Wednesday, July 1, 2015

"if you see the cause of religion suffering anywhere, do not prize concord about truth, but make a noble stand even to death."

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peacably with all men. . . . And in what follows he limits his meaning well, by saying, If it be possible.  For there are cases in which it is not possible, as, for instance, when we have to argue about religion. . . . if you see the cause of religion suffering anywhere, do not prize concord about truth, but make a noble stand even to death [(εἰ δέ που τὴν εὐσέβειαν παραβλαπτομένην ἴδιος, μὴ προτίμα τὴν ὁμόνοιαν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ᾿ ἵστασο γενναίως ἕως θανάτου)]. . . . even then be not at war in soul, be not averse in temper, but fight with the things only. . . . in mind be friendly, as I said before, without giving up the truth on any occasion."

     St. John Chrysostom, Homily 22 (Greek:  23) on Romans, at Rom 12:18, trans. Morris, Simcox, and Stevens, NPNF, first series, vol. 11, p. 508.  Greek from In divi Pauli epistolam ad Romanos homiliae XXXIII, ed. (Oxford:  J. H. Parker, 1849), p. 375.

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