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discoursing; “Woe to him who calls evil good and good evil, who puts darkness for light and light for darkness, who puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” For what is more pleasant than virginity, what more beautiful, what more luminous? For it sends forth flashes brighter than the sun's own rays, separating us from all worldly things and preparing us to gaze intently with pure eyes upon the sun of righteousness. And Isaiah cried out these things concerning those who have perverse judgments within themselves. But hear also what another prophet says concerning those who utter these pestilent words against others, beginning again from the same exclamation: “Woe to him who gives his neighbor a murky subversion to drink.” And “woe” is not a mere word but a threat foretelling to us an unspeakable and unpardonable punishment; for this expression is used in the scriptures for those who are no longer able to escape the coming punishment. And again another prophet, reproaching the Jews, said: “You gave wine to the consecrated ones to drink.” If one who gives wine to the Nazirites to drink will undergo so great a punishment, of what punishment will he not be worthy who pours out murky subversion into the souls of the more simple? If one who undermines a small part of the ascetic practice according to the law has an inevitable punishment, what penalty will he undergo who reviles holiness itself completely? “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble,” he says, “it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the sea.” What then will they say who through these words cause not one little one but many to stumble? For where he who calls his brother a fool will be led straight to the fire of Gehenna, how much wrath will he who slanders this angel-like way of life draw down upon his own head? Miriam once spoke against Moses, not in the way you now speak against virginity, but much less and more moderately. For she did not revile the man nor mock the virtue of that blessed one then, but even admired him greatly; but she only said this much, that she too had enjoyed the same things as he. But nevertheless she so provoked the wrath of God that not even he who seemed to have been insulted, though he pleaded much, could achieve anything more, but the punishment for her was intensified beyond his judgment.

22 That the children in the time of Elisha perished for a useful purpose. And why do I speak of Miriam? For those children playing near Bethlehem, that they might say just this to Elisha: “Go up, you baldhead,” so provoked God that at the same time as this word, he set bears upon their crowd; for there were forty-two, and all of them were completely torn apart then by those beasts. And neither their age nor their number nor the fact that they spoke in jest protected the youths, and quite rightly. For if those who undertake such great labors were to be reviled by both children and men, who of the weaker ones will choose to undertake labors that bring laughter and mockery? And who of the many will emulate virtue, seeing it to be so ridiculous? For if now, when all everywhere admire it, not only those who pursue it but also those who have fallen from it, many nevertheless hesitate and shrink from those toils, who would have quickly wished to take it up if, in addition to not being admired, he also saw it being slandered by all men? For the very strong, who have already passed over to heaven, need no consolation from the many, but the praise from God is sufficient for all their consolation. But those who are more weakly disposed and are just now being led by the hand to the matter receive no small addition of strength also from the opinion of the many, until, having been guided from all sides, they may little by little establish themselves in a state of no longer needing this guidance. not only for their sake, but also for the

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διαλεγόμενος· «Οὐαὶ ὁ λέγων τὸ πονηρὸν καλὸν καὶ τὸ καλὸν πονηρόν, ὁ τιθεὶς τὸ φῶς σκότος καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς, ὁ τιθεὶς τὸ γλυκὺ πικρὸν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ.» Τί γὰρ τῆς παρθενίας ἥδιον, τί κάλλιον, τί φωτεινότερον; Καὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων φαιδροτέρας ἀφίησι τὰς μαρμαρυγάς, πάντων μὲν ἡμᾶς ἀφιστῶσα τῶν βιωτικῶν καθαροῖς δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς εἰς τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον ἀτενὲς παρασκευάζουσα ἐνορᾷν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἠσαΐας περὶ τῶν ἐν αὑτοῖς τὰς διεστραμμένας κρίσεις ἐχόντων ἐβόα. Ἄκουσον δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν εἰς ἑτέρους ἐκφερόντων τὰ λοιμικὰ ταῦτα ῥήματα τί φησιν ἄλλος προφήτης ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἐπιφθέγματος ποιούμενος τὴν ἀρχήν· «Οὐαὶ ὁ ποτίζων τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀνατροπὴν θολεράν.» Τὸ δὲ «οὐαί» οὐ ῥῆμα ψιλόν ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἀπειλή τις ἄφατον ἡμῖν καὶ ἀσύγγνωστον προαναφωνοῦσα τὴν τιμωρίαν· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν οὐκέτι δυναμένων διαφυγεῖν τὴν μέλλουσαν κόλασιν τοῦτο τὸ ἐπίρρημα κεῖται ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς. Καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος προφήτης ἐγκαλῶν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἔλεγεν· «Ἐποτίσατε τοὺς ἡγιασμένους οἶνον.» Εἰ δὲ τοὺς Ναζιραίους οἶνον ποτίζων τοσαύτην ὑποστήσεται τιμωρίαν, ὁ τὴν θολερὰν ἀνατροπὴν ἐκχέων εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀφελεστέρων ψυχὰς τίνος οὐκ ἔσται κολάσεως ἄξιος; Εἰ μέρος μικρὸν τῆς κατὰ νόμον ἀσκήσεως ὑποτεμνόμενός τις ἀπαραίτητον ἔχει τὴν κόλασιν, ὁ τὴν ἁγιωσύνην αὐτὴν ὁλόκληρον διασύρων, τίνα ὑφέξει δίκην; «Ἐάν τις σκανδαλίσῃ, φησίν, ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, συμφέρει αὐτῷ ἵνα μύλος ὀνικὸς κρεμασθῇ περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ καταποντισθῇ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.» Τί οὖν λέξουσιν οἱ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων οὐχ ἕνα μικρὸν ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς σκανδαλίζοντες; Ὅπου γὰρ ὁ τὸν ἀδελφὸν καλῶν μωρὸν ὀρθὴν ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς γεέννης ἀπαχθήσεται πῦρ, ὁ τὴν ἰσάγγελον ταύτην διαβάλλων πολιτείαν πόσην ὀργὴν ἐπισπάσεται κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῆς; Κατελέλασέ ποτε τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἡ Μαριὰμ οὐχ οὕτως ὡς τῆς παρθενίας νῦν ὑμεῖς ἀλλὰ πολλῷ ἔλαττον καὶ ἐπιεικέστερον. Οὐ γὰρ διέσυρε τὸν ἄνδρα οὐδὲ ἐχλεύασε τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου τότε ἐκείνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθαύμασε σφόδρα· τοσοῦτον δὲ εἶπε μόνον ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπέλαυσεν ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὕτως ἐξεκαλέσατο τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ὡς οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ δοκοῦντος ὑβρίσθαι πολλὰ παρακαλοῦντος γενέσθαι τι πλέον ἀλλὰ καὶ περαιτέρω τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης ἐπιταθῆναι τὴν τιμωρίαν αὐτῇ.

22 Ὅτι χρησίμως οἱ ἐπὶ Ἐλισσαίου παῖδες ἀπώλοντο. Καὶ τί λέγω Μαριάμ; Οἱ γὰρ παῖδες ἐκεῖνοι οἱ περὶ τὴν Βηθλεὲμ παίζοντες ἵνα πρὸς τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον τοῦτο μόνον εἴπωσιν· «Ἀνάβαινε, φαλακρέ», οὕτω παρώξυναν τὸν Θεὸν ὡς ἅμα τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἄρκους αὐτῶν ἐπαφεῖναι τῷ πλήθει· καὶ γὰρ τεσσαράκοντα δύο ἦσαν, καὶ πάντες ἄρδην ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων ἐσπαράττοντο τότε ἐκείνων. Καὶ οὔτε ἡλικία οὔτε τὸ πλῆθος οὔτε τὸ γελῶντας εἰπεῖν προέστη τῶν μειρακίων, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Εἰ γὰρ μέλλοιεν οἱ τοὺς τοσούτους ἀναδεχόμενοι πόνους καὶ παρὰ παίδων καὶ παρὰ ἀνδρῶν διασύρεσθαι, τίς τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων αἱρήσεται πόνους ἀναδέξασθαι γέλωτας ἔχοντας καὶ χλευασίαν; Τίς δὲ τῶν πολλῶν ζηλώσει τὴν ἀρετὴν οὕτω καταγέλαστον αὐτὴν οὖσαν ὁρῶν; Εἰ γὰρ νῦν πάντων αὐτὴν πανταχοῦ θαυμαζόντων οὐ τῶν μετιόντων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐκπεπτωκότων αὐτῆς ὅμως ὀκνοῦσι καὶ ἀναδύονται πρὸς τοὺς ἱδρῶτας ἐκείνους πολλοί, τίς ἂν αὐτῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι ταχέως ἠθέλησεν εἰ πρὸς τῷ μὴ θαυμάζεσθαι καὶ διαβαλλομένην ἑώρα παρὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἰσχυροὶ λίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἤδη μεταστάντες οὐδὲν δέονται τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν παραμυθίας ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ πρὸς πᾶσαν παραμυθίαν αὐτοῖς ὁ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔπαινος. Οἱ δὲ ἀσθενέστερον διακείμενοι καὶ ἄρτι πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα χειραγωγούμενοι οὐ μικρὰν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν δόξης δυνάμεως προσθήκην λαμβάνουσιν, ἕως ἂν παιδαγωγηθέντες πάντοθεν κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς τὸ μηκέτι δεῖσθαι ταύτης τῆς χειραγωγίας καταστήσωσιν ἑαυτούς. Οὐκ ἐκείνων δὲ μόνων ἕνεκεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς