Peace and Forgiveness

Ἐπίστασθε γάρ καὶ καλῶς ἐπίσταθε τὰς ἱερὰς γραφάς, ἀγαπητοί, καὶ ἐγκεκύφατε εἰς τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ. πρὸς ἀνάμνησιν οὖν ταῦτα γράφομεν. Μωϋσέως γὰρ ἀναβάντος εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ποιήσαντος τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσαράκοντα νύκτας ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ ταπεινώσει, εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ θεός· Κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓς εξήγαες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· παρέβησαν ταχὺ ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἧς ἐντείλω αὐτοῖς, ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς χωνεύματα. καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἑώρακα τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἰδού ἐστιν σκληροτράχηλος· ἔασόν με ἐξολεθρεῦσαι αυτούς, καὶ ἐξαλείψω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῶν ὑποκάτωθεν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦτο. καὶ εἶπεν Μωϋσῆς· Μηδαμῶς, κύριε· ἄφες τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ ἢ κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ βίβλου ζώτων. ὢ μεγάλης ἀγάπης, ὢ τελειότητος ἀνυπερβλήτου. παρρησιάζεται θεράπων πρὸς κύριον, αἰτεῖται ἄφεσιν τῷ πλήθει, ἢ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐξαλειφθῆναι μετ’ αὐτῶν ἀξιοῖ.  Τίς οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν γενναῖοσ, τίς εὔσπλαγχνος, τίς πεπληροφορημένος ἀγάπης; εἰπάτω· Εἰ δι’ ἐμὲ στάσις καὶ ἔρις καὶ σχίσματα, ἐκχωρῶ, ἄπειμι, οὗ ἐὰν βούλησθε, καὶ ποιῶ τὰ ποίμνιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρηνευέτω μετὰ τῶν καθεσταμένων πρεσβυτέρων. τοῦτο ὁ ποιήσας ἑαυτῷ μέγα κλέος ἐν Χριστῷ περιποιήσεται, καὶ πᾶς τόπος δέξεται αὐτόν, τοῦ γὰρ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. ταῦτα οἱ πολιτευόμενοι τὴν ἀμεταμέλητον πολιτείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐποίησαν καὶ ποιήσουσιν.  Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ὑποδείγματα ἐθνῶν ἐνέγκωμεν. πολλοὶ βασιλεῖς καὶ ἡγούμενοι, λοιμικοῦ τινος ἑαυτοὺς εἰς θάνατον, ἵνα ῥύσωνται διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῶν αἵματος τοὺς πολίτας· πολλοὶ ἐξεχώρησαν ἰδίων πόλεων, ἵνα μὴ στασιάζωσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον.  ἐπιστάμεθα πολλοὺς ἐν ἡμῖν παραδεδωκότας ἑαυτοὺς εἰς δεσμά, ὅπως ἑτέρους λυτρώσονται· πολλοὶ ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν εἰς δουλείαν, καὶ λαβόντες τὰς τιμὰς αὐτῶν ἑτέρους ἐψώμισαν. Ἐπιστολή πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἅγιος Κλήμης Ῥώμης

You know well the Sacred Scriptures, beloved, and you have studied the words of God. We write, then, to remind you. For Moses having gone up the mountain and having spent forty days and forty nights in fasting and humility, God said to him: 'Go down quickly from here, for your own people have broken the law, those whom you brought out of Egypt, they have quickly left the way I commanded them and they have made for themselves idols.'1 And then the Lord said to him, ' I have seen this people and they are stiff necked, allow me to destroy them and I will wipe out their name from beneath heaven and make you into a great nation and a wonder, for more than they are.'2 And Moses said, ' Let it not be, Lord. Forgive the people the sin or else wipe me also from the book of the living.'3 O great love, O peerless perfection. A servant speaking boldly to his Lord and asking for forgiveness for many, or else that he be destroyed along with those worthy to be. Is there then a noble man among you, one who is compassionate, one who is overflowing with love? Let him say, 'If on account of me there is discord and strife and division, I shall withdraw, I will go away anywhere you wish, and I will do what makes peace among the little flock of Christ and their appointed elders.' He who does this gains great fame in Christ and he will be received in every place, for the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. This is to maintain citizenship of God which is not to repented, and it has been done and is being done. Even among the gentiles we may recall tales of it. Many kings and leaders in times of plague have given themselves up to death that they might save their people by the shedding of their own blood, many have imposed exile on themselves that they quell civil strife. And we know that many among us have handed themselves over to be bound in chains that others be free, and many have given themselves to slavery and given to others the money thereby gained  that they may eat. Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Clement of Rome  1 Ex  32.7 2 Ex 32.9  3 Ex 32.12