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for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. That one must renounce even a thing or word permitted by Scripture, when others are built up by the same into sin, or have their zeal for good things cut off. Chapter 3. 1 Corinthians. Now concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him. But not everyone has this knowledge. Some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food does not commend us to God. For neither if we eat are we any better, nor if we do not eat are we any worse. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, reclining at table in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, since he is weak, be built up to eat things offered to idols? And the weak brother perishes by your knowledge, for whom Christ died? Thus, sinning against the brethren and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to stumble. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no right to refrain from working? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, 31.753 and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? and so on. That, in order not to scandalize someone, one must do even what is not necessary. Chapter 4. Matthew. And when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the two-drachma tax?" He says, "Yes." And when he entered the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or tribute? From their sons or from others?" Peter says to him, "From others." Jesus says to him, "Then the sons are free. But so that we do not scandalize them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and for you. That in the wills of the Lord, even if some are scandalized, one must show unyielding boldness. Chapter 5. Matthew. Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then his disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" But he answered and said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit." John. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. And after a little: From this time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 2 Corinthians. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

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ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὅτι δεῖ καὶ τὸ συγκεχωρημένον ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς πρᾶγμα ἢ ῥῆμα παραιτεῖσθαι, ὅταν οἰκοδομῶνται ἄλλοι ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου εἰς ἁμαρτίαν· ἢ ἐκκόπτωνται τὴν περὶ τὰ καλὰ προθυμίαν. Κεφάλ. Γʹ. ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΡ. αʹ. Περὶ τῆς βρώσεως οὖν τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν, ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κό σμῳ, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς Καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶ λεγόμενοι θεοὶ, εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ εἴτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (ὥσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοὶ), ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς, ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ εἷς Κύριος, Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡ γνῶσις. Τινὲς δὲ τῇ συνειδήσει ἕως ἄρτι τοῦ εἰδώλου ὡς εἰδωλόθυ τον ἐσθίουσι, καὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται. Βρῶμα δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐ παρίστησι τῷ Θεῷ. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐὰν φάγωμεν, περισσεύομεν· οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν, ὑστερούμεθα. Βλέπετε δὲ μήπως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένη ται τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σὲ, τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομη θήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν; καὶ ἀπόλ λυται ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἐν τῇ σῇ γνώσει ἀδελφὸς, δι' ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν; Οὕτω δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συν είδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. ∆ιόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελ φόν μου σκανδαλίσω. Μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ πίνειν; Μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ Κηφᾶς; Ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρνάβας οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι; Τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, 31.753 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; Ἢ τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποί μνης οὐκ ἐσθίει; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὅτι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ σκανδαλίσαι τινὰ, ποιεῖν δεῖ καὶ ὃ μὴ ἐπάναγκες. Κεφάλ. ∆ʹ. ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΣ. Ἐλθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς Καπερ ναοὺμ, προσῆλθον οἱ τὰ δίδραχμα λαμβάνοντες τῷ Πέτρῳ, καὶ εἶπον· Ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν οὐ τελεῖ τὰ δίδραχμα; Λέγει· Ναί. Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλ θεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, προέφθασεν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· Τί σοι δοκεῖ, Σίμων; Οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τίνων λαμβάνουσι τέλη, ἢ κῆνσον; Ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῶν, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἄρα γε ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί. Ἵναδὲ μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτοὺς, πορευθεὶς εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, βάλε ἄγκιστρον, καὶ τὸν ἀναβάντα πρῶτον ἰχθὺν ἆρον· καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, εὑρήσεις στατῆρα· ἐκεῖνον λαβὼν, δὸς αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. Ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου θελήμασι, κἂν σκανδαλί ζωνταί τινες, ἀνένδοτον ἐπιδείκνυσθαι δεῖ τὴν παῤ ῥησίαν. Κεφάλ. Εʹ. ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΣ. Οὐ τὸ εἰσερχόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος, τοῦτο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Τότε προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, εἶπον αὐτῷ· Οἶδας, ὅτι οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον, ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν; Ὁ δὲ, ἀποκριθεὶς, εἶπε· Πᾶσα φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ οὐρά νιος, ἐκριζωθήσεται. Ἄφετε αὐτούς· τυφλοί εἰσιν, ὁδηγοὶ τυφλῶν. Τυφλὸς δὲ τυφλὸν ἐὰν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθυνον πεσοῦνται. ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ. Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐ τοῦ ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ οὐκέτι μετ' αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν. Εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς δώδεκα· Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ἀπελθεῖν; ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΡ. βʹ. Ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ Θεῷ, ἐν τοῖς σωζομένοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. Καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;