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From Beroea the city in Syria, one of the richest men, but nevertheless satiety begot no insolence in him; for no satiety of money was evident, but he made it a means for justice and philanthropy, assisting those in need and providing generously for public causes. Thus he offered himself to everyone as a kind and just man, so that no one of the citizens ever brought a charge against him, nor any foreigner among his neighbors in the city or those in the nearby fields. In fact he did not consider it a work of justice if he did not do injustice[1] to any member of the community, but rather only if he did not keep striving to do them good. Therefore he did not concern himself only with his own affairs but also with those of others, especially of neighboring residents in the city and the countryside. Especial evidence of this [is provided by the fact that] if anyone of his neighbors wanted to sell or buy something, the seller increased the price and the buyer increased the valuation above the market price, obviously just for this reason, to obtain as an abutter and neighbor Maras, the most just of all men. And so Maras migrated into a proverb, by his just treatment of his neighbors.[2]

*ma/ras, a)po\ *beroi/as th=s e)n *suri/a| po/lews, a)nh\r tw=n plousiwta/twn, a)ll' o(/mws o( ko/ros ou)demi/an au)tw=| u(/brin e)ne/teken: ou)de\ ga\r ko/ros ou)dei\s e)fai/neto tw=n xrhma/twn, a)lla\ tau=ta me\n o)/rgana e)poiei=to dikaiosu/nhs te kai\ filanqrwpi/as, e)pixorhgw=n te toi=s deome/nois kai\ filotimou/menos e)n toi=s politeu/masin. ou(/tw parei=xen e(auto\n toi=s pa=sin e)pieikh= kai\ di/kaion, w(/ste ou)/te tw=n politw=n ou)dei\s au)tw=| e)gke/klhke pw/pote ou)/te ce/nwn ou)/te tw=n kat' a)stu\ geito/nwn ou)/te tw=n e)n a)groi=s o(morou/ntwn. ou) mh\n tau=ta dikaiosu/nhs e)/rga a)pelogi/zeto, ei) mhde/na a)dikei=n tw=n politeuome/nwn, a)ll' e)kei=na ma=llon, ei) mh\ ka/mnoi eu)ergetw=n. toigarou=n ou) tw=n e(autou= mo/non e)pemelei=to pragma/twn, a)lla\ kai\ tw=n a)llotri/wn, ma/lista tw=n parakekthme/nwn e)/n te tw=| a)/stei kai\ kat' a)grou/s. ma/lista de\ tou/tou tekmh/rion, ei)/ tis h)bou/leto/ ti pwlei=n h)/ tis w)nei=sqai tw=n plhsiazo/ntwn au)tw=|, o( me\n prosaph/|tei, o( de\ proseti/qei tw=| timh/mati th=s a)/llhs a)ci/as, u(pe\r au)tou= ge/ toi dh/pouqen, u(pe\r tou= kth/sasqai o(/moron kai\ gei/tona *ma/ran, to\n pa/ntwn a)nqrw/pwn dikaio/taton. w(/ste kai\ e)ceni/khsen ei)s paroimi/an o( *ma/ras, e)pi\ dikai/a| xrh/sei tw=n pe/las.

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