receiving it before their eyes, and showing fruit worthy of repentance in the interval of so much time, will be helped all the more.

4 Concerning those who do not repent. For to those who are altogether despaired of and unrepentant, "possessing the unchangeable skin of an Ethiopian and the spots of a leopard," will be said that of the other fig tree: "May no fruit ever come from you again," wherefore it also immediately withers. Therefore is fulfilled in them that which was spoken by Ecclesiastes: "That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is lacking cannot be numbered." For if that which is crooked is not first corrected, it is impossible for it to be made straight, and if that which is lacking is not first filled up, it is impossible for it to be numbered. Wherefore also in the end will happen to them that which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "And they shall see," he says, "the limbs of the men who have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh." Since also as was foretold by him. "But the wicked will be tossed about, and will not be able to rest; there is no joy for the wicked, said God."

5 Concerning those who acted deceitfully. To those who acted deceitfully like David who feigned madness, so that he might not die, not being mad, and who did not openly register themselves for denial, but who tricked the plots of the enemy in their great distress like sensible, prudent children among foolish children, whether by passing by the altars, or by signing a document, or by sending pagans in their place, even if some of the confessors, as I have heard, condoned some of them, especially since out of great reverence they escaped becoming agents of the fire and of the incense-burning of unclean demons with their own hands, since, therefore, having done this through thoughtlessness it escaped them, nevertheless a six-month period of conversion in repentance shall be imposed on them; for thus they too will be helped all the more, meditating on the prophetic saying and declaring: "For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder, and his name is called the angel of great counsel." Which, as you know, in the sixth month of the conception of the other child, who proclaimed before the face of his entry repentance for the remission of sins, he himself also was conceived to preach repentance; for we hear both of them at first preaching not only about repentance, but also about the kingdom of heaven, which, as we have learned, "is within us," "because the word which we believe is near us, in our mouth and in our heart." Concerning which they too, having been reminded, will learn to "confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, believing in their heart that God raised him from the dead," since indeed they hear that "with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 6 Concerning slaves compelled by their own masters to sacrifice for them. As for those who have substituted Christian slaves for themselves, the slaves, for their part, being as it were under their power and in a way also imprisoned by their masters, and having been threatened by them, and through fear of them having come to this and having fallen, shall show the works of repentance for a year, learning for the future as slaves of Christ to "do the will of God" and to fear him, hearing especially that "whatever good anyone does, this he will receive from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free."

7 Concerning those who compelled their own female slaves to sacrifice in their place.

ὀφθαλμῶν λαβόντες, ἐνδειξάμενοί τε καρπὸν ἄξιον τῆς μετανοίας ἐν τῷ διαστήματι τοῦ τοσούτου χρόνου, μᾶλλον ὠφεληθήσονται.

4 Περὶ τῶν μὴ μετανοούντων. Τοῖς γὰρ παντάπασιν ἀπεγνωσμένοις καὶ ἀμετανοήτοις, «δέρμα τε Αἰθίοπος

ἀμετάβλητον κεκτημένοις καὶ ποικίλματα παρδάλεως», λεχθήσεται τὸ τῆς ἑτέρας συκῆς· «Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, διὸ καὶ παραχρῆμα ξηραίνεται». Ἀποπληροῦται γοῦν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ εἰρημένον· «∆ιεστραμμένον οὐ δυνηθήσεται ἐπικοσμηθῆναι καὶ ὑστέρημα οὐ δυνήσεται ἀριθμηθῆναι». Εἰ μὴ γὰρ πρότερον τὸ διεστραμμένον διορθωθῇ, ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν αὐτὸ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι, καὶ εἰ μὴ πρότερον τὸ ὑστέρημα ἀναπληρωθῇ, ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν αὐτὸ ἀριθμηθῆναι. Ὅθεν καὶ ἐπὶ τέλους συμβήσεται αὐτοῖς τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου Ἡσαΐου· «Καὶ ὄψονται γάρ, φησί, τὰ κῶλα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν παραβεβηκότων ἐν ἐμοί· ὁ γὰρ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτῶν οὐ σβεσθήσεται καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί». Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὡς προλέλεκται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. «Οἱ δὲ ἄδικοι κλυδωνισθήσονται, καὶ ἀναπαύσασθαι οὐ μὴ δυνήσονται· οὐκ ἔστι χαίρειν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν, εἶπεν ὁ θεός».

