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his enemies. And who are the enemies of God, but fornicators, adulterers, sodomites, the effeminate, idolaters, the covetous, drunkards, perjurers, murmurers, the wrathful, the malicious, the proud, the boasters, those disobedient to parents, the unmerciful? To all these on the terrible day of the general resurrection the judge commands, saying, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

4. But if for these things that have been mentioned we shall give an account, much more will they give an account for these words at that terrible tribunal, who mock the terrible and dreadful commandments of Christ, and enervate the earnestness of many who wish to be diligent, and do not even imitate the barbarian Ninevites. For they, though ignorant of all these things, having heard that the city would be overthrown, not only did not disbelieve, but they also groaned, and put on sackcloth, and were confounded; and they did not cease from doing everything until they had averted the wrath and indignation of God. But you, the Christian, who has received such experience of deeds and words, do you despise the things spoken by Christ? Therefore the opposite will befall 59.625 you.

For just as the Ninevites, fearing the words, did not endure the experience of the deeds; so you also, despising the threat from the words, will undergo the punishment from the deeds. Do you not see what Christ has done here? how, having taken two thieves, He did not deem them worthy of the same things, but brought one into the kingdom, and sent the other to Gehenna? And why do I say thief and murderer? For He did not even spare His disciple, since he became a traitor, but even seeing him rushing to a noose, and being strangled and bursting asunder in the middle (for he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out); but nevertheless He allowed him to suffer all these things, persuading you by present things about all things there. Do not therefore deceive yourselves, O men, by obeying the devil; for these are his thoughts. For if judges and masters and teachers, both civilized and barbarian, honor the good, but punish the wicked, how would it be reasonable for the opposite to happen with God, and for both the good and the wicked to be deemed worthy of the same things? And when will the wicked be delivered from their wickedness? For when they now expect punishment, and in the meantime have so great a fear of judges and laws, and do not desist from wickedness; when, having gone there, they also put away this fear, and not only do not fall into Gehenna, but also obtain the kingdom, when will they stop being wicked? Is this philanthropy, tell me, to increase wickedness? to set a prize for evil? to deem the temperate and the intemperate, the faithful and the impious, the merciful and the inhuman, worthy of the same things? For if God cares nothing whether we sin or do right, perhaps it has some reason to say there is no punishment; but if God makes such an effort that we do not sin, and contrives so many things that we may keep the commandments, it is clear that He both punishes those who sin and crowns those who do right. But consider, for me, the inconsistency of the many. For here they blame God, because He is often longsuffering, and overlooks many defiled, licentious, covetous people, who do not pay the penalty; there again, if He threatens to punish them, they are vehement and severe in their accusations; and yet if this grieves them, they ought to have accepted and admired that. But O the folly! O the irrational and shameless opinion! O the soul that loves sin and pleasure, and is inclined to evil! For from much love of pleasure all these doctrines are born; so that if those who say such things would wish to take hold of virtue, they would quickly be persuaded also concerning Gehenna, and would not doubt. And where, he says, and in what place will this Gehenna be? For what

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ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ πόρνοι, οἱ μοιχοὶ, οἱ ἀρσενοκοῖται, οἱ μαλακοὶ, οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι, οἱ πλεονέκται, οἱ μέθυσοι, οἱ ἐπίορκοι, οἱ γογγυσταὶ, οἱ ὀργίλοι, οἱ μνησίκακοι, οἱ ὑπερήφανοι, οἱ ἀλαζόνες, οἱ τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, οἱ ἀνελεήμονες; Τούτοις πᾶσιν ἐν τῇ φοβερᾷ τῆς κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμέρᾳ παρακελεύεται ὁ κριτὴς λέγων, Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ αἰώνιον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ.

