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the offense comes from the one causing the offense, or the being offended happens because of the one who is offended. And in these things, again, in different ways; for sometimes it is due to the inexperience of this one, or that one. But there are times when in the right dividing of the word the wickedness of those who are offended becomes more manifest; and similarly in actions. For either when one does a commandment of God, or when one uses with permission those things that are within his authority, the one who is offended is offended. When, therefore, men stumble at things done according to commandment, and are offended by them (as in the Gospel some were by the things done and said by the Lord according to the will of the Father), then it is necessary to remember the Lord's answer concerning such things, when the disciples came and said to him: Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? to whom he says: Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. And one might find many such things 31.1128 both in the Gospels and in the Apostle. But when someone stumbles or is offended by those things that are within our authority, one must then call to mind the words of the Lord to Peter, when he said: Then the sons are free. But lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and you; and of the Apostle's letters to the Corinthians, in which he says: I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to stumble; and again: It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. And how dreadful it is to overlook a brother being offended by those things that seem to be within our authority, the Lord's command shows, forbidding every manner of offense entirely, and saying: See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. The Apostle also testifies, saying at one time: But rather decide this, not to put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in a brother’s way; and at another time, through a more elaborate argument, forbidding the impropriety more strongly, through which he says: For if anyone sees you who have knowledge reclining in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge, the weak brother will perish, for whom Christ died. To which he adds: But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. And elsewhere, having said: Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no right to refrain from working? he then adds: But we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. Since it has thus been shown to be dreadful to offend a brother in things that are within one's authority, what could one say about those who cause offense by doing or saying forbidden things? and especially when the one causing the offense appears to have greater knowledge, or is counted among the priestly rank; who, since he ought to be set before others as a rule and an example, even if he overlooks some small thing of what is written, either by doing what is forbidden, or by omitting what is commanded, 31.1129 or by being altogether complacent about such a thing, even in this alone he has so great a judgment that the blood of the sinner, it says, will be required from his hands.

QUESTION 65. How one suppresses the truth in unrighteousness. RESPONSE When he misuses the good things given by God for his own desires, which

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σκανδαλίζοντα τὸ σκάνδαλον γίνεται, ἢ παρὰ τὸν σκανδαλιζόμενον τὸ σκανδαλισθῆναι συμβαίνει. Καὶ ἐν τούτοις πάλιν διαφόρως· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ ἀπειρίαν ἢ τούτου, ἢ ἐκείνου. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε ἐν τῇ ὀρθοτομίᾳ τοῦ λόγου ἡ τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων κακία ἐκ δηλοτέρα γίνεται· καὶ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι δὲ ὁμοίως. Ἢ γὰρ ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ ποιοῦντος, ἢ τοῖς ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ κειμένοις ἐπ' ἀδείας χρωμένου ὁ σκανδαλιζόμενος σκανδαλίζεται. Ὅταν μὲν οὖν τοῖς κατ' ἐντολὴν γι νομένοις προσκόπτωσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις σκανδαλίζωνται (ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τινὲς ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρὸς γινο μένοις καὶ λεγομένοις), τότε χρὴ μνημονεύειν τοῦ Κυρίου περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀποκριναμένου, ἡνίκα προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Οἶδας, ὅτι οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον, ἐσκανδαλί σθησαν; πρὸς οὕς φησι· Πᾶσα φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος, ἐκριζω θήσεται. Ἄφετε αὐτούς· τυφλοί εἰσιν ὁδηγοὶ τυφλῶν. Τυφλὸς δὲ τυφλὸν ἐὰν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφό τεροι εἰς βόθυνον ἐμπεσοῦνται. Καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα 31.1128 καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ εὕροι τις ἄν. Ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ ἡμετέρᾳ κειμένοις προσκόπτῃ τις, ἢ σκανδαλίζηται, εἰς ἀνά μνησιν ἐλθεῖν δεῖ τότε τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον ῥημάτων, εἰπόντος· Ἄρα γε ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί· ἵνα δὲ μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτοὺς, πορευ θεὶς εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, βάλε ἄγκιστρον, καὶ τὸν ἀναβαίνοντα πρῶτον ἰχθὺν ἆρον· καὶ ἀνοί ξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, εὑρήσεις στατῆρα· ἐκεῖνον λαβὼν, δὸς αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ· καὶ τῶν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου πρὸς Κορινθίους γραμμάτων, ἐν οἷς φησιν· Οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω· καὶ πάλιν· Καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα, μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον, μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει, ἢ σκανδαλίζεται, ἢ ἀσθενεῖ. Ὅπως δέ ἐστι φοβερὸν τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐν ἐξου σίᾳ κεῖσθαι δοκοῦσι περιορᾷν τὸν ἀδελφὸν σκανδαλι ζόμενον ἐν τούτοις, δείκνυσι μὲν ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου παραγγελία, καθόλου πάντα σκανδαλισμοῦ τρόπον ἀπαγορεύοντος, καὶ λέγοντος· Ὁρᾶτε μὴ κατα φρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διαπαντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου, τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγων ποτὲ μέν· Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο κρίνατε μᾶλλον, τὸ μὴ τιθέναι πρόσ κομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον· ποτὲ δὲ διὰ περισσοτέρας κατασκευῆς σφοδρότερον ἀπαγορεύων τὸ ἄτοπον, δι' ὧν φησιν· 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 ἀπο λεῖται ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἀδελφὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ γνώσει, δι' ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Οἷς ἐπιφέρει· Οὕτω δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χρι στὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. ∆ιόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω. Καὶ ἀλλα χοῦ, εἰπών· Ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρνάβας οὐκ ἔχο μεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι; ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέγομεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐγκοπήν τινα δῶμεν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὕτω δὲ φοβεροῦ δειχθέν τος τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ κειμένοις σκανδαλίζειν τὸν ἀδελφὸν, τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ τὰ ἀπ ηγορευμένα ποιεῖν ἢ λέγειν σκανδαλιζόντων; καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἢ γνῶσιν ἔχων περισσοτέραν φαίνηται ὁ σκανδαλίζων, ἢ ἐν βαθμῷ ἐξετάζηται ἱερατικῷ· ὃς, ὥσπερ κανὼν καὶ τύπος ὀφείλων προκεῖσθαι τοῖς ἄλλοις, κἂν βραχύ τι παρίδῃ τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἢ πράξας τὸ κεκωλυμένον, ἢ ἐλλιπὼν τὸ προστεταγμέ 31.1129 νον, ἢ ὅλως ἐφησυχάσας τινὶ τοιούτῳ, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ μόνῳ τοσοῦτον ἔχει τὸ κρῖμα, ὥστε τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητη θήσεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΕʹ. Πῶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ τις κατέχει. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὅταν τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδομένοις ἀγα θοῖς εἰς τὰ ἴδια θελήματα καταχρήσηται, ὅπερ