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more slavish than slaves themselves. For we do not command such things to our slaves, as she does to those who are caught by her; she makes them both speak and suffer shameful things and things full of disgrace; and especially when she sees them obeying, she makes her commands more severe. Let us flee, therefore, let us flee, I beseech you, this slavery. But how, one asks, shall we be able? If we philosophize about things here, if we see that present things are a dream and a shadow, and nothing else, we shall easily overcome it, and we shall be caught neither in small things nor in great things; but if we do not despise it in small things, we shall easily fall into the greatest. Therefore, let us check its sources from afar; and these are folly and having a base soul; so that if we adopt a lofty mindset, we shall be able to look down upon the honor from the many, and to direct our thought toward heaven, and to obtain the good things there; may it be that we all attain them by the grace and love for mankind of Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 3. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. For which cause rebuke

them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

1. There are many questions here, first, who said it; second, why Paul used it; third, that he did not even adduce a testimony that was correct. Come then, let us add other points and so bring on the 62.676 timely solution. For when he was discoursing to the Athenians, in the midst of his address he says, To the Unknown God; and again, For we are also His offspring, as certain also of your own poets have said. Epimenides, then, is the one who said it, being himself a Cretan; but from what starting point, it is necessary to tell you the background; it is as follows: The Cretans have a tomb of Zeus with this inscription: Here lies Zan, whom they call [i.e., the] Zeus. Because of this inscription, therefore, the poet satirizing the Cretans as liars, 62.677 proceeding, again adds, increasing the satire more: For a tomb, O lord, for you the Cretans have fashioned; but you did not die; for you are forever. If, then, this testimony is true, see how great is the danger. For if the poet is true in saying that they lied in saying that Zeus had died, as the apostle says, the danger is great. Pay attention, beloved, with much accuracy: The poet said that the Cretans lie, who say that Zeus has died; the Apostle confirmed his testimony. Therefore, according to the Apostle, Zeus is immortal; For this, he says, is a true testimony. What then shall we say? Or rather, how can this be resolved? The Apostle did not say this, but simply took the testimony in this way and artlessly with regard to their lying character. For why did he not add, "For a tomb, O lord, for you the Cretans have fashioned"? So the Apostle did not say this, but that so-and-so said well that the Cretans are liars. But not from this alone do we argue that Zeus is not a god; for it is possible also from many other sources to demonstrate, and not from the testimony of the Cretans, to prove this clearly. Besides, he did not say that they lie in this matter; or rather, it is likely that they lied in this too; for also others

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αὐτῶν τῶν ἀνδραπόδων δουλικώτερον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτάττομεν τοιαῦτα τοῖς δούλοις τοῖς ἡμετέροις, οἷα ἐκείνη τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἁλοῦσιν· αἰσχρὰ καὶ αἰσχύνης γέμοντα πράγματα καὶ φθέγγεσθαι ποιεῖ καὶ πάσχειν· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἴδῃ ὑπακούοντας, ἐπιτείνει μᾶλλον τὰ ἐπιτάγματα. Φύγωμεν οὖν, φύγωμεν, παρακαλῶ, τὴν δουλείαν ταύτην. Πῶς δὲ, φησὶ, δυνησόμεθα; Ἂν φιλοσοφήσωμεν περὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα, ἂν ἴδωμεν ὅτι τὰ παρόντα πράγματα ὄναρ ἐστὶ καὶ σκιὰ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον, εὐκόλως αὐτῆς περιεσόμεθα, καὶ οὔτε ἐν τοῖς μικροῖς, οὔτε ἐν τοῖς μεγάλοις ἁλωσόμεθα· ἂν δὲ μὴ ἐν τοῖς μικροῖς καταφρονῶμεν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις ῥᾳδίως περιπεσούμεθα. Πόῤῥωθεν οὖν ἀναστέλλωμεν αὐτῆς τὰς πηγάς· αὗται δέ εἰσιν ἄνοια καὶ τὸ ταπεινὴν κεκτῆσθαι ψυχήν· ὡς ἐὰν ὑψηλὸν λάβωμεν φρόνημα, δυνησόμεθα καὶ τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν τιμῆς ὑπεριδεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν τεῖναι τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Γʹ. Εἶπέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης· Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί. Ἡ μαρτυρία αὕτη ἐστὶν ἀληθής. ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἔλεγχε

αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως, ἵνα ὑγιαίνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει, μὴ προσέχοντες Ἰουδαϊκοῖς μύθοις καὶ ἐντολαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

αʹ. Πολλὰ ἐνταῦθά ἐστι τὰ ζητούμενα, πρῶτον μὲν, τίς ὁ εἰρηκώς· δεύτερον δὲ, τί δήποτε ὁ Παῦλος αὐτοῖς ἐχρήσατο· τρίτον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ὀρθῶς ἔχουσαν μαρτυρίαν παρήγαγε. Φέρε οὖν καὶ ἕτερα προσθέντες οὕτω και 62.676 ρίαν τὴν λύσιν ἐπαγάγωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις διελέγετο, μεταξὺ τῆς δημηγορίας φησὶν, Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ· καὶ πάλιν, Τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμὲν, ὡς καί τινες τῶν καθ' ὑμᾶς ποιητῶν εἰρήκασιν. Ἐπιμενίδης οὖν ἐστιν ὁ εἰρηκὼς, Κρὴς καὶ αὐτὸς ὤν· ἀλλὰ πόθεν κινούμενος, ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ἔχει δὲ οὕτως· Οἱ Κρῆτες τάφον ἔχουσι τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἐπιγραφέντα τοῦτο· Ἐνταῦθα Ζὰν κεῖται, ὃν [ι. τὸν] ∆ία κικλήσκουσι. ∆ιὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ὁ ποιητὴς ψεύστας τοὺς Κρῆτας 62.677 κωμῳδὼν, προϊὼν πάλιν ἐπάγει, αὔξων μᾶλλον τὴν κωμῳδίαν· Καὶ γὰρ τάφον, ὦ ἄνα, σεῖο Κρῆτες ἐτεκτήναντο· σὺ δ' οὐ θάνες· ἐσσὶ γὰρ αἰεί. Εἰ τοίνυν αὕτη ἡ μαρτυρία ἀληθὴς, ὅρα τὸν κίνδυνον ὅσος. Εἰ γὰρ ἀληθὴς ὁ ποιητὴς εἰπὼν ὅτι ἐψεύσαντο, τεθνηκέναι τὸν ∆ία εἰπόντες, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, μέγας ὁ κίνδυνος. Προσέχετε, Ἀγαπητοὶ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας· Εἶπεν ὁ ποιητὴς, ὅτι ψεύδονται οἱ Κρῆτες οἱ τὸν ∆ία εἰπόντες τετελευτηκέναι· ἐβεβαίωσε τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ ὁ Ἀπόστολος. Οὐκοῦν κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον ἀθάνατος ὁ Ζεύς· Αὕτη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ μαρτυρία ἀληθής ἐστι. Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; μᾶλλον δὲ πῶς ἔστι τοῦτο ἐπιλύσασθαι; Οὐ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς οὕτως ἔλαβε τὴν μαρτυρίαν καὶ ἀφελῶς πρὸς τὸ ἦθος αὐτῶν τὸ ἐψευσμένον. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μὴ ἐπήγαγε τὸ, Καὶ γὰρ τάφον, ὦ ἄνα, σεῖο Κρῆτες ἐτεκτήναντο; Ὥστε οὐ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἀλλ' ὅτι καλῶς ὁ δεῖνα εἶπεν, ὅτι ψεῦσταί εἰσιν οἱ Κρῆτες. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον ἰσχυριζόμεθα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι θεὸς ὁ Ζεύς· ἔνεστι γὰρ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν πολλαχόθεν κατασκευάζοντας, καὶ οὐχὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Κρητῶν μαρτυρίας, τοῦτο σαφῶς ἀποδεῖξαι. Ἄλλως δὲ οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ εἶπεν αὐτοὺς ψεύδεσθαι· μᾶλλον δὲ εἰκὸς καὶ τοῦτο ἐψεῦσθαι αὐτούς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλους