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he has used against them. For finding some among them wearing sackcloth, he separated them from those wearing woolen garments, as from the impious. But not even up to this point was the devil satisfied with his deceit against them; for again he divides those who have clothed themselves with the falsely named renunciation. And up to this point there was some pretext for the devil, by which he made the separation for them; for the separation was made among them on the pretext of four-footed animals or sackcloth. But now there is no pretext for separation, for all are equal; for all bear not the name of Christ but of Simon and Gemellus, and they are Apotactites, and all are successors of Simon and Gemellus. And what is the separation? And what is the cause? Tell us, that we may know; you have renounced Christ and his every mystery, then also one another, no longer finding anything to renounce. Having once been deprived of all good things, they renounce one another; for detesting one another and separating from one another as from enemies, they think they are separating, which they also call renunciation. But let us see also the other form which they have cast away as useless. What new name will they invent for themselves, having been cast out from such a renunciation? But nevertheless they too easily find a name for themselves; for they call themselves Encratites because they are arrayed against those others. For having been separated from one another they have an irreconcilable war against those others, so that we might see their self-control and what they control themselves from; but to profess self-control or renunciation in word is nothing wonderful nor a cause of labor; but not only the word is sought, but also the deed, For the Lord says in the gospels: Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? and Isaiah the prophet: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, and so on. For the Lord enclosed the whole power of the scripture of the old and new testament in two commandments, in this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Do these people keep these commandments? But surely no one of the prudent will believe the promises, unless he perceives in you the fruits of the earth. For you are indeed ready to make great promises and through these to deceive the unstable. And we showed this above, that Simon himself, having apostatized from the apostles, said that he himself was the power of God. See how in brief he found for himself a name able to astound the childish. And his disciple Gemellus, having preached renunciation, caused apostasy. Perhaps, then, following your teachers accordingly, you yourself also promise these things in word, being content with works; for you say that: "I love God, and I love my neighbor, and I am self-controlled." First, if you wished to be self-controlled, in whatever you wanted; for in this it was possible to benefit both yourself and your neighbor; for we find in the scriptures that sinners were granted to the righteous, and the righteous were condemned along with sinners. And one could say many things about these matters, but let us take up the subject at hand. Whom do you call neighbor? The one you love? Surely according to the word of the Lord every man is your neighbor; for the gospel makes this clear. If, then, you loved your neighbor, you would not have fled the church, leaving everyone behind together, imitating the Pharisee and being sick with his pride, condemning everyone with your word and considering yourself alone to be righteous. For he also, going up to the temple, prayed these things: I thank you, O God, that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector; I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess. He lied about none of these things, but even if he seemed to speak the truth, he is condemned; not because he fasted or tithed his possessions, but because he condemned all humanity with his own word. But the tax collector, the sinner, beating his breast, the source of his thoughts, not enumerating

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αὐτοῖς κέχρηται. Εὑρὼν γάρ τινας εἰς αὐτοὺς σάκκινα φοροῦντας ἐχώρισεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν φο ρούντων τὰ ἔρινα ἱμάτια, ὡς ἀπὸ ἀσεβῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου ἐνεπλήσθη τῆς κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπάτης ὁ διάβολος· πάλιν γὰρ κατα σχίζει τοὺς τὴν ψευδώνυμον ἀπόταξιν περιβεβλημένους. Καὶ μέχρι μὲν τούτου ἦν τις καὶ πρόφασις τῷ διαβόλῳ, δι' ἧς τὸν χωρισμὸν αὐτοῖς ἐποίει· προφάσει γὰρ τετραπόδων ἢ σακκίου ὁ χωρισμὸς ἐγίνετο εἰς αὐτούς. Νυνὶ δὲ πρόφασις οὐδεμία τοῦ χωρισμοῦ, πάντες γὰρ ἴσοι· πάντες γὰρ οὐ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀλλὰ Σίμωνος καὶ Γεμέλλου φέροντες, κἀκεῖνοι Ἀποτακτῖται, καὶ Σίμωνος καὶ Γεμέλλου πάντες διάδοχοι. Καὶ τίς ὁ χωρισμός; Καὶ τίς ἡ αἰτία; Εἴπατε, ἵνα γνῶμεν· ἀπετάξασθε τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ παντὶ τῷ μυστηρίῳ αὐτοῦ, ἔπειτα καὶ ἀλλήλοις μηκέτι εὑρίσκοντες τίνι ἀποτάξασθαι. Ἅπαξ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑστερηθέντες ἀλλήλοις ἀποτάσσονται· ἀλλήλους γὰρ βδελυσσόμενοι καὶ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων χωριζόμενοι ὡς ἀπὸ πολεμίων νομίζουσι χωρίζεσθαι, ὅπερ καὶ ἀπόταξιν ὀνομάζουσιν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄλλο σχῆμα ὃ οὗτοι ὡς ἄχρηστον ἀπερ ρίψαντο. Ποῖον ὄνομα αὐτοῖς καινοτομήσουσι τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποτάξεως ἐκβεβλημένοι; Ἀλλ' ὅμως κἀκεῖνοι εὑρίσκουσιν εὐ κόλως ἑαυτοῖς ὄνομα· Ἐγκρατίτας γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάζοντες ὅτι παρατάσσονται ἐκείνοις. Χωρισθέντες γὰρ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων πόλεμον ἀδιάλλακτον κατ' ἐκείνων ἔχουσιν, ὅπως ἴδωμεν τὴν τούτων ἐγκράτειαν καὶ τίνων ἐγκρατεύονται· λόγου δὲ ἐπαγγεί λασθαι ἐγκράτειαν ἢ ἀπόταξιν οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲ καμάτου πρόξενον· ἀλλ' οὐ ζητεῖται λόγος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔργον, Λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἐν εὐαγγελίοις· Τί δέ με καλεῖτε· κύριε, κύριε· καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω· καὶ Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης· Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ, τῇ δὲ καρδίᾳ πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ γὰρ κυρίου πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς γραφῆς τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης εἰς δύο ἐντολὰς συγ κλείσαντος ἐν τῷ· Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν. Ἆρα φυλάσσουσιν οὗτοι τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας; Ἀλλὰ πάντως οὐδεὶς πιστεύσει τῶν συνετῶν ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις, ἐὰν μὴ καταμάθῃ ἐν σοὶ τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς γῆς. Ἕτοιμος γὰρ σὺ δὴ μεγάλα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι καὶ διὰ τούτων ἀπατᾶν τοὺς ἀστηρίκτους. Καὶ ἄνω δὲ τοῦτο ἐδείξαμεν ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ Σίμων ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀποστατήσας ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ. Βλέπε πῶς ἐν συντόμῳ εὗρεν ἑαυτῷ ὄνομα δυνάμενον καταπλῆξαι τοὺς νηπιάζοντας. Καὶ ὁ τούτου δὲ μαθητὴς Γέμελ λος ἀπόταξιν κηρύξας ἀποστασίαν ἐποίησεν. Ἴσως οὖν ἀκο λούθως καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς διδασκάλοις σου ἑπόμενος ταῦτα ἐπαγγέλλεις λόγῳ τοῖς ἔργοις ἀρκούμενος· λέγεις γὰρ ὅτι· «Ἀγαπῶ τὸν θεόν, ἀγαπῶ καὶ τὸν πλησίον καί εἰμι ἐγκρατίτης «. Πρῶτον εἰ ἤθελες ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, οὗπερ ἂν ἐβούλου· τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἦν ὠφελεῖν καὶ τὸν πλησίον· εὑρίσκομεν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ὅτι δικαίοις ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐχαρίσθησαν, ἁμαρτωλοῖς δὲ ὁμοῦ συγκατεκρίθησαν δίκαιοι. Καὶ ἦν εἰπεῖν πολλὰ περὶ τούτων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ προκειμένου ἁψώμεθα. Τίνα λέγεις τὸν πλησίον; Ὃν ἀγαπᾷς; Πάντως κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου πᾶς ἄνθρωπος πλησίον σού ἐστι· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. Εἰ ἠγάπας οὖν τὸν πλησίον, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέφυγες τῆς ἐκκλησίας πάντας ὁμοῦ καταλιπών, μιμησάμενος τὸν φαρισαῖον καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου τῦφον νοσήσας, πάντας τῷ σῷ λόγῳ κατακρίνας καὶ μόνον ἑαυτὸν δίκαιον νομίσας. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἀνελθὼν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο· εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὁ θεός, ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἅρπαγες, ἄδικοι, μοιχοὶ καὶ ὡς οὗτος τελώνης· νηστεύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ἀποδεκατῶ πάντα ὅσα κτῶμαι. Τούτων οὐδὲν ἐψεύσατο, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τὰ ἀληθῆ ἔδοξε λέγειν, καταδικάζεται· οὐχ ὅτι ἐνήστευσεν ἢ ἀπεδεκάτωσε τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα πᾶσαν τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ κατέκρινεν. Ὁ δὲ τελώνης ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς τύπτων τὸ στῆθος, τὴν πηγὴν τῶν λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἀπαριθμῶν