hears what is being said, nor as a heretic does he invent another, but he stands in the middle of both, and says that these things have been well written; but I do not know the meaning of what is written. Therefore, all of you, lift up your minds, and ask, that he may reveal to you how he is good, he who visits the sins of the fathers upon the children. Who are the fathers? Bring the Scriptures as witnesses; let the sacred 12.292 oracles be examined. The Savior and Lord Jesus Christ says to sinners, that “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth.” Therefore if anyone sins, he is of his father the devil, and for this reason the sin of the devil is visited upon the son. However, he is the first sinner, the one who suggested the sin to me; but I am the second sinner, the one who did not cast out his will, but received his influence; when it was necessary for me to stand armed with the full armor of God, and having the shield of faith, so that all the flaming arrows of the evil one might be extinguished in the shield of my faith. If then I sin, I do the things of the devil who has cast into my heart, that I might do this or that sin. First I receive his arrow, and when I receive it, then I also receive him. For so it is written concerning Judas, that Satan did not enter him at first, but first the devil having put into his heart that Judas Simon Iscariot should betray him, then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Therefore I have a father, if I am holy, God; but if I am a sinner, I have the devil as a father; but also, so to speak, more immediately, the active Antichrist, or some angel of the devil, or a demon, whose influence I have received. And in short, I have countless fathers, if I become a sinner; just as, again, if I become righteous, my father is God, as the Savior says, “Little children, I am with you a little while longer.” And again, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.” And again, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Thus I also know other fathers, according to what was written to Abraham: “But you shall go to your fathers;” not to his fathers according to the flesh; for they were not faithful, they were not holy, as is clear from the history written about them. For if his father was holy, it would not have been said to him, “Go out from your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house.” For the word has a physical sense, and it has a spiritual one. If you have understood who the fathers are, see then that you receive, you who have accepted the influence, because you have sinned, from the devil, or one of the spirits under him. Therefore, having become their son, you receive from the good God who visits you. For he does not visit your father, but he visits you, and says to you, “Listen, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear,” and so forth; and he gives to you as one who is good. For he visits you, the son of the evil father, visiting the sins. “I will visit then with a rod the iniquities” of you, the saints; but I will visit “and with scourges their unrighteousness.” Why? So that “I might not scatter my mercy from them.” For when he 12.293 abandons someone, he no longer punishes him, nor scourges him. For he “scourges” not all, but “every son whom the Lord receives.” And it is said in the prophet concerning the very sinful: “I will not visit upon your daughters when they commit fornication, nor upon your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.” For so long a time the devil has been sinning from the creation and foundation of the world, and there is neither fire nor scourge; for he is not worthy of the punishments that are from God. For the devil is not able to say, “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,” and so forth. Therefore let each one who is conscious of sins in himself pray to be punished. For it is a good thing to have done nothing worthy of punishment. But if we have done anything worthy of punishment, let us be so punished that we may receive it here, and after these things into the bosom of Abraham

