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that he would be moved from the priestly dignity; which also happened. So many things befell the people. Such things the father suffered because of the lawlessness of his sons, who, although on account of his own life was never blamed for anything; and he did not endure to be quiet with them, but advised them many times about no longer persisting in such things; saying, "Do not, children, do not; the reports which I hear about you are not good;" and establishing more vehemently the magnitude of the sin, he presented the danger to them more fearfully; For if a man sinning sins against a man, he says, they will pray for him to the Lord. But if he sins against God, who will pray for him? Nevertheless, since, as I said, he did not show the proper zeal against them, the aforementioned things happened. Thus I find very many such judgments against all disobedience in the Old Testament; and again when I come to the New, of our Lord Jesus Christ not having absolved from punishment those things done in ignorance, but more vehemently intensifying the threat against those who act with knowledge, through which he says: But that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself, nor do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he who did not know, yet did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few; when I find such decisions of the only-begotten Son of God himself, and the indignation of the holy apostles against sinners; such and so great sufferings of those who have sinned in any one thing, not less than those spoken of from the Old, but rather even more, I learn the vehemence of the judgment.

Since also from him to whom they committed much, they will demand the more. Behold, therefore, also the blessed Paul, indicating both the dignity of the calling and the 31.668 indignation against every sin, says things such as: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; not only this, but also having in readiness to revenge all disobedience. Where, having examined each of the aforementioned things more carefully, it is possible to know the will of the divine Scripture more accurately, that it has not permitted us to be deceived by any mistaken opinions, for the soul of each to slip into sin, thinking that some sins are punished, while others are left unpunished. But what does it say? Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, so that every sin, because of its contempt for the divine commandment, is called a high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, which is also shown more clearly in the book of Numbers. For since, having enumerated the involuntary sins and having ordained the sacrifices for them, God was about to legislate for the people the appropriate things concerning voluntary sins, he begins thus: And the soul that does anything with a high hand (calling the audacity of those who sin voluntarily a "high hand," which the Apostle calls a "high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God"), the soul, therefore, he says, that does anything with a high hand, whether he is of the natives or of the sojourners, this one provokes God, and that soul shall be utterly destroyed from the midst of its people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has broken his commandments; that soul shall be utterly cut off; its sin shall be upon it. It must be observed here that, if that soul is not utterly cut off, its sin is not upon it alone, but also upon those who did not show good zeal, as is written in many places, and has often happened. And so that we might be taught by the lesser things the fear for the greater, let us learn what kind of indignation he shows in Deuteronomy against those who disobey a priest or judge. He says, therefore: And the man who will do in

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αὐτοῦ ἀπο κινηθήσεσθαι τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ ἀξιώματος· ὅπερ καὶ γέγονε. Τοσαῦτα συμβέβηκε τῷ λαῷ. Τοιαῦτα πέπονθεν ὁ πατὴρ διὰ τὴν τῶν υἱῶν παρανομίαν, ὃς καίπερ τοῦ μὲν ἰδίου βίου ἕνεκεν οὐδὲν ᾐτιάθη ποτέ· καὶ αὐτοῖς δὲ ἐκείνοις οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν ἐφησυχάσαι, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ μὲν παρῄνει περὶ τοῦ μηκέτι τοῖς ὁμοίοις ἐπιμένειν· Μὴ, τέκνα, λέγων, μή· οὐκ ἀγαθαὶ αἱ ἀκοαὶ, ἃς ἐγὼ ἀκούω περὶ ὑμῶν· σφοδρότερον δὲ κατασκευάζων τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ μέγεθος, φοβερώτε ρον αὐτοῖς παρίστη τὸν κίνδυνον· Ἐὰν γὰρ ἁμαρ τάνων ἁμάρτῃ ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, εἰς ἄνθρωπον, προσεύξονται περὶ αὐτοῦ πρὸς Κύριον. Ἐὰν δὲ εἰς Θεὸν ἁμάρτῃ, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ; Ὅμως, ἐπειδήπερ, ὡς εἶπον, οὐχὶ τὸν πρέποντα ζῆ λον κατ' αὐτῶν ἐπεδείξατο, γέγονε τὰ εἰρημένα. Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν πλεῖστα ὅσα κατὰ τὴν Παλαιὰν ∆ια θήκην εὑρίσκω τὰ κατὰ πάσης παρακοῆς κρίματα· αὖθις δὲ ὅταν ἐπὶ τὴν Καινὴν ἔλθω, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἀπολύσαντος μὲν τῆς τι μωρίας οὔτε τὰ κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, σφοδρότερον δὲ κατὰ τῶν ἐν γνώσει τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἐπιτείναντος, δι' ὧν φησιν· Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὁ δοῦλος, ὁ γνοὺς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἑτοιμάσας ἑαυτὸν, μηδὲ ποιήσας πρὸς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, δαρήσε ται πολλάς· ὁ δὲ μὴ γνοὺς, ποιήσας δὲ ἄξια πλη γῶν, δαρήσεται ὀλίγας· ὅταν εὕρω αὐτοῦ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς τοιαύτας ἀποφάσεις, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόν των ἀγανάκτησιν· τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα πάθη, τῶν καὶ ἓν ὁτιοῦν ἡμαρτηκότων, οὐχ ἥττονα τῶν ἐκ τῆς Παλαιᾶς εἰρημένων, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πλείονα, καταμανθάνω τοῦ κρίματος τὴν σφοδρότητα.

Ἐπεὶ καὶ Ὧ παρέθεντο πολὺ, περισσότερον ἀπαιτή σουσιν αὐτόν. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ὑποδεικνὺς ὁμοῦ τῆς τε κλήσεως τὸ ἀξίωμα καὶ τὴν 31.668 κατὰ παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος ἀγανάκτησιν, οἷά φησι· Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρό μενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ αἰχμαλω τίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ Καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆ σαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν. Ἔνθα καὶ ἐξετάσαντα τῶν εἰρημένων ἕκαστον ἐπιμελέστερον, ἔνεστι γνῶ ναι τὸ βούλημα τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἀκριβέστερον, ὡς οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἡμᾶς ἠπατημέναις τισὶ δόξαις πλάζε σθαι τὴν ἑκάστου ψυχὴν εἰς ἁμαρτίας ὄλισθον, οἰομέ νην τινὰ μὲν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐκδικεῖσθαι, τινὰ δὲ ἀφίεσθαι ἀνεκδίκητα. Ἀλλὰ τί φησι; Λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς πᾶν ἁμάρτημα, διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ θείῳ προστάγματι καταφρόνησιν, ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεσθαι, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ἀριθμῶν δηλοῦται τρα νότερον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, τὰ ἀκούσια τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαριθμησάμενος, καὶ τὰς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς θυσίας διατα ξάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἔμελλεν ἤδη καὶ περὶ τῶν ἑκουσίων νομοθετεῖν τῷ λαῷ τὰ προσήκοντα, οὕτως ἄρχεται· Καὶ ψυχὴ ἥτις ποιήσει ἐν χειρὶ ὑπερηφανίας (χεῖρα ὑπερηφανίας καλῶν τὴν τόλμαν τῶν ἑκουσίως ἁμαρτανόντων, ὅπερ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ὕψωμα ἐπαι ρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀνομά ζει), ψυχὴ οὖν, φησὶν, ἥτις ποιήσει ἐν χειρὶ ὑπερηφανίας, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτοχθόνων, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν προσηλύτων, τὸν Θεὸν οὗτος παροξυνεῖ, καὶ ἐξ ολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ μέσου τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς. Ὅτι τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἐφαύλισε, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ διεσκέδασεν· ἐκτρίψει ἐκτριβήσε ται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη· ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ. Παρατηρητέον ἐνταῦθα ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ ἐκτρίψει ἐκτριβῇ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη, ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐν αὐτῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἐπιδειξα μένους τὸν ἀγαθὸν ζῆλον, καθὼς πολλαχοῦ γέγρα πται, καὶ πολλάκις γέγονε. Καὶ ἵνα ἐκ τῶν ἡττόνων παιδευθῶμεν τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς μείζοσι φόβον, τὴν κατὰ ἱερέως ἢ κριτοῦ παρακουόντων ἀγανάκτησιν οἵαν ποιεῖται ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ καταμάθωμεν. Λέγει οὖν· Καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἐν