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having formed common dances, handing over their souls to the wine-loving demon, they wounded one another with the darts of their passions. Laughter from both sides, shameful songs, harlot-like gestures, provoking to licentiousness. You laugh, tell me, and delight in intemperate delight, when you ought to weep and groan over what has come to pass? You utter the songs of a harlot, having cast out the psalms and the hymns which you were taught. You move your feet, and leap about madly, and dance unseemly dances, when you ought to bend your knees 31.461 in worship? Whom shall I mourn? The unmarried maidens? Or those held in the yoke of marriage? For the former returned, no longer having their virginity; and the latter did not bring back their chastity to their husbands. For if some even escaped sin in their body, yet they certainly received corruption in their souls. Let these things also be said by me concerning the men. He saw evilly, he was seen evilly. The one who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery. If chance encounters hold so much danger for those who gaze curiously, what will they say, or what defense will they make for intentional meetings, so as to see women behaving indecently from drunkenness, and composing themselves for dissoluteness, and singing effeminate songs, which by being merely heard can produce every sting of pleasure in the intemperate, having collected from such spectacles a myriad swarm of evils? Is it not for this reason they looked, in order to arouse their desires? Therefore they are liable, according to the inexorable decision of the Lord, to the judgment of adultery. How will Pentecost receive you, when Pascha has been so insulted? Pentecost held the manifest and well-known visitation of the Holy Spirit; but you, beforehand, have made yourself a dwelling-place of the opposing spirit, and you have become a temple of idols, instead of becoming a temple of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You have drawn upon yourself the curse of the prophet who said in the person of God, "I will turn their feasts into mourning."

How will you rule your servants, when you yourselves serve foolish and harmful desires like slaves? How will you admonish your children, while living an unadmonished and disordered life? What then? Do I leave you in this state? But I fear, lest the insubordinate become more hardened, and the one who is contrite be swallowed up by excessive sorrow. For a healing, it says, will put an end to great sins. Let fasting cure drunkenness; psalmody, the shameful song; let a tear become the remedy for laughter; instead of dancing, let the knee be bent; instead of the clapping of hands, let the breast be beaten; instead of fine clothing, humility. Above all, let almsgiving redeem you from sin. For a man's ransom is his own wealth. Entreat many of the afflicted into the fellowship of prayer, if perhaps the thought of wickedness may be forgiven you. When the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play; (and their play was idolatry;) then the Levites, having armed themselves against their brethren, consecrated their hands 31.464 for the priesthood. And so to you who fear the Lord, as many as are now saddened at the indecency of those who have been condemned, we command this: If you see them repenting for the absurdity of their deeds, have compassion as for your own ailing members; but if you see them being stubborn and despising your grief for them, "Come out from among them, and be separate, and touch no unclean thing"; so that in this way the one group, being shamed, may come to the recognition of their own wickedness; and you may receive the reward for the zeal of Phinehas, through the righteous judgment of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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κοινοὺς συστησάμενοι χοροὺς, δαίμονι οἰνηρῷ τὰς ψυχὰς παραδόντες, ἀλλήλους ταῖς ἀκίσι τῶν παθῶν ἀντετίτρωσκον. Γέλωτες παρ' ἀμφοτέρων, ᾄσματα αἰσχρὰ, σχήματα πορνικὰ, ἐρεθίζοντα πρὸς ἀσέλ-γειαν. Γελᾷς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ τέρπῃ τέρψιν ἀκόλαστον, δακρύειν