5

deep, a sheer cliff, a strong trap, a spread-out net, a bond that cannot be loosened, an inescapable noose. Are these things sufficient and do you believe, that the oath is terrible and more grievous than all sins? Be persuaded by me, be persuaded, I beseech you; but if anyone disbelieves, I now provide the proof; for what no other sin possesses, this sin has it. For by not transgressing the other commandments we are delivered from punishment, but in the case of the oath, often both by keeping it and transgressing it we are punished alike. Perhaps you did not understand what was said? Therefore it is necessary to say it again more clearly. Often someone has sworn to do an unlawful deed and has fallen into an unbreakable noose; for it is then necessary either, having kept the oath, to commit a transgression, or, not having kept the oath, to be convicted of the crime of perjury; and on both sides the cliff has become deep, on both sides death is inescapable both for those who keep the commandment and for those who do not keep it. Is there anything more destructive than this transgression, when it is kept and when it is not kept? And so that you may learn that this is so and that many people many times, not only by transgressing the oath, but also by keeping the oath have made themselves liable to punishment, I will tell you such a story. Herod once was celebrating his birthday and was observing the day on which he was born; and wishing to make it splendid he brought in the daughter of the queen to dance, not knowing that he rather shamed her; for when he ought to have given thanks to the man-loving God, that He made him when he was not, that He gave him a soul, that He brought him into this solemn theatre of creation, that 164 He made him a spectator of this most beautiful and wondrous creation, when he ought to have honored the day with hymns and thanksgivings to the Master, he instead honored it with dishonor. For what is more dishonorable than dancing? On this day the daughter of Herodias danced. Hear, both men and women, all you who honor your feasts with such dances and such songs; these evils are not small, even if they seem to be indifferent matters; for on this account they are great evils, because they seem to be indifferent matters; for it does not enjoy much foresight; for a great disease, when it receives care, is extinguished, but what seems to be small, being despised for this very reason, becomes great. What are you saying? Does someone dare to bring dancing into the house of a faithful person and not fear, lest a thunderbolt descending from above should burn everything up? I say these things also to the women, so that they may make their husbands sober-minded and lead them away from such pleasure. On this day the daughter of the queen entered and danced. Blessed be God; to how much sobriety has he changed our life. Hear, you faithful, what sort of bridegroom you approach, who our life, which was unseemly before this, has adorned with modesty and sobriety and solemnity; for what the queen then was not ashamed to do, now a lowly handmaid would not choose to endure. So then she danced and after the dance she committed another, more grievous sin; for she persuaded that foolish man to promise her with an oath to give whatever she might ask. Do you see, how an oath also makes men foolish? whatever she might ask, he simply swore to give. What then, if she had asked for your head? What if for the entire kingdom? But he is conscious of none of these things. For the devil was standing by, making the trap strong, and 165 from the moment he completed the oath and set the trap and spread the net everywhere, then she brings forward that request, so that the hold might become inescapable. "Give me," she says, "on a platter the head of John the Baptist." Shameless is the request, foolish and harmful the giving. Of both these things the oath is the cause. What then ought he to have done? Remember what I said, that both by keeping the commandment and by transgressing it we are punished alike. Was it necessary to give the head of the prophet? But unbearable is the punishment. But not to give it? But the charge of perjury awaits. Do you see how on both sides there is a cliff? "Give me," she says, "here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." O the accursed

5

βαθύ, κρημνὸς ἀπότομος, παγὶς ἰσχυρά, δίκτυον ἐκτεταμένον, δεσμὸς λυθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος, βρόχος ἀδιεξόδευτος. ἆρα ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα καὶ πιστεύετε, ὅτι δεινὸν ὁ ὅρκος καὶ πάντων ἁμαρτημάτων χαλεπώτερον; πείσθητέ μοι, πείσθητε, παρακαλῶ· εἰ δέ τις ἀπιστεῖ, καὶ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἤδη παρέχομαι· ὅπερ γὰρ οὐδεμία ἁμαρτία κέκτηται, τοῦτο αὕτη ἡ ἁμαρτία ἔχει. τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλας ἐντολὰς μὴ παραβαίνοντες ἀπαλλαττόμεθα τιμωρίας, τὸν δὲ ὅρκον πολλάκις καὶ φυλάττοντες καὶ παραβαίνοντες ὁμοίως κολαζόμεθα. τάχα οὐκ ἐνοήσατε τὸ λεχθέν; οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη σαφέστερον αὐτὸ πάλιν εἰπεῖν. πολλάκις τις ὤμοσε πρᾶξαι πρᾶγμα παράνομον καὶ ἐνέπεσεν εἰς βρόχον ἄλυτον· ἀνάγκη γὰρ λοιπὸν ἢ φυλάξαντα τὸν ὅρκον παρανομεῖν, ἢ μὴ φυλάξαντα τὸν ὅρκον ἐγκλήματι ἐπιορκίας ἁλῶναι· καὶ γέγονεν ἑκατέρωθεν βαθὺς ὁ κρημνός, ἑκατέρωθεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπαραίτητος καὶ φυλάττουσι τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ μὴ φυλάττουσιν. ἆρα ἔστιν ὀλεθριώτερόν τι τοῦ πλημμελήματος τούτου, ὅταν φυλάττηται καὶ μὴ φυλάττηται; Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ πολλοὶ πολλάκις οὐχὶ παραβάντες τὸν ὅρκον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φυλάξαντες τὸν ὅρκον κολάσει ἑαυτοὺς ὑπευθύνους ἐποίησαν, ἐγὼ διήγημα τοιοῦτον ὑμῖν ἐρῶ. ὁ Ἡρώδης γενέσιά ποτε ἐπετέλει καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἦγεν, ἐν ᾗ ἐτέχθη· καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτὴν ποιῆσαι λαμπρὰν εἰσήγαγεν ὀρχήσασθαι τὴν θυγατέρα τῆς βασιλίδος, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι μᾶλλον αὐτὴν κατῄσχυνε· καὶ γὰρ δέον εὐχαριστῆσαι τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ θεῷ, ὅτι οὐκ ὄντα αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν, ὅτι ψυχὴν ἔδωκεν, ὅτι αὐτὸν εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὸ σεμνὸν τοῦτο τῆς κτίσεως θέατρον, ὅτι 164 θεατὴν ἐποίησε τῆς δημιουργίας τῆς καλλίστης ταύτης καὶ θαυμαστῆς, δέον ὕμνοις καὶ εὐχαριστίαις ταῖς εἰς τὸν δεσπότην τιμῆσαι τὴν ἡμέραν, ὁ δὲ τῇ ἀτιμίᾳ ἐτίμησεν. τί γὰρ ὀρχήσεως ἀτιμότερον; κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν ὠρχήσατο ἡ θυγάτηρ Ἡρωδιάδος. ἀκούσατε, καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, ὅσοι τοιούτοις ὀρχήμασι καὶ τοιούτοις ᾄσμασι τὰ ἄριστα τιμᾶτε τὰ ἑαυτῶν· οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα μικρὰ τὰ κακά, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖ ἀδιάφορα εἶναι· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι μεγάλα κακά, ἐπειδὴ ἀδιάφορα εἶναι δοκεῖ· οὐδὲ γὰρ πολλῆς ἀπολαύει τῆς προνοίας· τὸ μὲν γὰρ μέγα νόσημα καὶ ἐπιμελείας τυγχάνον σβέννυται, τὸ δὲ μικρὸν εἶναι δοκοῦν, δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καταφρονούμενον, μέγα γίνεται. τί λέγεις; εἰς οἰκίαν πιστοῦ τολμᾷ τις ὄρχησιν εἰσάγειν καὶ οὐ δέδοικε, μὴ σκηπτὸς ἄνωθεν κατενεχθεὶς καταφλέξῃ πάντα; ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας λέγω, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας σωφρονίζωσι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπαγάγωσι τέρψεως. κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν εἰσῆλθε καὶ ὠρχήσατο ἡ θυγάτηρ τῆς βασιλίδος. εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός· πρὸς ὅσην σωφροσύνην τὸν βίον ἡμῶν μετέβαλεν. ἀκούσατε οἱ πιστοί, ποίῳ προσέρχεσθε νυμφίῳ, ὃς τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἀσχημονοῦσαν πρὸ τούτου κατεκόσμησεν αἰδοῖ καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ σεμνότητι· ἃ γὰρ ἡ βασιλὶς τότε οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνετο πρᾶξαι, νῦν θεραπαινίδιον εὐτελὲς οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτο ὑπομεῖναι. ὠρχήσατο τοίνυν ἐκείνη καὶ μετὰ τὴν ὄρχησιν ἑτέραν ἁμαρτίαν χαλεπωτέραν ἔπραξεν· ἔπεισε γὰρ τὸν ἀνόητον ἐκεῖνον ὁμολογῆσαι αὐτῇ μεθ' ὅρκου δοῦναι ὃ ἂν αἰτήσῃ. ὁρᾷς, ὅπως καὶ ἀνοήτους ὁ ὅρκος ποιεῖ; ὅπερ ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ, ἁπλῶς ὤμοσε δοῦναι. τί οὖν, εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν ᾔτησε τὴν σήν; τί δέ, εἰ τὴν βασιλείαν ἅπασαν; πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἐκεῖνος σύνοιδεν. ἐφειστήκει γὰρ ὁ διάβολος τὴν παγίδα ποιῶν ἰσχυράν, καὶ 165 ἐξ οὗ τὸν ὅρκον ἀπήρτισε καὶ ἔθηκε τὴν παγίδα καὶ τὸ δίκτυον ἐξέτεινε πανταχοῦ, τότε ἐπάγει τὴν αἴτησιν ἐκείνην, ἵνα ἄφευκτος γένηται ἡ λαβή. "δός μοι", φησίν, "ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ". ἀναίσχυντος ἡ αἴτησις, ἀνόητος ἡ δόσις καὶ βλαβερά. ἀμφοτέρων τούτων ὁ ὅρκος αἴτιος. τί οὖν ἔδει ποιῆσαι; μνημονεύετέ μου ὅ τι ἔλεγον, ὅτι καὶ φυλάττοντες τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ παραβαίνοντες ὁμοίως κολαζόμεθα. δοῦναι τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔδει τοῦ προφήτου; ἀλλ' ἀφόρητος ἡ κόλασις. ἀλλὰ μὴ δοῦναι; ἀλλ' ἐκδέξεται ἐπιορκίας ἔγκλημα. εἶδες, πῶς ἑκατέρωθεν ὁ κρημνός; "δός μοι", φησίν, "ὧδε ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ". ὢ τῆς ἐναγοῦς