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2. Consider how shameless and impudent she is. She was not ashamed before that honorable and blessed choir of the apostles, whom even the demons shudder at, whose very shadows were refuges from passions, whose bodies healed diseases, under whose feet all the nations and kings and rulers and wise men were subjected. But nevertheless the shameless one leaped upon him like a robber and like a roaring lion, and snatched away the apostle, and indeed from the twelve, the chosen, the select and chief ones, not without a share of Christ's blessing and gift among the eleven, nor of the charismatic gifts; for the Teacher, being generous, honored him just as the others, and bestowed the gift of healing and authority over the adversary. But even his feet, which were running against the Teacher, the good and long-suffering Lord washed with his own hands, just as those of the other disciples. What power, then, do you think one has, having received authority from God and the Master of all over demons and all kinds of passions? I say: that this prevails over all kings and rulers, and is more terrible than any authority. And so consider, O lovers of money, if she wore down such and so great a soldier as if he were naked and helpless and took him as a captive, what then shall we suffer, we who possess no achievement of virtue? And what am I saying about apostles and disciples? She had no reverence for the Lord and Master of all Himself, but even laid hands on him, and sold the priceless one, and dishonored him who is worthy of all glory and honor, and struck him to whom every knee bends, and spat on him whom the heavenly hosts worship with trembling; and, to say the greater thing, she killed the author of life, the one who gives life to all things.

Therefore let no one boast in men, let no one be strengthened in his own vanity; let no one be confident, that Passion will never conquer me; for in many things it conquers you, and do you seem to be a conqueror? It conquered the apostle of Christ, and you are contemptuous? It took captive the chief one, and you are careless and boastful? Therefore let him who thinks 60.693 he stands take heed lest he fall. Do you want me to show you in how many things you are conquered and do not understand? Do you want me to lay bare for you all the things you do from the evil one, while you live as if you were blameless? Listen: you swore by the terrible name of God, which not even the angels dare; this is from the evil one, as the Lord declared; you lied, it is a defeat; you reviled, you were defeated; you have stored up money while your brother, or rather Christ, is hungry and naked; you were conquered by a harsh and inexcusable victory, the one which is the cause of that final and terrible charge: I was hungry, and you gave me no food, and what follows; and what is more grievous, that you did not pity the brother of Christ as he cried out; and after a little while leaving everything behind, you will go where you will not return, but you will be numbered with those who hear: Depart from me, you cursed, and the rest. Have you seen in what ways you have been conquered, and do not understand? have you seen for how many transgressions you are responsible, and yet live in carelessness as a victor and blameless one, when you are defeated and conquered and wretched? Have you not heard what is written, that 'He who overcomes will inherit the eternal good things', which John revealed and described in the Apocalypse, the things which he saw, boundless joy, pure gladness, a life with the Master of all and all the holy angels and archangels; and having related many other wonderful things, he concluded by saying: 'He who overcomes will inherit these things.' We have spoken of the victory before, if you remember; but for the sake of the more slothful let us say again what victory he means. The victory which our Lord won and taught, saying: 'Take heart, I have overcome the world.' Have you heard what victory he speaks of? He who overcomes will inherit joy. O blessed inheritance, O lot of all joy

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ʹ. Ἐννοήσατε ὁποία ἐστὶν ἀναιδὴς καὶ ἀναίσχυντος. Οὐκ ἐνετράπη εἰς τὸν τίμιον ἐκεῖνον καὶ μακάριον χορὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὃν καὶ οἱ δαίμονες φρίττουσιν, ὧν καὶ αἱ σκιαὶ παθῶν φυγαδευτήρια, ὧν τὰ χρῶτα νοσήματα ἰῶντο, ὧν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ βασιλεῖς καὶ δυνάσται καὶ σοφοὶ ὑπετάγησαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ ἀναιδὴς ἐπεπήδησεν ὥσπερ λῃστὴς καὶ ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος, καὶ ἀφήρπασε τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, τῶν λογάδων καὶ κορυφαίων, οὐκ ἄμοιρον τῆς Χριστοῦ εὐλογίας καὶ δωρεᾶς παρὰ τοῖς ἕνδεκα, οὐδὲ τῶν χαρισμάτων· ἄφθονος γὰρ ὢν ὁ διδάσκαλος, ὥσπερ τοὺς λοιποὺς κἀκεῖνον ἐτίμησεν, καὶ παρέσχετο χάρισμα τῶν ἰαμάτων καὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ἐξουσίαν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ τοὺς κατὰ τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου τρέχοντας οἰκείαις χερσὶν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν μαθητῶν, ἔνιψεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἀνεξίκακος Κύριος. Ὁποίαν λοιπὸν δοκεῖς δύναμιν ἔχειν λαβόντα τὴν ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ∆εσπότου τῶν ὅλων κατὰ δαιμόνων καὶ παντοίων παθῶν; Ἐγὼ λέγω· πάντων τῶν βασιλέων καὶ δυναστῶν ὑπερισχύειν τοῦτο, καὶ πάσης ἐξουσίας φοβερώτερον εἶναι. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἐνθυμήθητε, ὦ φιλάργυροι, εἰ τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον στρατιώτην ὡς γυμνὸν καὶ ἀβοήθητον κατεπόνησε καὶ ἔλαβεν ὡς αἰχμάλωτον, τί λοιπὸν πάθωμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ μηδὲν κατόρθωμα ἀρετῆς κεκτημένοι; Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν; Αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον καὶ ∆εσπότην τῶν ὅλων οὐκ ᾐδέσθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλε, καὶ τὸν ἄπρατον ἔπρασε, καὶ τὸν πάσης δόξης καὶ τιμῆς ὑπάρχοντα ἄξιον ἠτίμασε, καὶ ᾧ κάμπτει πᾶν γόνυ, ἐῤῥάπισε, καὶ ᾧ φρίκῃ προσκυνοῦσιν οὐράνιαι στρατιαὶ, ἐνέπτυσε· καὶ, ἵνα τὸ μεῖζον εἴπω, τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, τὸν τὰ πάντα ζωοποιοῦντα ἀπέκτεινε.

