14

The craze for the adornment of pearls is a satanic procession. For you have received gold, not that you might bind your body, but that you might loose and nourish the poor. Say therefore continually: I renounce you, Satan; nothing is safer than this cry, if we demonstrate it through our works.

5. I urge you also, who are about to be initiated, to learn this; for this cry is a covenant with the Lord. And just as we, when buying slaves, first ask those who are being sold if they wish to serve us, so also does Christ; when He is about to take you into His service, He first asks if you wish to leave that cruel and harsh tyrant, and He accepts the covenant from you; for His dominion is not one of compulsion. And consider the loving-kindness of God. For we, before we pay the price, ask those being sold, and when we learn that they are willing, then we pay the price; but Christ does not do so, but He even paid the price on behalf of us all, His precious blood; For 'you were bought with a price,' He says; and yet not even so does He compel those unwilling to serve Him, but 'if you are not grateful,' He says, 'and do not willingly from yourself wish to register for My dominion, I do not compel or force you.' And we, for our part, would not choose to purchase wicked slaves; and if we should ever so choose, we buy them by a poor choice, and pay such a price; but Christ, buying ungrateful and lawless slaves, paid the price of a first-rate slave, or rather, one much greater, and so much greater, that neither word nor thought can represent its magnitude; for not by giving heaven and earth and sea, but what is more precious than all these, by depositing His own blood, He thus redeemed us; and after all these things He does not demand of us witnesses, nor documents, but is content with a mere cry, if you say from your heart: I renounce you, Satan, and your pomp, He has received the whole thing. Let us therefore say this: I renounce you, Satan, as we who are about to be demanded this cry there, on that day, and let us guard it, that we may then give back this deposit safe; and satanic pomp is the theaters and the horse-races, and all sin and observance of days, and omens and signs. And what are signs? he says. Often a man, having gone out of his own house, has seen a one-eyed or a lame man, and has taken it as an omen. This is satanic pomp; for it is not the meeting with the man that makes the day turn out evil, but living in sins. When you go out, therefore, guard one thing only, that sin not meet you; for this is what trips us up, and without this the devil will be able to harm us in no way. What are you saying? You see a man, and take it as an omen, and you do not see the devil's snare, how he makes you an enemy to one who has done you no wrong? 49.240 how he makes you hostile to your brother for no just cause? And God commanded us to love even our enemies, but you turn away from one who has done no wrong, having nothing to accuse him of, and do you not consider how great the laughter, how great the shame, or rather, how great the danger? Shall I tell another, even more ridiculous thing? I am ashamed and I blush, but I am compelled nevertheless to speak for the sake of your salvation; If a virgin should meet you, he says, the day becomes unprofitable; but if a harlot should meet you, it is favorable and good and full of much commerce. Do you cover your faces, and strike your foreheads, and bow down to the earth? but not now, when the words are spoken, but when the things are done. See, then, here also, how the devil has hidden his deceit, so that we might turn away from the chaste woman, but embrace and love the licentious one. For since he heard Christ saying that 'He who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her,' and saw many overcoming licentiousness, wishing to cast them into sin again by another way, through this observance, he persuaded them to pay attention gladly to harlots. What could one say about those who with incantations and

14

κόσμον τῶν μαργαριτῶν μανία πομπὴ σατανική ἐστι. Χρυσίον γὰρ ἔλαβες, οὐχ ἵνα τὸ σῶμα καταδήσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς πένητας λύσῃς καὶ διαθρέψῃς. Λέγε τοίνυν συνεχῶς· Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ· οὐδὲν ταύτης ἀσφαλέστερον τῆς φωνῆς, εἰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτὴν ἐπιδειξόμεθα.

