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those who have practiced, how when they go out they hunt others? Let us also do this. For what excuse will there be, when irrational animals are able to hunt their own kind, we, who are honored with reason and so much wisdom, disdain such a hunt? I exhorted you in the previous discourse, saying: Let each of you go to the houses of your neighbors, wait for them to come out, take hold of them, and bring them back to the common mother; and imitate those mad for the theater, who, having arranged with each other with all eagerness, thus wait at dawn for that lawless spectacle. But nothing more has come to us from that exhortation. For this reason I say again, and I will not stop saying it until I persuade you. Hearing is of no benefit, unless action accompanies it. Therefore, it makes the punishment heavier for us, when, continually hearing the same things. we do none of the things that are said. And that the punishment is heavier, hear Christ saying: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin; and the Apostle also, For not the hearers of the law will be justified. And he says these things to the hearers; but wishing also to instruct the speaker, that for him too there will be no more gain from teaching, when he does not have a way of life joined to his teaching, and a life that accords with his word, hear how the Apostle also addresses him, and the 51.179 Prophet. For one says: But to the sinner God said, Why do you declare my statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth, you who have hated instruction? And the Apostle, again addressing these very men, those who are proud of their teaching, says something like this: You are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants; you then who teach another, do you not teach yourself? Since, then, neither speaking can benefit me the speaker, nor hearing you the hearers, without obeying what is said, but rather condemns us more, let us not show our zeal only as far as hearing, but let us keep what is said in our deeds. For it is a good thing to be continually occupied in hearing the divine oracles; but this good thing becomes useless when it does not have the benefit of obedience joined with it. Therefore, so that you may not be gathered here in vain, with all eagerness, as I have often begged you, and begging I will not cease, draw our brothers to us, exhort those who are wandering, advise them not only in word, but also in deed. Greater is this teaching through manners, through one's way of life. Even if you say nothing, but come forth from the assembly, showing to the people who were left behind the gain which you came out from here having received, through your bearing, and your look, and your voice, and your walk, and all the rest of your composure, this is sufficient for exhortation and counsel. For so must we go out from here, as if from a holy sanctuary, as if coming down from the very heavens, having become composed, philosophizing, doing and saying all things with measure; and let a wife seeing her husband departing from the assembly, and a father his son, and a son his father, and a servant her master, and a friend his friend, and an enemy his enemy, let all perceive the benefit that has come to us here; and they will perceive it, if they sense that you have become gentler, more philosophical, more reverent. Consider what sort of mysteries you, the initiated, enjoy, with whom you send up that mystical hymn, with whom you cry out, "Thrice-holy." Teach those without, that you have joined the choir with the Seraphim, that you belong to the people above, that you have been enrolled in the choir of the angels, that with the

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τὰς μεμελετηκυίας, πῶς ἐξιοῦσαι θηρεύουσιν ἑτέρας; Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν. Ποία γὰρ ἔσται σκῆψις, ὅταν τῶν ἀλόγων τὸ ὁμόφυλον ζῶον δυναμένων θηρεύειν, ἡμεῖς οἱ λόγῳ τιμηθέντες καὶ σοφίᾳ τοσαύτῃ, τῆς τοιαύτης ἄγρας ὑπερορῶμεν; Παρῄνεσα τῇ προτέρᾳ διαλέξει λέγων· Ἕκαστος ὑμῶν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ἀπαντήσατε τῶν πλησίον, ἀναμείνατε ἐξελθόντας, κατάσχετε, καὶ ἐπαναγάγετε πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν μητέρα· καὶ τοὺς θεατρομανοῦντας μιμήσασθε, οἳ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς ἀλλήλοις συνταξάμενοι, οὕτως ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω πρὸς τὴν παράνομον ἀναμένουσι θέαν ἐκείνην. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν πλέον ἡμῖν γέγονεν ἀπὸ τῆς παραινέσεως ἐκείνης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι, ἕως ἂν πείσω. Οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ ἀκρόασις, ἐὰν μὴ πρᾶξις αὐτῇ παρῇ. Βαρυτέραν οὖν ἡμῖν ποιεῖ τὴν τιμωρίαν, ὅταν συνεχῶς τῶν αὐτῶν ἀκούοντες. μηδὲν τῶν λεγομένων ποιῶμεν. Καὶ ὅτι βαρυτέρα ἡ κόλασίς ἐστιν, ἄκουσον τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον, καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δὲ, Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται. Καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μὲν ἀκούοντάς φησι ταῦτα· βουλόμενος δὲ καὶ τὸν λέγοντα παιδεῦσαι, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκείνῳ κέρδος ἔσται τι πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας, ὅταν μὴ πολιτείαν ἔχῃ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ συνεζευγμένην, καὶ συμβαίνοντα τῷ λόγῳ τὸν βίον, ἄκουσον πῶς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποτείνεται, καὶ ὁ 51.179 Προφήτης. Ὁ μὲν γάρ φησι· Τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματός σου, σὺ δὲ ἐμίσησας παιδείαν; Ὁ δὲ Ἀπόστολος πρὸς αὐτοὺς τούτους πάλιν ἀποτεινόμενος, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ μέγα φρονοῦντας, οὕτω πως φησί· Πέποιθας σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων, διδάσκαλον νηπίων· ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὔτε ἐμὲ τὸν λέγοντα τὸ λέγειν, οὔτε ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἀκούοντας τὸ ἀκούειν ἄνευ τοῦ πείθεσθαι τοῖς λεγομένοις ὠφελῆσαι δύναιτ' ἂν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταδικάζει πλέον, μὴ μέχρι τῆς ἀκροάσεως τὴν σπουδὴν ἐπιδειξώμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων φυλάττωμεν τὰ λεγόμενα. Καλὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ διηνεκῶς ἐνδιατρίβειν θείων ἀκροάσει λογίων· ἀλλὰ τὸ καλὸν τοῦτο ἄχρηστον γίνεται, ὅταν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὑπακοῆς ὠφέλειαν μὴ ἔχῃ συνεζευγμένην. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ μάτην ἐνταῦθα συλλέγησθε, μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς, ὃ πολλάκις ὑμῶν ἐδεήθην, καὶ δεόμενος οὐ παύσομαι, τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῖν ἐπισπάσασθε, τοὺς πλανωμένους παραινέσατε, συμβουλεύσατε μὴ λόγῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ. Μείζων αὕτη ἡ διδασκαλία ἡ διὰ τῶν τρόπων, ἡ διὰ τῆς πολιτείας. Κἂν μηδὲν εἴπῃς, ἐξέλθῃς δὲ ἀπὸ συνάξεως, διὰ τοῦ σχήματος, καὶ τοῦ βλέμματος, καὶ τῆς φωνῆς, καὶ τῆς βαδίσεως, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἁπάσης καταστολῆς ἐμφαίνων τοῖς ἀπολειφθεῖσιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ κέρδος, ὅπερ ἐντεῦθεν ἐξῆλθες λαβὼν, ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο εἰς παραίνεσιν καὶ συμβουλήν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐντεῦθεν ἐξιέναι δεῖ, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἱερῶν ἀδύτων, ὥσπερ ἐξ αὐτῶν καταβάντας τῶν οὐρανῶν, γενομένους κατεσταλμένους, φιλοσοφοῦντας, ῥυθμῷ πάντα καὶ ποιοῦντας καὶ λέγοντας· καὶ γυνὴ τὸν ἄνδρα ὁρῶσα ἀπὸ συνάξεως ἀναχωροῦντα, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν πατὴρ, καὶ τὸν πατέρα ὁ παῖς, καὶ τὸν δεσπότην ἡ δοῦλος, καὶ τὸν φίλον ὁ φίλος, καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, λαμβανέτωσαν ἅπαντες αἴσθησιν τῆς ἐνταῦθα γενομένης ἡμῖν ὠφελείας· λήψονται δὲ, ἂν πραοτέρων, ἂν φιλοσοφωτέρων, ἂν εὐλαβεστέρων ὑμῶν γεγενημένων αἰσθάνωνται. Ἐννόησον οἵας ἀπολαύεις μυσταγωγίας ὁ μεμυημένος σὺ, μετὰ τίνων ἀναπέμπεις τὸ μυστικὸν μέλος ἐκεῖνο, μετὰ τίνων βοᾷς τὸ, Τρισάγιος. ∆ίδαξον τοὺς ἔξωθεν, ὅτι μετὰ τῶν σεραφὶμ ἐχόρευσας, ὅτι εἰς τὸν δῆμον τὸν ἄνω τελεῖς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν χορὸν ἐνεγράφης τὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅτι τῷ