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For if good order with harmony is a characteristic of those who look to one command and have one king; then all disagreement and division is a sign of anarchy. According to the same reasoning, then, such disagreement both toward the commandments of the Lord and toward one another, being found also among us, would be an indication either of the departure of the true king, according to that which is said: Only he who now restrains, until he is taken out of the way; or of his denial, according to that which is said: The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." To which, as some sign or proof, it adds the following: They are corrupt, and have become abominable in their doings. Here, then, the word has shown the manifest wickedness to be a mark, as it were, of such impiety secretly lurking in the soul. But indeed the blessed apostle Paul, more vehemently turning to the fear of the judgments of God those who have lost their heart, defines this as a punishment, 31.657 that those who have neglected the true knowledge of God are condemned. For what does he say? And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, and the rest. And I think the Apostle understood this judgment, not from himself (for he had Christ speaking in him), but guided by that voice of His, in which He says that for this reason He speaks in parables to the crowds, so that they may not understand the divine mysteries of the Gospel, because they themselves first closed their eyes, and with their ears they heard heavily, and their foolish heart was hardened; so that they might endure as a punishment blindness concerning greater things, who, having first willingly blinded the eye of the soul, were darkened; which David, fearing to suffer, said: Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death.

From these things and such as these, therefore, I considered it to be clear, that in general the evil of the passions, through ignorance of God, implants a reprobate knowledge; and in particular the disagreement of the many with one another occurs because we have made ourselves unworthy of the Lord's oversight. And concerning the examination of such a life, if I ever decided to undertake it, I was not able to measure the magnitude of such insensibility, or irrationality, or madness, or because of the excess of evil I do not know what to say. For if even among irrational animals we find the harmony among one another so well-ordered through obedience to the leader; what should we say, we who are found in so great a division with one another and in so great an opposition to the commandments of the Lord? Or do we not think all these things are now set forth by the good God for our instruction and shame, but on the great and terrible day of judgment will be brought forward for the shame and condemnation of those who are not instructed by Him who has already said, and always says that: The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know me, and my people do not understand me, and many other such things? And that which was said by the Apostle: If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it; and this: That there should be no schisms in the body, but that the members should have the same care 31.660 for one another, being moved, clearly, by one indwelling soul. For what reason was it so ordained? I for my part think, so that such sequence and good order may be preserved much more in the Church of God, to which it was said: Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually; clearly holding fast and joining each to the other in concord of the one and only true head, which is Christ. But among whom concord is not achieved, the bond of peace is not kept, the gentleness in spirit is not guarded, but rather dissension and strife and jealousy are found.

2

Εἰ γὰρ τῶν πρὸς ἓν νεῦμα ἀποβλεπόντων, καὶ βασιλεῖ χρωμένων ἑνὶ, ἴδιον εὐταξία μετὰ συμφωνίας· ἄρα διαφωνία πᾶσα καὶ διάστασις σημεῖον ἀναρχίας. Κατὰ δὴ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, ἡ τοιαύτη πρός τε τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφωνία καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν εὑρισκο μένη κατηγόρημα ἂν εἴη ἢ ἀναχωρήσεως τοῦ ἀλη θινοῦ βασιλέως, κατὰ τό· Μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι, ἕως ἂν ἐκ μέσου γένηται· ἢ ἀρνήσεως αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τό· Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός. Οὗ καθάπερ σημεῖόν τι ἢ ἔλεγχον ἐπι φέρει τό· ∆ιεφθάρησαν, καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ὥσπερ χαρακτῆρα τῆς τοιαύ της ἀσεβείας κατὰ τὸ λεληθὸς ἐμφωλευούσης τῇ ψυ χῇ τὴν ἐπιφαινομένην κακίαν ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξεν. Ὅ γε μὴν μακάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, σφοδρότερον ἐπιστρέφων εἰς φόβον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων τοὺς ἀπολωλεκότας τὴν καρδίαν, τοῦτο ἀντὶ τιμωρίας 31.657 ὁρίζεται, καταδικάζεσθαι τοὺς τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνω σίας ἠμεληκότας. Τί γάρ φησι; Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδο κίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδω κεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα, πεπληρωμένους πάσης ἀδικίας, πονηρίας, πλεονεξίας, κακίας, μεστοὺς φθόνου, καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς. Καὶ τοῦτο νενοηκέναι οἶμαι τὸν Ἀπό στολον τὸ κρῖμα, οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ (Χριστὸν γὰρ εἶχεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα), ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐκείνης αὐτοῦ τῆς φωνῆς ὁδηγηθέντα, ἐν ᾗ φησι διὰ τοῦτο ἐν παραβο λαῖς λαλεῖν τοῖς ὄχλοις, ἵνα μὴ νοήσωσι τὰ θεῖα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου μυστήρια, ὅτι φθάσαντες αὐτοὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶ βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ ἐπαχύνθῃ ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· ἵνα ἔχωσιν ἀντὶ τιμωρίας ὑπομένειν τὴν περὶ τὰ μείζονα ἀβλεψίαν, οἳ, προφθάσαντες ἑκουσίως, τὸ ὄμμα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποτυφλώσαντες, ἐσκοτίσθησαν· ὅπερ ὁ ∆αβὶδ φοβούμενος παθεῖν, ἔλεγε· Φώτισον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, μή ποτε ὑπνώσω εἰς θάνα τον.

Ἐκ μὲν οὖν τούτων καὶ τοιούτων φανερὸν εἶναι ἐλογιζόμην, ὅτι καθόλου μὲν ἡ τῶν παθῶν κακία διὰ τῆς περὶ Θεοῦ ἀγνωσίας ἀδόκιμον γνῶσιν ἐντίθησιν· ἰδίως δὲ ἡ διαφωνία τῶν πολλῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, διὰ τὸ ἀναξίους ἡμᾶς ἑαυτοὺς κατα σκευάσαι τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπιστασίας, ἐπισυμβαίνει. Πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν τοῦ τοιούτου βίου εἴποτε δὴ καὶ ἐλθεῖν ἐβουλευσάμην, οὔτε μετρεῖν εἶχον τὸ μέγε θος τῆς τοιαύτης ἀναισθησίας, ἢ ἀλογίας, ἢ ἀπο νοίας, ἢ διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς κακίας οὐκ ἔχω τί εἴπω. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἀλόγοις οὕτω κατορθουμένην εὑρίσκομεν τὴν ἐν ἀλλήλοις συμφωνίαν διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν καθηγούμενον εὐπείθειαν· τί ἂν εἴποιμεν ἡμεῖς ἐν τοσαύτῃ μὲν τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαστάσεις το σαύτῃ δὲ τῇ πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐναντιότητι εὑρισκόμενοι; Ἢ οὐχὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἡγούμεθα νῦν μὲν εἰς διδασκαλίαν καὶ ἐντροπὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ προτεθεῖσθαι, ἐν δὲ τῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ φοβερᾷ τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ κατά κρισιν τῶν μὴ παιδευομένων προσενεχθήσεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ καὶ εἰπόντος ἤδη, καὶ λέγοντος ἀεὶ ὅτι· Ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον, καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτ νην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκε, καὶ πολλὰ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα; Ἐκεῖνο δὲ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰρημένον, τό· Εἴτε πάσχει ἓν μέλος, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη· εἴτε δοξάζεται ἓν μέλος, συγχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη· καὶ τό· Ἵνα μὴ ᾖ σχίσματα ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων μεριμνῶσι 31.660 τὰ μέλη, ὑπὸ μιᾶς δηλονότι κινούμενα τῆς ἐνοικού σης ψυχῆς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτως ᾠκονομήθη; Ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι, ἵνα σώζηται ἡ τοιαύτη ἀκολουθία τε καὶ εὐταξία πολλῷ πλέον παρὰ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸς ἣν εἴρηται· Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους· κρατούσης δηλονότι καὶ συν απτούσης ἕκαστον τῷ ἄλλῳ πρὸς ὁμόνοιαν τῆς μιᾶ; καὶ μόνης ἀληθῶς κεφαλῆς, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Παρ' οἷς δὲ οὐχ ὁμόνοια κατορθοῦται, οὐχ ὁ σύν δεσμος τῆς εἰρήνης τηρεῖται, οὐχ ἡ ἐν πνεύ ματι πραότης φυλάσσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ διχοστασία καὶ ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος εὑρίσκεται.