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he offered; for this he was punished. 2. Have you heard, then, how great a punishment is laid upon those who do not trade with the master’s money? Therefore let us both guard it, and trade with it, and show great commerce concerning it. Let no one say: I am a layman, I am a disciple, I do not have the gift of teaching, being unlearned and worthless. For even if you are a layman, even if unlearned, even if you are entrusted with one talent, work with what was handed to you, and you will receive the same reward as the teacher. But that you are indeed keeping what has been said, and hold it with great exactness, I am quite convinced; but so that we do not spend the whole discourse on this, come, let us add to your charity what follows from what was said to us yesterday, paying you this reward for your keeping of it. For he who was entrusted with the former things and kept them would be worthy to receive other things again. What then was the narrative set before us yesterday? The discourse was about the tree, and we showed that the man knew good and evil before he ate from the tree, and was filled with much wisdom, from which he placed names on the beasts, from which he recognized his wife, from which he said: This now is bone of my 54.610 bones; from which he spoke about marriage and about childbearing, and union and father and mother, from which he received a commandment. For no one gives a commandment and a law of what is to be done and not to be done to one who is ignorant of good and evil. Today it is necessary to say for what reason, if man did not receive knowledge from the tree, the tree is called 'of the knowledge of good and evil'; for it is no small thing to learn why the tree also has this name. For the devil also said: On whatever day you eat from the tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will be as gods, knowing good and evil. How then do you say, he says, that it did not instill knowledge of good and evil? For who, tell me, instilled it? Was it the devil? Yes, he says, having said: You will be as gods, knowing good and evil. Then do you bring me the testimony of the enemy and the plotter? And yet this one said, that You will also be gods; did they therefore also become gods? Therefore, just as they did not become gods, so neither did they then receive knowledge of good and evil. For that one is a liar, and utters nothing true. For in the truth, he says, he has not stood. Let us not then bring forward the testimony of the enemy, but let us see from the facts themselves for what reason the tree is called 'of the knowledge of good and evil'. And first, if it seems good, let us examine what good and evil are. What then is good? Obedience. And what is evil? Disobedience. And for now for us, so that we may not err concerning the nature of good and evil, let these things be precisely determined from the Scriptures. For that this is good and evil, hear what the prophet says: What is good, and what does the Lord God require of you? Say what is good. To love the Lord your God. Do you see that obedience is good? For from love comes obedience. And again: Two evils, he says, has this my people done; they have forsaken me, a fountain of living water, and have dug for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water. Do you see that disobedience and forsaking are evil? For now, therefore, let us hold this, that obedience is good, and disobedience is evil, and thus we will know that other thing as well. For it is for this reason that the tree is called 'of the knowledge of good and evil', since the commandment, which exercises obedience and disobedience, was concerning the tree. For even before this, Adam knew that obedience is good, but disobedience is evil; but he learned it later more clearly through the experience of the events themselves. For just as Cain knew that fratricide was evil even before he killed his brother; for that he knew the deed was evil, hear what he says: Come, let us go out into the field. And yet for what reason do you drag him into the field, having torn him from his father's arms

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προσήνεγκε· διὸ καὶ ἐκολάζετο. βʹ. Ἠκούσατε τοίνυν πόση τιμωρία κεῖται τοῖς μὴ πραγματευομένοις περὶ τὰ χρήματα τὰ δεσποτικά; Οὐκοῦν καὶ φυλάξωμεν, καὶ πραγματευσώμεθα, καὶ πολλὴν ἐπιδειξώμεθα περὶ αὐτὰ τὴν ἐμπορίαν. Μὴ λεγέτω τις· Ἰδιώτης εἰμὶ, μαθητής εἰμι, λόγον οὐκ ἔχω διδασκαλίας, ἀμαθὴς ὢν καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιος. Κἂν γὰρ ἰδιώτης ᾖς, κἂν ἀμαθὴς, κἂν ἓν τάλαντον πιστευθῇς, ἐργάζου τὸ ἐγχειρισθὲν, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τῷ διδάσκοντι λήψῃ μισθόν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν φυλάττετε τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας κατέχετε, πάνυ πεπίστευκα· ἵνα δὲ μὴ εἰς τοῦτο τὸν λόγον ἅπαντα ἀναλώσωμεν, φέρε καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν χθὲς ἡμῖν λεχθέντων προσθῶμεν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης, τοῦτον τῆς φυλακῆς ὑμῖν ἀποδιδόντες τὸν μισθόν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ πρότερα πιστευθεὶς καὶ τηρήσας, ἄξιος ἂν εἴη καὶ ἕτερα πάλιν λαβεῖν. Τί οὖν ἦν τὸ διήγημα τὸ χθὲς ἡμῖν προτεθέν; Περὶ τοῦ ξύλου ὁ λόγος ἦν, καὶ ἐδείξαμεν ὅτι ᾔδει ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ καλὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν, πρὶν ἢ φαγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ πολλῆς σοφίας ἐπεπλήρωτο, ἀφ' ὧν ἐπέθηκε τὰ ὀνόματα τοῖς θηρίοις, ἀφ' ὧν ἐπέγνω τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀφ' ὧν εἶπε· Τοῦτο νῦν ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν 54.610 ὀστέων μου· ἀφ' ὧν περὶ τοῦ γάμου διελέχθη καὶ περὶ παιδοποιίας, καὶ συζυγίας καὶ πατρὸς καὶ μητρὸς, ἀφ' ὧν ἐντολὴν ἔλαβεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐντολὴν δίδωσί τις καὶ νόμον τοῦ πρακτέου καὶ τοῦ μὴ πρακτέου τῷ τὸ καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν ἀγνοοῦντι. Σήμερον ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰ μὴ παρὰ τοῦ ξύλου τὴν γνῶσιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔλαβε, γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ τὸ ξύλον εἴρηται· οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν τὸ μαθεῖν, διὰ τί ταύτην τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔχει καὶ ξύλον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ διάβολος εἶπεν· Ἧ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, διανοιχθήσονται ὑμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. Πῶς οὖν σὺ λέγεις, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέθηκε γνῶσιν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ; Τίς γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἐνέθηκεν; ἆρα ὁ διάβολος; Ναὶ, φησὶν, εἰπών· Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. Εἶτα τοῦ ἐχθροῦ μοι φέρεις τὴν μαρτυρίαν καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβούλου; Καίτοι οὗτος εἶπεν, ὅτι Καὶ θεοὶ ἔσεσθε· ἆρα οὖν καὶ θεοὶ ἐγένοντο; Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἐγένοντο θεοὶ, οὕτως οὔτε γνῶσιν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ τότε ἔλαβον. Ψευστὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς φθέγγεται. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, φησὶν, οὐχ ἕστηκε. Μὴ δὴ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ παραγάγωμεν τὴν μαρτυρίαν, ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων, τίνος ἕνεκεν, γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ καλεῖται τὸ ξύλον. Καὶ πρότερον, εἰ δοκεῖ, τί ποτέ ἐστι καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν ἐπισκεψώμεθα. Τί οὖν ἐστι καλόν; Ἡ ὑπακοή. Τί δὲ πονηρόν; Ἡ παρακοή. Καὶ τέως ἡμῖν, ἵνα μὴ πλανώμεθα περὶ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν ταῦτα διακριβούσθω. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Τί καλὸν, καὶ τί Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκζητεῖ παρὰ σοῦ; Εἰπὲ τί καλόν. Ἀγαπᾷν Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου. Ὁρᾷςὅτι ἡ ὑπακοὴ καλόν; ἐκ γὰρ τῆς ἀγάπης ἡ ὑπακοή. Καὶ πάλιν· ∆ύο πονηρὰ, φησὶν, ἐποίησεν ὁ λαός μου οὗτος· ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους, οἳ οὐ δυνήσονται ὕδωρ συνέχειν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι πονηρὸν ἡ παρακοὴ καὶ ἡ ἐγκατάλειψις; Τέως οὖν τοῦτο τηρῶμεν, ὅτι καλὸν ἡ ὑπακοὴ, καὶ πονηρὸν ἡ παρακοὴ, καὶ οὕτως εἰσόμεθα κἀκεῖνο. Καὶ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ καλεῖται τὸ ξύλον, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἐντολὴ, ἡ γυμνάζουσα τὴν ὑπακοὴν καὶ τὴν παρακοὴν, περὶ τὸ ξύλον ἐγένετο. Ἤδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ὁ Ἀδὰμ, ὅτι καλὸν μὲν ἡ ὑπακοὴ, πονηρὸν δὲ ἡ παρακοή· ἔμαθε δὲ ὕστερον σαφέστερον δι' αὐτῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς πείρας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κάϊν ᾔδει μὲν ὅτι κακὸν ἡ ἀδελφοκτονία καὶ πρὶν ἢ σφάξαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· ὅτι γὰρ ᾔδει πονηρὸν ὂν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἄκουσόν τί φησι· ∆εῦρο, ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον. Καίτοι τίνος ἕνεκεν ἕλκεις εἰς τὸ πεδίον ἀπὸ τῶν πατρικῶν ἀποσπάσας ἀγκαλῶν