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the satraps, unable to help, being only spectators of the blow. And the king stretched out his hand, and it withered; when it became withered, then it bore fruit. Consider for me the example of the wood in paradise, and of the wood of the cross. For just as that wood, being green, brought forth death, but the wood of the cross, being dry, brought forth life; so also it was with the hand of the king: when it was flourishing, then it brought forth impiety; when it became withered, then it offered obedience; see the paradoxical deeds of God. But as I was saying, when he himself was struck, he did nothing evil to the one striking him; but when the servant was about to be insulted, he punished the king, teaching you to avenge the things of God, but to pass over your own. For just as I pass over my own things, but avenge yours; so you also avenge my things, but pass over your own. But focus your hearing on me, for where there is a time of contests, there is need of listeners with focused hearing, so that you may know with precision how I bind, how I loose the sins of the adversaries, how I wrestle, how I strike. For if those sitting in the theater bend over two wrestlers, straining their sight and their age, so that they may see wrestling matches full of shame, so that they may see wrestling matches which it is a shame to imitate, how much more must we pay attention to the hearing of the divine Scriptures. For if you praise the athlete, why do you not become an athlete? But if you are ashamed to become an athlete, why do you imitate their praise? But here the wrestling matches are not of such a kind, but common to all and beneficial both to those who speak and to those who hear. For I wrestle with the heretic, so that I may make you athletes too, so that not only by singing, but also by disputing you may sew up their tongues. What then does the prophet say? With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I prayed to God.

Pay attention; does not what was said seem to have the beginning of wrestling matches? See how I weave the crown and the subject of the contests. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I prayed to God. Here call the heretic for me; whether he is present, or whether he is not present. For if he is present, let him be taught by our voice; and if he is not present, let him learn through your hearing. But as I said, I do not drive him away when he is present, but I receive him when he is driven, not by us, but by his own conscience, according to the one who says, The wicked flees when no one pursues. The Church is a mother of her own children, both receiving them and spreading her bosom to strangers. Noah's ark was a common theater, but the Church is better even than it. For that one took in irrational beings, and kept them irrational; but this one takes in irrational beings, and changes them. This is what I mean: If a heretical fox enters here, I make him a sheep; if a wolf enters, I make him a lamb for my part; but if he is unwilling, it is not my fault, but because of his 50.703 own ignorance; since Christ also had twelve disciples, and one became a traitor, but it was not Christ's fault, but because of that one's corrupt mind; since Elisha also had a greedy disciple, but it was not because of the teacher's weakness, but because of the disciple's sloth. I cast the seeds; if you are fertile ground receiving the seeds, you also yield the ear of corn; but if you are barren rock, it is not my fault; whether you hear, or whether you do not hear, I will not cease singing to you a spiritual song, pouring water on the wounds, so that I may not hear on that day: Wicked servant, you ought to have deposited my silver with the bankers. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I prayed to God.

3. What do you say, heretic? About whom does the prophet speak, and whom does he call Lord and

God? For the word is about one person. For they, misinterpreting the Scriptures against their own head, and always seeking arguments against their own salvation,

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οἱ σατράπαι βοηθῆσαι μὲν οὐ δυνάμενοι, θεωροὶ δὲ τῆς πληγῆς γενόμενοι μόνον. Καὶ ἐξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐξηράνθη· ὅτε ἐγένετο ξηρὰ, τότε καρπὸν ἤνεγκε. Βλέπε μοι τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καὶ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ξύλον ἐκεῖνο χλωρὸν ὂν θάνατον ἔτεκε, τὸ δὲ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ ξηρὸν ὂν ζωὴν ἐγέννησεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένετο, ὅτε χλωρὰ ἦν, τότε ἀσέβειαν ἔτεκεν, ὅτε ξηρὰ ἐγένετο, τότε τὴν ὑπακοὴν προσήγαγεν· ἴδε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ παράδοξα πράγματα. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ὅτε αὐτὸς ἐῤῥαπίζετο, οὐδὲν κακὸν τῷ ῥαπίζοντι ἐποίει· ὅτε δὲ ὁ δοῦλος ἔμελλεν ὑβρίζεσθαι, τὸν βασιλέα ἐκόλασε, σὲ παιδεύων τὰ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκδικεῖν, τὰ δὲ οἰκεῖα παρατρέχειν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ ἐμὰ παρατρέχω, τὰ δὲ σὰ ἐκδικῶ· οὕτω καὶ σὺ τὰ ἐμὰ ἐκδίκει, τὰ δὲ σὰ παράτρεχε. Ἀλλὰ συντείνατέ μοι τὴν ἀκοὴν ἔνθα γὰρ ἀγώνων καιρὸς, ἀκροατῶν χρεία συντεταμένην ἐχόντων τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἵνα εἰδῆτε μετὰ ἀκριβείας πῶς δεσμεύω, πῶς λύω τὰ τῶν ἀντιδίκων ἁμαρτήματα, πῶς παλαίω, πῶς ῥήσσω. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ καθήμενοι ἐπικύπτουσι δύο παλαιόντων, τὴν ὄψιν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐκτείνοντες, ἵνα ἴδωσι παλαίσματα αἰσχύνης γέμοντα, ἵνα ἴδωσι παλαίσματα, ἃ μιμήσασθαι αἰσχύνη, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς προσέχειν δεῖ τῇ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀκροάσει. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπαινεῖς τὸν ἀθλητὴν, διὰ τί οὐ γίνῃ ἀθλητής; εἰ δὲ αἰσχύνῃ γενέσθαι ἀθλητὴς, διὰ τί μιμῇ τούτων τὸν ἔπαινον; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα τοιαῦτα τὰ παλαίσματα, ἀλλὰ κοινὰ πᾶσι καὶ ὠφέλιμα καὶ τοῖς λέγουσι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Παλαίω γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ αἱρετικοῦ, ἵνα καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀθλητὰς ἀπεργάσωμαι, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ψάλλοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαλεγόμενοι τὴν γλῶτταν αὐτῶν ἀποῤῥάπτητε. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ προφήτης; Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐδεήθην.

Πρόσχες· μὴ δοκεῖ ἔχειν ἀφορμὴν παλαισμάτων τὸ ῥηθέν; Ὅρα πῶς πλέκω τὸν στέφανον καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα· φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐδεήθην. Ἐνταῦθά μοι τὸν αἱρετικὸν κάλει· ἐάν τε παρῇ, ἐάν τε μὴ παρῇ. Ἐάν τε γὰρ παρῇ, παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας φωνῆς παιδευέσθω· ἐάν τε μὴ παρῇ, διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀκροάσεως μανθανέτω. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ εἶπον, οὐκ ἐλαύνω αὐτὸν παρόντα, ἀλλὰ δέχομαι αὐτὸν ἐλαυνόμενον, οὐ παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ οἰκείου συνειδότος, κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα, Φεύγει ὁ ἀσεβὴς μηδενὸς διώκοντος. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία μήτηρ ἐστὶ τῶν οἰκείων τέκνων, καὶ τούτους δεχομένη, καὶ τοῖς ξένοις τοὺς κόλπους ἐφαπλοῦσα. Κοινὸν θέατρον ἡ κιβωτὸς ἡ τοῦ Νῶε ἦν, ἀλλ' ἡ Ἐκκλησία καὶ ταύτης βελτίων. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ἐλάμβανεν ἄλογα, καὶ ἐφύλαττεν ἄλογα· αὕτη δὲ λαμβάνει ἄλογα, καὶ μεταβάλλει. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ ἐνταῦθα ἀλώπηξ αἱρετικὸς, ποιῶ τοῦτον πρόβατον· ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ λύκος, ποιῶ αὐτὸν ἀρνίον τὸ ἐμὸν μέρος· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βούληται, οὐδὲν παρ' ἐμὲ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν 50.703 οἰκείαν ἀγνωμοσύνην· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δώδεκα εἶχε μαθητὰς, καὶ εἷς προδότης ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν διεφθαρμένην γνώμην ἐκείνου· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἐλισσαῖος εἶχε μαθητὴν φιλάργυρον, ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ διδασκάλου, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τοῦ μαθητοῦ. Ἐγὼ καταβάλλω τὰ σπέρματα ἐὰν γῆ λιπαρὰ ᾖς δεχομένη τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ τὸν στάχυν ἀποδίδως· ἐὰν δὲ ᾖς πέτρα ἄγονος, οὐδὲν παρ' ἐμέ· ἐάν τε ἀκούσῃς, ἐάν τε μὴ ἀκούσῃς, οὐ παύσομαί σοι ἐπᾴδων ᾠδὴν πνευματικὴν, καταντλῶν τὰ τραύματα, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσω κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην· Πονηρὲ δοῦλε, ἔδει σε καταβαλεῖν τὸ ἀργύριόν μου ἐπὶ τοὺς τραπεζίτας. Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα· φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐδεήθην.

γʹ. Τί λέγεις, αἱρετικέ; περὶ τίνος λέγει ὁ προφήτης, καὶ τίνα καλεῖ Κύριον καὶ

Θεόν; περὶ ἑνὸς γὰρ προσώπου ὁ λόγος. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ παραγραφόμενοι τὰς Γραφὰς κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν κεφαλῆς, καὶ ζητοῦντες ἀεὶ λήμματα κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας,