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On Peace III

ORATION 23.

A Third Oration on Peace, concerning the reconciliation which we of the same faith made after the division.

I. Zeal is ardent, the Spirit is gentle, love is philanthropic, or rather, philanthropy itself; hope is long-suffering. Zeal inflames, the Spirit calms, hope waits, love binds, and does not allow the good in us to be scattered, even if we are of a scattered nature, and one of three things: either remaining, it abides; or being moved, it is settled; or having departed, it returns; just as plants which are forcibly transplanted by hand, then left, run back again to themselves and their own first nature, and show what is proper to them, being diverted by force, but not set right by force. For by nature wickedness is ready at hand, and the course to the worse is great, a stream running down a steep incline, or some straw easily ignited by a spark and wind, and becoming a flame, and consumed together with its own offspring. For fire is the offspring of matter, and consumes the matter, as wickedness does the wicked, and perishes along with its food. But if someone should be in the habit of some good, and be qualified by it, to change is more difficult than to become good from the beginning. Since also every good thing confirmed by time and reason becomes a nature, just as the love within us, with which we serve the true Love, and which we have loved and set before our whole life.

II. Where then are those who diligently watch our affairs, both when they are going well and otherwise, not that they may judge, but that they may malign; nor that they may rejoice with us, but that they may rejoice over us, and slander the good things, and make a tragedy of the bad things, and have as a defense for their own 35.1153 evils the wounds of their neighbors? If only they judged justly! For there would be some benefit even from bile, according to the proverb, if through fear of enemies one could be safer; but now it is with enmity, and with the malice that darkens their reasonings, by which not even their censure has credibility. Where then are those who hate equally both divinity and us? For this is the most magnificent thing of what we suffer, that we are in danger with God. Where ever are for us the gentle judges of their own affairs, but the strict examiners of others', that here too they may falsify the truth? Where ever are for us those who have wounds, and yet reproach us with our bruises? those who ridicule our stumblings, and suffer falls themselves? those who wallow in the mire, and rejoice over our stains? those who are blinded by beams, and bring up the motes, which neither hurt much when they are in, nor are difficult to be removed and blown from the sight?

III. Come, share in our secrets; we summon you to the council, even though we are hated; we use our enemies as arbiters (oh, the audacity, or the boldness!), so that you may depart shamed and defeated (what is more paradoxical than this?), having learned of our health from the things by which we were sick. For we were not at variance about divinity, but we contended for good order; nor did we dispute which of the impieties one should rather choose, whether that which denies God, or that which divides Him, whether the Spirit alone from the divine essence, or also the Son with the Spirit, the one portion, or the two, of impiety. For these, to sum them up, are the present sicknesses; since ascents are set in the heart, not of confession, but of denial; not of theology, but of blasphemy. For one of another

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De pace iii

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΓʹ.

Εἰρηνικὸς γʹ εἰς τὴν σύμβασιν, ἣν μετὰ τὴν σύστασιν ἐποιησάμεθα οἱ ὁμόδοξοι.

Αʹ. Θερμὸς ὁ ζῆλος, πρᾶον τὸ Πνεῦμα, φιλάνθρω πον ἡ ἀγάπη, μᾶλλον δ'

αὐτοφιλανθρωπία· μακρόθυ μον ἡ ἐλπίς. Ὁ ζῆλος ἀνάπτει, τὸ Πνεῦμα πραΰνει, ἡ ἐλπὶς ἀναμένει, ἡ ἀγάπη συνδεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ σκε δασθῆναι τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν καλὸν, καὶ εἰ σκεδαστῆς ἐσμεν φύσεως, καὶ τριῶν ἓν, ἢ οὖσα μένει, ἢ κινηθεῖσα καθ ίσταται, ἢ ἀπελθοῦσα ἐπάνεισι· καθάπερ τῶν φυτῶν ἃ βίᾳ χερσὶ μετασπώμενα, εἶτ' ἀφιέμενα, πρὸς ἑαυτὰ πάλιν ἐπανατρέχει καὶ τὴν πρώτην ἑαυτῶν φύ σιν, καὶ δείκνυσι τὸ οἰκεῖον, βίᾳ μὲν ἀποκλινό μενα, οὐ βίᾳ δὲ ἀνορθούμενα. Φύσει μὲν γὰρ πρόχει ρον ἡ κακία, καὶ πολὺς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ὁ δρόμος, ῥοῦς κατὰ πρανοῦς τρέχων, ἢ καλάμη τις πρὸς σπιν θῆρα καὶ ἄνεμον ῥᾳδίως ἐξαπτομένη, καὶ γινομένη φλὸξ, καὶ συνδαπανωμένη τῷ οἰκείῳ γεννήματι. Πῦρ γὰρ ὕλης γέννημα, καὶ δαπανᾷ τὴν ὕλην, ὡς τοὺς κακοὺς ἡ κακία, καὶ τῇ τροφῇ συναπέρχεται. Εἰ δέ τις ἐν ἕξει καλοῦ τινος γένοιτο, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ποιωθείη, τὸ μεταπεσεῖν ἐργωδέστερον, ἢ γενέσθαι ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀγαθόν. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ λόγῳ βεβαιωθὲν ἅπαν καλὸν, φύσις καθίσταται, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπη, μεθ' ἧς λατρεύομεν τῇ ὄντως ἀγάπῃ, καὶ ἣν ἠγαπήσαμεν, καὶ παντὸς τοῦ βίου προ εστησάμεθα.

Βʹ. Ποῦ τοίνυν οἱ τὰ ἡμέτερα τηροῦντες ἐπιμελῶς, εὖ τε καὶ ὡς ἑτέρως ἔχοντα, οὐχ ἵνα κρίνωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα κακίσωσιν· οὐδ' ἵνα συνησθῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἐφησθῶ σι, καὶ τὰ μὲν καλὰ συκοφαντήσωσι, τὰ δὲ φαῦλα ἐκ τραγῳδήσωσι, καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἔχωσι τῶν οἰκείων κα 35.1153 κῶν, τὰ τῶν πλησίον τραύματα; εἴθε δικαίως κρίνοντες! Ἦν γὰρ ἄν τι καὶ χολῆς ὄφελος, κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, εἰ φόβῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑπῆρχεν εἶναι ἀσφαλεστέρους· νῦν δὲ μετὰ τῆς ἔχθρας, καὶ τῆς ἐπισκοτούσης τοῖς λογισμοῖς κακίας, ὑφ' ἧς οὐδὲ ὁ ψόγος ἔχει τὸ ἀξιόπιστον. Ποῦ τοίνυν οἱ μισοῦντες ἐπίσης καὶ θεότητα καὶ ἡμᾶς; τοῦτο γὰρ ὧν πάσχο μεν τὸ μεγαλοπρεπέστατον, ὅτι μετὰ Θεοῦ κινδυνεύο μεν. Ποῦ ποτε ἡμῖν οἱ τῶν ἰδίων πρᾶοι κριταὶ, τῶν δὲ ἀλλοτρίων ἀκριβεῖς ἐξετασταὶ, ἵνα κἀνταῦθα ψεύ δωνται τὴν ἀλήθειαν; Ποῦ ποτε ἡμῖν οἱ τὰ τραύματα ἔχοντες, καὶ τοὺς μώλωπας ὀνειδίζοντες; οἱ τὰ προσ κόμματα διασύροντες, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτοὶ πά σχοντες; οἱ τῷ βορβόρῳ ἐγκαλινδούμενοι, καὶ τοῖς σπίλοις ἡμῶν ἐπευφραινόμενοι; οἱ ταῖς δοκοῖς τυ φλώττοντες, καὶ τὰ κάρφη προφέροντες, ἃ μήτε λυπεῖ λίαν ἐγκείμενα, μήτε χαλεπὸν ἀποσκευασθῆναι καὶ ἀποφυσηθῆναι τῆς ὄψεως;

Γʹ. ∆εῦρο μετάσχετε τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων τῶν ἡμετέ ρων· καλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ μισούμε νοι· χρώμεθα διαιτηταῖς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, (ὢ τῆς αὐ θαδείας, ἢ τῆς παῤῥησίας!) ἵν' ἀπέλθητε ᾐσχυμμένοι καὶ ἡττημένοι, (τί τούτων παραδοξότερον;) μα θόντες ἡμῶν τὴν ὑγίειαν ἐξ ὧν ἠῤῥωστήσαμεν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ θεότητος διηνέχθημεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ εὐταξίας ἠγωνισάμεθα· οὐδ' ὁποτέραν δεῖ τῶν ἀσεβειῶν ἑλέσθαι μᾶλλον ἠμφισβητήσαμεν, εἴτε τὴν συναιροῦ σαν Θεὸν, ἢ τὴν τέμνουσαν, εἴτε τὸ Πνεῦμα μό νον ἀπὸ τῆς θεϊκῆς οὐσίας, εἴτε καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν πρὸς τῷ Πνεύματι, τὴν μίαν μοῖραν, ἢ τὰς δύο τῆς ἀσεβείας. Ταῦτα γὰρ, ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περιλα βεῖν, τὰ νῦν ἀῤῥωστήματα· ἐπειδὴ ἀναβάσεις ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τίθενται, οὐχ ὁμολογίας, ἀλλ' ἀρνή σεως· οὐδὲ θεολογίας, ἀλλὰ βλασφημίας. Ἄλλος γὰρ ἄλλου