to peoples became destitute of children, substituting impiety for pious teaching. Perhaps it is not even possible to destroy a people without first having made his own soul childless of offspring according to virtue; for no one who is good destroys another. 10 The souls of the impious would be widows, having lost Christ the bridegroom. When these are destroyed, their mothers also suffer, those who "gave them birth in Christ" and "were in labor until Christ was formed in them" and after the milk, nourished them to young manhood with solid food. But the multitude of widows is not like "the stars of heaven," but like the sand of the sea. And according to the letter, with many falling in war, the women became widows, and the mothers suffered. 11 He commands not to take up the burden of sins nor to say: "like a heavy burden they have weighed down upon me," so that we might become kings and rulers sitting firmly on the throne of David, of the church of Christ, so that it might be said of us: "you have placed on their head a crown of precious stone." Such men have also mounted upon chariots and horses, bridling the body and restraining the irrational movements, so that the city also will be inhabited forever, and from all sides those bearing gifts will come to it on account of the virtue of its leaders and the excellent conduct of its inhabitants, both from the cities of Judah, of those confessing to God, and surrounding Jerusalem, the Vision of Peace, and from the land of Benjamin, of the Son of the right hand (and all things working according to virtue are of the right hand), and from the plain, which has nothing "exalted raised against the knowledge of God," and from the mountain, of the evangelical word, and from the south, which is opposite to that which blows from the north. For these will also bring a "holy sacrifice, pleasing to God," the dedication of the soul, and rational whole-burnt offerings, burning up through the spirit all matter subject to the eternal fire. Of whom "the prayer is like incense and the lifting up of hands an evening sacrifice." They also offer frankincense, which is interpreted as Whiteness, casting off every dark disposition, so that it is fitting for them to say, "who is this that comes up whitened?"; for thus they will also be able to bring praise into the house of the Lord, "having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing" attached to the church of Christ. But if none of these things is done by us, we shall endure what is brought by the threat. 12 The house built with righteousness the apostle indicated, saying: "you are God's field, God's building." And he also says that "no one can lay another foundation besides the one that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. But if anyone builds upon it," and so forth. Therefore, through the one who taught, the believer had as a foundation Christ Jesus. And one builds upon it, if well, the doctrines of truth as "gold," saving reason as "silver," a building of virtues as "precious stones"; but if poorly, building evil things upon Jesus, I mean "wood, hay, straw," how is he not impious? Upon him comes the woe, who builds his house not with righteousness. He who makes a high building, but not according to the word of God and truth, does not make upper rooms in judgment. Understand analogously also those who teach either truth or "knowledge falsely so called." For instance, Paul builds the church as a house with righteousness, and Timothy and Luke and such men as upper rooms in judgment. 13 You might also speak about the false teachers in accordance with what was said before. For as Solomon says: "He who works treasures with a lying tongue pursues vanities, and will come into the snare of death." For such men build for themselves houses in the name of a church, which is one "of evil-doers," to whom it is said with irony: you have built for yourself a well-proportioned house, airy upper rooms; in which they thought they had built refreshment. And through the windows you think you have illuminated your buildings with the light of knowledge, and have used incorruptible wood for the building of the house, and you anoint with red ochre, imitating the

