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by pride in not obeying the priest who stands to minister in the name of the Lord your God, or the judge who may be in those days, that man shall die, and you shall remove the evil from Israel. And all the people, having heard, will be afraid, and will not act impiously 31.669 any more. Regarding which, it is fitting to consider how one, being suitably moved, might be more dreadfully astounded. Then he says: And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Every thought, not this one, or that one.

And being ready to punish; and here again, not this one, or some one, but Every disobedience. So then has the worst custom deceived us; so then the perverted tradition of men has become for us the cause of great evils, on the one hand supposedly rejecting some sins, but on the other indifferently choosing others; and pretending to be vehemently indignant against some, such as murder, and adultery, and the like; but judging others not even worthy of a mere rebuke, such as anger, or reviling, or drunkenness, or greed, and all such things, against all of which Paul, speaking in Christ, also gave the same sentence elsewhere, saying that: Those who do such things are worthy of death. But where every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is cast down, and every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and every disobedience is equally punished, there nothing is left un-cast down, nothing is left unpunished, nothing is left outside the obedience of Christ. For the apostle Paul showed a common and greatest impiety against every disobedience, saying that: You who boast in the law, through the transgression of the law you dishonor God. But are these only words, and not deeds? Behold, then: in Corinth the one who had his father's wife, being accused of nothing else but this alone, not only is he himself delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, until he should correct the offense with fruits worthy of repentance, but he also envelops the whole Church together, since it did not deal with the sin, with those accusations: What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod? and after a little: And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be removed from among you. What then of Ananias, the one in Acts?

What other evil is he found to have done than that very thing? Where then does it seem worthy of so much wrath? Having sold his own possession, he brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet; having kept back part of the price, for this at that very hour he is condemned to death along with his wife, not even being deemed worthy to learn the words concerning repentance for his sin, not finding time even to be pierced to the heart for this, not receiving a deadline to repent. And the minister of such and so great a judgment, the deacon of so great a wrath of 31.672 God upon the sinner, the blessed Peter, who was preferred above all the disciples, and was alone testified to and called blessed more than the others, who was entrusted with the keys of the kingdom of heaven, when he hears from the Lord, If I do not wash you, you have no part with me, what heart of stone, then, will he not shame into fear and trembling of the judgments of God? and this, having given no indication of any sin, nor of any contempt, but rather using excessive honor concerning the Master, and showing the reverence befitting a servant and a disciple. For seeing his own and everyone's God and Lord, and King, and Master, and Teacher, and Savior, and all things at once, in the form of a servant, having girded himself with a towel, and wanting to wash his feet, immediately, as if coming to a sense of his own unworthiness, and being astounded at the dignity of the one approaching,

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ὑπερηφα νίᾳ τοῦ μὴ ὑπακοῦσαι τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ παρ εστηκότος λειτουργεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ἢ τοῦ κριτοῦ, ὃς ἐὰν ᾖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέ ραις ἐκείναις, καὶ ἀποθανεῖται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖ νος, καὶ ἐξαρεῖς τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἀκούσας φοβηθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀσεβήσου 31.669 σιν ἔτι. Πρὸς ἃ πῶς ἄν τις ἀξιολόγως κινούμενος φρικωδέστερον καταπλαγείη, συνορᾷν ἀκόλουθον. Εἶτα φησι· Καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· Πᾶν νόημα, οὐχὶ τοῦτο, ἢ ἐκεῖνο.

Καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν, οὐχὶ τήνδε, ἢ τινὰ, ἀλλὰ Πᾶσαν παρακοήν. Ἄρα γε ἠπάτησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ κακίστη συν ήθεια· ἄρα κακῶν αἰτία ἡμῖν μεγάλων γέγονεν ἡ διεστραμμένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων παράδοσις, τὰ μὲν παραιτουμένη δῆθεν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, τὰ δὲ ἀδια φόρως αἱρουμένη· καὶ κατὰ μέν τινων σφοδρῶς ἀγα νακτεῖν προσποιουμένη, οἷον φόνου, καὶ μοιχείας, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων· τὰ δὲ οὐδὲ ψιλῆς γοῦν ἐπιτιμήσεως ἄξια κρίνουσα, οἷον ὀργὴν, ἢ λοιδορίαν, ἢ μέθην, ἢ πλεονεξίαν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, καθ' ὧν ἁπάντων καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἔδωκε τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπόφασιν ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος, εἰπὼν ὅτι· Οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν. Ὅπου δὲ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρό μενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καθαιρεῖται, καὶ πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ αἰχμαλωτί ζεται, καὶ πᾶσα παρακοὴ ἐπίσης ἐκδικεῖται, ἐκεῖ οὐδὲν ἀκαθαίρετον, οὐδὲν ἀνεκδίκητον ἀφίεται, οὐδὲν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπακοῆς ἐκτὸς ἀπολείπεται. Κοινὸν γὰρ καὶ μέγιστον ἀσέβημα κατὰ πάσης παρ ακοῆς ἔδειξεν ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ἐκεῖνο εἰπών· Ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νό μου τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις. Ἀλλ' ἄρα μὴ ταῦτα λόγοι μόνον, καὶ οὐ πράγματα; Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν· ἐν Κορίνθῳ ὁ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχων, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἐγκλη θεὶς εἰ μὴ τοῦτο μόνον, οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς παραδίδοται τῷ Σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἄχρις ἂν τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς μετανοίας καρποῖς διορθώσηται τὸ πλημμέλημα, πᾶσαν δὲ ὁμοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐπεξ ῆλθε τῷ ἁμαρτήματι, ἐκείνοις περιβάλλει τοῖς ἐγκλή μασιν· Τί θέλετε; Ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς; καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστὲ, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο πράξας. Τί δὲ ἄρα Ἀνα νίας, ὁ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι;

Τί ἄλλο κακὸν πεποιηκὼς εὑρίσκεται ἢ ἐκεῖνο αὐτό; Ποῦ τοίνυν τοσαύτης ὀργῆς ἄξιον φαίνεται; Ἴδιον κτῆμα πωλήσας, ἤνεγκε τὰ χρήματα, καὶ ἔθηκε παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀπο στόλων· νοσφισάμενος ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, ἐπὶ τούτῳ παρ' αὐτὴν τὴν ὥραν ἅμα τῇ γυναικὶ θάνατον κατα δικάζεται, οὐδὲ τοὺς περὶ τῆς μετανοίας λόγους ἐπὶ τῷ ἁμαρτήματι μαθεῖν καταξιωθεὶς, οὐ τοῦ κατανυ γῆναι γοῦν ἐπὶ τούτῳ καιρὸν εὑρὼν, οὐ τοῦ με τανοῆσαι προθεσμίαν λαβών. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ τηλικούτου κρίματος ὑπηρέτης, ὁ τῆς τοσαύτης τοῦ 31.672 Θεοῦ ὀργῆς ἐπὶ τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα διάκονος, ὁ μακά ριος Πέτρος, ὁ πάντων μὲν τῶν μαθητῶν προκρι θεὶς, μόνος δὲ πλεῖον τῶν ἄλλων μαρτυρηθεὶς καὶ μακαρισθεὶς, ὁ τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν πιστευθεὶς, ὅταν ἀκούῃ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, Ἐὰν μὴ νίψω σε, οὐκ ἔχεις μέρος μετ' ἐμοῦ, ποίαν ἄρα καὶ τὴν ὁπωσοῦν λιθίνην καρδίαν οὐ δυσωπήσει πρὸς φόβον καὶ τρόμον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων; καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὐδεμιᾶς ἁμαρτίας, οὐδεμιᾶς δὲ καταφρονήσεως ἔμφασιν δοὺς, τιμῇ δὲ μᾶλλον τῇ περὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑπερβαλλούσῃ χρησάμενος, καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν δούλῳ καὶ μαθητῇ εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ἰδὼν γὰρ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ πάντων Θεὸν καὶ Κύριον, καὶ βασιλέα, καὶ ∆εσπότην, καὶ διδάσκαλον, καὶ Σωτῆρα, καὶ ὁμοῦ τὰ πάντα, ἐν ὑπηρέτου σχήματι διαζωσά μενον λέντιον, καὶ νίπτειν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ βουλό μενον, εὐθὺς, ὥσπερ εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθὼν τῆς ἰδίας ἀναξιότητος, καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ προσερχομένου κατα πλαγεὶς,