ἀκούει τῶν λεγομένων, οὔτε ὡς αἱρετικὸς ἀναπλάσσει ἄλλον, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν ἀμφοτέρων μέσος, καὶ λέγει καλῶς μὲν ταῦτα γε γράφθαι· οὐκ οἶδα δὲ τῶν γεγραμμένων τὸν νοῦν. Ἀνατείνατε οὖν τὰς διανοίας πάντες, καὶ αἰτήσα σθε, ἵνα ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψῃ ὡς ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ὁ ἀποδι δοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα. Τίνες οἱ πατέρες; φέρε τὰς Γραφὰς μάρτυρας· ἐξετασθήτωσαν τὰ λό 12.292 για τὰ ἱερά. Λέγει ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χρι στὸς τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ὅτι «Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ, καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιῆσαι. Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστὶν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐχ ἕστηκεν.» Οὐκοῦν εἴ τις ἁμαρτάνει, ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῦ διαβόλου ἀποδίδοται ἐπὶ τὸν υἱόν. Πλὴν ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ πρῶτος ἁμαρτωλὸς, ὁ ὑποβαλών μοι τὸ ἁμάρτημα· ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι ὁ δεύτερος ἁμαρτωλὸς, ὁ μὴ ἐκβαλὼν τὸ βούλημα αὐ τοῦ, ἀλλὰ παραδεξάμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνέργειαν· δέον με στῆναι καθωπλισμένον τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἔχοντα τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως, ἵνα πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβεσθῇ ἐν τῷ θυρεῷ τῆς πίστεώς μου. Ἐὰν οὖν ἁμαρτάνω, ποιῶ τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου βεβληκότος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν, ἵνα τόδε τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἢ τόδε ποιήσω. Πρῶτον παραδέχομαι αὐτοῦ τὸ βέλος, καὶ ὅταν παραδέξωμαι αὐτὸ, τότε καὶ αὐτὸν παραδέχομαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα οὕτω γέγραπται, ὅτι οὐ πρῶτον εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Σατανᾶς εἰς αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον τοῦ διαβόλου βεβληκότος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἵνα παραδῷ αὐτὸν Ἰούδας Σίμων ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης, εἶτα μετὰ τὸ ψωμίον εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ Σατανᾶς. Οὐκοῦν ἔχω πατέρα, εἰ μὲν ἅγιός εἰμι, Θεόν· εἰ δὲ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, τὸν διάβολον ἔχω πατέ ρα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν προσεχῶς φέρε εἰπεῖν ἐνεργήσαν τα Ἀντίχριστον, ἢ ἄγγελόν τινα τοῦ διαβόλου, ἢ δαι μόνιον, οὗ τὴν ἐνέργειαν παρεδεξάμην. Καὶ ἁπαξα πλῶς εἰσί μοι πατέρες μυρίοι, ἐὰν γένωμαι ἁμαρ τωλός· ὥσπερ πάλιν ἐὰν γένωμαι δίκαιος, πατήρ μου ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς, καθάπερ φησὶν ὁ Σωτὴρ, «Τεκνία, ἔτι μικρὸν μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Θύγα τερ, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι.» Οὕτως οἶδα καὶ ἄλλους πατέρας, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον τῷ Ἀβραάμ· «Σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου·» οὐ πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ σάρκα πατέρας· οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν πιστοὶ, οὐκ ἦσαν ἅγιοι, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας τῆς γεγραμμένης περὶ αὐτῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἅγιος αὐτοῦ ὁ πατὴρ, οὐκ ἂν ἐλέγετο αὐτῷ, «Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγε νείας σου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου.» Ἔχει γὰρ ὁ λόγος τὸ σωματικὸν, ἔχει καὶ τὸ πνευματι κόν. Εἰ νενόηκας τοὺς πατέρας, ὅρα λοιπὸν ὅτι ἀπολαμβάνεις σὺ, ὁ παραδεξάμενος τὴν ἐνέργειαν, διὰ τὸ ἡμαρτηκέναι, ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἤ τινος τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν πνευμάτων. Γενόμενος οὖν ἐκείνων υἱὸς, ἀπολαμβάνεις ἀπὸ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ σε ἐπισκεπτομένου. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπισκέπτεται τὸν πατέρα σου, ἀλλ' ἐπισκέ πτεταί σε, καὶ λέγει σοι, «Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ δίδωσί σοι ὡς ἀγαθός. Ἐπισκέπτεται γάρ σε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ πονηροῦ πατρὸς, τὰ ἁμαρ τήματα ἀποδιδούς. «Ἐπισκέψομαι οὖν ἐν ῥά βδῳ τὰς ἀνομίας» ὑμῶν τῶν ἁγίων· ἐπισκέψομαι δὲ «καὶ ἐν μάστιξι τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν.» ∆ιὰ τί; ἵνα τὸ «ἔλεός μου μὴ διασκεδάσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν.» Ὅτε γὰρ κα 12.293 ταλίπῃ τινὰ, οὐκέτι αὐτὸν κολάζει, οὔτε μαστιγοῖ. «Μαστιγοῖ» γὰρ οὐ πάντας, ἀλλὰ «πάντα υἱὸν ὂν παραδέχεται Κύριος.» Καὶ λέγεται ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ περὶ τῶν πάνυ ἁμαρτωλῶν· «Οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν ὅταν πορνεύσωσι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας ὑμῶν ὅταν μοιχευθῶσι.» Τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει ἀπὸ κτίσεως, καὶ καταβολῆς κό σμου, καὶ οὔτε πῦρ, οὔτε μάστιξ· οὐ γὰρ ἄξιός ἐστι τῶν κολάσεων τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ δύναται εἰπεῖν ὁ διάβολος, «Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἕκαστος οὖν συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ ἁμαρτίας, εὐχέσθω κολασθῆναι. Καλὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ μηδὲν ἄξιον κολάσεως πεποιηκέναι. Εἰ δέ τι ἄξιον κολάσεως πεποιήκαμεν, οὕτω κολασθῶμεν, ὥστε ἐν θάδε μὲν ἀπολαβεῖν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα εἰς τοὺς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