Demonstrations 2.13–3.4

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

When Simon Peter heard this word, he said to the Lord: "How often, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him? Seven times?" The Lord said to him: "Not only seven times, but seventy times seven times." Even if he sins against you four hundred and ninety times in one day, forgive him. In this he showed himself like his good Father, who multiplied forgiveness toward Jerusalem. After he sent the children of Israel captive to Babylon, he chastened them there seventy years; but when his compassion was moved, he gathered them into their land through Ezra the scribe and extended his forgiveness toward them by half of one of his days, that is, seventy weeks of years, or four hundred and ninety years. But afterwards, when they had shed innocent blood, Jerusalem did not go unpunished; he delivered it into the hands of its enemies, who overthrew it and did not leave stone upon stone in it, nor did they keep its foundations for the Lord. Nor did he promise any longer that the sons of Edom would pay a penalty, because they had not cried out against Jerusalem: "Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations" … God … years, spared them, bearing their iniquities. But after this he overthrew Jerusalem and delivered it into the hands of strangers. By this measure our Life-giver commanded them that each should forgive his brother four hundred and ninety times in one day.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Do not be difficult, my beloved, about the word I have written to you, that God spared Jerusalem for half of his day; for David wrote in the ninetieth psalm: "A thousand years in the eyes of the Lord are like yesterday that has passed"; and likewise our wise teachers say that, as the world was established by God within six days, so it will be dissolved at the completion of six thousand years, and the sabbath of God will come, like that sabbath which followed the six days; as our Savior taught and showed us about the sabbath in these words: "Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath." The Apostle also says: "Until now the sabbath of God remains; let us be eager to enter into his rest."

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

When the Lord taught his disciples the prayer, he said to them: "Pray thus: Forgive us our debts, and we too will forgive our debtors." And again he said: "When you wish to bring an offering and remember that you have some enmity against your brother, leave your offering before the altar, go and be reconciled to your brother, and then come back and offer your offering"; so that no one, saying in prayer, "Forgive us our debts, and we too will forgive our debtors," may be snared by his own mouth and receive this answer from him who receives prayers: "You do not forgive your debtor; how then will you be forgiven?", and his prayer remain on earth. Moreover the Lord set before us the example of a man who began to take account from his servants; and when his servant came to him who owed him ten thousand talents, and his lord pressed him to pay the debt and he could not pay his lord the money, his lord ordered him released and forgave him the debt. But the wicked servant, forgetting the mercy his lord had generously shown him, went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him he choked him, saying: "Pay me what you owe me"; he did not accept the plea with which his fellow servant begged him, but went and threw him into prison. Therefore, because he to whom much had been forgiven did not forgive his fellow servant a little, he himself was handed over to the officers to beat him until he paid the debt. And he says to them: "So also my Father who is in heaven will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother."

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

See too, my dearest, how highly the blessed Apostle also values love, when he says: "If you are zealous for great gifts, I will show you yet what the more excellent gift is." And he adds: "If I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and all faith, so that I move a mountain, but do not have love, I shall gain nothing at all. And if I feed the poor with all that I have and hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, again I shall gain nothing at all." For he speaks further thus: "Love is long-suffering and kind; it is not jealous, does not boast, is not puffed up, and does not seek what pleases itself only but what benefits many. Love hopes all things, endures all things; love never fails." And again he says: "Love is greater than all." The Apostle shows and demonstrates that love surpasses all after faith, and that a firm building is built on it. He shows further that prophecy is built in love, mysteries are revealed by love, knowledge is completed by love, faith is proved by love; and if someone who has faith moves a mountain, without love it profits nothing; or if a person gives to the poor whatever he has but does not give his alms in love, it does him no good; likewise, though he burn his body in fire for the name of the Lord, it will profit him nothing. He shows further that long-suffering, patience, gentleness, and not envying one's brother are found in the fullness of love; and again that patience, humility, and kindness are established in love. For faith is set on the rock of the building, but love is the bonding by which the walls of the house are held together. If some flaw is found in the bonds of the house, the whole building falls; so too in love, if you find dissension, all faith falls. Nor can faith drive out envy and strife until the love of Christ comes, just as a building cannot rise as it should as long as the walls are not bound together by their bonds.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Now I will show you, my friend, that love is more excellent than all things, and that through it the righteous of old were made perfect. Of Moses [Scripture] declares that he gave himself up for his people, wishing to be blotted out of the book of life, provided that the people were not blotted out. Again, when they rose against him to stone him, he made supplication to God for them, that they might be saved. David gave a like example of love: while Saul pursued him and constantly lay in wait for his life to kill him, David showed the most generous mercy toward Saul his enemy, who sought his life; for when Saul was twice delivered into his hands he did not kill him, and he repaid good for evil. Therefore good did not depart from his house, and he who had forgiven was forgiven. But Saul, because he repaid evil for good, evil did not depart from his house; he cried to God and God did not hear him, and he fell by the sword of the Philistines; and David mourned him bitterly. So David anticipated the carrying out of the Savior's command, who says: "Love your enemies" and "Forgive and you will be forgiven." So David loved and was loved; he forgave and was forgiven.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Elisha too [showed] the same love … his enemies [came] to him to seize him and do him harm. But he did them good, set bread and water before them, and sent them away from him in peace, fulfilling the word that is written: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him drink." Likewise Jeremiah the prophet prayed earnestly before God for those who had cast him into the pit and continually afflicted him. With these examples of the ancients the Savior taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who hate us. If then he commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who hate us, what answer will be left to us on the day of judgment, we who now hate our brothers and our own members? For we are of the body of Christ, and members of his members. Whoever hates one of the members of Christ will be torn away from the whole body, and whoever hates his brother will be separated from the children of God.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

