5

It has been said with boldness, but nothing worthy of the things being done. But someone will say: This is a hard saying; who can listen to it? And this hypocritical and most odious race once said this to the Savior; but you all know what answer he gave them. So also here: let him who wishes be pierced to the heart. For the words of the wise are like goads, and like fiery nails, says the Scripture. I think these things happen to be trustworthy, even if moderate in speech, against the madness of those who have spiritual sisters

. Let the word therefore cut short the neighing like a bridle, and bring into order 30.824 the irrational impulse of those being carried away by the female current. Fear and trembling lie ahead, and the fire resounds. Let no one despise it. For if one happens to be beastly, he will be tamed by fire; for if one has the disposition of a serpent, Tartarus is prepared; if one carries a Sodomite heart, fire from heaven rains down; for all the heavens are stored with fire. Let no one disregard the voice of the one speaking, but let him consider the terror of the power of the words, and have the judgment of God before his eyes: As the judgment is without mercy for the one who has shown no mercy.

It is now time for me to say moderate things to you also, O men, enemies of the brethren, and friends of women, you who boil with the murky friendship of women, and are most cold to the pure love of the brethren. But you will say that you do it for Christ's sake, taking thought for the weaker vessel. Yes, I know. Why then do you not do the same for your brother who is poor for Christ's sake, but you see your brothers as plotters, and the female plotters as sisters? But you will say to me: How can I receive my brother with me? she cherished me; she flattered me; she prepared colorful garments for me, delicate and twisted and newly-spun things she made; her voice is sweet, and her gaze delicate. You do not know what you are thinking.

These are the words of ecstatic people. Her sweet words will later be found by you to be more bitter than gall; her delicate gaze leads you down to the bars of Tartarus; but the love of a brother procures for you the kingdom of heaven. Why do you prefer the insidious love of the turtle-asp to the genuine love of a brother? why do you pursue that which destroys, while pushing away that which saves? For if the men of Nineveh who believed at the preaching of the prophet, rising up in the judgment will condemn those who have disobeyed the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, surely also the wise men of the Greeks, who practiced philosophy and chose misogyny, will condemn those who are in the true wisdom, and are entangled with dissolute little women; because they, for the sake of grammatical experience and rhetorical skill, which is foolishness before God, practiced continence, although they served lifeless idols. But even those running in the stadium of madness despise the thing, not looking at a woman at all, for the sake of a perishable prize; but you, having recognized the mysteries of heavenly things, and having heard beforehand the fearful judgments of the age to come, have not kept self-control, nor have you guarded your continence, being led by vain reasoning to the companionship of those who live with you. And how will any of you be able to take care of the Church, and speak the word concerning instruction in the church, without having first cleansed his own conscience? To whom one might reasonably say: 30.825 Hypocrite, first cast out the beam from your own eye, and then you will be able to cast out the speck that is in your brother's eye. And how will you dare to speak about self-control, being yourself enslaved by madness for women? or how to teach the things concerning righteousness, being yourself under injustice

5

Εἴρηται μετὰ παῤῥησίας, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν κατ' ἀξίαν τῶν πραττο μένων. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις· Σκληρὸς ὁ λόγος οὗτος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν; Καὶ τὸ ὑποκριτικὸν καὶ ἀπεχθέστατον γένος τοῦτο εἴρηκέ ποτε πρὸς τὸν Σω τῆρα· ἀλλ' ἴστε ἅπαντες, τίνα αὐτοῖς ἀπόκρισιν ἔδω κεν. Οὕτως καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ὁ βουλόμενος κατανυσσέσθω. Λόγοι γὰρ σοφῶν, ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα, καὶ ὡς ἧλοι πε πυρωμένοι, φησὶν ἡ Γραφή. Νομίζω ἀξιόπιστα ταῦτα τυγχάνειν, εἰ καὶ μέτρια τῷ λόγῳ, πρὸς τὴν τῶν τὰς συνεισάκτους ἐχόντων μανίαν

. Ἀνακοπτέτω τοίνυν ὁ λόγος τὸν χρεμετισμὸν χαλινοῦ δίκην, καὶ εἰς τάξιν 30.824 ἀγέτω τὴν ἄλογον ὁρμὴν τοῦ γυναικείου ῥεύμα τος παρασυρομένων. Φόβος πρόκειται καὶ τρόμος, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἀπηχεῖ. Μηδεὶς καταφρονείτω. Κἂν γάρ τις θηριώδης τυγχάνῃ, ὑπὸ πυρὸς δαμασθήσεται· κἂν γάρ τις δρακοντώδης τὴν προαίρεσιν, τάρταρος ἡτοίμασται· κἂν Σοδομιτικὴν καρδίαν περιφέρῃ, πῦρ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ. βρέχει· ὅλοι γὰρ οἱ οὐρανοὶ πυρὶ τεθη σαυρισμένοι. Μηδεὶς τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος φωνῆς παρ ακουέτω, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν λόγων δυνάμεως σκοπείτω τὸ φοβερὸν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσιν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἐχέτω· Ὡς ἀνέλεος ἡ κρίσις τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεον.

Λοιπὸν δέ μοι καιρὸς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς μέτρια εἰ πεῖν, ὦ ἄνθρωποι, οἱ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐχθροὶ, καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν φίλοι, οἱ εἰς τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν θολερὰν φι λίαν ζέοντες, καὶ εἰς τὴν καθαρὰν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀγάπην ψυχρότατοι. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς, ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν αὐτὸ πράττεις προνοούμενος τοῦ ἀσθενοῦς σκεύους. Ναὶ οἶδα. ∆ιὰ τί τοίνυν καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ διὰ Χριστὸν πενομένῳ τὸ αὐτὸ οὐ ποιεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀδελ φοὺς ὡς ἐπιβούλους ὁρᾷς, τὰς δὲ ἐπιβούλους, ὡς ἀδελφάς; Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς μοι· Πῶς δύναμαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν μετ' ἐμαυτοῦ προσλαβέσθαι; ἐκείνη με ἔθαλπεν· ἐκείνη με ἐκολάκευεν· ἐκείνη μοι ἱμάτια ποικίλα κατεσκεύαζε, θρυπτὰ καὶ στρεπτοὺς καὶ νεήλατα ἐποίει· ἐκείνης ἡ φωνὴ ἡδεῖα, καὶ τὸ βλέμμα τρυφε ρόν. Οὐκ οἶδας τί φρονεῖς.

Ταῦτα ἐνθουσιαζόντων τὰ ῥήματα. Ἐκείνης τὰ γλυκερὰ ῥήματα ὕστερον πικρότερα χολῆς εὑρεθήσεταί σοι· ἐκείνης τὸ τρυφερὸν βλέμμα εἰς ταρτάρου σε κλεῖθρα κατάγει· ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἀγάπη βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν σοι προξενεῖ. Τί τὴν τῆς ἀσπιδοχελώνης ὕπουλον ἀγάπην προτιμᾷς τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ γνησίας ἀγάπης; τί τὸ ἀπόλλον διώ κεις, τὸ σῶζον ἀπωθούμενος; Εἰ γὰρ ἄνδρες Νινευῗται οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ προφήτου κηρύγματι πιστεύσαν τες, ἀναστάντες ἐν τῇ κρίσει κατακρινοῦσι τοὺς παρ ακούσαντας τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ῥημάτων, πάντως που καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων σοφοὶ, οἱ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκήσαντες, καὶ τὴν μισογυνίαν ἑλόμενοι, κατακρινοῦσι τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθινῇ σοφίᾳ ὄν τας, καὶ συμπεπλεγμένους γυναικαρίοις ἀσώτοις· ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι διὰ γραμματικὴν ἐμπειρίαν καὶ ῥητορικὴν δεινότητα, ἥτις μωρία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν, ἐγκράτειαν ἤσκησαν, καίπερ εἰδώλοις ἀψύχοις λατρεύον τες. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ τῆς μανίας σταδίῳ τρέχοντες, καταφρονοῦσι τοῦ πράγματος, μηδὲ τὸ σύνολον εἰς γυναῖκα ἐμβλέποντες, τοῦ φθαρτοῦ βραβείου χάριν· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὰ μυστήρια τῶν ἐπουρανίων πραγμάτων ἐπιγνόντες, καὶ τὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος φοβερὰ κρι τήρια προακούσαντες, τὴν σωφροσύνην οὐκ ἐτηρήσα τε, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἐφυλάξατε, ματαίῳ λογισμῷ ὑπαχθέντες τῇ τῶν ὁμοσκήνων ἑταιρείᾳ. Καὶ πῶς τις ἐξ ὑμῶν δυνήσεται Ἐκκλησίας προνοήσασθαι, καὶ τὸν περὶ κατηχήσεως λόγον ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαλῆσαι, αὐτὸς μὴ προκαθαρίσας τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ συνείδησιν; Πρὸς ὃν ἄν τις εὐλόγως εἴποι· 30.825 Ὑποκριτὰ, ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου, καὶ τότε δυνήσῃ ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Πῶς δὲ καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνης τολμήσεις λαλῆσαι, αὐτὸς γυναικομανίᾳ δεδουλωμένος; ἢ πῶς τὰ περὶ δικαιοσύνης διδάξαι, αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀδικίας