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of this desire; for it would not only have kindled his fever, but also have delivered the wretched man to madness, if anyone had yielded to him in this favor. Here, when the art was at a loss and had no device, but was utterly cast out, deceit entered in and displayed such great power of its own as you shall presently hear from us. For the physician, taking an earthen vessel that had just come from the kiln and dipping it in much wine, then drawing it out empty and filling it with water, orders the chamber where the sick man was lying to be darkened with many curtains, so that the light might not expose the trick, and gives it to him to drink as if it were filled with unmixed wine. But he, before taking it into his hands, being immediately deceived by the smell which assailed him, did not even venture to examine what was given, but persuaded by this and deluded by the darkness and urged on by his desire, he gulped down what was given with great eagerness; and having had his fill, he immediately shook off the choking suffocation and escaped the impending danger. Do you see the gain of deceit? And if one wished to recount all the tricks of physicians, the account would run on to an infinite length. And not only those who heal bodies, but also those who attend to the diseases of the soul, one might find continually using this remedy. Thus did the blessed Paul win over those many thousands of Jews. With this intention he circumcised Timothy, he who threatened the Galatians that Christ would be of no profit to those who were circumcised; for this reason he became under the law, he who considered righteousness from the law to be a loss after faith in Christ. For great is the power of deceit, provided only it is not brought forward with a treacherous intention. Or rather, one ought not to call such a thing deceit, but a kind of management and wisdom and art, sufficient to find many resources in difficulties and to correct the transgressions of a soul. For I for my part would not call Phinehas a murderer, although with one blow he took two lives; just as I would not call Elijah one after the hundred soldiers and their leaders, and the great torrent of blood which he caused to flow from the slaughter of those who sacrificed to demons. For if we should concede this, and someone were to examine the deeds stripped of the intention of the doers, then whoever wishes will judge Abraham for child-murder, and will indict his grandson and descendant for wickedness and deceit; for thus the one obtained the birthright, and the other transferred the wealth of the Egyptians to the army of the Israelites. But these things are not so, they are not. Away with such audacity! For not only do we acquit them of blame, but we also admire them for these things, since God Himself praised them for them. For he would be justly called a deceiver who uses the practice unjustly, and it is often necessary to deceive and to confer the greatest benefits through this art; whereas he who has acted in a straightforward manner has done great harm to the one who was not deceived.

2. τ BOOK 2

2.1 a. That the priesthood is the greatest proof of love for Christ That indeed

it is therefore possible to use the power of deceit for a good end, or rather that one ought not even to call such a thing deceit, but a kind of wonderful management, it would have been possible to say more; but since what has been said has become sufficient for proof, it is burdensome and vexatious to add superfluous length to the discourse. It would now be your task to show, if we have not used this practice for your benefit. And Basil said: And what gain, he says, has come to us from this management or wisdom, or whatever you rejoice to call it, so that we may be persuaded that

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ταύτης ἐπιθυμίας· οὐ γὰρ τὸν πυρετὸν ἐκκαύσειν μόνον ἔμελλεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραπληξίᾳ παραδώσειν τὸν δείλαιον, εἴ τις αὐτῷ πρὸς ταύτην εἶξε τὴν χάριν. Ἐνταῦθα τῆς τέχνης ἀπορουμένης καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐχούσης μηχανήν, ἀλλὰ παντελῶς ἐκβεβλημένης, εἰσελθοῦσα τοσαύτην ἐπεδείξατο τὴν αὑτῆς δύναμιν ἡ ἀπάτη ὅσην αὐτίκα παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκούσῃ. Ὁ γὰρ ἰατρὸς ἄρτι τῆς καμίνου προελθὸν ἄγγος ὀστράκου λαβὼν καὶ βάψας οἴνῳ πολλῷ, εἶτα ἀνασπάσας κενὸν καὶ πλήσας ὕδατος, κελεύει τὸ δωμάτιον ἔνθα κατέκειτο ὁ νοσῶν συσκιάσαι παραπετάσμασι πολλοῖς ἵνα μὴ τὸ φῶς ἐλέγξῃ τὸν δόλον καὶ δίδωσιν ἐκπιεῖν ὡς ἀκράτου πεπληρωμένον. Ὁ δὲ πρὶν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας λαβεῖν ὑπὸ τῆς ὀσμῆς προσπεσούσης εὐθέως ἀπατηθεὶς οὐδὲ πολυπραγμονεῖν ἠνέσχετο τὸ δοθέν, ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ πειθόμενος καὶ τῷ σκότει κλαπεὶς ὑπό τε τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐπειγόμενος ἔσπασε τὸ δοθὲν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προθυμίας· καὶ ἐμφορηθεὶς ἀπετινάξατο τὸ πνῖγος εὐθέως καὶ τὸν ἐπικείμενον ἐξέφυγε κίνδυνον. Εἶδες τῆς ἀπάτης τὸ κέρδος; Καὶ εἰ πάντας βούλοιτό τις τῶν ἰατρῶν καταλέγειν τοὺς δόλους, εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκπεσεῖται μῆκος ὁ λόγος. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τοὺς τὰ σώματα θεραπεύοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τῶν ψυχικῶν νοσημάτων ἐπιμελομένους εὕροι τις ἂν συνεχῶς τούτῳ κεχρημένους τῷ φαρμάκῳ. Οὕτω τὰς πολλὰς μυριάδας ἐκείνας τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ μακάριος προσηγάγετο Παῦλος. Μετὰ ταύτης τῆς προαιρέσεως τὸν Τιμόθεον περιέτεμε ὁ Γαλάταις ἀπειλῶν ὅτι Χριστὸς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει τοὺς περιτεμνομένους· διὰ τοῦτο ὑπὸ νόμον ἐγίνετο ὁ ζημίαν ἡγούμενος μετὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀπάτης ἰσχύς, μόνον μὴ μετὰ δολερᾶς προαγέσθω τῆς προαιρέσεως· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἀπάτην τὸ τοιοῦτον δεῖ καλεῖν, ἀλλ' οἰκονομίαν τινὰ καὶ σοφίαν καὶ τέχνην ἱκανὴν πολλοὺς πόρους ἐν τοῖς ἀπόροις εὑρεῖν καὶ πλημμελείας ἐπανορθῶσαι ψυχῆς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Φινεὲς ἀνδροφόνον εἴποιμ' ἂν ἔγωγε, καίτοι γε μιᾷ πληγῇ δύο σώματα ἀνεῖλεν· ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὸν Ἠλίαν μετὰ τοὺς ἑκατὸν στρατιώτας καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἡγεμόνας, καὶ τὸν πολὺν τῶν αἱμάτων χειμάρρουν ὃν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἱερωμένων τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἐποίησε ῥεῦσαι σφαγῆς. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο συγχωρήσαιμεν καὶ τὰ πράγματα τῆς τῶν πεποιηκότων προαιρέσεώς τις γυμνώσας ἐξετάζοι καθ' ἑαυτά, καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ παιδοκτονίας ὁ βουλόμενος κρινεῖ καὶ τὸν ἔγγονον τὸν ἐκείνου καὶ τὸν ἀπόγονον κακουργίας καὶ δόλου γράψεται· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ μὲν τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἐκράτησε πρεσβείων, ὁ δὲ τὸν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πλοῦτον εἰς τὸν τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν μετήνεγκε στρατόν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἄπαγε τῆς τόλμης· οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοὺς αἰτίας ἀφίεμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάζομεν διὰ ταῦτα ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοὺς διὰ ταῦτα ἐπῄνεσε. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπατεὼν ἐκεῖνος ἂν εἴη καλεῖσθαι δίκαιος ὁ τῷ πράγματι κεχρημένος ἀδίκως, καὶ πολλάκις ἀπατῆσαι δέον καὶ τὰ μέγιστα διὰ ταύτης ὠφελῆσαι τῆς τέχνης· ὁ δὲ ἐξ εὐθείας προσενεχθεὶς κακὰ μεγάλα τὸν οὐκ ἀπατηθέντα εἰργάσατο.

2. τ ΛΟΓΟΣ Βʹ

2.1 αʹ. Ὅτι μέγιστον ἡ ἱερωσύνη τεκμήριον τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀγάπησ Ὅτι μὲν

οὖν ἔστι καὶ ἐπὶ καλῷ τῇ τῆς ἀπάτης κεχρῆσθαι δυνάμει, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅτι μηδὲ ἀπάτην δεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον καλεῖν, ἀλλ' οἰκονομίαν τινὰ θαυμαστήν, ἐνῆν μὲν καὶ πλείονα λέγειν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν ἱκανὰ γέγονε, φορτικὸν καὶ ἐπαχθὲς περιττὸν τῷ λόγῳ προστιθέναι μῆκος. Σὸν δ' ἂν εἴη δεικνύναι λοιπόν, εἰ μὴ τῷ πράγματι τούτῳ πρὸς τὸ κέρδος ἐχρησάμεθα τὸ σόν. Καὶ ὁ Βασίλειος· Καὶ ποῖον κέρδος, φησίν, ἡμῖν ἐκ ταύτης γέγονε τῆς οἰκονομίας ἢ σοφίας ἢ ὅπως αὐτὴν χαίρῃς καλῶν, ἵνα πεισθῶμεν ὅτι