δʹ. Εἰ δὲ περὶ τούτων τῶν εἰρημένων δώσομεν δίκην, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων δώσουσιν εὐθύνας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐκείνου τοῦ φοβεροῦ οἱ τὰ φοβερὰ καὶ φρικώδη διασύροντες τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐντάλματα, καὶ πολλῶν τὸν τόνον τῶν σπουδάζειν βουλομένων ἐκλύοντες, καὶ οὐδὲ τοὺς βαρβάρους Νινευΐτας μιμούμενοι. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ καίτοι τούτων πάντων ὄντες ἄπειροι, ἀκούσαντες ὅτι ἡ πόλις καταστραφήσεται, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠπίστησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐστέναξαν, καὶ σάκκον περιεβάλοντο καὶ συνεχύθησαν· καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστησαν πάντα ποιοῦντες, ἕως ἂν ἔλυσαν τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σὺ δὲ ὁ Χριστιανὸς ὁ τοσαύτην λαβὼν πεῖραν πραγμάτων καὶ ῥημάτων, ἐξουδενοῖς τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Οὐκοῦν ἔσται 59.625 σοι τὰ ἐναντία.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ Νινευῗται φοβηθέντες τὰ ῥήματα, οὐχ ὑπέμειναν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πεῖραν· οὕτω καὶ σὺ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων καταφρονῶν ἀπειλῆς, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑποστήσεις κόλασιν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τί πεποίηκεν ἐνταῦθα ὁ Χριστός; πῶς δύο λαβὼν λῃστὰς, οὐ τῶν αὐτῶν αὐτοὺς ἠξίωσεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν εἰς βασιλείαν εἰσήγαγε, τὸν δὲ εἰς γέενναν ἔπεμψε; Καὶ τί λέγω λῃστὴν καὶ ἀνδροφόνον; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ μαθητοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐφείσατο, ἐπειδὴ προδότης ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ βρόχον ὁρῶν ὁρμῶντα αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀγχόμενον καὶ μέσον ῥηγνύμενον (καὶ γὰρ Ἐλάκησε μέσος, καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἐξεχύθη πάντα)· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἅπαντα ταῦτα παθεῖν αὐτὸν συνεχώρησεν, ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων πείθων σε καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ πάντων. Μὴ τοίνυν φενακίζετε ἑαυτοὺς, ἄνθρωποι, τῷ διαβόλῳ πειθόμενοι· ἐκείνου γάρ εἰσι ταῦτα τὰ νοήματα. Εἰ γὰρ δικασταὶ καὶ δεσπόται καὶ διδάσκαλοι, καὶ ἥμεροι καὶ βάρβαροι, τοὺς μὲν ἀγαθοὺς τιμῶσι, τοὺς δὲ πονηροὺς κολάζουσι, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ τὰ ἐναντία γίνεσθαι, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι τούς τε ἀγαθοὺς καὶ τοὺς πονηρούς; Πότε δὲ καὶ ἀπαλλαγήσονται τῆς κακίας οἱ πονηροί; Ὅταν γὰρ προσδοκῶσι νῦν κόλασιν, καὶ μεταξὺ τοσοῦτον φόβον ἔχωσι τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν δικαστῶν καὶ τῶν νόμων, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίστανται τῆς πονηρίας· ὅταν ἀπελθόντες ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸν φόβον τοῦτον ἀπόθωνται, καὶ μὴ μόνον εἰς γέενναν οὐκ ἐμπέσωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλείας ἐπιτύχωσι, πότε πονηρευόμενοι στήσονται; Τοῦτο οὖν φιλανθρωπίας, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ τὴν πονηρίαν ἐπιτείνειν; τὸ τῇ κακίᾳ ἆθλον τιθέναι; τὸ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦν τὸν σώφρονα καὶ τὸν ἀκόλαστον, τὸν πιστὸν καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ, τὸν ἐλεήμονα καὶ τὸν ἀπάνθρωπον; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν μέλει τῷ Θεῷ μηδὲ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν, μήτε κατορθούντων, ἴσως ἔχει τινὰ λόγον τὸ λέγειν μὴ εἶναι κόλασιν· εἰ δὲ τοσαύτην σπουδὴν ποιεῖται ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε μηδὲ ἁμαρτάνειν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοσαῦτα πραγματεύεται, ὥστε κατορθοῦν ἡμᾶς τὰς ἐντολὰς, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας κολάζει, καὶ κατορθοῦντας στεφανοῖ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τῶν πολλῶν τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ἐγκαλοῦσι τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι μακροθυμεῖ πολλάκις, καὶ περιορᾷ πολλοὺς μιαροὺς, ἀσελγεῖς, πλεονέκτας, μὴ διδόντας δίκην· ἐκεῖ πάλιν ἐὰν ἀπειλήσῃ κολάζειν αὐτοὺς, σφοδροὶ καὶ βαρεῖς εἰσιν αἰτιώμενοι· καίτοι γε εἰ τοῦτο λυπεῖ, ἐκεῖνο ἀποδέχεσθαι ἐχρῆν καὶ θαυμάζειν. Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! ὢ τῆς ἀλόγου καὶ ἀναιδοῦς γνώμης! ὢ φιλαμαρτήμονος καὶ φιληδόνου, καὶ πρὸς κακίαν ῥεπούσης ψυχῆς! Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ πολλῆς φιληδονίας τὰ δόγματα ἅπαντα ταῦτα τίκτεται· ὡς εἴ γε βουληθεῖεν οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες ἀρετῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι, ταχέως καὶ περὶ τῆς γεέννης πεισθήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἀμφιβαλοῦσι. Καὶ ποῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν ποίῳ χωρίῳ αὕτη ἔσται ἡ γέεννα; Τί γάρ