δέον καὶ στένειν ἐπὶ τοῖς φθάσασιν; Ἄσματα πόρνης φθέγγῃ, ἐκβαλὼν τοὺς ψαλμοὺς καὶ τοὺς ὕμνους, οὓς ἐδιδάχθης. Κινεῖς πόδας, καὶ ἐξάλλῃ ἐμμανῶς, καὶ χορεύεις ἀχόρευτα, δέον τὰ γόνατα 31.461 κάμπτειν εἰς τὴν προσκύνησιν; Τίνας ὀδύρωμαι; τὰς κόρας τὰς ἀπειρογάμους; ἢ τὰς ἐν τῷ ζυγῷ τοῦ γάμου κατεχομένας; Αἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐπανῆλθον, τὴν παρθενίαν οὐκ ἔχουσαι· αἱ δὲ τὴν σωφροσύνην τοῖς ἀνδράσιν οὐκ ἐπανήγαγον. Εἰ γάρ πού τινες καὶ τῷ σώματι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διέφυγον, ἀλλὰ πάντως γε ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὴν φθορὰν ὑπεδέξαντο. Ταῦτά μοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀῤῥένων εἰρήσθω. Εἶδε κακῶς, ἐθεάθη κακῶς. Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν. Εἰ αἱ ἀπὸ ταυτομάτου συντυχίαι τοῖς περιέργως κατασκοποῦσι τοσοῦτον ἔχουσι κίνδυνον, αἱ κατ' ἐπιτήδευσιν ἀπαντήσεις, ὥστε ἰδεῖν γυναῖκας ἀσχημονούσας ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης, καὶ κατασχηματιζομένας πρὸς ἔκλυσιν, καὶ μέλη τεθρυμμένα ἀδούσας, δυνάμενα καὶ μόνον ἀκουσθέντα πάντα οἶστρον ἡδονῆς ἐμποιῆσαι τοῖς ἀκολάστοις, τί ἐροῦσιν, ἢ τί ἀπολογήσονται, ἐκ τοιούτων θεαμάτων μυρίων ἐσμὸν τῶν κακῶν συλλεξάμενοι; Οὐχ, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο ἐμβλέψαντες, ἵνα τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἐγείρωσιν; Οὐκοῦν ὑπόδικοί εἰσι, κατὰ τὴν ἀπαραίτητον ἀπόφασιν τοῦ Κυρίου, τῷ κρίματι τῆς μοιχείας. Πῶς ὑμᾶς ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ ὑποδέξεται, οὕτω τοῦ Πάσχα καθυβρισθέντος; Ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔσχε τοῦ ἁγίου τὴν ἐναργῆ καὶ πᾶσι γνωρίμην ἐπιδημίαν· σὺ δὲ, προλαβὼν, σεαυτὸν οἰκητήριον τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἐποίησας πνεύματος, καὶ ἐγένου ναὸς εἰδώλων, ἀντὶ τοῦ γενέσθαι ναὸς Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐνοικήσεως τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου. Ἐπεσπάσω τὴν ἀρὰν τοῦ προφήτου εἰπόντος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Στρέψω τὰς ἑορτὰς αὐτῶν εἰς πένθος.

Πῶς τῶν οἰκετῶν ἄρξετε, αὐτοὶ δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίαις ἀνοήτοις καὶ βλαβεραῖς ὡς ἀνδράποδα; Πῶς τοὺς παῖδας νουθετήσετε, ἀνουθέτητον ζωὴν καὶ ἀδιάτακτον ζῶντες; Τί οὖν; Ἐν τούτοις ὑμᾶς καταλείπω; Ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι, μή πως ὁ μὲν ἀνυπότακτος στραγότερος γένηται, ὁ κατανενυγμένος τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ. Ἴαμα γὰρ, φησὶ, καταπαύσει ἁμαρτίας μεγάλας. Ἡ νηστεία τὴν μέθην θεραπευσάτω· ψαλμὸς τὴν αἰσχρὰν μελῳδίαν· δάκρυον γενέσθω τοῦ γέλωτος ἴαμα· ἀντὶ τῆς ὀρχήσεως τὸ γόνυ κλινέσθω· ἀντὶ τοῦ κρότου τῶν χειρῶν τὸ στῆθος τυπτέσθω· ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἡ ταπείνωσις. Ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐξαγοραζέτω σε ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Λύτρον γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ὁ ἴδιος αὐτοῦ πλοῦτος. Πολλοὺς ἐργάτευσον τῶν θλιβομένων εἰς τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς προσευχῆς, εἰ ἄρα σοι ἀφεθήσεται ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς κακίας. Ὅτε ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν· (ἡ δὲ παιδιὰ αὐτῶν εἰδωλολατρεία ἦν·) τότε οἱ Λευῗται, κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐξοπλίσαντες, εἰς ἱερωσύνην τὰς χεῖρας ἑαυτῶν 31.464 ἐτελείωσαν. Καὶ ὑμῖν τοίνυν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Κύριον, ὅσοι νῦν ἐπεστυγνάσατε ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσχημοσύνῃ τῶν καταγνωσθέντων, ἐκεῖνο διαστελλόμεθα· Ἐὰν μὲν ἴδητε μετανοοῦντας ἐπὶ τῇ ἀτοπίᾳ τῶν πεπραγμένων, συμπαθήσατε ὡς οἰκείοις μέλεσι νενοσηκόσιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἀπαυθαδιαζομένους καὶ καταφρονοῦντας τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπ' αὐτοῖς λύπης, Ἐξέλθετε ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀφορίσθητε, καὶ ἀκαθάρτου μὴ ἅπτεσθε· ἵνα οὕτως οἱ μὲν ἐντραπέντες εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἔλθωσι τῆς οἰκείας κακίας· ὑμεῖς δὲ τοῦ ζήλου τοῦ Φινεὲς τὸν μισθὸν ὑποδέξησθε, διὰ τῆς δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.