We are also stirred to love by what the Savior himself taught us. For first he perfected it in himself, then he taught his hearers. He reconciled our enmity with his Father because he loved us, and gave his innocence for the guilty; the Good was defamed for the wicked, the Rich became poor for our sake, the Living died for the dead, and by his death he gave life to our mortality. The Son of the Lord of all took the form of a servant for our sake; and he whom all things serve subjected himself, to rescue us from the slavery of sin. And in his very great love he pronounced the poor in spirit blessed; he promised the peacemakers that they would be his brothers and would be called sons of God; he promised the humble that they would inherit the land of life; he promised those who mourn that they would be heard in their prayers; he pledged satisfaction in his kingdom to the hungry; he gladdened those who weep with his promise; he promised the merciful that they would obtain mercy, and foretold that the pure in heart would see God; he promised also those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake that they would enter the kingdom of heaven; and to those afflicted for his name he promised good things and rest in his kingdom. He changed our dusty nature and made us the salt of truth, and rescued us from being the serpent's prey. He called us the light of the world, to free us from the power of death. He made us good instead of evil, pleasing instead of hateful, and gave us mercy instead of hatred; he shared with us the perfect man who brings good things out of his treasures, stripping us of him who brings evil things out of the overflow of the heart.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

And because of the abundance of his love he healed the wounds of the sick. He cured the centurion's son because of the centurion's faith; he silenced the storm of the sea for us by his power, and drove out from us the demons of the Legion by his grace; in his mercy he restored the synagogue ruler's daughter to life; he also cleansed the woman from her flow of blood, and opened the eyes of the two blind men who came to him. He also gave his Twelve power and authority over every sickness and disease, and to us likewise through their hands. He kept us from the way of the Gentiles and the Samaritans, and in his mercy gave us strength not to fear when they bring us before the powers of the world. He sent division on the earth for the sake of his great peace. In his mercy he forgave the sinful woman many debts, and by his grace counted us worthy to build the tower at his expense. He cast unclean spirits out of us and made us a dwelling of his divinity; he sowed good seed in us, which will bear fruit, each a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold. He was placed in the world like a treasure hidden in a field; and he revealed the power of his greatness when he was cast down from the height into the depth and was not harmed. He satisfied the hungry who were fainting with five loaves and two fishes, five thousand men, besides children and women; and he showed the greatness of his glory. Because of his immense love he heard the Canaanite woman and raised her daughter from sickness. By the command of him who sent him he loosed the tongue of the mute man whose ear was also stopped; and the blind saw his light and through him praised him who sent him. And when he went up the mountain to pray … that boy whom the spirit troubled, when the lunatic demon departed at his word. He also gave us an example and likeness, that we become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. He said and taught about little children that no one should despise them, because their angels … [the man who] had been sick for thirty-eight years, and with the most generous gift of his grace he healed him. He also gave us [to know] that a lover of the world cannot please God, by the example of the rich man who put his hope in his possessions, and of the man who delighted in his riches, whose end was in Sheol: he asked for water on the tip of his finger, and no one gave it to him. And he hired us like labourers to work in his vineyard, which is the true vine. All these things our Savior did among us because of his exceeding love. Let us then, my friend, become sharers in the love of Christ, loving one another and fulfilling those two commandments on which the whole law and the prophets hang.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Pure fasting is precious before God and is kept like a treasure in heaven. It is armour against the evil one, a shield that catches the enemy's arrows. I have not said this out of my own mind, but from the holy Scriptures, which taught us first that fasting has at all times been a help to those who kept it in purity. For fasting, my beloved, is not only abstaining from bread and water; its observances are many. There is one who abstains from bread and water until he is hungry and thirsty. There is also one who fasts in order to remain in virginity, and when hungry does not eat and when thirsty does not drink; and this fasting is more excellent. There is one who fasts out of devotion; that too is fasting. But there is one who refrains from meat and wine and certain foods. There is further one who fasts to put a bridle on his mouth, so as not to utter shameful words. Another fasts from anger and tramples on his desires, so as not to be overcome by them. Another keeps himself from riches, to free himself from their slavery. Another abstains from various kinds of beds, to keep watch in prayer. Another withdraws from the business of this world, so as not to be overcome by the enemy. Another fasts to become a penitent and to please his Lord through affliction. Another, finally, joins all these together and makes of them one fast. But as one who abstains from food until he is hungry is said to fast as long as he abstains from food and drink, and if he eats or drinks a little he has broken his fast; so whoever has kept himself from all those things, if at some time he violates one or another of them, his fast will no longer be counted to him. Whoever breaks one of all these, his fast is valued no more than that of one who eats and drinks greedily. One who happens to break his fast because of hunger will not sin gravely; but one who has bound himself by vow to abstain from all these and comes to transgress one of them commits not a light but a very grave sin.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Take then, my beloved, the example of pure fasting. First Abel showed pure fasting in his sacrifice; then Enoch, in that he was pleasing before his God; and Noah, who kept his innocence in a perverse generation; Abraham too, magnified by his faith; and Isaac because of Abraham's covenant; and Jacob because of Isaac's oath, since he knew God; Joseph also because of his mercy and his governing. The purity of all these was in a fast made perfect before God. But if purity of heart is lacking, the fast is not accepted. Remember then, my beloved, and take note: it is a most excellent thing if a person cleanses his heart, guards his tongue, and keeps his hands from evil, as I wrote to you above. For it is not fitting for a person to mix honey with wormwood. So if someone fasts from bread and water, let him not mix curses and insults with his fast. Your house, which is the temple of God, has a single door; and it is not fitting for you, O man, that filth and mire should come out of that door through which the King enters. For when a person who abstains from every kind of wickedness has received the Body and Blood of Christ, he must guard carefully his mouth, through which the Son of the King enters. You have no authority, O man, to utter unclean words with your mouth. Hear what our Life-giver says: "What enters into a man does not defile him; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles him."

