to honor “with the lips” while having the heart “far” from God, than to honor him “with the heart” while the mouth does not confess “unto salvation”. 6 But if he who says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor any likeness” and so on, says these things as though “you shall not worship them” and “nor shall you serve them” differ from one another, perhaps the one disposed toward idols serves them; but the one not so disposed but through cowardice, which he names accommodation, hypocritically feigning these things for the sake of seeming to be pious like the many, does not serve but worships the idols. And I would say that those who renounce Christianity in court or before a court do not serve but worship idols, taking the name of the Lord God, “God,” upon vain and soulless matter. And thus the defiled people “unto the daughters of Moab” worshipped, and did not serve, idols. For it is written in these very words that “they called them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices, and they worshipped their idols and were initiated to Baal-peor.” And observe that it is not said: and they served their idols, for it was not possible after so many signs and wonders in a single moment of time to be persuaded by the women, with whom they committed fornication, to believe the idols were gods. And perhaps thus also in the case of the calf-making in Exodus they “worshipped,” not serving the calf, which they saw being made. Therefore, we must consider the present temptation to have been a test and an examination of our love for the divine. “For the Lord is testing you,” as it is written in Deuteronomy, “to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” But you, being tested, “shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments,” and especially this one: “You shall have no other gods before me,” “and you shall listen to his voice and you shall be joined to him,” who takes you from the places here, and adds you to himself for “the,” as the apostle named it, “increase of God” in him. 7 But if every evil “word” is “an abomination to the Lord” your God, how great an “abomination” must we consider the evil word of denial to be, and the evil speech of proclaiming another god, and the evil oath by the fortune of men, a thing without substance? When this is proposed to us, we must remember him who taught: “But I say to you, do not swear at all.” For if one who swears by heaven transgresses the throne of God, and one who swears by earth acts impiously, deifying what is called “the footstool of God’s feet,” and one who swears by Jerusalem sins, although it is the city of the great king, and one who swears by his own head does wrong; how great a sin must we consider it to be to swear by someone’s fortune? And we must then also remember: for every idle word you will give an “account on the day of judgment.” For what other word is so idle as the oath in denial? But it is likely that the enemy will want to outwit us by whatever means he can so that we worship “the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven.” But we shall say that the word of God “did not command” these things. For in no way are creatures to be worshipped when the Creator is present and is sufficient and reaches to the prayer of all. And not even the sun itself would wish to be worshipped by those from God’s portion, and it is likely that not by anyone else either; but imitating the one who said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, God the Father,” it will as it were say to the one wishing to worship it: Why do you call me God? There is one true God; and why do you worship me? “For you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” I too am created; why do you wish to worship one who worships? For I too worship and serve God the Father and, obeying his commands, have been subjected “to futility” “by him who subjected it in hope” and I myself also now will be set free “from the bondage of corruption”

«τοῖς χείλεσι» τιμᾶν τὴν καρδίαν «πόῤῥω» ἔχοντα ἀπὸ θεοῦ, ἤπερ τῇ «καρδίᾳ» τιμᾶν αὐτὸν, τοῦ στόματος μὴ ὁμολογοῦντος «εἰς σωτηρίαν». 6 Εἴπερ δὲ ὁ φάσκων· «οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον οὐδὲ παν τὸς ὁμοίωμα» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὡς διαφερόντων πρὸς ἄλληλα τοῦ· «οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς» καὶ τοῦ· «οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς», ταῦτα λέγει, μή ποτε ὁ μὲν διακείμενος πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα λατρεύῃ αὐτοῖς· ὁ δὲ μὴ διακείμενος ἀλλὰ διὰ δειλίαν, ἥνπερ ὀνομάζει συμπεριφορὰν, καθυποκρινόμενος αὐτὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ δοκεῖν ὁμοίως τοῖς πολλοῖς εὐσε βεῖν οὐ λατρεύει μὲν προσκυνεῖ δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις. καὶ εἴποιμ' ἂν ὅτι οἱ ἐπὶ δικαστηρίου ἐξομνύμενοι τὸν χριστιανισμὸν ἢ πρὸ δικαστη ρίου οὐ λατρεύουσι μὲν προσκυνοῦσι δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις, λαμβάνοντες τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ «θεὸς» ἐπὶ ματαίῳ καὶ ἀψύχῳ ὕλῃ. προσεκύνουν δὲ οὕτως καὶ οὐκ ἐλάτρευον εἰδώλοις ὁ βεβηλωθεὶς λαὸς «εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας Μωάβ». γέγραπται γοῦν αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ὅτι «ἐκά λεσαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔφαγεν ὁ λαὸς τῶν θυσιῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ προσεκύνησαν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν καὶ ἐτελέσθησαν τῷ Βεελφεγώρ». καὶ παρατήρει ὅτι οὐκ εἴρηται· καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν μετὰ τοσ αῦτα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ὑπὸ μίαν καιροῦ ῥοπὴν πεισθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν, μεθ' ὧν ἐξεπόρνευον, πρὸς τὸ νομίσαι θεοὺς τὰ εἴδωλα. τάχα δὲ οὕτως καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ μοσχοποιΐαν «προσεκύ νησαν», οὐ λατρεύσαντες τῷ μόσχῳ, ὃν γινόμενον ἐθεάσαντο. δοκίμιον οὖν καὶ ἐξεταστήριον τῆς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἀγάπης νομισ τέον ἡμῖν γεγονέναι τὸν ἑστηκότα πειρασμόν. «πειράζει γὰρ ὁ κύριος ὑμᾶς», ὡς ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ γέγραπται, «εἰδέναι, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κύ ριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ὑμῶν». ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς πειραζόμενοι «ὀπίσω κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν πορεύσεσθε καὶ αὐτὸν φοβηθήσεσθε καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φυλάξεσθε», καὶ μάλιστα τήν· «οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ», «καὶ τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε καὶ αὐτῷ προστεθήσεσθε», λαμβάνοντι μὲν ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν τῇδε χωρίων, προστιθέντι δὲ αὐτῷ εἰς «τὴν», ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολος ὠνόμασεν, «αὔξησιν τοῦ θεοῦ» ἐν αὐτῷ. 7 Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴπερ «πᾶν ῥῆμα» πονηρὸν «βδέλυγμα κυρίῳ» τῷ θεῷ σου ἐστὶ, πηλίκον «βδέλυγμα» νομιστέον εἶναι τὸ πονηρὸν τῆς ἀρνήσεως ῥῆμα καὶ τὸν πονηρὸν τῆς ἄλλου θεοῦ ἀναγορεύσεως λόγον καὶ τὸν πονηρὸν κατὰ τύχης ἀνθρώπων, πράγματος ἀνυποστάτου, ὅρκον; οὗ προτεινομένου ἡμῖν μνημονευτέον τοῦ διδάξαντος τό· «ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως». εἴπερ γὰρ ὁ ὀμνὺς οὐρανὸν παρα νομεῖ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ ὀμνὺς γῆν ἀσεβεῖ τὸ λεγόμενον «ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ θεοῦ» θεοποιῶν, καὶ ὁ ὀμνὺς εἰς Ἱερο σόλυμα ἁμαρτάνει, καίτοι γε πόλις μεγάλου βασιλέως ἐστὶ, καὶ ὁ ὀμνὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν πλημμελεῖ· πηλίκον ἁμάρτημα εἶναι νο μιστέον τὸ ὀμνύναι τύχην τινός; μνημονευτέον δὲ τότε καὶ τοῦ· περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε «λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως.» τίς γὰρ ἄλλος οὕτως ἀργὸς λόγος ὡς ὁ ἐν ἀρνήσει ὅρκος; ἀλλ' εἰκὸς ὅτι θελήσει ἡμᾶς κατασοφίσασθαι δι' ὧν ἂν δύνηται ὁ ἐχθρὸς πρὸς τὸ προσκυνῆσαι «τῷ ἡλίῳ ἢ τῇ σελήνῃ ἢ παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ». ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἐροῦμεν ὅτι ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ταῦτα «οὐ προσέταξεν.» οὐδαμῶς γὰρ προσκυνητέον τὰ κτίσ ματα παρόντος τοῦ κτίσαντος καὶ διαρκοῦντος καὶ φθάνοντος πρὸς τὴν πάντων εὐχήν. καὶ οὐδ' αὐτός γ' ἂν θέλοι ὁ ἥλιος προσκυ νεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ μερίδος, εἰκὸς δὲ ὅτι οὐδὲ ὑπὸ ἄλλου τινός· ἀλλὰ μιμούμενος τὸν εἰπόντα· «τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεὸς ὁ πατὴρ» ὡσπερεὶ φήσει τῷ προσκυ νεῖν αὐτὸν ἐθέλοντι· τί με λέγεις θεόν; εἷς ἐστι θεὸς ἀληθινός· καὶ τί με προσκυνεῖς; «κύριον γὰρ τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις.» γενητός εἰμι κἀγώ· τί βούλει προσκυνεῖν τὸν προσκυνοῦντα; κἀγὼ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ προσκυνῶ καὶ λατρεύω καὶ αὐτοῦ πειθόμενος τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασι «τῇ ματαιότητι» ὑποτέταγμαι «διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι» καὶ ἐλευθερωθήσομαι «ἀπὸ τῆς δου λείας τῆς φθορᾶς» νῦν καὶ αὐτὸς