειπται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.

κστ΄. Μή τόν χθές πνευματικόν ἀδελφόν καί ἐνάρετον, διά τό ἐν σοί σήμερον ἐξ ἐπηρείας τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐγγινόμενον μῖσος, κρῖνε φαῦλον καί πονηρόν· ἀλλά διά τῆς μακροθυμούσης ἀγάπης τά χθεσινά καλά λογιζόμενος, τό σήμερον μῖσος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπόβαλε.

κζ΄. Μή ὅν ἐπῄνεις χθές ὡς καλόν, καί ἐνεκωμίαζες ὡς ἐνάρετον, σήμερον ὡς φαῦλον καί πονηρόν κακολογήσῃς διά τήν σήν ἐξ ἀγάπης εἰς μῖσος μεταβολήν τόν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ψόγον, ἀπολογίαν τοῦ ἐν σοί πονηροῦ μίσους ποιούμενος· ἀλλά τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐγκωμίοις ἐπίμεινον, κἄν ἔτι ὑπό τῆς λύπης κεκράτησαι, καί εἰς τήν σωτηρίαν ἀγάπης εὐχερῶς ἐπανέρχῃ.

κη΄. Μή τόν συνήθη τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἔπαινον, διά τήν ἔτι ἐν σοί πρός αὐτόν ὑπάρχουσαν κεκρυμμένην λύπην, ἐν τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀδελφῶν συντυχίᾳ νοθεύσῃς· συμπαραμίσγων τοῖς λόγοις λεληθότως τόν ψόγον· ἀλλά καθαρῷ τῷ ἐπαίνῳ ἐν τῇ συντυχίᾳ χρῆσαι, καί γνησίως ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς σαυτοῦ, προσεύχου· καί τοῦ ὀλεθρίου μίσους τάχιστα ἀπαλλάττῃ.

κθ΄. Μή εἴπῃς· Οὐ μισῶ τόν ἀδελφόν, τήν μνήμην αὐτοῦ ἀποστρεφόμενος. Ἀλλά ἄκουσον Μωϋσέως λέγοντος· Μή μισήσῃς τόν ἀδελφόν σου τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· ἐλεγμῷ ἐλέγξεις τόν ἀδελφόν σου καί οὐ λήψῃ δι᾿ αὐτόν ἁμαρτίαν.

λ΄. Ἐάν ἀδελφός τυχόν πειραζόμενος ἐπιμείνῃ κακολογῶν σε, ἀλλά σύ γε μή ἐξενεχθῇς τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς καταστάσεως, τοῦ αὐτοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἀνεχόμενος, ἐνοχλοῦντος κατά διάνοιαν. Οὐκ ἐξενεχθήσῃ δέ ταύτης, ἐάν λοιδορούμενος εὐλογήσῃς· ἐάν ἐπιβουλευόμεος, εὐνοήσῃς. Αὕτη ἐστίν ἡ ὁδός τῆς κατά Χριστόν φιλοσοφίας· καί ὁ μή ταύτην ὁδεύων οὐ συναυλίζεται αὐτῷ.