crushing the head of the serpents. For indeed as a shepherd our wonderful father crushes the heads of the dragons by the evangelical faith and the hope in Christ; and as an excellent planter and gardener, he nourishes the plants of the Church, but uproots any spurious seed and shoot; the disease of impiety, the Hellenic error, he hands over to the fire like thorns; and the heretical error, having plucked it up like couch-grass, he casts out, 59.546 clothed with the zeal of God, which many do not know. For some are accustomed to use sophistry against the Church and the holy shepherds, as indeed also against this wonderful father; and many in the guise of gentleness introduce laziness, and insult zeal, and try to blunt the vigorous word of God. For one can find someone saying in the guise of gentleness: What have we in common with the Hellenes? Does he want to be saved? Let him be saved. He who says these things has not yet been wounded by the zeal for piety; he who sees one perishing, and does not mourn his perdition, and considers it his own loss, does not know the zeal for piety, he has not been wounded by the darts of truth. 3. He, therefore, who sees one perishing and is not zealous as Paul says somewhere, *Who is weak, and I am not weak?* This man is not a disciple of Paul. Let him compare the achievements of the Father, and he will find him in harmony with the apostolic voices: *Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn?* Those who think thus are brothers of the apostles. For a righteous man is disheartened not only in the things in which he himself sins, but also in those in which he sees others sinning, as David says: *Discouragement has taken hold of me because of the sinners who forsake your law.* If someone is disheartened at the sins of others, he has zeal for piety. For the righteous man, when he corrects his own life, weeps and mourns to blot out his own sin; and then, having ceased from his own sin, he mourns for the sins of others, just as Paul did: *lest when I come I may have to mourn for many of those who have sinned before and have not repented.* Paul mourns for those who have sinned and have not repented; Samuel mourns for Saul, so that God says: *How long will you mourn for Saul?* Do you see a soul perishing, and you do not mourn? If someone sees a dead body being carried out and does not weep, he is convicted of being unfeeling and hard and brutish; if you see a soul being plunged in impiety, and condemned to eternal death, and remaining in unbelief, do you not weep, tell me, and mourn? And is this of a pious soul? Therefore, the right-minded man must mourn for all other sins, but especially when he sees a soul immersed in the impiety of Hellenism. For such a soul one must not only mourn, but also be on fire and be kindled with zeal; so that he may become a disciple of Paul. For while Paul was staying in Athens, it says, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. Why do the saints think these things, just as this wonderful father was an avenger of piety? For just as there is a king on earth who possesses the world under him, and he has advocates in every court of the palace; so God has the faithful shepherds as avengers of piety. For often many of the Hellenes say mockingly, when they hear Christians saying to them, 'Why do you blaspheme? Why are you impious?' they immediately mock: 'Behold the avengers of God; is God not able to avenge himself?' But He does not avenge Himself (for the Godhead is not insulted), but through faithful servants He scourges the ungrateful slaves. Does God have need of avengers? Yes; not because He Himself is weak, but so that He may open to you a door of zeal. For if He did all things by Himself, the way of life would be closed to the zealous. Did not Pharaoh once fight against God, and was sunk in impiety; and was no scourge brought upon him until Moses the faithful appeared? Did not the polytheistic error with the false priests and the false prophets flourish, and was there no plague from God, until Elijah the zealous arose? Admittedly, the saints are the avengers of God. Wherefore Paul also says: In readiness

συντρίβοντος τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν ὄφεων. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς ποιμὴν ὁ θαυμάσιος ἡμῶν πατὴρ συντρίβει τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐλπίδι· καὶ ὡς ἄριστος φυτοκόμος καὶ κηπουρὸς, τρέφει μὲν τὰ φυτὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐκριζοῖ δὲ, εἴ τι νόθον σπέρμα καὶ βλάστημα· τὴν νόσον τῆς δυσσεβείας, τὴν πλάνην τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ὡς ἀκάνθας πυρὶ παραδίδωσι· τὴν δὲ αἱρετικὴν πλάνην ὡς ἄγρωστιν ἐκτίλας ἐκβάλλει, 59.546 ζήλῳ ἐνδεδυμένος Θεοῦ, ὃν οἱ πολλοὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν. Εἰώθασι γάρ τινες κατασοφιστεύειν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ποιμένων, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τούτου τοῦ θαυμασίου πατρός· καὶ πολλοὶ ἐν ἐπιεικείας σχήματι ἀργίαν εἰσάγουσι, καὶ ζῆλον ὑβρίζουσι, καὶ Θεοῦ ἀκμάζοντα λόγον πειρῶνται ἀμβλύνειν. Ἔστι γὰρ εὑρεῖν τινα ἐν σχήματι ἐπιεικείας λέγοντα· Τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἔχομεν πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας; θέλει σωθῆναι; σωθήτω. Ὁ ταῦτα λέγων οὐδέπω ἐτρώθη ζήλῳ εὐσεβείας· ὁ βλέπων ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ μὴ πενθῶν τὴν ἐκείνου ἀπώλειαν, καὶ ἰδίαν ζημίαν τιθέμενος, οὐκ οἶδε ζῆλον εὐσεβείας, οὐκ ἐτρώθη βέλεσιν ἀληθείας. γʹ. Ὁ βλέπων οὖν ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ μὴ ζηλῶν ὥς πού φησι Παῦλος, Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος μαθητὴς Παύλου. Ἀντιπαραβαλλέτω τοῦ Πατρὸς τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ εὑρήσει αὐτὸν συνᾴδοντα ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς φωναῖς· Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Οἱ οὕτω φρονοῦντες, ἀδελφοί εἰσι τῶν ἀποστόλων. ∆ίκαιος γὰρ οὐκ ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνει μόνον ἀθυμεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν οἷς βλέπει ἄλλους ἁμαρτάνοντας, ὥς φησιν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Ἀθυμία κατέσχε με ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν τῶν ἐγκαταλιμπανόντων τὸν νόμον σου. Εἴ τις ἐπὶ ταῖς ἄλλων ἁμαρτίαις ἀθυμεῖ, ζῆλον ἔχει εὐσεβείας. Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος, ὅταν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον διορθῶται, δακρύει καὶ πενθεῖ τοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξαλεῖψαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· καὶ τότε τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἰδίας παυσάμενος, τὰς ἄλλων λοιπὸν πενθεῖ ἁμαρτίας, καθὼς καὶ Παῦλος· Μήπως ἐλθὼν πολλοὺς πενθήσω τῶν προημαρτηκότων, καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων. Παῦλος πενθεῖ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας, καὶ μὴ μετανοήσαντας· Σαμουὴλ πενθεῖ τὸν Σαοὺλ, ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεόν· Ἕως πότε σὺ πενθεῖς ἐπὶ Σαούλ; Βλέπεις ψυχὴν ἀπολλυμένην, καὶ οὐ πενθεῖς; Νεκρὸν ἐάν τις ἴδῃ προκομιζόμενον, καὶ μὴ δακρύσῃ, ὡς ἀπηνὴς καὶ σκληρὸς καὶ θηριώδης ἐλέγχεται· ψυχὴν ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βαπτιζομένην, καὶ αἰωνίῳ θανάτῳ καταδικαζομένην, καὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ διαμένουσαν, οὐ δακρύεις, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ πενθεῖς; καὶ τοῦτο εὐλαβοῦς ψυχῆς; Πάντα μὲν οὖν τὰ ἄλλα ἁμαρτήματα δεῖ πενθεῖν τὸν εὖ φρονοῦντα, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ, ὅταν ἴδῃ ψυχὴν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βεβαπτισμένην Ἑλληνισμοῦ. Ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ ψυχῇ οὐ δεῖ μόνον πενθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πυροῦσθαι καὶ ἐμπιπρᾶσθαι τῷ ζήλῳ· ἵνα γένηται Παύλου μαθητής. ∆ιατρίβοντος γὰρ, φησὶ, Παύλου ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις, ἐνεπίπρατο αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ταῦτα οἱ ἅγιοι φρονοῦσιν, ὥς που καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος πατὴρ ἔκδικος τῆς εὐσεβείας ἦν; Καθάπερ γάρ ἐστι βασιλεὺς ὁ ἐπὶ γῆς κατέχων τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν οἰκουμένος, ἔχει δὲ ἐν ἑκάστῳ δικαστηρίῳ τοῦ παλατίου συνηγοροῦντας· οὕτως ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πιστοὺς ποιμένας ἐκδίκους τῆς εὐσεβείας. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις διασύροντες τῶν Ἑλλήνων λέγουσιν, ὅταν ἀκούσωσι Χριστιανῶν λεγόντων αὐτοῖς, ∆ιὰ τί βλασφημεῖτε; διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖτε; εὐθέως διασύρουσιν· Ἴδε οἱ ἔκδικοι τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὐ δύναται ἑαυτὸν ἐκδικῆσαι ὁ Θεός; Ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἐκδικεῖ (οὐ γὰρ ὑβρίζει τὴν θεότητα), ἀλλὰ διὰ πιστῶν οἰκετῶν τοὺς ἀγνώμονας δούλους μαστίζει. Χρείαν ἔχει ἐκδίκων ὁ Θεός; Ναί· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἀσθενεῖ, ἀλλ' ἵνα σοὶ θύραν ζήλου ἀνοίξῃ. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἐποίει, ἀπεκλείετο ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς τῷ ζηλωτῇ. Οὐκ ἐθεομάχει ποτὲ Φαραὼ, καὶ ἦν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βεβυθισμένος· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ μάστιξ προσηνέχθη, ἕως ἂν ἔκυψε Μωϋσῆς ὁ πιστός; Οὐκ ἐκόμα ἡ πολύθεος πλάνη σὺν τοῖς ψευδέσιν ἱερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ παρὰ Θεοῦ πληγὴ, ἕως ἀνέκυψεν Ἠλίας ὁ ζηλωτής; Ἔκδικοί εἰσιν ὁμολογουμένως τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ ἅγιοι. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Ἐν ἑτοίμῳ