13

the lyre and the other instruments? O, of utter folly! O, of the wicked invention of the devil. An evil and adulterous generation, do you repay the Lord with these things? The undefiled Master has commanded everywhere that a Christian should not be carried away at all, and you say, what harm do these things do? Woe to those who call bitter sweet; woe to those who put darkness for light. But let the uninstructed tell us, from what sacred Scripture can they present that a Christian should make these gestures? what book of the saints, what Gospels taught Christians to behave so unbecomingly? Behold the catholic and apostolic Church from the rising of the sun to its setting, and from the ends of the earth cries out, and teaches, and exhorts, through the law, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Master Himself, and nowhere 59.565 has anyone found that a Christian was permitted to make these gestures. How many kings and rulers, and wise men, and nobles, and glorious men, and lawyers, and slaves and free, and poor and rich, and old and young? who of all these is able to prove or to show concerning these things, that a Christian was permitted to play the lyre, or to dance, or to do anything else of this sort, of which we have spoken before? No one is able to show. Let no one deceive you; these things are not of Christians; these things are foreign to the catholic Church; all the nations of the world do these things. Let no one, my brothers, deceive you; as many as are led by these things, you have fallen from grace; Christ will profit you nothing. But let us return again to the first and good confession, to which we were called, before many witnesses, before angels and men and the creator of all things; for he holds the record of our confession in heaven, to render to each according as he has acted and kept the confession. For of each of us are written both the covenants, and the renunciation of the devil and the allegiance to Christ, and our works and our deeds, and our words, and our thoughts, and our frivolities, and our jests; and Christ comes having all things written. So then, what do you want? to lie to him? But it is not possible; for in his hand are both you and your words. But do you want to hide? But it is not possible, since in his hand are the ends of the earth, And no creature is hidden from his sight; but all things are naked and laid open to his eyes, and you will not be hidden from his face. If you ascend into heaven, he is there; if you descend into the abyss, he is present there. For it is written, that "Whatever the Lord pleased, he has done in heaven and on earth, in the seas, and in all the deeps." What then shall we do, brothers? Straits are upon us from every side; For he knows the secrets of the heart and kidneys. It is not possible to flee; for there is no one who will deliver from his hands. It is impossible to be hidden; for he holds the circle of the earth, and those who dwell in it, as locusts. It is not possible to resist, as it is written, that "You are terrible, and who will resist you?" For he rules over the heavenly and earthly and subterranean, who is about to abolish every rule and authority and power. There is no defense, nor pretext, nor thought. For this reason from the ends of the earth to the ends the divine Scripture cries out, and exhorts, and convicts, and admonishes, and testifies, and threatens. Wherefore our Master says; "He who rejects me, and does not receive my words, I do not judge him; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." And again he says; "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin." You have heard, that no one has an excuse. Truly, brothers, straits are upon us from every side. 11. But someone surely answers, that, "Behold, you have sufficiently rebuked us through your speech,"

