Returning Evil

Ὁρᾶτε μή τις κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ τινι ἀποδῷ. Εἰ κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ οὐ χρὴ ἀποδιδόναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον κακὸν ἀντὶ ἀγαθοῦ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον μὴ προϋπάρξαντος κακοῦ, ἀποδοῦναι κακόν. Ἀλλ' ὁ δεῖνα, φησὶ, πονηρός ἐστι, καὶ ἐλύπησε, καὶ πολλά με ἠδίκησε. Βούλει αὐτὸν ἀμύνασθαι;  μὴ ἀνταποδῷς· ἔασον ἀτιμώρητον.  Ἆρα μέχρι τούτου; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἀλλὰ πάντοτε τὸ ἀγαθὸν διώκετε, καὶ εἰς ἀλλήλους, καὶ εἰς πάντας. Αὕτη μείζων ἡ φιλοσοφία, μὴ μόνον κακοῖς μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι τὰ κακὰ, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθοῖς· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ὄντως ἄμυνα κἀκείνῳ βλάβην ἔχουσα, καὶ ὠφέλειάν σοι· μᾶλλον δὲ κἀκείνῳ πολλὴν τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ἐὰν θέλῃ. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι περὶ τῶν πιστῶν μόνων τοῦτο εἴρηται, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε· Καὶ εἰς ἀλλήλους, καὶ εἰς πάντας. Πάντοτε χαίρετε. Τοῦτο περὶ τῶν πειρασμῶν τῶν θλῖψιν ἐμποιούντων. Ἀκούετε, ὅσοι πενίᾳ περιπεπτώκατε, ὅσοι λυπηροῖς πράγμασιν· ἀπὸ τούτων γὰρ χαρὰ τίκτεται. Ὅταν γὰρ τοιαύτην ἔχωμεν ψυχὴν, ὥστε μηδένα ἀμύνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντας εὐεργετεῖν, πόθεν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ τῆς λύπης κέντρον παρεισελθεῖν δυνήσεται;  Ὁ γὰρ οὕτω χαίρων τῷ παθεῖν κακῶς, ὡς καὶ εὐεργεσίαις ἀμύνεσθαι τὸν πεποιηκότα κακῶς, πόθεν δυνήσεται ἀνιαθῆναι λοιπόν; Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε τοῦτο, φησίν;  Ἂν ἐθέλωμεν, δυνατόν.  Εἶτα καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν ἔδειξεν· Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε· τοῦτο γὰρ θέλημα Θεοῦ.    Τὸ ἀεὶ εὐχαριστεῖν, τοῦτο φιλοσόφου ψυχῆς.  Ἔπαθές τι κακόν;  Ἀλλ' ἐὰν θέλῃς, οὐκ ἔστι κακόν·  εὐχαρίστησον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μετεβλήθη τὸ κακὸν εἰς ἀγαθόν·  εἰπὲ καὶ σὺ ὡς Ἰώβ·  Εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τοιοῦτον πέπονθας; νόσος ἐπέπεσεν; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ξένον·  θνητὸν γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸ σῶμα καὶ παθητόν. Ἀλλὰ πενία συνήντησε χρημάτων; ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα κτητὰ καὶ ἀπόκτητα, καὶ ἐνταῦθα μένοντα. Ἀλλ' ἐπιβουλαὶ καὶ συκοφαντίαι παρ' ἐχθρῶν;  ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἠδικήμεθα ἐν τούτοις, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι οἱ πεποιηκότες· Ψυχὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὐτὴ καὶ ἀποθανεῖται.  Ἥμαρτε δὲ οὐχ ὁ παθὼν κακῶς, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιήσας κακῶς. Οὐ τοίνυν τὸν ἀποθανόντα ἀμύνεσθαι χρὴ, ἀλλ' εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐξελέσθαι τοῦ θανάτου. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὴν μέλισσαν, ὅτι πλήττουσα ἐπαποθνήσκει τῷ κέντρῳ; Δι' ἐκείνου τοῦ ζώου παιδεύει ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς μὴ λυπεῖν τοὺς πλησίον· αὐτοὶ γὰρ τὸν θάνατον δεχόμεθα πρότεροι. Ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ πλήττοντες ἴσως πρὸς μικρὸν ἐλυπήσαμεν·  αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκέτι ζησόμεθα, καθάπερ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο τὸ ζῶον. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος ,Ὑπομηνα Ἐις Την Προς Θεσσαλονικεις Ἐπιστολην Πρωτην, Ὀμιλια Ιʹ ,

'See that no one returns to any one evil for evil.'  1 If one should not return evil for evil, much less evil for good, much less when evil has not been previously done, should evil be done. 'But it is terrible,' you say, 'he is a wicked man, and has hurt me, and treated me with great injustice.' Do you wish to be revenged on him? Do not retaliate. Leave him unpunished. And do we stop here? Not at all.   'But always seek the good, toward one another and toward all.' This is the greater philosophy, not only not to return evil for evil, but to return good. For this is truly revenge against the one who has done harm, and advantage to yourself, or rather great advantage even to him, if he will. And that you may not think that this is said with respect to the faithful alone, then he has said, ' toward one another and toward all.'   'Rejoice always.' This is said about the temptations that produce affliction. Hear, as many of you as have fallen into poverty, or into grievous circumstances, for from these joy is born. For when we possess such a soul that we take revenge on no one, but do good to everyone, whence, tell me, will the sting of grief be able to enter? For he who so rejoices to suffer evil, as to return benefits to him who has done him evil, whence can he afterwards suffer grief? And how can this be, you say? If we will, it is possible. Then also he shows the way.   'Pray without ceasing, in every thing giving thanks, for this is the will of God.' Always to give thanks, this is the way of a philosophic soul. What evil have you suffered? But if you will, it is no evil. Give thanks to God, and the evil is changed into good. Say even as Job said, 'May the name of the Lord be blessed for ever.'  2 For tell me, what such great thing have you suffered? Has disease befallen? But it is nothing strange, for our body is mortal and passible. Has a want of possessions overtaken you? But these are things to be acquired and lost, and they remain here. But is it plots and false accusations of enemies? But it is not we who are injured by these, but they who are the authors of them. 'For a soul,' it says, 'that sins itself dies' 3 And he has not sinned who suffers the evil, but he who has done the evil. Against him therefore who is dead one should not seek revenge, but rather pray for him that you might free him from death. Do you not see how the bee that having stung by the sting perishes? By that animal God instructs us not to harm our neighbors, since before them we shall suffer death. For by stinging them we have perhaps for a little time pained them, but we shall not live as long as them, just like that animal does not.  Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 10 on First Thessalonians 1 1 Thes 5.15  2 Job 1.21 3 Ezek 18.20