enemies of the Lord have vanished. As soon as they were glorified and exalted, they vanished like smoke;» and again: «Like a dream of one awakening.» Wealth unjustly gathered will be vomited out. I know also another wealth unjustly gathered, that in the words of the heretics, who hold teachings contrary to the doctrines of truth, their bellies; which are not sweet, but «the gall of asps,» that is, wicked; as it is said in Deuteronomy in the song of Moses concerning the wine of their teaching: «For their vine is of the vine of Sodom.» But the good God will not permit them to have wealth unjustly gathered always within themselves, but will make them vomit it out. For an angel, by the benefaction of God, will drag them out of the very house that was poorly built; which is the church of the wicked. For it adds: «From his house,» and what follows. 12.1036 See then how much is laid up for the heretic on account of his impious doctrines. For this reason let us take heed to ourselves, lest we be despoiled by plausible arguments of heretical teaching, and fall away from the mystery of the Church. May he not see the milking of the nomads. And the heretic does not see the milking of the nomads. For nomads are souls pastured by the good shepherd, and finding pasture. And the doctrines against God have nothing sweet, but are harsh and dense. For he has broken the houses of many powerless ones. And if the heretic finds you anywhere weak in faith, weak in sound teaching, he plunders him. And it is true to say concerning the teacher of the heretics, that he has broken the houses of many powerless ones; and he seizes the way of life of the easily deceived, and after this does not establish it; for falsehood cannot stand. May a day of wrath come upon him. On which divine justice is moved against him; whether he be of the circumcision who has acted impiously toward God, or a heretic, or impious in any way, his portion is that which is declared in the preceding words. CHAP. 21. Why do the impious live, and grow old in wealth? Indeed, "they grow old in wealth," he said instead of, they are not newly rich, but from youth even to old age they have continued to be wealthy. Taking up psaltery and lyre. Another happiness of fathers, the joy of their children, which pipes and lyres and timbrels fulfill, by which the ears are charmed, and the pleasures of the soul are aroused, and those present are bewitched by the licentious melody; which the children of the impious licentiously produce, placing their hands on the taut strings, and applauding to the sound of the instruments. They completed their life in good things. That is, there was no interruption of their prosperity, but in a complete life they continued to luxuriate in bodily goods; and the end of life became for them the end of happiness, their prosperity being extended until death. And in the repose of Hades they fell asleep. That is, resting and being cheerful until death, they descend into Hades untormented. Or, that not even death itself is bitter to them; but as if sleeping, so they die. Or, that others suffer evil and are afflicted while living, but when they die they rest; but these, about whom is the discourse, having passed their whole life in cheerfulness, thus came to the rest that is in death. CHAP. 22. Is it not the Lord who teaches? And this doctrine is sound, that a true teacher of virtue cannot be a man; 12.1037 for «he who teaches man knowledge,» is also recorded in the Psalms, that he is none other than God. And God teaches, shining upon the soul of the one learning from him, and illuminating the mind with the true light which is his own Word. Therefore, even if righteous men teach us, having received the grace of teaching, again it is the Lord who teaches us through them; and the very act of understanding and the opening of our hearts to the reception of divine teachings, occurs according to divine grace. Or will he, taking account of you, reprove you? To this we might say that God, not being concerned lest he himself be harmed in some way,

ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξέλιπον. Ἅμα τὸ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψωθῆναι ἐκλείποντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέ λιπον·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ὡσεὶ ἐνύπνιον ἐξεγειρομέ νων.» Πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξεμεθήσεται. Οἶδα καὶ ἄλλον πλοῦτον ἀδίκως συναγόμενον, τὸν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τῶν αἱρετικῶν, οἳ ἔχουσι μαθήματα ἐν αντία τοῖς δόγμασι τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐγγάστρια αὐτῶν· ἃ οὐκ ἔστι γλυκέα, ἀλλὰ «χολὴ ἀσπίδος,» τουτέστι πονηρά· ὡς εἴρηται ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ ἐν ᾠδῇ Μωϋ σέως περὶ τοῦ οἴνου τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῶν· «Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν.» Ἀλλ' ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεὸς οὐκ ἐάσει αὐτοὺς πλοῦτον ἀδίκως συνα γόμενον ἔχειν ἀεὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει αὐτοὺς ἐξεμέσαι. Ἄγγελος γὰρ κατ' εὐεργεσίαν Θεοῦ ἐξελ κύσει αὐτοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς κακῶς οἰκοδομηθείσης οἰκίας· ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκκλησία πονηρευομένων. Ἐπά γει γοῦν· «Ἐξ οἰκίας αὐτοῦ,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 12.1036 Ὅρα δὲ πόσον καὶ τῷ ἑτεροδόξῳ ἀπόκειται διὰ τὰ ἀσεβῆ δόγματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσέχωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, μή ποτε ἐν πιθανολογίαις συληθῶμεν ἀπὸ αἱρετικῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Μὴ ἴδοι ἄμελξιν νομάδων. Καὶ ὁ ἑτερόδοξος δὲ οὐ βλέπει ἄμελξιν νομάδων. Νομάδες δέ εἰσι ψυχαὶ νεμόμεναι ὑπὸ τῷ καλῷ ποιμένι, καὶ νομὴν εὑρί σκουσαι. Καὶ τὰ δόγματα δὲ κατὰ Θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἔχει γλυκὺ, ἀλλὰ στρυφνὰ καὶ πυκνά. Πολλῶν γὰρ ἀδυνάτων οἴκους ἔθλασεν. Καὶ ὁ ἑτερόδοξός σε ἐάν που εὕρῃ ἀσθενῆ ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀσθενῆ ἐν τῇ ὑγιεῖ διδασκαλίᾳ, τοῦτον ὑποσυλᾷ. Καὶ ἔστιν ἀληθῶς περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τῶν ἑτεροδόξων εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πολλῶν ἀδυνάτων οἴκους ἔθλασεν· ἁρπά ζει δὲ τὴν δίαιταν τοῦ εὐεξαπατήτου, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐχ ἵστησιν αὐτήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται στῆσαι τὸ ψεῦ δος. Ἡμέρα ὀργῆς ἐπέλθοι αὐτῷ. Καθ' ἣν ἡ θεία κατ' αὐτοῦ κινεῖται δίκη· εἴτε τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἀσεβήσαντος, εἴτε τοῦ ἑτεροδόξου, εἴθ' ὅπως ποτὲ ἀσεβοῦς, αὐτῷ μερίς ἐστιν ἡ δηλουμένη ἐν τοῖς προει ρημένοις. ΚΕΦ. ΚΑʹ. ∆ιὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσι, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ; Τὸ μέντοι, «πεπαλαίωνται ἐν πλούτῳ,» εἶπεν ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ εἰσὶ νεόπλουτοι, ἀλλ' ἐκ νεότητος καὶ μέχρι γήρως πλουτοῦντες διετέλεσαν. Ἀναλαβόντα ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. Ἄλλη πατέρων εὐδαιμονία, τῶν παίδων ἡ εὐφροσύνη, ἣν ἀποπληροῦσιν αὐλοὶ καὶ κιθάραι καὶ τύμπανα, ὑφ' ὧν αἱ μὲν ἀκοαὶ καταυλοῦνται, αἱ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡδο ναὶ διεγείρονται, καὶ οἱ παρόντες τῇ ἀκολάστῳ μελ ωδίᾳ κατακηλοῦνται· ἣν οἱ τῶν ἀσεβῶν παῖδες ἀσελ γῶς ἐργάζονται, ταῖς ἐντεταμέναις νευραῖς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐπιβάλλοντες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῶν ὀργά νων ἐπικροτοῦντες. Συνετέλεσαν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὸν βίον αὐτῶν. Τουτ έστιν, οὐδὲν διάλειμμα τῆς εὐπραγίας αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἐν βίῳ τελείῳ τοῖς σωματικοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυ φῶντες διετέλεσαν· καὶ πέρας αὐτοῖς εὐδαιμονίας τὸ τῆς ζωῆς πέρας ἐγένετο, παραταθείσης μέχρι τελευ τῆς τῆς εὐημερίας. Καὶ ἐν ἀναπαύσει ᾄδου ἐκοιμήθησαν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, μέχρι θανάτου ἀναπαυόμενοι καὶ εὐθυμοῦντες, ἀβα σάνιστοι εἰς ᾅδην κατέρχονται. Ἢ, ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ θάνατος πικρὸς αὐτοῖς γίνεται· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὑπνοῦν τες, οὕτως ἀποθνήσκουσιν. Ἢ, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἐν τῷ ζῇν κακοπαθοῦσι καὶ ταλαιπωροῦνται, ἀποθανόν τες δὲ ἀναπαύονται· οὗτοι δὲ περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος, πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ διηνυκότες, οὕτως εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ἦλθον ἀνάπαυσιν. ΚΕΦ. ΚΒʹ. Πότερον οὐ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων; Ὑγιὲς δὲ τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο, ὅτι ἀληθινὸς διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς οὐ 12.1037 δύναται εἶναι ἄνθρωπος· «ὁ διδάσκων γὰρ ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν,» καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀναγέγραπται, ὅτι οὐκ ἄλ λος ἐστὶν ἀλλ' ἢ Θεός. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ Θεὸς, ἐλλάμπων τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ μανθάνοντος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν φωτίζων τῷ φωτὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λόγῳ. Οὐκ οῦν, κἂν ἄνδρες δίκαιοι ἡμᾶς διδάσκωσι, διδασκαλι κὴν εἰληφότες χάριν, πάλιν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ δι' αὐ τῶν διδάσκων ἡμᾶς· καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ συνιέναι καὶ διαν οιχθῆναι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν τῶν θείων μαθημάτων παραδοχὴν, κατὰ τὴν θείαν γίνεται χάριν. Ἢ λόγον σου ποιούμενος ἐλέγξει σε; Πρὸς τοῦτο εἴποιμεν ἂν, ὅτι οὐ φροντίζων ὁ Θεὸς μήποτε αὐτός τι βλαβῇ,