Λοιπὸν μηδεὶς καυχάσθω ἐν ἀνθρώποις, μηδεὶς ἐνδυναμούσθω ἐπὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ ματαιότητι· μή τις θαῤῥείτω, ὅτι Πάθος οὐ νικᾷ με ποτέ· εἰς πολλὰ γὰρ νικᾷ σε, καὶ νικητὴς εἶναι δοκεῖς; τὸν ἀπόστολον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνίκησε, καὶ σὺ καταφρονεῖς; τὸν κορυφαῖον ᾐχμαλώτευσε, καὶ σὺ ἀμεριμνεῖς καὶ μεγαλαυχεῖς; Ὅρα οὖν ὁ δοκῶν 60.693 ἑστάναι, μὴ πέσῃς. Βούλει δείξω σοι ἐν πόσοις πράγμασι νικᾶσαι καὶ οὐ συνιεῖς; Βούλει ἀπογυμνώσω σοι ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ποιεῖς, καὶ ὡς ἀναίτιος διάγεις; Ἄκουε· ὤμοσας τὸ φοβερὸν ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅπερ οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τολμῶσι· τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν, ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἐδήλωσεν· ἐψεύσω, ἥττημά ἐστιν· ἐλοιδόρησας, ἡττήθης· χρήματα ἀπέθηκας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λιμώττοντος καὶ γυμνητεύοντος· ἐνικήθης νίκην χαλεπὴν καὶ ἀναπολόγητον, τὴν πρόξενον τοῦ ἐσχάτου ἐκείνου καὶ φοβεροῦ ἐγκλήματος· Ἐπείνασα, καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα· καὶ τὸ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ βοῶντα οὐκ ἠλέησας· καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν πάντα ὁμοῦ καταλιπὼν, πορεύσῃ ὅθεν οὐκ ἀναλύσεις, ἀλλ' ἐναρίθμιος ἔσῃ μετὰ τῶν ἀκουόντων· Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Εἶδες ἐν ποίοις νενίκησαι, καὶ οὐ συνιεῖς; εἶδες πόσων παραπτωμάτων ὑπεύθυνος εἶ, καὶ ὡς νικητὴς καὶ ἀναίτιος ἐν ἀμελείᾳ διάγεις, ἡττημένος καὶ νενικημένος καὶ δείλαιος; Οὐκ ἤκουσας τὸ γεγραμμένον, ὅτι Ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει τὰ αἰώνια ἀγαθὰ, ἅπερ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει Ἰωάννης ἐδήλωσε καὶ διηγήσατο, ἅπερ εἶδεν πράγματα, χαρὰν ἀπλήρωτον, εὐφροσύνην ἀκήρατον, διαγωγὴν μετὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τῶν ὅλων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων· καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ διηγησάμενος τέλος ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει ταῦτα. Τὴν νίκην προείπαμεν, εἰ κατέχετε· διὰ δὲ τοὺς ῥᾳθυμοτέρους καὶ πάλιν εἴπωμεν ποίαν λέγει νίκην. Νίκην, ἣν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐνίκησε καὶ ἐδίδαξε λέγων· Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Ἤκουσας ὁποίαν λέγει νίκην; Ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει χαράν. Ὢ μακαρίας κληρονομίας, ὢ κλῆρος πάσης χαρᾶς