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of those who have offended, says to his own child: Child, I have offended the Master, you hasten to please him, so that you do not suffer the same things; will he not have some forgiveness, tell me? will he not move and bend the master? But if, leaving these words, he says those things, for instance, that He will not render to each according to his desert, that simply all things are mixed together, both the good and the bad, that there is no gratitude in this house, what mind do you think the master has concerning him? will he not pay a greater penalty than for his own sins? Rightly; for there the passion will make an apology, even if weakly, but here nothing will. If then no one else, at least imitate the rich man in Gehenna, the one who said, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my relatives, so that they might not come into this place, since he himself was not able to go, so that they might not fall into the same things. Let us abstain from these satanic words. 2. What then, when Greeks ask us, he says, do you not wish to heal them? But by throwing the Christian into perplexity under the pretext of healing the Greek, you wish to ratify the satanic doctrine. For since, when you yourself reason with your soul alone about these things, you are not persuaded, you wish to bring forward other witnesses. But if one must converse with a Greek, the beginning of the conversation is not from here, but whether Christ is God, and the Son of God, whether the gods among them are demons. If these things are established, all other things follow; but before laying the foundation, it is vain to discuss the end; before learning the first elements, it is superfluous 62.317 and unprofitable to come to the conclusion. The Greek disbelieves in the judgment, and he suffers the same as you; since he also has many who have philosophized about these things, even if they said this after separating the body from the soul; but nevertheless they established a tribunal. And so great is the evidence of the matter, that almost no one is ignorant of it, but that both poets and all men agree among themselves both concerning a tribunal and concerning judgment. So that even he does not disbelieve his own, nor does a Jew dispute about these things, nor simply any man. Why then do we deceive ourselves? Behold, you say these things to me; what will you say to God, the one who formed our hearts one by one? the one who knows all things in the mind? the one who is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword? For tell me in truth; do you not condemn yourself when you sin? is there anyone among men who does not blame himself when he is negligent? And how could such great wisdom have arisen by chance, so that the sinner himself condemns himself? for this is of great wisdom. You condemn yourself; but will He who gave you such a mind let all things simply be carried away? This therefore shall be a universal rule and standard; no one living in virtue disbelieves the doctrine of the judgment, whether he be a Greek or a heretic; no one who walks in great wickedness, except a few, accepts the doctrine of the resurrection. And this the Psalmist says; Your judgments are taken away from his sight. Why? Because his ways are profane at all times; For let us eat, he says, and drink; for tomorrow we die. Do you see that it is for the base to say these things? From eating and drinking come these words that subvert the resurrection. For the soul does not bear, it does not bear the tribunal of the conscience; and the same thing happens as when a murderer, having first supposed that he will not be caught, thus murders; since, with his conscience judg- 62.318 ing him, he would not have quickly come to the daring deed. And so he knows, and pretends not to know, so that he may not be tormented by conscience and by fear; for he would have become weaker for the murder. So indeed also sinners both know, that sinning is evil, and daily wallowing in the same evils, they do not wish to know, although their conscience

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προσκεκρουκότων λέγει πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ παῖδα· Τέκνον, ἐγὼ προσέκρουσα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, σὺ σπούδασον ἀρέσαι, ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθῃς· οὐχ ἕξει τινὰ συγγνώμην, εἰπέ μοι; οὐκ ἐπικλάσει καὶ κατακάμψει τὸν δεσπότην; Ἂν δὲ ταῦτα ἀφεὶς τὰ ῥήματα, λέγῃ ἐκεῖνα, οἷον, ὅτι τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ οὐκ ἀποδώσει, ὅτι ἁπλῶς πάντα ἀναμέμικται, καὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ κακὰ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν εὐχαριστία ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ, τίνα νομίζεις τὸν δεσπότην νοῦν ἔχειν περὶ αὐτοῦ; ἆρα οὐχὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων μείζονα δώσει δίκην; Εἰκότως· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τὸ πάθος ἀπολογήσεται, εἰ καὶ ἀσθενῶς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδέν. Εἰ μηδένα τοίνυν ἕτερον, τὸν γοῦν πλούσιον μίμησαι τὸν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ, τὸν λέγοντα, Πάτερ Ἀβραὰμ, πέμψον Λάζαρον ἐπὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς μου, ἵνα μὴ ἔλθωσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἀπελθεῖν οὐκ ἠδύνατο, ὥστε μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐκείνους περιπεσεῖν. Ἀποστῶμεν τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων τῶν σατανικῶν. ʹ. Τί οὖν, ὅταν Ἕλληνες ἡμᾶς ἐρωτῶσι, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐκείνους βούλει θεραπεῦσαι; Ἀλλ' εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμβαλὼν τὸν Χριστιανὸν προσχήματι τοῦ τὸν Ἕλληνα θεραπεύειν, κυρῶσαι βούλει τὸ δόγμα τὸ σατανικόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς μόνῃ τῇ ψυχῇ διαλεγόμενος ὑπὲρ τούτων οὐ πείθεις, ἑτέρους θέλεις παράγειν μάρτυρας. Εἰ δὲ Ἕλληνι χρὴ διαλέγεσθαι, οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς διαλέξεως, ἀλλ' εἰ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ Θεοῦ Παῖς, εἰ δαίμονες οἱ παρ' ἐκείνοις θεοί. Ἐὰν ταῦτα κατασκευασθῇ, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα ἕπεται· πρὶν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν θέσθαι, μάταιον περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς διαλέγεσθαι· πρὶν ἢ τὰ πρῶτα στοιχεῖα μαθεῖν, περιττὸν 62.317 καὶ ἀνόνητον περὶ τὸ τέλος ἔρχεσθαι. Ἀπιστεῖ ὁ Ἕλλην τῇ κρίσει, καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ αὐτό σοι πάσχει· ἐπεὶ ἔχει καὶ αὐτὸς πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων φιλοσοφήσαντας, εἰ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀποσχίσαντες τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦτο εἶπον· ἀλλ' ὅμως δικαστήριον ἐκάθισαν. Καὶ τοσαύτη ἐστὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἡ περιφάνεια, ὡς μηδένα σχεδὸν ἀγνοῆσαι τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιητὰς, καὶ πάντας συμφωνῆσαι ἑαυτοῖς καὶ περὶ δικαστηρίου καὶ περὶ κρίσεως. Ὥστε κἀκεῖνος τοῖς οἰκείοις οὐκ ἀπιστεῖ, οὔτε Ἰουδαῖος ἀμφισβητεῖ περὶ τούτων, οὔτε τις ἁπλῶς ἄνθρωπος. Τί τοίνυν ἀπατῶμεν ἑαυτούς; Ἰδοὺ ταῦτα λέγεις πρὸς ἐμέ· τί πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐρεῖς τὸν πλάσαντα καταμόνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν; τὸν εἰδότα τὰ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ πάντα; τὸν ζῶντα καὶ ἐνεργοῦντα καὶ τομώτατον ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον; Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι μετὰ ἀληθείας· σὺ οὐ καταγινώσκεις σαυτοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος; ἔστι δέ τις τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ὃς ἑαυτῷ οὐ μέμφεται ῥᾳθυμοῦντι; Καὶ πῶς ἂν ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου τοσαύτη σοφία γέγονεν, ὥστε αὐτὸν τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα καταγινώσκειν ἑαυτοῦ; τοῦτο γὰρ μεγάλης σοφίας ἐστί. Σὺ σαυτοῦ καταγινώσκεις· ὁ δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην σοι διδοὺς διάνοιαν πάντα ἁπλῶς ἀφήσει φέρεσθαι; Κανὼν οὖν οὗτος ἔσται καθολικὸς, καὶ ὅρος· οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ ζώντων διαπιστεῖ τῷ τῆς κρίσεως λόγῳ, κἂν Ἕλλην ᾖ, κἂν αἱρετικός· οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ ἀναστρεφομένων πολλῇ, πλὴν ὀλίγων, παραδέχεται τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον. Καὶ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Ψαλμῳδός· Ἀνταναιρεῖται τὰ κρίματά σου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι βεβηλοῦνται αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ· Φάγωμεν γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ταπεινῶν ἐστι ταῦτα λέγειν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ τρώγειν καὶ πίνειν ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματά ἐστι τὰ ἀνατρεπτικὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. Οὐ φέρει γὰρ, οὐ φέρει τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος κριτήριον ἡ ψυχή· καὶ ταὐτὸν γίνεται, οἷον ὁ ἀνδροφόνος πρότερον ὑποθεὶς ἑαυτῷ ὅτι οὐχ ἁλώσεται, οὕτω φονεύει· ἐπεὶ, τοῦ συνειδότος αὐτὸν κρί 62.318 νοντος, οὐκ ἂν ταχέως ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ τόλμημα. Καὶ οἶδεν οὖν, καὶ ἀγνοεῖν προσποιεῖται, ἵνα μὴ βασανίζηται τῷ συνειδότι καὶ τῷ φόβῳ· ἦ γὰρ ἂν, ἀσθενέστερος γέγονε πρὸς τὸν φόνον. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ ἴσασιν, ὅτι τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν κακὸν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς κακοῖς κυλινδούμενοι, οὐ θέλουσιν εἰδέναι, καίτοι τοῦ συνειδότος αὐτῶν