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Moses too fasted with a clean fast when he went up the mountain and brought down the law to the people; and when he had fasted twice forty days he was strengthened and gained the highest praise, when the skin of his face shone, and he turned wrath away from his people, so that it was not destroyed. After the example of Moses' fast, Elijah, a very strong man, also fasted when Jezebel pursued him; and fasting forty days he came to Horeb, the very place where God had spoken with Moses, who also revealed himself to him there and commanded him, saying: "Go, anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi, and Hazael, to take vengeance on the children of Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat to take your place." And he rejoiced in that manifestation of his Lord in that perfect fast, as Moses had rejoiced when he fasted forty and again forty days and turned God's wrath away from his people and brought down the tablets of the law written by the finger of God. These two had their glory in their fasting and through it were made perfect.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Now I will also show you an impious and bloody fast which cannot be acceptable: the one that Jezebel proclaimed, the inciter of Ahab and the ravager of Israel. She wrote letters in Ahab's name and sent them to the men of Jezreel, perverse men obedient to the perverse Jezebel; and in these most evil letters she had written: "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people, and set two men, sons of wickedness, against him, to testify against him and say: Naboth cursed God and the king; and let him be struck with stones and die." And this, my beloved, that Jezebel wrote to them, that two men should give testimony against Naboth, she commanded them as though [taken] from the holy law. For it is written in the law: "One guilty of death shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness, but on the mouth of two witnesses he shall die." It is also written: "Let the hand of the witnesses be first against him to stone him, and afterwards the hand of all the people." And what she further wrote to them, that they should testify against him that Naboth had cursed God and the king, this too she commanded them in her wicked letter as though from the holy law. For it is written: "Whoever blasphemes the name of God shall be crushed with stones, because he has profaned the holy name and cursed." But Jezebel was certainly not concerned about the blasphemed name of God; rather she cared for the desire of Ahab, who coveted Naboth's vineyard, unmindful of what is written: "You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's."

[5] O Jezebel, corrupter of Ahab! Who is that God whom Naboth cursed? He whose altar you overthrew and whose prophets you killed! And what king did he curse? The one who overturned the law and wished to rob Naboth of his inheritance! Why then, Jezebel, did you not recall what is written at the beginning of the commandments of the law: "You shall not worship a strange god"? And you, Jezebel, serve Baal. Again it is written: "You shall not shed innocent blood in the land that the Lord your God has given you." You ought to have remembered, Jezebel, what is written: "The land in which blood has been shed will not be atoned for unless the blood of him who first shed it is shed in it." Did you fear these things, O Jezebel, when you were zealous with the zeal of iniquity, as though Naboth had cursed God, when he had not cursed? Again it is written: "Whoever sheds a man's blood, his blood shall be shed." The savage Jezebel shed the innocent blood of Naboth; therefore in the same place where the innocent blood flowed, in the fast wickedly proclaimed, there Jezebel's blood was shed, and the dogs devoured her; and because Ahab obeyed her counsels, the dogs licked his blood there too.