4

and barefoot, so shall the sons of Israel go into captivity naked and barefoot." Wishing, therefore, to remind you of the former tyranny of the devil, through this posture he directs you to the memory of your old ignoble birth. For this reason you stand not only naked and barefoot, but also with your hands held up, so that you may also confess the lordship of God, which you are now approaching. You are all spoils and plunder; and of these spoils Isaiah makes mention from afar, before the outcome of events, crying out thus: "He shall divide the spoils of the strong." And again: "He came to proclaim release to the captives." And David, after him, prophesying this captivity, said: "You ascended on high, you led captivity captive." But do not be saddened hearing of captivity; for nothing is more blessed than this captivity. For human captivity leads from freedom to slavery, but this one transfers from slavery to freedom; and human captivity deprives one of a homeland and leads to a foreign land, but this captivity casts one out of the foreign land and leads to the homeland, the Jerusalem above. Human captivity deprives one of a mother, but this one leads you to the mother common to us all. That one separates from kinsmen and citizens, but this one leads to the citizens above; for "you are fellow citizens," he says, "of the saints." So then, the posture has this meaning.

But for what reason do the voices of the exorcists, those fearful and dreadful voices, remind you of the common master, of punishment, of retribution, of Gehenna? Because of the shamelessness of the demons. For a catechumen is an unsealed sheep and a deserted inn and an unlocked lodging set before all 162 simply, a haunt of robbers, a refuge of wild beasts, a dwelling of demons. Since, therefore, it seemed good to the king through great love for mankind that this deserted inn, this unlocked lodging, this refuge of robbers, should become royal courts, for this reason he sent us the teachers and those who exorcise to prepare the lodging. And we the teachers make the crumbling walls strong through teaching; "For everyone," he says, "who hears these words of mine and does them, will be like a wise man, who built his house upon the rock." Let us lay the foundations securely, until the king should arrive. If we see any filth and mire anywhere, we bail it out; for such is the habit of sin, foul-smelling and unclean. Hear, at any rate, how David speaks of its nature: "Like a heavy burden they have been heavy upon me; my wounds stank and were corrupt because of my foolishness." We indeed bail out the foul odor and apply the spiritual ointment, but the exorcists through those fearful voices look around, lest there be any wild beast, any serpent, any viper, any scorpion; for after hearing that fearful voice, even if the beast is fierce, it cannot sink down or lurk, but comes up and flees even unwillingly.

I wanted to say something else also, which I did not promise to say; but it was necessary to say why we are the faithful, and the uninitiated are catechumens. For it is truly shameful and ridiculous for one receiving an honor not even to know the name of the honor. But what can I do? The concern for oaths has come upon me again and has caused delay and draws the discourse to itself. For this reason, postponing these words until the morrow, let us turn now to the exhortation concerning oaths. An oath is a terrible thing, beloved, terrible and harmful; a deadly drug, a harsh poison, a 163 hidden wound, an unseen ulcer, a spreading gangrene bringing its venom to the soul; a satanic dart, a fiery javelin, a two-edged knife, a sharpened sword, an unpardonable sin, a transgression that has no defense, a pit

4

καὶ ἀνυπόδετος, οὕτως πορεύσονται υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν γυμνοὶ καὶ ἀνυπόδετοι". βουλόμενος τοίνυν ἀναμνῆσαί σε τῆς προτέρας τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννίδος διὰ τοῦ σχήματος παραπέμπει σε πρὸς τὴν μνήμην τῆς δυσγενείας τῆς παλαιᾶς. διὰ τοῦτο οὐχὶ γυμνοὶ καὶ ἀνυπόδετοι μόνον ἑστήκατε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ὑπτίας ἔχοντες, ἵνα καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ὁμολογῆτε τοῦ θεοῦ δεσποτείαν, ᾗ νῦν προσέρχεσθε. σκῦλα ἐστὲ καὶ λάφυρα πάντες ὑμεῖς· καὶ τῶν σκύλων τούτων ὁ Ἡσαΐας μέμνηται πόρρωθεν πρὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως προαναφωνῶν οὕτως· "αὐτὸς τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ μεριεῖται σκῦλα". καὶ πάλιν· "ἦλθε κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν". ὁ ∆αυὶδ δὲ μετὰ τούτου τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ταύτην προφητεύων ἔλεγεν· "ἀνέβης εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν". ἀλλὰ μὴ στυγνάσῃς ἀκούων αἰχμαλωσίαν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ταύτης τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας μακαριώτερον. ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἰχμαλωσία ἀπὸ ἐλευθερίας εἰς δουλείαν ἄγει, αὕτη δὲ ἀπὸ δουλείας εἰς ἐλευθερίαν μεθίστησι· καὶ ἡ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποστερεῖ πατρίδος καὶ πρὸς τὴν ξένην ἄγει, αὕτη δὲ ἡ αἰχμαλωσία ἐκβάλλει τῆς ξένης καὶ ἄγει πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα, τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ. ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἰχμαλωσία ἀποστερεῖ μητρός, αὕτη δὲ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα σε ἄγει τὴν κοινὴν πάντων ἡμῶν. ἐκείνη καὶ συγγενῶν καὶ πολιτῶν διαζεύγνυσιν, αὕτη δὲ πρὸς τοὺς πολίτας ἄγει τοὺς ἄνω· καὶ γὰρ "συμπολῖται ἐστέ" φησι "τῶν ἁγίων". τὸ μὲν οὖν σχῆμα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν λόγον.

Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν αἱ τῶν ἐξορκιστῶν φωναί, αἱ φοβεραὶ ἐκεῖναι καὶ φρικώδεις, ἀναμιμνήσκουσί σε τοῦ κοινοῦ δεσπότου, τῆς κολάσεως, τῆς τιμωρίας, τῆς γεέννης; διὰ τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν τῶν δαιμόνων. καὶ γὰρ πρόβατον ἀσφράγιστον ὁ κατηχούμενός ἐστι καὶ πανδοχεῖον ἔρημον καὶ ἀθύρωτον καταγώγιον πᾶσι προκείμενον 162 ἁπλῶς, λῃστῶν καταδρομή, θηρίων καταφυγή, δαιμόνων οἴκησις. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔδοξε τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τὸ πανδοχεῖον τοῦτο τὸ ἔρημον, τὸ ἀθύρωτον, τὴν καταφυγὴν τῶν λῃστῶν βασιλικὰς αὐλὰς γενέσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἔπεμψε προετοιμάζοντας τὸ καταγώγιον ἡμᾶς τοὺς διδάσκοντας κἀκείνους τοὺς ἐξορκίζοντας. καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν οἱ διδάσκοντες τοὺς τοίχους σαθροὺς ὄντας ποιοῦμεν ὀχυροὺς διὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας· "πᾶς" γάρ φησιν, "ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν". ἀσφαλῆ καταβάλλωμεν τὰ θεμέλια, ἕως ἂν παραγένηται ὁ βασιλεύς. εἴ που ῥῦπόν τινα καὶ βόρβορον ἴδωμεν, ἐξαντλοῦμεν· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ συνήθεια τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δυσώδης καὶ ἀκάθαρτος. ἄκουσον γοῦν, πῶς αὐτῆς τὴν φύσιν ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· "ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ· προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου". ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐξαντλοῦμεν τὴν δυσωδίαν καὶ τίθεμεν τὸ μύρον τὸ πνευματικόν, οἱ δὲ ἐξορκίζοντες διὰ τῶν φοβερῶν ἐκείνων φωνῶν περισκοποῦσι, μή που θηρίον, μή που ὄφις, μή που ἔχις, μή που σκορπίος· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ τὴν φωνὴν ἀκοῦσαι τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην, κἂν χαλεπὸν ᾖ τὸ θηρίον, οὐ δύναται καταδύεσθαι οὐδὲ φωλεύειν, ἀλλ' ἄνεισι καὶ δραπετεύει καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον.

Ἐβουλόμην εἰπεῖν καὶ ἕτερον, ὅπερ οὐχ ὑπεσχόμην εἰπεῖν· ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ἦν εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡμεῖς μὲν πιστοί, οἱ δὲ ἀμύητοι κατηχούμενοι. καὶ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ὄντως καὶ καταγέλαστον τιμὴν λαμβάνοντα μηδὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς τιμῆς εἰδέναι. ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; ἐπέστη μοι πάλιν ἡ τῶν ὅρκων φροντὶς καὶ βραδυτῆτα ἐνεκάλεσε καὶ τὸν λόγον ἕλκει πρὸς ἑαυτήν. διὰ τοῦτο τούτους εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἀναβαλλόμενοι τοὺς λόγους πρὸς τὴν περὶ τῶν ὅρκων παραίνεσιν τρεψώμεθα νῦν. δεινὸν ὁ ὅρκος, ἀγαπητέ, δεινὸν καὶ ἐπιβλαβές· φάρμακον ὀλέθριον, δηλητήριον χαλεπόν, τραῦμα 163 κεκρυμμένον, ἕλκος ἀφανές, νομὴ συνεσκιασμένη καὶ τὸν ἰὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἄγουσα· βέλος σατανικόν, ἀκόντιον πεπυρωμένον, μάχαιρα δίστομος, ῥομφαία ἠκονημένη, ἁμαρτία ἀσύγγνωστος, παρανομία ἀπολογίαν οὐκ ἔχουσα, βάραθρον