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After speaking for many days against the Anomoeans, then against the Jews, then being silent because of the presence of bishops and the many commemorations of martyrs that took place, now again against the Anomoeans, a discourse concerning the incomprehensible

2. Come now, let us strip for action again against the faithless Anomoeans; and if they are indignant at being called faithless, let them flee the thing itself, and I will hide the name; let them depart from their faithless way of thinking, and I will depart from the reproachful appellation. But if they, by their deeds dishonoring the faith and shaming themselves, are not abashed, why are they vexed with us for accusing them in words of what they themselves demonstrate by their deeds? For previously, when we entered the arena of these discourses, as you indeed remember, and took up the same wrestlings, the contests against the Jews immediately succeeded them for us, and it was not safe to pass by our own members who were sick. For discourses against the Anomoeans are always timely; but at that time, if we had not immediately anticipated and snatched those of our brothers who were sick and ailing with Judaic practices from the Jewish pyre, there would have been no further benefit for us from exhortation, since the sin concerning the fast had advanced for them. And after the contests against them, the presence of many spiritual fathers who had arrived here from all over followed in turn, and not even then was it opportune, with all of them flowing like so many rivers into this spiritual sea, for our discourse to be extended; and after their departure, successive and continuous commemorations of martyrs came upon us, and it was not right to despise the blessing of those athletes. I say and enumerate these things so that you may not think that the postponement of our contests against them happened out of any hesitation or indolence. Now, therefore, since we are finally rid of the battle against the Jews, and the fathers have returned to their own countries, and we have enjoyed sufficiently the blessing of the martyrs, come then, let us at last relieve the long-standing birth-pang of our hearing. For I know well that each of you suffers no less than I who speak to hear the discourses about these things; the reason is, our city has from of old been a lover of Christ, and you have received this as a paternal inheritance, never to overlook the doctrines of piety being adulterated. From where is this clear? Some men came down from Judea once in the time of your ancestors, muddying the pure doctrines of the apostolic teaching, and commanding them to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses. Those who then inhabited your city did not bear this innovation in silence; but just as some noble whelps, seeing wolves coming in and destroying the whole flock, so leaping upon them they did not desist, scaring them from every side and driving them away, until they arranged for doctrines to be sent from the apostles throughout the whole world, walling off for them and for all those after them such an attack against the faithful. From where then must we begin our discourses against them? From where else but from the accusation concerning their unbelief? For they do and contrive all things so as to thrust faith out of the minds of their hearers, than which what greater crime of impiety could there be? For when God declares something, one must receive what is said with faith, not investigate it rashly. Let whoever among them wishes call me faithless, but I am not indignant. Why? For by my works I display the appellation. And what am I saying, "Let him call me faithless?" Let him also call me a fool in Christ! And at this, as at a crown, I again exult; and with Paul I share in this appellation. For he says, "We are fools for Christ's sake." This folly is wiser than all wisdom. For what the wisdom from without was not strong enough to discover, this the folly according to Christ has achieved; this drove away the darkness of the world, this brought back the light of knowledge. What then is folly according to

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πολλῶν ἡμερῶν πρὸς Ἀνομοίους εἰπόντος εἶτα πρὸς Ἰουδαίους, εἶτα σιγήσαντος διὰ παρουσίαν ἐπισκόπων καὶ μαρτύρων μνήμας πολλῶν γενομένας, νῦν πάλιν πρὸς Ἀνομοίους περὶ ἀκαταλήπτου λόγος

βʹ. Φέρε δὴ πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους Ἀνομοίους ἀποδυσώμεθα· εἰ δὲ ἀγανακτοῦσιν ἄπιστοι καλούμενοι, φευγέτωσαν τὸ πρᾶγμα, κἀγὼ κρύπτω τὸ ὄνομα· ἀποστήτωσαν τῆς ἀπίστου διανοίας, καὶ ἀφίσταμαι τῆς ἐπονειδίστου προσηγορίας. Εἰ δὲ αὐτοὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν πίστιν ἀτιμάζοντες καὶ ἑαυτοὺς καταισχύνοντες οὐ καταδύονται, τίνος ἕνεκεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς δυσχεραίνουσι διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐγκαλοῦντας αὐτοῖς ἃ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοὶ ἐπιδείκνυνται; Πρώην μὲν γὰρ ἡνίκα εἰς τὸ στάδιον τῶν λόγων τούτων καθήκαμεν, καθάπερ δὴ μέμνησθε, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡψάμεθα παλαισμάτων, οἱ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἡμᾶς εὐθέως ἀγῶνες διεδέξαντο καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀσφαλὲς τὰ οἰκεῖα μέλη νενοσηκότα παρατρέχειν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς Ἀνομοίους λόγοι ἀεὶ καιρὸν ἔχουσι· τότε δὲ τοὺς ἀρρωστοῦντας τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ τὰ ἰουδαϊκὰ νοσοῦντας εἰ μὴ προλαβόντες εὐθέως ἐξηρπάσαμεν τῆς πυρᾶς τῆς ἰουδαϊκῆς, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἡμῖν λοιπὸν ἐγίνετο τῆς παραινέσεως, τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν νηστείαν προχωρησάσης αὐτοῖς. Μετὰ δὲ τοὺς πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀγῶνας πάλιν διεδέξατο πατέρων παρουσία πνευματικῶν πολλῶν πολλαχόθεν ἐνταῦθα ἀφιγμένων, καὶ οὐδὲ τότε εὔκαιρον ἦν, ἁπάντων ἐκείνων καθάπερ τινῶν ποταμῶν εἰς τὴν πνευματικὴν ταύτην ῥεόντων θάλασσαν, τὸν ἡμέτερον ἐκτείνεσθαι λόγον· καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων δὲ ἀποδημίαν μαρτύρων ἀπήντησαν ἐπάλληλοι μνῆμαι καὶ συνεχεῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἔδει καταφρονῆσαι τῆς τῶν ἀθλητῶν ἐκείνων εὐλογίας. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω καὶ ἀπαριθμοῦμαι, ἵνα μὴ νομίσητε ἐξ ὄκνου τινὸς καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας ἡμῖν γενέσθαι τὴν ἀναβολὴν τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν πρὸς ἐκείνους. Νῦν γοῦν ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῆς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους λοιπὸν ἀπηλλάγημεν μάχης καὶ οἱ πατέρες πρὸς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐπανῆλθον πατρίδας καὶ τῆς εὐλογίας τῶν μαρτύρων ἀπελαύσαμεν ἱκανῶς, φέρε δὴ λοιπὸν τὴν χρονίαν ὠδῖνα τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀκροάσεως λύσωμεν. Εὖ γὰρ οἶδ' ὅτι ἐμοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος οὐκ ἔλαττον ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ὠδίνει τοὺς περὶ τούτων ἀκοῦσαι λόγους· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, φιλόχριστος ἡμῖν ἄνωθεν ἡ πόλις ἐστί, καὶ πατρῴαν ταύτην διεδέξασθε κληρονομίαν, μηδέποτε περιορᾶν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγματα νοθευόμενα. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Κατέβησάν τινες ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ποτὲ ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ὑμετέρων, ἐπιθολοῦντες τὰ καθαρὰ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διδασκαλίας δόγματα, καὶ κελεύοντες περιτέμνεσθαι καὶ τηρεῖν τὸν νόμον Μωϋσέως. Ταύτην οὐκ ἤνεγκαν σιγῇ τὴν καινοτομίαν οἱ τότε τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν οἰκοῦντες· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τινὲς γενναῖοι σκύλακες λύκους ὁρῶντες ἐπεισιόντας καὶ τὴν ποίμνην ἅπασαν διαφθείροντας, οὕτως ἐπιπηδήσαντες ἐκείνοις οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστησαν σοβοῦντες αὐτοὺς πάντοθεν καὶ ἀπελαύνοντες, ἕως παρεσκεύασαν παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης πεμφθῆναι δόγματα ἀποτειχίζοντα κἀκείνοις καὶ τοῖς μετ' ἐκείνους ἅπασι τὴν τοιαύτην κατὰ τῶν πιστῶν ἔφοδον. Πόθεν οὖν ἡμῖν ἀρκτέον τῶν πρὸς ἐκείνους λόγων; Πόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν κατηγορίας; Πάντα γὰρ ποιοῦσι καὶ πραγματεύονται, ὥστε ἐξωθῆσαι τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων διανοίας τὴν πίστιν, οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν μεῖζον ἀσεβείας ἔγκλημα; Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀποφαίνηταί τι, δέχεσθαι χρὴ πιστῶς τὸ λεχθέν, οὐ περιεργάζεσθαι τολμηρῶς. Ὁ βουλόμενος αὐτῶν καλείτω με ἄπιστον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγανακτῶ. ∆ιὰ τί; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείκνυμαι τὴν προσηγορίαν. Καὶ τί λέγω· Καλείτω με ἄπιστον; καλείτω με καὶ μωρὸν ἐν Χριστῷ; Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ στεφάνῳ πάλιν ἀγάλλομαι· καὶ μετὰ Παύλου κοινωνῶ τῆς προσηγορίας ταύτης. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ φησιν· «Ἡμεῖς μωροὶ διὰ Χριστόν.» Πάσης σοφίας αὕτη ἡ μωρία φρονιμωτέρα. Ἃ γὰρ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἡ ἔξωθεν εὑρεῖν σοφία, ταῦτα κατώρθωσεν ἡ μωρία ἡ κατὰ Χριστόν· αὕτη τὸ σκότος τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπήλασεν, αὕτη τὸ φῶς τῆς γνώσεως ἐπανήγαγε. Τί δέ ἐστι μωρία κατὰ