Letter 82: The most just judge of disputed matters, in my opinion, is the one who is not overawed by the highest rank but...
By "eye" and "right hand" the all-good Christ designated the closeness of those who are intimate and dear to us, calling our well-wishers by the names of those members through which we accomplish what pleases us. If, then, even the dearest friend becomes an occasion of stumbling, it is better to sever the friendship than to lose the soul. For no human bond is worth the price of eternal perdition.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
ΠΓ'. – ΛΕΟΝΤΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ.
Πῶς νοητέον, « Εἰ ὀφθαλμός σου ἢ χείρ σου σκανδαλίζει σε.
Ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ χεῖρα δεξιὰν ὁ πανάγαθος Χριστὸς τὴν ἐγγύτητα τῶν ἐπιτηδείων καὶ γνησίων ἡμῖν ἐπωνόμασε, τοὺς εὔνους ἡμῖν (82) πρὸς γνησίαν συνεργίαν, ἐκείνοις καλέσας τῶν μελῶν τοῖς ὀνόμασι, δι' ὧν ἡμεῖς τὰ ἀρέσκοντα πράττομεν. Ὅταν οὖν τις ἐξ αὐτῶν σκανδάλου αἴτιος γένηται, καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ καλινδῆταί τινι, ἡμῖν λοιδορίαν φερούσῃ, καὶ αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν προξενούσῃ, ἐκκόπτειν χρὴ τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἵνα * μὴ λοιμὸν μιμησάμενος, νεμηθῇ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀκεραιότητα, τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν ἐκ τοιούτων παθῶν εἰσφρήσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλγηδόνα,
hujusmodi vitiis sani sunt impacto.
ΠΒ΄. – ΙΟΑΝΝΗ ΣΧΟΛΑΣΤΙΚΟ
Οὐδεὶς, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, ἀνδρεῖὸν ἔχων φρόνημα,
καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προσηγορίας ἄξιος, τῇ τῶν ἀν-
δρογύνων θέᾳ ἀλίσκεται, τῶν τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἐξορ-
χουμένων βίον· καὶ τὸ τηνικαῦτα μάλιστα εὐδοκι-
μούντων, ἡνίκα ἂν ὡς μάλιστα ἐκκαυθῶσιν.
ΠΕΛΑΓΙΩ
Θεραπεύειν μὲν τὰ πάθη χρηστόν, ἀναλγεῖν δὲ
ΠΓ΄. – ΕΥΤΟΝΙΑ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ.
Εἰ τὸ κάλλος τοῦ σώματος οὐδ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκπλήξεων
ἀλλοιοῦται, σώζει δ᾽ αὐτὸ κἂν ἐν δακρύοις ᾖ· πολλῷ
μᾶλλον ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ὥρα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων πει
ρασμῶν ἀλλοιωθῆναι οὐκ ὀφείλει, κἂν ἐν συμφοραίς
τυγχάνῃ.
ΠΔ'. – ΛΟΥΚΙΑΝΩ (68).
Κακὸν μὲν τὸ ἀδικεῖν· κάκιον δὲ τὸ ἀδίκως ψηφίζε-
σθαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐλπίδα βοηθείας καταλιμπάνει τῷ
ἀδικηθέντι· τὸ δὲ καὶ ταύτην ἀφαιρεῖται, βεβαιώσαν
τὸ ἀδίκημα. Μήτ᾽ οὖν ἀδικῶμεν· μήτ᾽, ἂν κριταὶ εὑ-
ρεθείημεν (69), ἀδίκως ψηφιζώμεθα.
ΡΜΘ΄. – ΕΥΑΓΡΙΩ
Θεοπρεπέστερον μὲν τὸν λόγον τῷ βίῳ συνεῖναι.
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