clothed in a corruptible body "into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." 8 It is to be expected that some prophet of impiety, perhaps not one but many, will speak to us as a “word of the Lord, which the Lord did not command,” or as a word of wisdom that is foreign to wisdom, in order to kill us with the word of his mouth. But we, even then, when the sinner stands against us, let us say: "But I was like a deaf man and did not hear, and like a mute who does not open his mouth; and I became like a man who does not hear." For deafness toward impious words is a good thing, whenever we despair of the correction of those who say worse things. 9 And it is useful for us to understand in times of those who provoke us to the contrary, what God, wishing to teach, says: "I am the Lord your God, a jealous God." And I think that just as a bridegroom, turning his bride toward living chastely—she drawing her whole self to the bridegroom and in every way guarding herself from being poured out to another besides the bridegroom—even if he is wise, would show jealousy, using such a display toward the bride as a medicine; so also he who gives oracles, and especially if he appears to be "the firstborn of all creation," says to the bride-soul that God is jealous, turning his hearers away from all fornication with demons and those who are thought to be gods; and as such a jealous God he says concerning those who have in any way committed fornication after other gods: "They have made me jealous with what is no god, they have provoked me to anger with their idols; and I will make them jealous with those who are not a nation, with a foolish nation I will provoke them to anger; for a fire is kindled from my wrath, it will burn to the lowest Hades." 10 And even if not for his own sake, as a wise and passionless bridegroom, he turns his betrothed away from all defilement, yet for her sake, seeing her defilement and abomination, he will do all things that can heal and restore her, addressing words to her nature, which has free will, to dissuade her from fornication. What worse defilement, then, could you conceive of happening to a soul, which in any way proclaims another god and does not confess the truly one and only Lord? And I think that, just as "he who is joined to a prostitute is one body," so he who confesses someone, and especially in a time of torture and testing of the faith, is mingled and united with the one confessed; but he who denies, by the denial itself, in the manner of a cutting sword, suffers division from him whom he denies, being separated from him whom he denied. Therefore consider, whether it is said as a consequence and a necessary result for the one who confesses to be confessed and for the one who denies to be denied: "Whoever confesses in me before men, I will also confess in him before my Father who is in heaven." And the Word-himself and the Truth-herself might say to both the one who confessed and the one who denied: "With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." You, then, who have measured with the measure of confession toward me and have filled the measure of confession, will receive the measure of confession from me, "shaken together, pressed down, overflowing," which will be given "into your lap"; and you who have measured with the measure of denial and denied me, in proportion to the measure of denial, will receive the measure of denial from me concerning you. 11 But how the measure of confession is filled, or is not filled but is lacking, we might consider as follows. If throughout the whole time of examination and temptation we give no place to the devil in our hearts, who wishes to defile us with evil thoughts of denial or double-mindedness or any plausibility provoking us to things hostile to martyrdom and perfection, and in addition to this, if we do not even by a word foreign to confession defile ourselves, and if we bear all the reproach and scorn and laughter and slander and pity from our opponents, with which they seem to pity us, supposing us to be deluded and foolish and calling us mistaken, and furthermore, if we are not drawn away, being distracted also by concern for our children or their mother or any of the