5 Περὶ τῶν καθυποκριναμένων. Τοῖς δὲ καθυποκριναμένοις κατὰ τὸν ἐπιληπτευσάμενον ∆αυΐδ, ἵνα μὴ

ἀποθάνῃ, οὐκ ὄντα ἐπίληπτον, καὶ μὴ γυμνῶς ἀπογραψαμένοις τὰ πρὸς ἄρνησιν, ἀλλὰ διαπαίξασι κατὰ πολλὴν στενοχωρίαν ὡσὰν παιδία βουλευτικὰ ἔμφρονα ἐν παιδίοις ἄφροσι τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλάς, ἤτοι ὡς διελθόντες βωμούς, ἤτοι ὡς χειρογραφήσαντες, ἤτοι ὡς ἀνθ' ἑαυτῶν βαλόντες ἐθνικούς, εἰ καί τισιν αὐτῶν συνεχώρησάν τινες τῶν ὁμολογητῶν, ὡς ἤκουσα, ἐπεὶ μάλιστα κατὰ πολλὴν εὐλάβειαν ἐξέφυγον αὐτόχειρες γενέσθαι τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῆς ἀναθυμιάσεως τῶν ἀκαθάρτων δαιμόνων, ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἔλαθεν αὐτοὺς ἀνοίᾳ τοῦτο πράξαντας, ὅμως ἑξάμηνος αὐτοῖς ἐπιτεθήσεται τῆς ἐν μετανοίᾳ ἐπιστροφῆς· οὕτω γὰρ μᾶλλον καὶ αὐτοὶ ὠφεληθήσονται, καταμελετῶντες τὸ προφητικὸν ῥητὸν καὶ λέγοντες· «Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος». Ὅπερ, ὡς ἴστε, ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ μηνὶ τῆς συλλήψεως τοῦ ἑτέρου παιδίου, τοῦ προκηρύξαντος πρὸ προσώπου τῆς εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ μετάνοιαν εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, συνελήφθη καὶ αὐτὸ κηρῦξαι μετάνοιαν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων ἀκούομεν ἐν πρώτοις κηρυσσόντων οὐ μόνον περὶ μετανοίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, ἥτις καθὼς μεμαθήκαμεν «ἐντὸς ἡμῶν ἐστι», «τῷ ἐγγὺς ἡμῶν εἶναι τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ πιστεύομεν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἑαυτῶν καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἑαυτῶν». Περὶ ἧς καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπομνησθέντες μαθήσονται «ὁμολογεῖν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἑαυτῶν, ὅτι κύριος Ἰησοῦς, πιστεύοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἑαυτῶν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν», ἅτε δὴ ἀκούοντες ὅτι «καρδίᾳ μὲν πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν». 6 Περὶ δούλων ἀναγκασθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων δεσποτῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν θῦσαι. Τοῖς δὲ δούλους χριστιανοὺς ἀνθ' ἑαυτῶν ὑποβεβληκόσιν, οἱ μὲν δοῦλοι ὡσὰν ὑποχείριοι ὄντες καὶ τρόπον τινὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ φυλακισθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν δεσποτῶν, καταπειληθέντες τε ὑπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον αὐτῶν εἰς τοῦτο ἐληλυθότες καὶ ὀλισθήσαντες, ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ τὰ τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα δείξωσι, μανθάνοντες τοῦ λοιποῦ ὡς δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ «ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτόν, ἀκούοντες μέλιστα, ὅτι «ἕκαστος ἐάν τι ποιήσῃ ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο κομιεῖται παρὰ κυρίου, εἴτε δοῦλος, εἴτε ἐλεύθερος».

7 Περὶ τῶν τὰς ἰδίας δούλας ἀνθ' ἑαυτῶν ἀναγκασάντων θῦσαι.