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Peter thought he was saying something great; wherefore also, as if being generous, he added, "Up to seven times?" For this, he says, 58.588 which you commanded to do, how many times shall I do it? For if he always sins, and always repents when he is reproved, how many times do you command us to bear with him? For to that one who does not repent, nor condemn himself, you have set a limit, saying, "Let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector;" but to this one no longer, but you have commanded to receive him. How 58.589 many times then must I bear with him when he is reproved and repents? Is seven times enough? What then does Christ say, the philanthropic and good God? "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven;" not setting a number here, but what is infinite and continual and forever. For just as "ten thousand times" signifies "many times," so also here. For also, "The barren has borne seven," the Scripture says means "many." Therefore He did not enclose forgiveness within a number, but indicated what is continual and forever. Indeed, this He also showed through the parable which follows. For lest it should seem to some that He was commanding great and burdensome things in saying, "Seventy times seven," He added this parable, at once both leading to what He had said, and putting down the one who thinks highly of himself for this, and showing that the matter is not heavy, but in fact very easy. For this very reason He brought His own philanthropy to the fore, so that by the comparison, He says, you may learn that even if you forgive seventy times seven, even if you simply forgive all sins continually for your neighbor, as a drop of water to an infinite sea, so much, or rather much more, does your philanthropy fall short of the infinite goodness of God, of which you stand in need, being about to be judged and to give an account. Wherefore He also added, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves." "And when he had begun to settle them, one was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents." "And since he did not have the means to repay, he ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and his children, and all that he had." Then, since this man had enjoyed philanthropy, when he went out, he was choking a fellow slave who owed him one hundred denarii; and by these things having moved his master, he caused him to be thrown into prison again, until he should pay the whole debt. Do you see how great the difference is between sins against man and sins against God? As great as the difference between ten thousand talents and one hundred denarii; or rather, much more. And this comes both from the difference of the persons, and from the frequency of the sins. For when a man is watching, we both desist and are reluctant to sin; but when God sees us every day, we do not abstain, but we both do and say all things without fear. And not only from this, but also from the beneficence, and from the honor which we have enjoyed, the sins become more grievous. And if you wish to learn how our sins against Him are ten thousand talents, or rather much more, I will try to show in brief. But I am afraid lest to those who are inclined to wickedness and love to sin continually I should grant more license, or lest I should cast the more moderate into despair, and they say what the disciples said: "Who can be saved?" Nevertheless, even so I will speak, in order that I may make those who pay attention more secure and more moderate. For those who are incurably sick and callous, even without these words, do not desist from their own sloth and wickedness; and if from this they should take more occasion for carelessness, the fault is not in what is said, but in their own insensibility; since what is said will be able rather to restrain and to move to compunction those who pay attention; and the more moderate, when they see the weight of their sins, 58.590 and also learn the power of repentance, will cling to it more. Wherefore it is necessary to speak. I will speak, therefore, and I will set forth the sins, both those which we commit against God, and those which we commit against men; and I will set forth not my own, but the common ones; and let each one then add his own from his conscience. And I will do this, first setting forth the benefactions of God. What then are the benefactions?

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Ἐνόμισε μέγα τι λέγειν ὁ Πέτρος· διὸ καὶ ὡς φιλοτιμούμενος ἐπήγαγεν, Ἕως ἑπτάκις; Τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶν, 58.588 ὃ ἐκέλευσας ποιεῖν, ποσάκις ποιήσω; Ἂν γὰρ ἀεὶ μὲν ἁμαρτάνῃ, ἀεὶ δὲ ἐλεγχόμενος μετανοῇ, ποσάκις τούτου ἀνέχεσθαι κελεύεις ἡμᾶς; Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ τῷ μὴ μετανοοῦντι, μηδὲ καταγινώσκοντι ἑαυτοῦ, πέρας ἐπέθηκας εἰπὼν, Ἔστω σοι ὡς ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης· τούτῳ δὲ οὐκέτι, ἀλλ' ἐκέλευσας αὐτὸν προσίεσθαι. Πο 58.589 σάκις οὖν αὐτὸν ὀφείλω φέρειν ἐλεγχόμενον καὶ μετανοοῦντα; ἀρκεῖ ἑπτάκις; Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἀγαθὸς Θεός; Οὐ λέγω σοι ἕως ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ' ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά· οὐκ ἀριθμὸν τιθεὶς ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ διηνεκὲς καὶ ἀεί. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ μυριάκις τὸ πολλάκις δηλοῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ, Στεῖρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτὰ, τὰ πολλά φησιν ἡ Γραφή. Ὥστε οὐκ ἀριθμῷ συνέκλεισε τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ διηνεκὲς ἐδήλωσε καὶ ἀεί. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς τῆς ἐφεξῆς κειμένης ἔδειξεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ τισὶ μεγάλα καὶ φορτικὰ ἐπιτάττειν εἰπὼν, Ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτὰ, προσέθηκε τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην, ὁμοῦ τε ἐνάγων εἰς ὅπερ εἴρηκε, καὶ τὸν μέγα φρονοῦντα ἐπὶ τούτῳ καταστέλλων, καὶ δεικνὺς οὐ βαρὺ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὂν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα εὔκολον. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν εἰς μέσον ἤγαγεν, ἵνα τῇ παραθέσει, φησὶ, μάθῃς, ὅτι κἂν ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτὰ ἀφῇς, κἂν πάντα ἁπλῶς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα διηνεκῶς συγχωρῇς τῷ πλησίον, ὅσον σταγὼν ὕδατος πρὸς πέλαγος ἄπειρον, τοσοῦτον, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον ἀποδέει σου ἡ φιλανθρωπία πρὸς τὴν ἄπειρον ἀγαθότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἧς ἐν χρείᾳ καθέστηκας δικάζεσθαι μέλλων καὶ εὐθύνας παρέχειν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὅστις ἠθέλησε συνᾶραι λόγον μετὰ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ. Ἀρξαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν, προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ εἷς ὀφειλέτης μυρίων ταλάντων. Μὴ ἔχοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι, ἐκέλευσε πραθῆναι αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα, καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπήλαυσεν οὗτος, ἐξελθὼν, ὀφείλοντα αὐτῷ σύνδουλον ἑκατὸν δηνάρια ἔπνιγε· καὶ τούτοις κινήσας τὸν δεσπότην, παρεσκεύασεν εἰς δεσμωτήριον πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν, ἂν ἀποτίσῃ τὸ πᾶν. Εἶδες ὅσον τὸ μέσον τῶν εἰς ἄνθρωπον καὶ εἰς Θεὸν ἁμαρτημάτων; Ὅσον τὸ μέσον μυρίων ταλάντων καὶ ἑκατὸν δηναρίων· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν προσώπων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς συνεχείας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἀνθρώπου μὲν γὰρ ὁρῶντος, καὶ ἀφιστάμεθα, καὶ ὀκνοῦμεν ἁμαρτάνειν· Θεοῦ δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην βλέποντος τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἀπεχόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πράττομεν ἀδεῶς ἅπαντα, καὶ φθεγγόμεθα. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς εὐεργεσίας, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς ἧς ἀπηλαύσαμεν, χαλεπώτερα γίνεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε μαθεῖν, πῶς ἐστι μυρία τάλαντα, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτήματα, δεῖξαι πειράσομαι διὰ βραχέων. Ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι μὴ τοῖς πρὸς κακίαν ῥέπουσι καὶ διηνεκῶς ἁμαρτάνειν φιλοῦσι πλείονα παράσχω τὴν ἄδειαν, ἢ τοὺς ἐπιεικεστέρους εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμβάλω, καὶ τὸ τῶν μαθητῶν εἴπωσι· Τίς δύναται σωθῆναι; Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἐρῶ, ἵνα τοὺς προσέχοντας ἀσφαλεστέρους ἐργάσωμαι καὶ ἐπιεικεστέρους. Οἵ τε γὰρ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντες καὶ ἀνάλγητοι, καὶ τούτων χωρὶς τῶν λόγων, οὐκ ἀφίστανται τῆς οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας τε καὶ πονηρίας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πλείονα λαμβάνοιεν ἀφορμὴν ὀλιγωρίας, οὐ τῶν λεγομένων ἡ αἰτία, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀναισθησίας· ὡς τά γε λεγόμενα καὶ συστεῖλαι δυνήσεται καὶ κατανύξαι τοὺς προσέχοντας μᾶλλον· οἵ τε ἐπιεικέστεροι, ὅταν ἴδωσι μὲν τὸν ὄγκον τῶν ἁμαρτη 58.590 μάτων, μάθωσι δὲ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς μετανοίας, μᾶλλον αὐτῆς ἀνθέξονται· διόπερ ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Ἐρῶ τοίνυν, καὶ θήσω τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ὅσα τε εἰς Θεὸν πλημμελοῦμεν, καὶ ὅσα εἰς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ θήσω οὐ τὰ ἴδια, ἀλλὰ τὰ κοινά· τὰ δὲ ἴδια ἕκαστος συναπτέτω λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος. Ποιήσω δὲ τοῦτο, πρότερον τὰς εὐεργεσίας θεὶς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίνες οὖν αἱ εὐεργεσίαι;