εʹ. Ταύτην καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς μυσταγωγεῖσθαι μέλλοντας μαθεῖν ἀξιῶ· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ φωνὴ συνθήκη πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐστί. Καὶ καθάπερ ἡμεῖς οἰκέτας ἀγοράζοντες, αὐτοὺς τοὺς πωλουμένους πρότερον ἐρωτῶμεν, εἰ βούλονται ἡμῖν δουλεῦσαι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ποιεῖ· ἐπειδὴ μέλλει σε εἰς δουλείαν λαμβάνειν, πρότερον ἐρωτᾷ, εἰ βούλει τὸν τύραννον ἐκεῖνον ἀφεῖναι τὸν ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπηνῆ, καὶ συνθήκας δέχεται παρὰ σοῦ· οὐ γὰρ κατηναγκασμένη αὐτοῦ ἡ δεσποτεία ἐστί. Καὶ σκόπει Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ πρὶν ἢ τὴν τιμὴν καταβαλεῖν, ἐρωτῶμεν τοὺς πωλουμένους, καὶ ἐπειδὰν μάθωμεν, ὅτι βούλονται, τότε τὴν τιμὴν καταβάλλομεν· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τιμὴν κατέβαλεν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἡμῶν, τὸ τίμιον αὐτοῦ αἷμα· Τιμῆς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἠγοράσθητε· καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀναγκάζει μὴ βουλομένους αὐτῷ δουλεῦσαι, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ χάριν ἔχεις, φησὶ, καὶ παρὰ σαυτοῦ καὶ ἑκὼν θέλεις ἐπιγράψασθαι τὴν δεσποτείαν, οὐκ ἀναγκάζω οὐδὲ βιάζομαι. Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἑλοίμεθα πονηροὺς οἰκέτας πρίασθαι· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑλοίμεθά ποτε, αἱρέσει κακῇ τούτους ἀγοράζομεν, καὶ τοιαύτην καταβάλλομεν τιμήν· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ἀγνώμονας οἰκέτας ἀγοράζων καὶ παρανόμους, πρωτείου δούλου τιμὴν κατέβαλε, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλῷ μείζονα, καὶ τοσούτῳ μείζονα, ὡς μηδὲ λόγον μηδὲ ἔννοιαν αὐτῆς παραστῆσαι τὸ μέγεθος· οὐ γὰρ οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν δοὺς, ἀλλὰ τὸ πάντων τούτων τιμιώτερον, τὸ ἑαυτοῦ αἷμα καταθεὶς, οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασε· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα οὐ μάρτυρας ἡμᾶς, οὐκ ἔγγραφα ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖται ψιλῇ τῇ φωνῇ, κἂν εἴπῃς ἀπὸ διανοίας· Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ, καὶ τῇ πομπῇ σου, τὸ πᾶν ἀπείληφε. Τοῦτο τοίνυν λέγωμεν. Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ, ὡς ἐκεῖ μέλλοντες, κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, ταύτην ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τὴν φωνὴν, καὶ φυλάξωμεν αὐτὴν, ἵνα σώαν τὴν παρακαταθήκην ταύτην ἀποδῶμεν τότε· πομπὴ δὲ σατανική ἐστι θέατρα καὶ ἱπποδρομίαι, καὶ πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ παρατήρησις ἡμερῶν, καὶ κληδόνες καὶ σύμβολα. Καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστι σύμβολα; φησί. Πολλάκις ἐξελθών τις τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον ἑτερόφθαλμον ἢ χωλεύοντα, καὶ οἰωνίσατο. Τοῦτο πομπὴ σατανική· οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀπάντησις τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πονηρὰν ποιεῖ τὴν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζῇν. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἐξέλθῃς, ἓν μόνον φύλαξαι, μὴ ἁμαρτία σοι ἀπαντήσῃ· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἡμᾶς ὑποσκελίζουσα, χωρὶς δὲ ταύτης οὐδὲν ὁ διάβολος ἡμᾶς βλάψαι δυνήσεται. Τί λέγεις; ἄνθρωπον ὁρᾷς, καὶ οἰωνίζῃ, καὶ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὴν πάγην τὴν διαβολικὴν, πῶς ἐκπολεμοῖ σε τῷ μηδὲν 49.240 ἠδικηκότι; πῶς ἐχθρός σε καθίστησι τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς δικαίας προφάσεως; Καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φιλεῖν ἐκέλευσε, σὺ δὲ καὶ τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα ἀποστρέφῃ μηδὲν ἔχων ἐγκαλεῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἐννοεῖς πόσος ὁ γέλως, πόση ἡ αἰσχύνη, μᾶλλον δὲ πόσος ὁ κίνδυνος; Εἴπω καὶ ἕτερον καταγελαστότερον; Αἰσχύνομαι μὲν καὶ ἐρυθριῶ, ἀναγκάζομαι δὲ ὅμως διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν σωτηρίαν εἰπεῖν· Ἐὰν ἀπαντήσῃ παρθένος, φησὶν, ἄπρακτος ἡ ἡμέρα γίνεται· ἐὰν δὲ ἀπαντήσῃ πόρνη, δεξιὰ καὶ χρηστὴ καὶ πολλῆς ἐμπορίας γέμουσα. Ἐγκαλύπτεσθε, καὶ τὸ μέτωπον ἐκρούσατε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γῆν κατεκύψατε; ἀλλὰ μὴ νῦν τῶν ῥημάτων λεγομένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν πραγμάτων γινομένων. Ὅρα γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, πῶς τὸν δόλον ἔκρυψεν ὁ διάβολος, ἵνα τὴν μὲν σώφρονα ἀποστρεφώμεθα, τὴν δὲ ἀκόλαστον ἀσπαζώμεθα καὶ φιλῶμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν, καὶ εἶδε πολλοὺς περιγενομένους ἀκολασίας, βουλόμενος δι' ἑτέρας ὁδοῦ πάλιν ἐμβαλεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, διὰ ταύτης τῆς παρατηρήσεως, ἑταιρίσι γυναιξὶν ἡδέως προσέχειν ἀνέπεισε. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τῶν ἐπῳδαῖς καὶ