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Eve, having conceived, gives birth to Cain, who became the beginner of jealousy, the inventor of murders, the father of hypocrisy, the creator of falsehood. For being asked by the Lord: Where is Abel your brother? he readily produces a lie, saying: Am I my brother's keeper? But God, wishing to persuade him by the facts that He knows all things, said: The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me. The blood does not cry out with speech; for it does not partake of speech; but the deed, through its cruelty, proclaims the fratricide. For this reason the prophet cries: Break up your fallow ground for yourselves, and do not sow upon thorns. You have heard in the Acts of the Apostles of Simon Magus, how, having neither broken new ground nor uprooted the thorns, he approached the apostles to receive baptism. And such as he went down, such also did he come up, not because the baptism was weak, but because he disobeyed the one who was crucified, the one who was nailed. He did not believe the prophets, who like oxen draw the symbols of the cross, the iron and the wood, and renew by their teaching the race of men. For this reason he is not loosed from the curse of Adam, but again receives a second curse, and iniquity is added to his iniquity, so that he may not enter into the righteousness of God; for baptism profited him nothing. He approached the apostles, saying: Take gold, and give me this authority, that on whomever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him: You have no part or lot in this matter, because you wished to acquire the gift of God through money. This man did not obey the prophets, he did not renew his rational ground; this man did not even receive the Holy Spirit that was preached by the prophets. Fear the example, and break up your fallow ground for yourselves, and do not sow upon thorns. If you cut down the thorns, you will receive the seed, you will bear fruit, and you will become a partaker of the Holy Spirit. Thus obeying the 60.724 prophet, Cornelius renewed himself, he cut down the thorns, and he bore fruit for God. For an angel appeared to him, saying: Cornelius, your alms have gone up before God. This good farmer uprooted the thorns, he renewed his own man, his fruit went up before God, Do you see the fruit of repentance? It went up from earth to heaven, and stands before God with confidence. For just as good works intercede with confidence, so also do the opposite accuse with earnestness. You have heard the good works interceding for Cornelius; hear also the murder of Cain accusing with earnestness; for thus says God to Cain: The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me; and the penalty is defined, that you shall be groaning and trembling on the earth. Hear also the reward of almsgiving and prayer, what the angel says: Send to Joppa, and call for Peter, and he will teach you what you must do. Peter came, and as he began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon him, just as also upon the apostles. Do you see, the reward of fasting and prayer and almsgiving is the Holy Spirit being given? This is the season of fasting and almsgiving; foreseeing this season, Elijah fasted forty days; for this reason he is taken up in a chariot of fire, and to this day is in the body. Moses prophesied of this season, having fasted forty days; for this reason he received the law for the correction of his kinsmen. Christ taught us this season, having fasted forty days; that he might teach us to readily receive this cause, through which the rational ground is renewed, through which thorns are plucked out, through which desires are extinguished, through which the works of the devil are destroyed, through which the waters of the Jordan have been sanctified, through which man is born again, through which the Holy Spirit descends, through which is life and resurrection. This the

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Εὔα συλλαβοῦσα γεννᾷ Κάϊν, ὅστις ζήλου ἀρχηγὸς γέγονε, φόνων εὑρετὴς, ὑποκρίσεως πατὴρ, δημιουργὸς ψεύδους. Ἐρωτώμενος γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου· Ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; ἕτοιμος ψεῦδος γεννᾷ λέγων· Μὴ φύλαξ εἰμὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου; Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πεῖσαι, ὡς τὰ πάντα ἐπίσταται, ἔφη· Φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με. Οὐ τὸ αἷμα λόγῳ βοᾷ· λόγου γὰρ οὐ μετέχει· ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ τῆς ὠμότητος τὸν ἀδελφοκτόνον θριαμβεύει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο βοᾷ ὁ προφήτης· Νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις. Ἠκούσατε ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων Σίμωνα τὸν Μάγον, ὅπως μὴ νεώσας μηδὲ ἐκριζώσας τὰς ἀκάνθας, προσῆλθε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις λαβεῖν τὸ βάπτισμα. Καὶ οἷος κατῆλθε, τοιοῦτος καὶ ἀνῆλθεν, οὐκ ἀτονοῦντος τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἀλλὰ τούτου ἀπειθήσαντος τῷ σταυρωθέντι, τῷ προσηλωθέντι. Οὐκ ἐπίστευσε τοῖς προφήταις, οἵτινες ὡς βόες ἕλκουσι τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰ σύμβολα, τὸν σίδηρον καὶ τὸ ξύλον, καὶ ἀνανεοῦσι τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ λύεται ἀπὸ τῆς κατάρας τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ἀλλὰ πάλιν λαμβάνει δευτέραν κατάραν, καὶ προστίθεται ἀνομία ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ εἰσέλθῃ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ Θεοῦ· ὡς οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ὠφέλησε τὸ βάπτισμα. Προσῆλθε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, λέγων· Λάβετε χρυσίον, καὶ δότε μοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην, ἵνα ᾧτινι δ' ἂν ἐπιθῶ τὰς χεῖρας, λαμβάνῃ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος αὐτῷ εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἔστι σοι μέρος, οὐδὲ κλῆρος ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ, ὅτι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἠβουλήθης διὰ χρημάτων κτήσασθαι. Οὗτος οὐχ ὑπήκουσε τοῖς προφήταις, οὐκ ἐνέωσε τὴν λογικὴν αὐτοῦ χώραν· οὗτος οὐδὲ ἔτυχε τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυχθέντος. Φοβήθητε τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, καὶ νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις. Ἐὰν ἐκκόψῃς τὰς ἀκάνθας, καταδέξῃ τὸν σπόρον, καρποφορεῖς, καὶ μέτοχος γένῃ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Οὕτως ὑπακούσας τῷ 60.724 προφήτῃ ὁ Κορνήλιος ἐνέωσεν ἑαυτὸν, ἐξέκοψε τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἐκαρποφόρει τῷ Θεῷ. Ὤφθη γὰρ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος λέγων· Κορνήλιε, αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνῆλθον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὗτος ὁ καλὸς γεωργὸς ἐξεῤῥίζωσε τὰς ἀκάνθας, ἐνέωσε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἄνθρωπον, ἀνέβη αὐτοῦ ὁ καρπὸς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ὁρᾷς καρπὸν μετανοίας; Ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνῆλθε, καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἕστηκεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ καλὰ ἔργα μετὰ παῤῥησίας πρεσβεύει, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλως ἔχοντα μετὰ σπουδῆς κατηγορεῖ. Ἤκουσας τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑπὲρ τοῦ Κορνηλίου πρεσβεύοντα· ἄκουσον καὶ τὸν φόνον τοῦ Κάϊν μετὰ σπουδῆς κατηγοροῦντα· οὕτω γάρ φησιν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν Κάϊν· Φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με· καὶ τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν ὁριζομένην, ὅτι Στένων καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἄκουσον καὶ τὸν μισθὸν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ τῆς προσευχῆς, τί φησιν ὁ ἄγγελος· Ἀπόστειλον εἰς Ἰόππην, καὶ μετάπεμψαι τὸν Πέτρον, καὶ οὗτός σε διδάξει τί σε δεῖ ποιεῖν. Ἦλθε Πέτρος, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἄρξασθαι αὐτὸν λαλεῖν, ἐπέπεσε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπ' αὐτὸν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Ὁρᾷς, ὁ μισθὸς τῆς νηστείας καὶ τῆς προσευχῆς καὶ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διδόμενον; Οὗτος ὁ καιρὸς τῆς νηστείας καὶ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης· τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν προϊδὼν Ἠλίας, ἐνήστευσε τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας· διὰ τοῦτο ἅρματι πυρίνῳ ἀναλαμβάνεται, καὶ μέχρι σήμερον ἐν σώματί ἐστι. Τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν προεφήτευσε Μωϋσῆς, νηστεύσας τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας· διὰ τοῦτο νόμον ἔλαβε πρὸς διόρθωσιν τῶν ὁμοφύλων. Τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς, νηστεύσας τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας· ἵν' ἡμᾶς παιδεύσῃ προθύμως καταδέχεσθαι τὴν αἰτίαν ταύτην, δι' ἧς νεάζεται ἡ λογικὴ χώρα, δι' ἧς ἐκτίλλονται ἄκανθαι, δι' ἧς σβέννυνται ἐπιθυμίαι, δι' ἧς καταλύεται τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, δι' ἧς ἡγίασται τὰ ὕδατα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, δι' ἧς ἀναγεννᾶται ἄνθρωπος, δι' ἧς κατέρχεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δι' ἧς ζωὴ καὶ ἀνάστασις. Ταύτην οἱ