2

III. And it is truly in danger of being easier to bear adversity than to preserve prosperity; since even we, when we were warred against, strengthened and gathered by the persecutions, when we were gathered, were dissolved. For who of sound mind would not mourn the present state of affairs? And what speech will one find equal to the calamity? That robbers are at peace, whom wickedness has bound together, and those organized for tyranny, or partners in theft, or conspirators in sedition, or accomplices in adultery, and even the companies of dancers, and the battalions of armies, and the crews of ships; for I pass over saying lots divided equally, and opposing polities, and successions of liturgies and offices, proceeding in order and by law, and this much-praised art of sophistry, or grammar, not to mention philosophy, about which the ambition of the young both raves and is mad; to see this, I say, having little strife, but for the most part at peace; but that we are uncompounded and unconnected, and can never come to the same point, nor does any reason appear as a cure for this disease, but as if we were initiators and initiates of wickedness, not of virtue, we create many incitements to division, but take little or no thought for concord. And yet when these are in strife, the strife does not lead to a great matter; and for some it is better to be in strife than to be of one mind; for who of sound mind would praise combinations for evil? 35.1136

IV. But if someone were to ask us, 'What is that which is honored and worshiped by you?' the ready answer is: Love. For our God is love. A saying of the Holy Spirit; and God rejoices to hear this more than anything else. What then is the sum of the Law and the Prophets? The evangelist would allow one to answer none other than this. Why then do we, who are of love, so hate and are hated? and we, who are of peace, wage war without heralds and irreconcilably? and we, who are of the cornerstone, are we divided? and we, who are of the rock, are we shaken? and we, who are of the light, are we darkened? and we, who are of the Word, are we so full of silence, or irrationality, or madness, or, I know not what to call it; so that there is a satiety of food, and of sleep, and of song, and of the most shameful things, as they say; and a surfeit of all things, not only of the painful, but now even of the most pleasant, and all things give way to and revolve around one another; but for us there is no limit to striking and being struck, not only against the heterodox and those who are separated in the matter of faith (for that would have been less grievous, and zeal, an apology for praiseworthy things, if it stands within limits); but now also against those of the same opinion, and against the same people, and contending for the same things (for this is the most wicked, or most pitiful thing).

V. And what is the cause? Love of rule perhaps, or love of money, or envy, or hatred, or arrogance, or something of all the things we do not even see the godless suffer; and the charming thing, the changing of votes. When we are caught, we are pious and orthodox, and we falsely take refuge in the truth, as if we are contending for the faith; and this is the only praiseworthy thing we do, as amidst evils, if not also utterly shameful, that blushing for our wickedness, we pass over to a more venerable name, piety. O thunderstruck and versatile man, one might say, and creature of the Evil One and of the sophist of wickedness, whoever you are who suffers this, or, to speak more truly, most foolish one; this man was pious to you yesterday, and how is he impious today, having added nothing, nor taken anything away, neither in word, nor in deed, but standing on the same grounds; who breathes the same air, and with the same eyes looks upon the same sun; and if you wish, when asked about numbers or measures, does he not answer the very same thing? But also a fornicator to you today, who yesterday was Joseph (for the strife proceeds 35.1137 even to these things, like some flame running through stubble, and consuming the things round about); and Judas today, or Caiaphas, who yesterday was Elijah, or John, or some other of those ranked with Christ, and the same girdle

2

Γʹ. Καὶ ὄντως κινδυνεύει ῥᾷον εἶναι δυσπραγίαν ἐνεγκεῖν, ἢ εὐπραγίαν διασώσασθαι· ὁπότε καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἡνίκα ἐπολεμούμεθα, τοῖς διωγμοῖς ῥωσθέντες καὶ συναχθέντες, ἡνίκα συνήχθημεν, διελύθημεν. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ὀδύραιτο εὖ φρονῶν τὰ παρόντα; Τίς δὲ λόγον εὑρήσει τῇ συμφορᾷ παρισούμενον; Λῃστὰς μὲν εἰρηνεύειν, οὓς κακία συνέδησε, καὶ τοὺς τυ ραννίδι συντεταγμένους, ἢ κλοπῆς κοινωνοὺς, ἢ στά σεως συνωμότας, ἢ μοιχείας συλλήπτορας, ἔτι δὲ χορῶν συστήματα, καὶ στρατῶν τάγματα, καὶ νηῶν πληρώματα· ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν κλήρους ἐξ ἴσου διαιρουμένους, καὶ πολιτείας ἀντιθέτους, καὶ διαδο χὰς λειτουργιῶν καὶ ἀρχῶν, τάξει προϊούσας καὶ νόμῳ, καὶ τὴν πολυύμνητον δὴ ταύτην σοφιστικὴν, ἢ γραμματικὴν, ἵνα μὴ λέγω φιλοσοφίαν, περὶ ἣν νέων φιλοτιμία λυσσᾷ τε καὶ μέμηνε· ταύτην μὲν ὁρᾷν ὀλίγα μὲν στασιάζουσαν, τὰ πλείω δὲ εἰρη νεύουσαν· ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀσυνθέτους εἶναι καὶ ἀσυνδέτους, καὶ μήποτε δύνασθαι εἰς ταυτὸν ἐλθεῖν, μηδέ τινα λόγον φανῆναι τῆς νόσου ταύτης θεραπευτὴν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ κακίας μυσταγωγοὺς καὶ μύστας ὄντας, οὐκ ἀρετῆς, πολλὰ μὲν ποιεῖσθαι τὰ τῆς διαστάσεως ὑπεκκαύματα, μικρὰ δὲ, ἢ μηδόλως τῆς ὁμονοίας φροντίζειν. Καίτοι τούτων μὲν στασιαζόντων, οὐκ εἰς μέγα ἡ στάσις φέρει· τινάς τε καὶ στασιάζειν ἢ συμφρονεῖν ἄμεινον· τὰς γὰρ ἐπὶ κακῷ συστάσεις τίς ἂν ἐπαινέσειεν εὖ φρονῶν; 35.1136

∆ʹ. Ἡμᾶς δὲ εἴ τις ἐρωτήσειε, Τί τὸ τιμώμενον ὑμῖν καὶ προσκυνούμενον; πρόχειρον εἰπεῖν· Ἡ ἀγάπη. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἡ ἀγάπη ἐστί. Ῥῆσις τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· καὶ τοῦτο χαίρει μᾶλλον ἀκούων, ἤ τι ἄλλο, ὁ Θεός. Τί δαὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν κεφάλαιον; οὐκ ἄλλο ἢ τοῦτο συγχωρή σειεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἀποκρίνασθαι. Τί δήποτε οὖν οἱ τῆς ἀγάπης, οὕτω μισοῦμέν τε καὶ μισού μεθα; καὶ οἱ τῆς εἰρήνης, πολεμοῦμεν ἀκήρυκτά τε καὶ ἀκατάλλακτα; καὶ οἱ τοῦ ἀκρογωνιαίου, δι ιστάμεθα; καὶ οἱ τῆς πέτρας, σειόμεθα; καὶ οἱ τοῦ φωτὸς, ἐσκοτίσμεθα; καὶ οἱ τοῦ Λόγου, τοσαύτης ἐσμὲν σιγῆς, ἢ ἀλογίας, ἢ παραπληξίας, ἢ, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι καὶ ὀνομάσω, μεστοί· ὥστε τροφῆς μὲν, καὶ ὕπνου, καὶ ᾠδῆς κόρος ἐστὶ, καὶ τῶν αἰσχίστων, ὡς λέγουσι· καὶ πλησμονὴ πάντων, οὐ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν μό νον, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἡδίστων, καὶ πάντα εἰς ἄλ ληλα περιχωρεῖ τε καὶ περιτρέπεται· ἡμῖν δ' οὐ δεὶς ὅρος τοῦ βάλλειν καὶ βάλλεσθαι, οὐ τοῖς ἑτεροδο ξοῦσι μόνον, καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς πίστεως λόγον διεστη κόσιν (ἧττον γὰρ ἂν ἦν ἀλγεινὸν, καὶ ὁ ζῆλος, ἀπολογία πραγμάτων ἐπαινουμένων, ἐὰν ἐν ὅροις ἱστῆται)· ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὁμοδόξοις, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν στασιά ζουσι (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ μοχθηρότατον, ἢ ἐλεεινότατον).

Εʹ. Καὶ τὸ αἴτιον τί; Φιλαρχία τυχὸν, ἢ φιλοχρη ματία, ἢ φθόνος, ἢ μῖσος, ἢ ὑπεροψία, ἤ τι τῶν ὅσα μηδὲ τοὺς ἀθέους ὁρῶμεν πάσχοντας· καὶ τὸ χά ριεν, ἡ τῶν ψήφων μετάθεσις. Ὅταν ἁλῶμεν, εὐσεβεῖς ἐσμεν καὶ ὀρθόδοξοι, καὶ καταφεύγομεν ψευδῶς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς ὑπὲρ πίστεως στασιά ζοντες· καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἐπαινετὸν ποιοῦμεν, ὡς ἐν κακοῖς, εἰ μὴ καὶ λίαν αἰσχρὸν, ὅτι τὴν κακίαν ἐρυ θριῶντες, ἐπὶ σεμνότερον ὄνομα μεταβαίνομεν, τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἐμβρόντητε καὶ πολύτροπε, εἴποι τις ἂν, καὶ πλάσμα τοῦ Πονηροῦ καὶ τοῦ σοφιστοῦ τῆς κακίας, ὅστις ποτὲ εἶ ὁ τοῦτο πάσχων, ἢ, τό γε ἀλη θέστερον εἰπεῖν, ἀνοητότατε· οὗτός σοι χθὲς ἦν εὐσε βὴς, καὶ πῶς ἀσεβὴς σήμερον, μηδὲν προσθεὶς, μηδὲ ἀφελῶν, μήτε ῥήματι, μήτε πράγματι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἱστάμενος· ὃς ἀναπνεῖ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀέρα, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὄμμασι προσβλέπει τὸν αὐτὸν ἥλιον· εἰ βούλει δὲ, ὡς περὶ ἀριθμῶν ἢ μέτρων ἐρω τηθεὶς, οὐκ ἄλλο τι ἢ ταυτὸν ἀποκρίνεται; Ἀλλὰ καὶ πόρνος σοι σήμερον, ὁ χθὲς Ἰωσὴφ (προβαίνει 35.1137 γὰρ καὶ μέχρι τούτων ἡ ἔρις, ὥσπερ τις φλὸξ διὰ κα λάμης θέουσα, καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ περιλαμβάνουσα)· καὶ Ἰούδας σήμερον, ἢ Καϊάφας, ὁ χθὲς Ἡλίας, ἢ Ἰωάννης, ἤ τις ἄλλος τῶν μετὰ Χριστοῦ τεταγμέ νων, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ζώνην