15
of those using amulets, and tying bronze coins of Alexander the Macedonian around their heads and feet? Are these our hopes, tell me, that after the cross and the death of the Lord we should have our hopes of salvation in the image of a Greek king? Do you not know how many things the cross has accomplished? it abolished death, it extinguished sin, it made hades useless, it loosed the power of the devil, and for the health of the body it is not trustworthy? It has raised up the whole world, and you do not trust in it? And of what would you be worthy, tell me? And not only amulets, but you also bring incantations upon yourself, bringing drunken and delirious old women into your house; and are you not ashamed nor do you blush, after so much philosophy, to be terrified by these things? And the worse part of the deceit; for when we advise against these things and lead people away from them, they say, thinking to defend themselves, that the woman who chants these things is a Christian, and she utters nothing else than the name of God. For this reason, therefore, I especially hate and turn away from her, because she misuses the name of God for an outrage, because while saying she is a Christian, she displays the practices of the Greeks. For even the demons uttered the name of God, but they were demons, and thus they said to Christ: We know who you are, the Holy One of God; and yet he rebuked them and drove them out. For these reasons, I beseech you to be pure of this deceit, and to hold this saying as a staff. And just as none of you would choose to go down into the marketplace without shoes or clothes; so never enter the marketplace without this saying, but when you are about to cross the threshold of the gateway, first utter this saying: I renounce you, Satan, and your pomp and your worship, and I attach myself to you, Christ; and never go out without this utterance; this will be a staff to you, this a weapon, this an impregnable tower. And with this saying also form the cross upon your forehead; for so not only a man who meets you, but not even the devil himself will be able to harm you in any way, seeing you appear everywhere with these weapons. And train yourself in these things from this moment on, so that when you receive the seal, you may be a well-prepared soldier, and having set up the trophy against the devil, you may receive the crown of righteousness; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
15
περιάπτοις κεχρημένων, καὶ νομίσματα χαλκᾶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος ταῖς κεφαλαῖς καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ περιδεσμούντων; Αὗται αἱ ἐλπίδες ἡμῶν, εἰπέ μοι, ἵνα μετὰ σταυρὸν καὶ θάνατον ∆εσποτικὸν εἰς Ἕλληνος βασιλέως εἰκόνα τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς σωτηρίας ἔχωμεν; Οὐκ οἶδας πόσα κατώρθωσεν ὁ σταυρός; τὸν θάνατον κατέλυσε, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἔσβεσε, τὸν ᾅδην ἄχρηστον ἐποίησε, τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν δύναμιν ἐξέλυσε, καὶ εἰς σώματος ὑγίειαν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀξιόπιστος; τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνέστησεν ἅπασαν, καὶ σὺ αὐτῷ οὐ θαῤῥεῖς; καὶ τίνος ἂν ἄξιος εἴης, εἰπέ μοι; Οὐ περίαπτα δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπῳδὰς σαυτῷ περιάγεις, γραΐδια μεθύοντα καὶ παραπαίοντα εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν σου εἰσάγων· καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ οὐδὲ ἐρυθριᾷς μετὰ τοσαύτην φιλοσοφίαν πρὸς ταῦτα ἐπτοημένος; Καὶ τὸ χαλεπώτερον τῆς ἀπάτης· ὅταν γὰρ παραινῶμεν ταῦτα καὶ ἀπάγωμεν, δοκοῦντες ἀπολογεῖσθαί φασιν, ὅτι Χριστιανή ἐστιν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ταῦτα ἐπᾴδουσα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον φθέγγεται, ἢ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνομα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν αὐτὴν μάλιστα μισῶ καὶ ἀποστρέφομαι, ὅτι τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ὕβριν κατακέχρηται, ὅτι λέγουσα Χριστιανὴ εἶναι, τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπιδείκνυται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνομα ἐφθέγγοντο, ἀλλ' ἦσαν δαίμονες, καὶ οὕτως ἔλεγον πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν· Οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ὅμως ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπήλασε. ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα παρακαλῶ τῆς ἀπάτης καθαρεύειν ταύτης, καὶ καθάπερ βακτηρίαν ἔχειν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο. Καὶ ὥσπερ χωρὶς ὑποδημάτων ἢ ἱματίων οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτό τις ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καθεῖναι· οὕτω χωρὶς τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου μηδέποτε εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλῃς, ἀλλ' ὅταν μέλλῃς ὑπερβαίνειν τὰ πρόθυρα τοῦ πυλῶνος, τοῦτο φθέγξαι τὸ ῥῆμα πρότερον· Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ, καὶ τῇ πομπῇ σου καὶ τῇ λατρείᾳ σου, καὶ συντάσσομαί σοι, Χριστέ· καὶ μηδέποτε χωρὶς τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ἐξέλθῃς· τοῦτό σοι βακτηρία ἔσται, τοῦτο ὅπλον, τοῦτο πύργος ἄμαχος. Καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου διατύπωσον· οὕτω γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἄνθρωπος ἀπαντῶν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος βλάψαι τι δυνήσεται, μετὰ τούτων σε ὁρῶν τῶν ὅπλων πανταχοῦ φαινόμενον. Καὶ ταῦτα σαυτὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη παίδευσον, ἵνα ὅταν τὴν σφραγῖδα λάβῃς, ἐμπαράσκευος ᾖς στρατιώτης, καὶ τὸ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τρόπαιον στήσας, δέξῃ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανον· οὗ γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.