λαοῖς ἔρημοι τῶν τέκνων ἐγένοντο, ἀντ' εὐσεβοῦς διδασκαλίας ἀσέβειαν ὑποβάλλοντες. τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἀπολέσαι λαὸν μὴ πρότερον ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ γεννημάτων τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἀτεκνώσαντα· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὢν ἀγα θὸς ἀπόλλυσιν ἕτερον. 10 Εἶεν δ' ἂν χῆραι τῶν ἀσεβῶν αἱ ψυχαί, τὸν νυμφίον Χρι στὸν ἀπολέσασαι. ὧν ἀπολλυμένων ταλαιπωροῦσι καὶ μη τέρες, οἱ «γεννήσαντες αὐτοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ» καὶ «ὠδινήσαντες μέχρι μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς» καὶ μετὰ τὸ γάλα τῇ στερεᾷ τροφῇ πρὸς νεανίσκους ἐκθρέψαντες. τῶν δὲ χηρῶν τὸ πλῆθος οὐχ ὡς «τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ», ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης. κατὰ δὲ τὸ γράμμα, πλείστων ἐν πολέμῳ πιπτόντων αἱ γυναῖκες ἐτύγ χανον χῆραι, αἱ δὲ μητέρες ἐταλαιπώρουν. 11 Μὴ αἴρειν ἁμαρτιῶν παραγγέλλει βάσταγμα μηδὲ λέγειν· «ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ», ὡς ἂν γενώμεθα βασι λεῖς τε καὶ ἄρχοντες καθήμενοι παγίως ἐπὶ θρόνου ∆αβίδ, τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας, ὡς λέγεσθαι περὶ ἡμῶν· «ἔθηκας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου». τοιοῦτοι δὲ καὶ ἐπιβεβήκασιν ἐφ' ἅρμασί τε καὶ ἵπποις, χαλιναγωγοῦντες τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰς ἀλόγους κινήσεις ἀπείργοντες, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡ πόλις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατοικηθήσεται, καὶ πανταχόθεν αὐτῇ διὰ τὴν τῶν καθηγουμένων ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν τῶν οἰκητόρων ἀρίστην πολι τείαν ἥξουσιν οἱ δῶρα προσφέροντες, ἔκ τε τῶν πόλεων Ἰούδα, τῶν Ἐξομολογουμένων τῷ θεῷ, καὶ κυκλούντων τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τῆς Ὁράσεως τὴν εἰρήνην, καὶ ἐκ γῆς Βενιαμίν, τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῆς δεξιᾶς (δεξιὰ δὲ πάντα τὰ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐργαζόμενα), καὶ ἐκ τῆς πεδινῆς, τῆς μηδὲν ἐχούσης «ὕψωμα κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαιρόμενον», καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους, τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς νότον, τῆς ἀντικειμένης τῷ ἀπὸ βορρᾶ πνέοντι. οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ οἴσουσι θυσίαν «ἁγίαν εὐάρεστον τῷ θεῷ», τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀφιέρωσιν, καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα λογικά, πᾶσαν ὕλην καταφλέγοντες ὑπόδικον τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. ὧν «ἡ προσευχὴ ὡς θυμίαμα καὶ ἡ ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν θυσία ἑσπερινή». οἳ καὶ προσ φέρουσι λίβανον, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται Λευκασμός, πᾶσαν ἀποβάλλοντες ζοφώδη διάθεσιν, ὡς ἁρμόττειν αὐτοῖς τὸ «τίς αὕτη ἡ ἀναβαίνουσα λελευκανθισμένη»· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὴν αἴνεσιν δυνήσονται φέρειν εἰς οἶκον κυρίου, «μὴ ἔχοντες σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων» προστριβομένων τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ. μηδενὸς δὲ τοιούτου γινομένου παρ' ἡμῶν τὰ τῆς ἐπαγομένης ἀπειλῆς ὑπομενοῦμεν. 12 Τὴν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης οἰκοδομουμένην οἰκίαν ἐδή λωσεν εἰπὼν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε». λέγει δὲ καὶ ὅτι «θεμέλιον ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς. εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦ διδάξαντος ὁ πιστεύων θεμέλιον ἔσχεν τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐποικοδομεῖ δέ τις, εἰ μὲν καλῶς, «χρυσὸν» τῆς ἀληθείας τὰ δόγματα, «ἀργύριον» λόγον σωτήριον, «λίθους τιμίους» οἰκοδομίαν ἐξ ἀρετῶν· εἰ δὲ κακῶς, ἐποικοδομῶν τῷ Ἰησοῦ πονηρά, λέγω «ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην», πῶς οὐκ ἀσεβεῖ; ἐφ' ὃν ἔρχεται τὸ οὐαί, ὁ οἰκοδομῶν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ οὐ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης. ὁ ποιῶν ὑψηλὸν οἰκοδόμημα, οὐ κατὰ λόγον δὲ θεοῦ καὶ ἀλήθειαν, οὐκ ἐν κρίματι ὑπερῷα ποιεῖ. ἀναλόγως νόει καὶ τοὺς διδάσκον τας ἢ ἀλήθειαν ἢ «ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν». οἷον Παῦλος μὲν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, ὑπερῷα δὲ Τιμό θεον καὶ Λουκᾶν καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους ἐν κρίματι. 13 Εἴποις δ' ἂν καὶ περὶ τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων ἀκολούθως τοῖς πρόσθεν εἰρῆσθαι. ὡς γάρ φησιν ὁ Σολομῶν· «ὁ ἐνεργῶν θησαυρίσματα γλώσσῃ ψευδεῖ μάταια διώκει, καὶ ἐλεύσεται εἰς παγίδα θανάτου». οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι οἰκοδομοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς οἰκίας ὀνόματι ἐκκλησίας, ἥτις ἐστὶ «πονηρευομένων», πρὸς οὓς λέγεται μετ' εἰ ρωνείας· ᾠκοδόμησας σεαυτῷ οἶκον σύμμετρον, ὑπερῷα ῥι πιστά· ἐν οἷς ᾠήθησαν ἀναψυχὴν ᾠκοδομηκέναι. διὰ δὲ τῶν θυ ρίδων οἴει πεφωτικέναι φωτὶ γνώσεως τὰ οἰκοδομήματά σου, καὶ ἀσήπτοις ξύλοις εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς οἰκίας κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ χρίεις διὰ μίλτου μιμούμενος τὸ