13

κιθάρα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὄργανα; Ὢ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας· ὢ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐπινοίας τοῦ διαβόλου. Γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς, ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταπόδοτε; Ὁ ἄχραντος ∆εσπότης πανταχοῦ ἐνετείλατο, μήτε ὅλως μετεωρίζεσθαι Χριστιανὸν, καὶ σὺ λέγεις, τί βλάπτει ταῦτα; Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ· οὐαὶ οἱ τιθέντες τὸ σκότος φῶς. Εἰπάτωσαν δὲ ἡμῖν οἱ ἀπαίδευτοι, ἐκ ποίας ἱερᾶς Γραφῆς παραστῆσαι δύνανται, ὅτι χρὴ τὸν Χριστιανὸν ποιεῖν ταῦτα τὰ σχήματα; ποία βίβλος τῶν ἁγίων, ποῖα Εὐαγγέλια ἐδίδαξεν οὕτως ἀσχημονεῖν τοὺς Χριστιανούς; Ἰδοὺ ἡ καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ Ἐκκλησία ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης κράζει, καὶ διδάσκει, καὶ παραινεῖ, διά τε νόμου, καὶ προφητῶν. καὶ ἀποστόλων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ 59.565 τις εὗρεν, ὅτι ἐπετράπη Χριστιανὸς ποιεῖν ταῦτα τὰ σχήματα. Πόσοι βασιλεῖς καὶ δυνάσται, καὶ σοφοὶ, καὶ εὐγενεῖς, καὶ ἔνδοξοι, καὶ νομικοὶ, καὶ δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι, καὶ πτωχοὶ καὶ πλούσιοι, καὶ πρεσβῦται καὶ νέοι; τίς ἐκ τούτων πάντων δύναται ἀποδεῖξαι ἢ παραστῆσαι περὶ τούτων, ὅτι ἐπετράπη ὁ Χριστιανὸς κιθαρίζειν, ἢ ὀρχεῖσθαι, ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ποιεῖν, ὧν προειρήκαμεν; Οὐδεὶς δύναται παραστῆσαι. Μηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς· οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα Χριστιανῶν· ταῦτα ἀλλότριά εἰσι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας· ταῦτα πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τοῦ κόσμου ποιοῦσι. Μηδεὶς, ἀδελφοί μου, πλανάτω ὑμᾶς· ὅσοι ἐν τούτοις ἐνάγεσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε· Χριστὸς οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσει. Ἐπανέλθωμεν δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν πρώτην καὶ καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθημεν, ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων, ἐπὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ τοῦ κτίστου τῶν ὅλων· αὐτὸς γὰρ τὸ γραμματεῖον τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν κατέχει ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ καθὼς ἔπραξε καὶ ἐφύλαξε τὴν ὁμολογίαν. Ἑκάστου γὰρ ἡμῶν γεγραμμέναι εἰσὶ, καὶ αἱ συνθῆκαι, καὶ ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀποταγὴ καὶ πρὸς Χριστὸν συνταγὴ, καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν καὶ αἱ πράξεις, καὶ οἱ λόγοι, καὶ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα, καὶ οἱ μετεωρισμοὶ, καὶ τὰ γέλοια· καὶ πάντα γεγραμμένα ἔχων ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστός. Λοιπὸν οὖν τί βούλει; ψεύσασθαι αὐτῷ; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι δυνατόν· ἐν γὰρ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ σὺ καὶ οἱ λόγοι σου. Ἀλλὰ βούλει κρύπτεσθαι; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ κρυβήσῃ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. Ἐὰν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβῇς, αὐτὸς ἐκεῖ ἐστιν· ἐὰν καταβῇς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον, ἐκεῖ πάρεστι. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Πάντα, ὅσα ἐθέλησεν ὁ Κύριος ἐποίησεν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις, καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀβύσσοις. Τί οὖν ποιήσωμεν, ἀδελφοί; Στενὰ ἡμῖν πανταχόθεν· Αὐτὸς γὰρ γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας καὶ νεφρούς. Φυγεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ὃς ἐξελεῖται ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. Κρυβῆναι ἀδύνατον· κατέχει γὰρ τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδας. Ἀντιστῆναι οὐκ ἔνι, καθὼς γέγραπται, ὅτι Σὺ φοβερὸς εἶ, καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί σοι; Αὐτὸς γὰρ δεσπόζει τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, ὁ μέλλων καταργεῖν πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν. Ἀπολογία οὐκ ἔνι, οὐδὲ ἀφορμὴ, οὔτε ἔννοια. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς γῆς ἕως περάτων ἡ θεία Γραφὴ βοᾷ, καὶ παραινεῖ, καὶ ἐλέγχει, καὶ νουθετεῖ, καὶ διαμαρτύρεται, καὶ ἀπειλεῖ. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν· Ὁ ἀθετῶν με, καὶ μὴ λαμβάνων τὰ ῥήματά μου, ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω αὐτόν· ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἐλάλησα, κρινεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἠκούσατε, ὅτι οὐδεὶς πρόφασιν ἔχει. Ὄντως, ἀδελφοὶ, στενὰ ἡμῖν πανταχόθεν. ιαʹ. Ἀλλὰ πάντως τις ἀποκρίνεται, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ ἱκανῶς καθήψω ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦ λόγου,