Gregory of Nazianzus, Apologetic Works

ΠΑʹ. And all things have become as from the beginning, when there was not yet a world, nor the present good order and form; but the universe, being confused and irregular, required the form-giving hand and power. Or, if you will, as in a night battle and by the faint light of the moon, not distinguishing the faces of friends or foes; or as in a sea battle and a storm, and with gusts of wind, and with the seething surge, and with the onrush of waves, and the clashing of ships, and the thrusting of poles, and the shouts of boatswains, and the wails of the falling, being both overwhelmed and at a loss, and having no opportunity for courage, alas for our suffering! we fall upon each other, and are consumed by each other.

ΠΒʹ. And not the people thus, and the priest differently; but that saying seems to me now to be clearly fulfilled, "The priest has become as the people," spoken long ago in a curse. And not the many thus, and the important and prominent among the people oppositely; but these indeed even openly make war on the priests, having piety as a provision for persuasion; and as for those who suffer this for the sake of faith and the highest and first principles, even I do not blame them, but, if I must speak the truth, I even commend and rejoice with them. And may I be one of these, of those who struggle for the truth and are hated for it; rather, I will even boast of being one. For a praiseworthy war is better than a peace which separates from God; and for this reason the Spirit arms the gentle warrior, as one able to fight well. 35.489

ΠΓʹ. But now there are some who make war even over small things, and to no benefit, and take on as partners in evil as many as they can, very ignorantly and rashly. Then, over all this, is the Faith, and this venerable name is dragged into their own contentions. And from these things, as is likely, we are hated among the gentiles, and, what is more grievous than this, we cannot even say that it is unjustly; we are slandered also by the most reasonable of our own people; for it is no wonder if it is by the majority, who would scarcely approve of anything good.

Π∆ʹ. And the sinners plough upon our backs; and what we devise against each other, they hold against us all. And we have become a new spectacle, not to angels and men, like Paul the noblest of athletes, struggling against principalities and powers, but to almost all wicked men, and at every time and place, in the marketplaces, in drinking parties, in festivities, in sorrows. And we have already come even to the stage, a thing I can scarce speak of for tears, and we are laughed at along with the most licentious things; and nothing is so pleasing among things heard and seen, as a Christian being made a comedy.

ΠΕʹ. These things are our war against one another; these things, for us, are those who fight too much for what is good and gentle; these are they who love God more than is expedient. And while it is not permitted to wrestle outside the established rules, nor to compete in any other way; or he who wrestles outside the rules, or competes otherwise unfairly, not according to the established terms of the contest, will be decried and dishonored, and will lose the victory, even if he be noble and most skillful; yet will someone contend for Christ, not according to Christ, and then do a favor to peace, by warring for it in a way that is not permitted?

Πςʹ. And the demons tremble even to this day when Christ is named, and the power of this name has not been effaced even by our wickedness; 35.492 but we are not ashamed to thus insult the venerable thing and name; and we hear Him, so to speak, crying out openly every day: For My name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

ΠΖʹ. And I do not fear the war from without, nor the beast which has now risen up against the churches, and the fullness of the evil one, even if he threatens fire, or swords, or beasts, or cliffs, or pits, even if he should become the most inhuman of all who have ever been mad, even if he should devise more grievous punishments than those that exist. I have one

ΠΑʹ. Γέγονε δὲ πάντα ὡς τὸ ἀπαρχῆς, ὅτε οὔ πω κόσμος ἦν, οὐδὲ ἡ νῦν εὐταξία καὶ μόρφωσις· ἀλλὰ συγκεχυμένον τὸ πᾶν καὶ ἀνώμαλον ἐδεῖτο τῆς εἰδοποιοῦ χειρὸς καὶ δυνάμεως. Εἰ βούλει δὲ, ὡς ἐν νυκτομαχίᾳ καὶ σελήνης ἀμυδροῖς φέγγεσιν, ἐχθρῶν ἢ φίλων ὄψεις οὐ διαγινώσκοντες· ἢ ὡς ἐν ναυμαχίᾳ καὶ ζάλῃ, καὶ πνευμάτων ἐμβολαῖς, καὶ ῥοθίῳ ζέοντι, καὶ κυμάτων ἐπιδρομαῖς, καὶ νηῶν ἀραγμοῖς, καὶ κοντῶν ὠθισμοῖς, καὶ κελευστῶν φω ναῖς, καὶ πιπτόντων οἰμωγαῖς ὑπερηχούμενοί τε καὶ ἀπορούμενοι, καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας καιρὸν οὐκ ἔχον τες, φεῦ τοῦ πάθους! ἀλλήλοις περιπίπτομεν, καὶ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ἀναλισκόμεθα.

ΠΒʹ. Καὶ οὐχ ὁ λαὸς μὲν οὕτως, ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς ἑτέρως· ἀλλά μοι νῦν ἐκεῖνο πληροῦσθαι δοκεῖ καθαρῶς, τὸ, Γέγονεν ὁ ἱερεὺς καθὼς ὁ λαὸς, ἐν κατάρᾳ πάλαι λεγόμενον. Καὶ οὐχ οἱ πολλοὶ μὲν οὕτως, οἱ δὲ ἁδροὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ προέχοντες ἐναντίως· ἀλλ' οὗτοί γε καὶ φανερῶς πολεμοῦσι τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, ἐφόδιον ἔχοντες εἰς πειθὼ τὴν εὐσέβειαν· καὶ ὅσοι μὲν περὶ πίστεως τοῦτο πασχόντων, καὶ τῶν ἀνωτά τω ζητημάτων καὶ πρώτων οὐδ' ἐγὼ μέμ φομαι, ἀλλ' εἰ δεῖ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, καὶ προσεπαινῶ, καὶ συνήδομαι. Καὶ τούτων εἷς εἴην τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀλη θείας ἀγωνιζομένων καὶ τῶν ἀπεχθανομένων· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εἶναι καυχήσομαι. Κρείττων γὰρ ἐπαινετὸς πόλεμος εἰρήνης χωριζούσης Θεοῦ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν πραῢν μαχητὴν ὁπλίζει τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὡς κα λῶς πολεμεῖν δυνάμενον. 35.489

ΠΓʹ. Νῦν δέ εἰσί τινες οἱ καὶ περὶ μικρῶν πολε μοῦντες, καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ὅφελος, καὶ κοινωνοὺς, ὅσους ἂν δύνωνται, τοῦ κακοῦ προσλαμβάνοντες, λίαν ἀμα θῶς καὶ θρασέως. Εἶτα ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἡ πίστις, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σεμνὸν ὄνομα ταῖς ἰδίαις αὐτῶν φι λονεικίαις παρασυρόμενον. Ἐκ δὲ τούτων, ὡς τὸ εἰ κὸς, μισούμεθα μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ὃ τούτου χαλεπώτερον, οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ἔχομεν, ὡς οὐ δικαίως· δια βεβλήμεθα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων τοῖς ἐπιεικεστέροις· οὐδὲν γὰρ θαυμαστὸν εἰ τοῖς πλείοσιν, οἳ μόλις ἄν τι καὶ τῶν καλῶν ἀποδέχοιντο. Π∆ʹ. Τεκταίνουσι δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν νώτων ἡμῶν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· καὶ ἃ κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐπινοοῦμεν, κατὰ πάντων ἔχουσι· καὶ γενόναμεν θέατρον καινὸν, οὐκ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις, οἷον ὁ γενναιότατος τῶν ἀθλητῶν Παῦλος, πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξου σίας ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι μικροῦ τοῖς πονηροῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς καιροῦ καὶ τόπου, ἐν ἀγοραῖς, ἐν πό τοις, ἐν εὐφροσύναις, ἐν πένθεσιν. Ἤδη δὲ προήλθομεν καὶ μέχρι τῆς σκηνῆς, ὃ μικροῦ καὶ δακρύω λέγων, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀσελγεστάτων γελώμεθα· καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτω τερπνὸν τῶν ἀκουσμάτων καὶ θεαμάτων, ὡς Χριστιανὸς κωμῳδούμενος.

ΠΕʹ. Ταῦτα ἡμῖν ὁ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόλεμος· ταῦτα οἱ λίαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ πράου μα χόμενοι· ταῦτα οἱ πλέον ἀγαπῶντες τὸν Θεὸν ἢ ὅσον συμφέρει· καὶ παλαίειν μὲν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἔξω τῶν νενομισμένων, οὐδ' ἄλλο τι ἀγωνίζεσθαι· ἢ καταβοή σεται καὶ ἀτιμασθήσεται, καὶ ἀπολεῖ τὴν νίκην ὁ ἐκπαλαίων, ἢ ἄλλο τι μὴ καλῶς ἀγωνιζόμενος, μηδὲ κατὰ τοὺς κειμένους ὅρους τῆς ἀγωνίας, κἂν ὅτι γενναῖος ᾖ καὶ τεχνικώτατος· ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ δὲ ἀγωνιεῖταί τις οὐ κατὰ Χριστὸν, ἔπειτα χα ριεῖται τῇ εἰρήνῃ, πολεμῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ὡς οὐκ ἕξεστι;

Πςʹ. Καὶ οἱ μὲν δαίμονες φρίττουσιν εἰς ἔτι καὶ νῦν Χριστοῦ καλουμένου, καὶ οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας ἡμῶν ἐξίτηλος γέγονεν ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου δύνα 35.492 μις· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα τὸ σεμνὸν οὕτω καὶ πρᾶγμα καὶ ὄνομα καθυβρίζοντες· καὶ μονονοὺ φανερῶς αὐτοῦ βοῶντος ἀκούοντες καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· Τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται δι' ὑμᾶς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι.

ΠΖʹ. Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἔξωθεν οὐ δέδοικα πόλεμον, οὐδὲ τὸν νῦν ἐπαναστάντα θῆρα ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ τὸ πλήρωμα, κἂν πῦρ ἀπειλῇ, κἂν ξί φη, κἂν θῆρας, κἂν κρημνοὺς, κἂν βάραθρα, κἂν πάντων γένηται τῶν πώποτε μανέντων ἀπανθρωπό τατος, κἂν ταῖς οὔσαις τιμωρίαις προσεξεύρῃ χαλε πωτέρας. Ἓν ἔχω