Of Cyril. For a clear proof of a firm mind and most perfect sense is to have nothing fading on the tongue, that is, to ever endure unbridled speech; but rather to consider it a matter of all worth, to know how to speak well and to speak things full of all praise. Therefore, it is a most fitting thing indeed, especially among those who have chosen to live well, to speak wisdom; for foolish talking is to be rejected by the saints, and it is altogether unusual to use either coarse jesting or shameful speech, which are not fitting, as the all-wise Paul says. But it is dear to them, and they have become zealous for this, to speak well; for they remember, as is fitting, the Holy Scripture saying: Let your speech be with grace, seasoned with salt, that it may give grace to the hearers. And again: The God-inspired Scripture accepts reasonableness in words, but very rightly condemns the unrestrained tongue. For it said: If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. And David also sings somewhere: Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. And again: I said, ‘I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue.’ For the best guard is to have a tongue that does not stumble Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.

Of Cyril. It shears away every difficult passion of our minds, the beginning and birth of arrogance. For although some ought to examine themselves and live according to God, they do not do this, but meddle in the affairs of others; and if they see some who are weak, as if forgetting their own infirmities, they make the matter a pretext for fault-finding and a pretext for slander. For they condemn them, not knowing that, suffering the same things as those slandered by them, they condemn themselves. Thus the most wise Paul also writes somewhere: For in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit."

Of Cyril. For those who insatiably gape for commerce and the avarice resulting from it endure long journeys, sea voyages and the waves therein; others make the power they have acquired a weapon of greed against others; still others fatten their purses 74.1012 from wicked devices, and by impiously collecting interest upon interest, they pour down fire and punishment upon their own heads. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded.

Of Cyril. That is, wrath having all but slaughtered, and having laid low as it were certain stout and fat rams and bulls. To whom it might fittingly be said by us: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you." And we will add to this: "You have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton; you have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter." For such have the leaders of the Jews become, feeding, as it were, on a fat and spacious place, the gifts brought from the peoples. But having been fattened, as it were, the wretched ones have fallen by the sword of the Lord; Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

Of Cyril. For if God postpones, he says, the punishment of sinners, awaiting their repentance, He does not do these things as if having changed, or as loving sinners, but providing them a time for conversion Having spoken of the punishment of the unjust, he fittingly advises those who have been wronged to be patient while awaiting the coming of the Lord. And at the same time he forbids taking oaths, and

Κυρίλλου. Βεβηκότος γὰρ νοῦ καὶ φρενὸς τῆς τελειοτάτης ἀπόδειξις ἐναργὴς, τὸ μηδὲν ἐξίτηλον ἐπὶ γλώσσης ἔχειν, ἤγουν ἀθυροστομεῖν ἀνέχεσθαί ποτε· ἡγεῖσθαι δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ παντὸς ἄξιον λόγου, εὐηγορεῖν εἰδέναι καὶ λαλεῖν τὰ παντὸς ἐπαίνου μεστά. Χρῆμα δὴ οὖν πρεπωδέστατον ὅτι μάλιστά γε ἐν τοῖς εὐζωεῖν ᾑρημένοις τὸ λαλεῖν σοφίαν· ἀπόβλητον γὰρ ἁγίοις τὸ μωρολογεῖν, καὶ ἀσύνηθες κομιδῇ τὸ κεχρῆσθαί τισιν ἢ εὐτραπελίαις, ἤγουν αἰσχρορημοσύναις, αἳ οὐκ ἀνῆκον, καθά φησιν ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος. Φίλον δὲ αὐτοῖς, καὶ διὰ σπουδῆς γεγόνασι τούτου, εὐηγορεῖν· διαμέμνηνται γὰρ, κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς, τῆς ἁγίας λεγούσης Γραφῆς· Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀποδέχεται μὲν ἡ θεόπνευστος Γραφὴ τὸ ἐπιεικὲς εἰς λόγους, καταψέγει δὲ μάλα εἰκότως τῆς γλώσσης τὸ ἀκρατές. Ἔφη μὲν γάρ· Εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνὴρ, δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγεῖσθαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. Ψάλλει δέ που καὶ ∆αβίδ· Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου, καὶ θύραν περιοχῆς περὶ τὰ χείλη μου. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἶπα· Φυλάξω τὰς ὁδούς μου, τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν με ἐν γλώσσῃ μου. Ἀρίστη γὰρ φυλακὴ τὸ ἄπταιστον ἔχειν τὴν γλῶσσαν Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί· ὁ καταλαλῶν ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, κατα λαλεῖ νόμου, καὶ κρίνει νόμον.

Κυρίλλου. Πᾶν χαλεπὸν ἀποκείρει πάθος τῶν ἡμετέρων διανοιῶν, ὑπεροψίας ἀρχὴν καὶ γέννησιν. Καίτοι γὰρ δέον τινὰς ἑαυτοὺς κατασκέπτεσθαι, καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτεύεσθαι, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ δρῶσι, πολυπραγμονοῦσι δὲ τὰ ἑτέρων· κἂν ἀσθενοῦντας ἴδωσί τινας, ὥσπερ εἰς λήθην ἐρχόμενοι τῶν ἰδίων ἀῤῥωστημάτων, φιλοψογίας ὑπόθεσιν ποιοῦνται τὸ χρῆμα καὶ καταλαλιᾶς ὑπόθεσιν. Καταψηφίζονται γὰρ αὐτῶν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι, τὰ ἴσα νοσοῦντες τοῖς παρ' αὐτῶν διαβεβλημένοις, ἑαυτῶν κατακρίνουσιν. Οὕτω που καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος γράφει Παῦλος· Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις. Τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ πράσσεις ὁ κρίνων. Ἄγε νῦν οἱ λέγοντες· Σήμερον καὶ αὔριον πορευσώμεθα εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ποιήσωμεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν, καὶ ἐμπορευσώμεθα, καὶ κερδήσωμεν.

Κυρίλλου. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἐμπορίας καὶ τὰς ἐντεῦθεν φιλοκερδείας ἀκορέστως κεχηνότες ὁδοιποριῶν ἀνέχονται μακρῶν, ναυτιλίας καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ κυμάτων· οἱ δὲ τὴν πεπορισμένην αὐτοῖς δυναστείαν ὅπλον ποιοῦνται τῆς καθ' ἑτέρων πλεονεξίας· ἕτεροι δὲ αὐτὰ ἐκ μοχθηρῶν εὑρημάτων 74.1012 παχύνουσι βαλάντια, καὶ ἐπὶ τόκοις τόκους ἀνοσίως συλλέγοντες, πῦρ καὶ κόλασιν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν καταχέουσι κεφαλαῖς. Ἄγε νῦν, οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις. Ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπε, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν· ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται.

Κυρίλλου. Τουτέστιν ἡ ὀργὴ μονονουχὶ κατασφάξασα, καὶ οἷόν τινας κριοὺς καὶ ταύρους ἁδρούς τε καὶ πίονας καταστρώσασα. Οἷς ἂν εἰκότως λέγοιτο πρὸς ἡμῶν· Ἄγε νῦν, οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις. Προσεποίσομεν δὲ τούτοις τὸ, Ἐτρυφήσατε, ἐσπαταλήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ γεγόνασιν οἱ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καθηγηταὶ, καταβοσκόμενοι μὲν τρόπον τινὰ τόπον πίονα καὶ εὐρύχωρον, τὰς ἐκ τῶν λαῶν δωροφορίας. Καταπιανθέντες δὲ ὥσπερ ταῖς τῇ τοῦ Κυρίου μαχαίρᾳ περιπεσόντες οἱ δείλαιοι· Μακροθυμήσατε οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου.

Κυρίλλου. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὑπερτίθεται, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων τὴν τιμωρίαν, περιμένων αὐτῶν τὴν μετάνοιαν, οὐχ ὡς μεταβεβλημένος ταῦτα ποιεῖ, ἢ καὶ φιλῶν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀλλὰ καιρὸν αὐτοῖς ἐπιστροφῆς παρέχων Εἰπὼν τῶν ἀδίκων τὴν τιμωρίαν, τοῖς ἀδικηθεῖσιν εἰκότως μακροθυμεῖν παραινεῖ τὴν παρουσίαν ἐκδεχομένοις τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὅρκων ἀπαγορεύει ἅπτεσθαι, καὶ