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they had the prophets; they would not be so impure and profane, if they did not read the books. But now they are deprived of all excuse, because having the heralds of the truth, they stand with hostile intent both against those very men and against the truth. So for this reason they would be more profane and accursed, because having the prophets, they have used a hostile disposition towards them. Therefore I beseech you to flee and shun their assemblies. This is no small harm to the weaker of the brethren, no small pretext of madness for them. For when they see you, who worship the Christ crucified by them, pursuing and revering their things, how will they not consider all things to have been done excellently by them, and our things to be worthy of nothing, when you who esteem and observe them run to those who tear them down? If someone sees you, he says, who have knowledge, reclining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, being weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? And I say, If someone sees you who have knowledge going off to a synagogue, and observing the trumpets, will not his conscience, being weak, be emboldened to admire Jewish matters? The one who falls does not pay the penalty only for his own fall, but is punished because he also trips up others; just as the one who stands is not crowned only for his own virtue, but is admired because he also leads others to the same zeal. Flee, therefore, both their assemblies and their places, and let no one revere the synagogue because of the books, but for these reasons let him hate and turn away from it, because they hold the saints for insult, because they disbelieve their words, because they accuse them of the utmost impiety.

6. And that you may learn that the books do not sanctify the place, but the disposition of those who gather makes it profane, I will recount an ancient story for you. Ptolemy Philadelphus, having gathered books from everywhere, and having learned that among the Jews too there are writings philosophizing about God and an excellent way of life, sent for men from Judea, had them interpreted through them, and deposited them in the temple of Serapis; for the man was a Greek; and to this day the interpreted books of the prophets remain there. What then, will the temple of Serapis be holy on account of the books? May it not be! but those things have their own sanctity, but they do not impart it to the place, because of the defilement of those who gather there. The same thing, therefore, must be thought concerning the synagogue. For even if no idol stands there, 48.852 but demons inhabit the place. And I say this not only concerning the synagogue here, but also that in Daphne; for the pit there is more wicked, which they indeed call Matrona's. For I have heard of many of the faithful going up there and sleeping beside the place. But may it never be that these should be called faithful. To me, both Matrona's place and the temple of Apollo are equally profane. But if anyone condemns my boldness, I in turn will condemn his utmost madness. For tell me, where demons dwell, is it not a place of impiety, even if no carved image stands there? Where Christ-killers assemble, where the cross is driven out, where God is blasphemed, where the Father is not known, where the Son is insulted, where the grace of the Spirit is rejected, or rather, they being demons themselves, is not the harm from here greater? For there the impiety is naked and manifest, and would not easily draw one in, nor deceive one who has sense and is sound of mind; but here, saying they worship God, and turn away from idols, and have and honor the prophets, with these words they prepare a great bait, and cast the more simple and foolish unguardedly into their own snares. So while their acts of impiety are equal to those of the Greeks, their acts of deceit are more grievously performed by them. For among them also stands an invisible altar of deceit, on which they sacrifice not sheep and calves, but the souls of men. And in general, if you admire their things, what have you in common with us?

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τοὺς προφήτας εἶχον· οὐκ ἦσαν οὕτως ἀκάθαρτοι καὶ βέβηλοι, εἰ μὴ τὰς βίβλους ἀνεγίνωσκον. Νῦν δὲ πάσης εἰσὶν ἀπεστερημένοι συγγνώμης, ὅτι τοὺς κήρυκας τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχοντες, καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς κείνους, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἵστανται ἐχθρᾷ διανοίᾳ. Ὥστε διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἂν εἶεν βέβηλοι καὶ ἐναγεῖς, ὅτι τοὺς προφήτας ἔχοντες, πολεμίᾳ αὐτοῖς κέχρηνται γνώμῃ. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ φεύγειν καὶ ἀποπηδᾷν αὐτῶν τοὺς συλλόγους. Οὐ μικρὰ αὕτη βλάβη τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις τῶν ἀδελφῶν, οὐ μικρὰ ἀπονοίας ἐκείνοις πρόφασις. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωσιν ὑμᾶς τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας τὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν σταυρωθέντα Χριστὸν, τὰ ἐκείνων διώκοντας καὶ σεμνοποιοῦντας, πῶς οὐχ ἡγήσονται ἄριστα αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα πεπράχθαι, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξια εἶναι τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὅταν οἱ πρεσβεύοντες αὐτὰ καὶ θεραπεύοντες ὑμεῖς, πρὸς τοὺς καθαιροῦντας αὐτὰ τρέχητε; Ἐάν τις ἴδῃ σὲ, φησὶ, τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν; Καὶ ἐγὼ λέγω, Ἐάν τις ἴδῃ σε τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν εἰς συναγωγὴν ἀπερχόμενον, καὶ σάλπιγγας θεωροῦντα, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ θαυμάζειν τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ πράγματα; Ὁ πίπτων οὐχὶ τοῦ ἰδίου πτώματος δίδωσι μόνον δίκην, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἄλλους ὑποσκελίζει κολάζεται· ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ ἑστὼς οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς στεφανοῦται μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἄλλους εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ἄγει ζῆλον θαυμάζεται. Φεύγετε τοίνυν καὶ τοὺς συλλόγους, καὶ τοὺς τόπους αὐτῶν, καὶ μηδεὶς αἰδείσθω τὴν συναγωγὴν διὰ τὰ βιβλία, ἀλλὰ διὰ ταῦτα αὐτὴν μισείτω καὶ ἀποστρεφέσθω, ὅτι ἐφ' ὕβρει κατέχουσι τοὺς ἁγίους, ὅτι ἀπιστοῦσι τοῖς ἐκείνων ῥήμασιν, ὅτι τὴν ἐσχάτην αὐτῶν κατηγοροῦσιν ἀσέβειαν.

ςʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι οὐχ ἁγιάζει τὸν τόπον τὰ βιβλία, ἀλλὰ βέβηλον ποιεῖ τῶν συνιόντων ἡ προαίρεσις, ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν διηγήσομαι παλαιάν. Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Φιλάδελφος τὰς πανταχόθεν βίβλους συναγαγὼν, καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι καὶ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις εἰσὶ γραφαὶ περὶ Θεοῦ φιλοσοφοῦσαι, καὶ πολιτείας ἀρίστης, μεταπεμψάμενος ἄνδρας ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἡρμήνευσεν αὐτὰς δι' ἐκείνων, καὶ ἀπέθετο εἰς τὸ τοῦ Σεράπιδος ἱερόν· καὶ γὰρ ἦν Ἕλλην ὁ ἀνήρ· καὶ μέχρι νῦν ἐκεῖ τῶν προφητῶν αἱ ἑρμηνευθεῖσαι βίβλοι μένουσι. Τί οὖν, ἅγιος ἔσται τοῦ Σεράπιδος ὁ ναὸς διὰ τὰ βιβλία; Μὴ γένοιτο! ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἔχει τὴν οἰκείαν ἁγιότητα, τῷ τόπῳ δὲ οὐ μεταδίδωσι, διὰ τὴν τῶν συνιόντων ἐκεῖ μιαρίαν. Τὸ αὐτὸ τοίνυν καὶ περὶ τῆς συναγωγῆς λογιστέον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ εἴδωλον ἕστηκεν ἐκεῖ, 48.852 ἀλλὰ δαίμονες οἰκοῦσι τὸν τόπον. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ περὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα λέγω συναγωγῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐν ∆άφνῃ· πονηρότερον γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὸ βάραθρον, ὃ δὴ καλοῦσι Ματρώνης. Καὶ γὰρ πολλοὺς ἤκουσα τῶν πιστῶν ἀναβαίνειν ἐκεῖ, καὶ παρακαθεύδειν τῷ τόπῳ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτό ποτε τούτους πιστοὺς προσειπεῖν. Ἐμοὶ καὶ τὸ Ματρώνης καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερὸν ὁμοίως ἐστὶ βέβηλον. Εἰ δέ τίς μου τόλμαν καταγινώσκει, πάλιν ἐγὼ τὴν ἐσχάτην αὐτοῦ καταγνώσομαι μανίαν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ὅπου δαίμονες οἰκοῦσιν, οὐχὶ ἀσεβείας χωρίον ἐστὶ, κἂν μὴ ξόανον εἱστήκῃ; Ὅπου Χριστοκτόνοι συνέρχονται, ὅπου σταυρὸς ἐλαύνεται, ὅπου βλασφημεῖται Θεὸς, ὅπου Πατὴρ ἀγνοεῖται, ὅπου Υἱὸς ὑβρίζεται, ὅπου Πνεύματος ἀθετεῖται χάρις, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν ὄντων δαιμόνων, οὐ μείζων ἐντεῦθεν ἡ βλάβη; Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ γυμνὴ καὶ περιφανὴς ἡ ἀσέβεια, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως ἐπισπάσαιτο, οὐδὲ ἀπατήσειε τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα καὶ σωφρονοῦντα· ἐνταῦθα δὲ λέγοντες Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν, καὶ εἴδωλα ἀποστρέφεσθαι, καὶ προφήτας ἔχειν καὶ τιμᾷν, τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις πολὺ κατασκευάζοντες τὸ δέλεαρ, τοὺς ἀφελεστέρους καὶ ἀνοήτους ἀφυλάκτως εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐμβάλλουσι πάγας. Ὥστε τὰ μὲν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἴσα αὐτοῖς καὶ Ἕλλησι, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀπάτης χαλεπώτερον ὑπὸ τούτων δρᾶται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἕστηκε βωμὸς ἀπάτης ἀόρατος, εἰς ὃν οὐχὶ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων καταθύουσιν. Ὅλως δὲ εἰ θαυμάζεις τὰ ἐκείνων, τίς σοι κοινὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐστι λόγος;