ἐνδεδεμένος φθαρτῷ σώματι «εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ.» 8 Ἔστι προσδοκῆσαι καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας τινὰ προφήτην τάχα οὐχ ἕνα ἀλλὰ πλείονας λαλήσοντας ἡμῖν ὡς κυρίου «ῥῆμα, ὃ οὐ προσέ ταξε» κύριος, ἢ ὡς σοφίας λόγον τὸν ἀλλότριον τῆς σοφίας, ἵν' ἡμᾶς ἀποκτείνῃ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ. ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς καὶ τότε ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον ἡμῶν εἴπωμεν· «ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγε νόμην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων». καλὴ γὰρ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς λόγους κώφωσις, ἐπὰν ἀπογινώσκωμεν τὴν τῶν τὰ χείρονα λεγόντων ἐπανόρθωσιν. 9 Χρήσιμον δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐννοεῖν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἐναντία προκαλουμένων, τί διδάξαι βουλόμενος ὁ θεός φησι τό· «ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεός σου ζηλωτής.» καὶ οἶμαί γε ὅτι ὃν τρόπον νυμφίος ἐπι στρέφων τὴν νύμφην πρὸς τὸ σεμνῶς βιοῦν συνάγουσαν μὲν πᾶσαν ἑαυ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον παντὶ δὲ τρόπῳ φυλαττομένην ἐκχεῖσθαι πρὸς ἕτερόν τινα παρὰ τὸν νυμφίον, κἂν σοφὸς ᾖ, ἐμφαίνοι ἂν ζῆλον ὡς φαρμάκῳ τῇ τοιαύτῃ ἐμφάσει πρὸς τὴν νύμφην χρώμενος· οὕτως ὁ χρηματίζων, καὶ μάλιστα ἐὰν φαίνηται «ὁ πρωτότοκος εἶναι πάσης κτίσεως», φησὶ πρὸς τὴν νύμφην ψυχὴν θεὸς εἶναι ζηλωτὴς, πάσης τῆς πρὸς τὰ δαιμόνια πορνείας καὶ τοὺς νομιζομένους εἶναι θεοὺς ἀφιστὰς τοὺς ἀκροωμένους· καὶ ὡς θεός γε οὕτω ζηλωτής φησι περὶ τῶν ὅπως ποτὲ ὀπίσω θεῶν ἑτέρων ἐκπεπορνευκότων· «αὐτοὶ παρ εζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ θεῷ, παρώργισάν με ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν· κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει, ἐπὶ ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παρορ γιῶ αὐτούς· ὅτι πῦρ ἐκκέκαυται ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου, καυθήσεται ἕως ᾅδου κατωτάτου.» 10 Κἂν μὴ δι' ἑαυτὸν δὲ ὡς σοφὸς ὁ νυμφίος καὶ ἀπαθὴς ἀπο στρέφῃ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ τὴν μεμνηστευμένην, ἀλλά γε δι' ἐκείνην ὁρῶν αὐτῆς τὸν μολυσμὸν καὶ τὸν βδελυγμὸν πάντα τὰ ἰάσασθαι καὶ ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτὴν δυνάμενα ποιήσει, ὡς αὐτεξουσίῳ φύσει προσάγων λόγους ἀποτρεπτικοὺς τοῦ πορνεύειν. ποῖον ἂν οὖν μιασμὸν νοήσαις χείρονα γίνεσθαι ψυχῇ, ὅπως ποτὲ ἄλλον ἀγορευούσῃ θεὸν καὶ μὴ ὁμολογούσῃ τὸν ἀληθῶς ἕνα καὶ μόνον κύριον; καὶ οἶμαί γε ὅτι, ὥσπερ «ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν», οὕτως ὁ μὲν ὁμο λογῶν τινα καὶ μάλιστα ἐν καιρῷ βασάνου καὶ ἐξετάσεως τῆς πίστεως ἀνακιρνᾶται καὶ ἑνοῦται τῷ ὁμολογουμένῳ· ὁ δὲ ἀρνούμενος ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀρνήσεως τρόπον μαχαίρας διακοπτούσης ἀπ' ἐκείνου, ὃν ἀρνεῖται, πάσχει τὴν διαίρεσιν χωριζόμενος ἐκείνου, ὃν ἠρνήσατο. διόπερ ἐπίστη σον, μή ποτε ὡς ἀκόλουθον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον συμβῆναι τῷ ὁμολογοῦντι τὸ ὁμολογηθῆναι καὶ τῷ ἀρνουμένῳ τὸ ἀρνηθῆναι εἴρηται τό· «ὃς ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κἀγὼ ὁμολογήσω ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς». καὶ εἴποι δ' ἂν ὁ αὐτολόγος καὶ ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια τῷ τε ὁμολογήσαντι καὶ τῷ ἀρνησα μένῳ· «ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν». σὺ μὲν οὖν ὁ μετρήσας μέτρῳ τῆς πρός με ὁμολογίας καὶ πληρώσας τὸ μέτρον τῆς ὁμολογίας ἀπολήψῃ μέτρον τῆς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὁμολογίας «σεσαλευμένον πεπιεσμένον ὑπερεκχυνόμενον», ὅπερ δοθήσεται «εἰς τὸν κόλπον» σου· καὶ σὺ δὲ ὁ μετρήσας τῷ τῆς ἀρνήσεως μέτρῳ καὶ ἀρνησάμενός με τὸ ἀνάλογον τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἀρνήσεως ἀπολήψῃ μέτρον τῆς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ περὶ σοῦ ἀρνήσεως. 11 Πῶς δὲ πληροῦται μέτρον ὁμολογίας ἢ οὐ πληροῦται ἀλλ' ἐλλείπει, οὕτως ἂν θεωρήσαιμεν. εἰ παρ' ὅλον τὸν τῆς ἐξετάσεως καὶ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ χρόνον μὴ διδοίημεν τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ ἐν ταῖς καρ δίαις ἡμῶν, μολύνειν ἡμᾶς διαλογισμοῖς πονηροῖς θέλοντι ἀρνήσεως ἢ διψυχίας ἤ τινος πιθανότητος προκαλουμένης ἐπὶ τὰ ἐχθρὰ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ καὶ τῇ τελειότητι, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ εἰ μηδὲ λόγῳ ἀλλοτρίῳ τῆς ὁμολογίας ἑαυτοὺς μιαίνοιμεν καὶ εἰ πάντα φέροιμεν τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων ὀνειδισμὸν καὶ χλεύην καὶ γέλωτα καὶ δυσφημίαν καὶ ἔλεον, ὃν δοκοῦσιν ἡμᾶς ἐλεεῖν, πεπλανημένους καὶ μωροὺς ὑπολαμ βάνοντες εἶναι καὶ ἐσφαλμένους ἀποκαλοῦντες, ἔτι δὲ εἰ μὴ περιελ κοίμεθα περισπώμενοι καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς περὶ τὰ τέκνα ἢ τὴν τούτων μη τέρα ἤ τινα τῶν