more venerable, nothing more bare than a theater; what did adultery in the bedchamber profit the wanton Egyptian woman? what harmed the protomartyr Thekla to wrestle naked in the theater? Being stripped naked, she did not sin; the holy one is not dishonored, but is crowned. And the one in the 59.545 theater is crowned, but the other in the bridal chamber is publicly shamed. What did the idols profit, and the worship of things that are not? I speak of the greatness of the temples; but what harmed the martyrs, the simplicity of their tombs? was not error shamed in its greatness, and the things of the martyrs exalted in humility? Thus the Church of the living God is a paradise of delight. In that paradise the serpent danced and deceived; in this paradise the Savior says: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. In paradise the way of life was closed to Adam because of the transgression; and that God might show that the virtuous soul is not hindered, outside of paradise it receives greater things than those in paradise. Paradise is closed to Adam, and Peter is entrusted with the keys of heaven; Adam is cast out of paradise, and Paul is caught up to the third heaven; the tree of life is walled off from Adam; for God said, it says, "Lest Adam touch the tree of life." There life is hindered, and the tree of life was hindered by the transgressor; here the wood of the cross was brought in, and all who wish gather eternal life. In paradise after the transgression Adam hides from God, being struck by his conscience; he who seeks all things calls him, and says: Adam, where are you? For did you not know where he was? Adam, where are you? Rebuking his lawlessness, he says, Where are you? instead of, In what state are you? Did the deceit of the serpent bring you equality with God? did you see how you have been stripped naked? Where are you? I heard your voice, and I hid. He hides in paradise; the apostles say, We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed from glory to glory. Did you see boldness outside of paradise? did you see shame inside paradise? In paradise after the transgression God clothed Adam in tunics of skin. Let us see what one is clothed in. He there put on a tunic; here, As many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There, paradise being shut, the Cherubim, and the turning sword preventing the way to paradise; and it was like a wall and a partition to Adam, not allowing him to enter on account of the disobedience in paradise after the transgression. I do not say this to accuse paradise, but that that place befitting God profited nothing the one who did not wish to conduct himself with a good will. And there was a wall of fire surrounding paradise, and not allowing the transgressor to enter; that God might show that the fire was not hostile to him, but the transgression prevented Adam from entering the wall of fire; and a chariot of fire snatched Elijah up into heaven. The Church of God does not lie, saying: God has clothed me with a garment of salvation, and as a bride he has adorned me with an ornament, as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a great garden of truth. This great paradise, the ecumenical Church. Christ reigns, and legislating is believed, unless someone is found in the Church sick with heretical error, by the teaching of serpents, I mean of heretical error, and is cast out from here, as Adam from paradise. For just as there the one persuaded by the teaching of the serpent was banished from paradise; so also in the Church those not persuaded by Paul, not taught by Peter, but persuaded by the teachings of serpents, are cast out of this paradise. From where is this clear? Paul says: For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve, so your minds should be corrupted. But the teaching of a serpent has no place here, with the great shepherd's staff of faith

σεμνότερον, οὐδὲν θεάτρου γυμνότερον· τί ὠφέλησε τὴν ἀκόλαστον Αἰγυπτίαν ἡ ἐν κοιτῶνι μοιχεία; τί ἔβλαψε τὴν πρωτομάρτυρα Θέκλαν τὸ ἐν θεάτρῳ γυμνὴν παλαίειν; Οὐχ ἡμάρτηκε γυμνουμένη, οὐχ ὑβρίζεται ἡ ἁγία, ἀλλὰ στεφανοῦται. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ 59.545 θεάτρῳ στεφανοῦται, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ νυμφῶνι στηλιτεύεται. Τί ὠφέλησε τὰ εἴδωλα, καὶ ἡ τῶν μὴ ὄντων προσκύνησις; τὰ τῶν ναῶν μεγέθη λέγω· τί δὲ ἔβλαψε τοὺς μάρτυρας ἡ τῶν τάφων εὐτέλεια; οὐ κατῃσχύνθη ἡ πλάνη ἐν μεγέθει, καὶ ὑψώθη τὰ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐν ταπεινώσει; Οὕτως ἡ Ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος παράδεισός ἐστι τρυφῆς. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐκείνῳ ὁ ὄφις ἐχόρευσε, καὶ ἠπάτα· ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τούτῳ λέγει ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσει. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐκλείσθη ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς τῷ Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν· καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται ἡ ἐνάρετος ψυχὴ, ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου τὰ μείζονα λαμβάνει τῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποκλείεται ὁ παράδεισος, καὶ Πέτρος πιστεύεται τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· Ἀδὰμ ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ Παῦλος ἁρπάζεται ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ· τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποτειχίζεται τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς· εἶπε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, Μήποτε ἅψηται Ἀδὰμ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς. Ἐκεῖ ἡ ζωὴ κεκώλυται, καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐκωλύθη παρὰ τοῦ παραβάντος· ὧδε ἐπάγη τὸ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ βουλόμενοι τρυγῶσι ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν κρύπτεται ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος πληττόμενος· ἀνακαλεῖται αὐτὸν ὁ τὰ πάντα ζητῶν, καί φησιν· Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Οὐκ ᾔδεις γὰρ ποῦ ἐστιν; Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Ἐλέγχων αὐτοῦ τὴν παρανομίαν λέγει, Ποῦ εἶ; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐν τίσιν εἶ; Μὴ ἰσοθεΐαν σοι ἤνεγκεν ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ ὄφεως; εἶδες πῶς γεγύμνωσαι; Ποῦ εἶ; Τῆς φωνῆς σου ἤκουσα, καὶ ἐκρύβην. Ἐκεῖνος κρύπτεται ἐν παραδείσῳ· οἱ ἀπόστολοι λέγουσιν, Ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμεθα, ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν. Εἶδες παῤῥησίαν ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου; εἶδες αἰσχύνην ἔσω τοῦ παραδείσου; Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ἐνέδυσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀδὰμ χιτῶνας δερματίνους. Ἴδωμεν τί ἐνδέδυται. Ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖ χιτῶνα ἐνεδύσατο· ὧδε, Ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθησαν, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσαντο. Ἐκεῖ ἀποκλεισθέντος τοῦ παραδείσου, τὰ Χερουβὶμ, καὶ ἡ στρεφομένη ῥομφαία κωλύουσα τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ παραδείσου· καὶ ἦν ὥσπερ τεῖχος καὶ ἀποτείχισμα τῷ Ἀδὰμ, μὴ συγχωροῦν εἰσελθεῖν διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν. Οὐκ εἰς κατηγορίαν λέγω τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνο τὸ θεοπρεπὲς χωρίον οὐδὲν ὠφέλησε τὸν μὴ μετὰ γνώμης ἀγαθῆς ἀναστρέφεσθαι βουληθέντα. Καὶ ἦν πυρὸς τεῖχος κυκλοῦν τὸν παράδεισον, καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦν τῷ παραβάντι εἰσελθεῖν· ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐ τὸ πῦρ πολέμιον ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἡ παράβασις τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκώλυσε τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ τεῖχος εἰσελθεῖν· καὶ Ἠλίαν ἅρμα πυρὸς ἥρπασεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Οὐ ψεύδεται ἡ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγουσα· Ἐνέδυσέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου, καὶ ὡς νύμφην κατεκόσμησέ με κόσμῳ, ὡς γῆν αὔξουσαν τὰ γεννήματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ὡς μέγας τῆς ἀληθείας κῆπος. Οὗτος ὁ μέγας. παράδεισος, ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἡ οἰκουμενική. Χριστὸς βασιλεύει, καὶ νομοθετῶν πιστεύεται, εἰ μήπου τις εὑρεθῇ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ αἱρετικὴν πλάνην νοσῶν, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ὄφεων διδασκαλίας, λέγω δὴ τῆς αἱρετικῆς πλάνης, καὶ ἐκβαλλόμενος ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς τοῦ παραδείσου Ἀδάμ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ πεισθεὶς τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως διδασκαλίᾳ ἐξωρίσθη τοῦ παραδείσου· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οἱ Παύλῳ μὴ πειθόμενοι, ὑπὸ Πέτρου μὴ διδασκόμενοι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῶν ὄφεων πειθόμενοι διδασκαλίαις, ἐκβάλλονται τούτου τοῦ παραδείσου. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Λέγει ὁ Παῦλος· Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ζῆλον Θεοῦ· ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ. Φοβοῦμαι δὲ μήπως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχει χώραν ἐνταῦθα ὄφεως διδασκαλία, τοῦ μεγάλου ποιμένος τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τῆς πίστεως