25

you let an enemy go. For because of this the prophet also put on the headband, and as if for another's affair, he brought in the judgment, so that the king might pronounce the sentence with right judgment; which indeed also happened. For when he had condemned him, taking off the headband, the prophet says: Because you sent away a man of destruction from your hand, your soul shall be for his soul, and your people for his people. Did you see what a penalty he paid for his philanthropy? And for his ill-timed sparing what a punishment he endured? And this man is punished for saving, while another was approved for killing. For instance, Phinehas, having committed two killings in the twinkling of an eye, and having slain a man with a woman, is honored with the priesthood; thus he not only did not pollute his hand with the blood, but even made it purer. When, therefore, you see the one who struck the prophet being saved, and the one who did not strike him perishing, and the one who spared being punished, and the one who did not spare being approved, in all things examine the decrees of God before the nature of the acts; and if you find anything being done according to what seems good to Him, accept that alone. 3. Using this rule, let us also examine this fast. For if we were not going to do this, but were to bring bare deeds by themselves into the open and consider them alone, there will be great confusion and much disturbance. For indeed, robbers have their sides torn, and grave-robbers and sorcerers; but martyrs also suffer the same thing, and while the things that happen are the same, the intent and the cause, for which it happens, are not the same, and for this reason there is a great difference between these and those. Just as, therefore, in their case we do not examine only the torments, but before them the intention and the cause from which the torments arise; and for this reason we also love the martyrs, not because they are tortured, but because they are tortured for Christ's sake; and we turn away from robbers, not because they are punished, but because they are punished for wickedness; so indeed here also judge the things that are done; and if you see them fasting for God's sake, accept what is done; but if you see them doing this contrary to the will of God, turn away from and hate them more than those who are drunk and raving and reveling. But in the case of this fast 48.875 one must seek not only the cause, but also the place and the time. Rather, before turning to the Jews, we will gladly converse with our own members, who seem to be ranked with us, but serve their interests, and have taken up the entire contest on their behalf, whom I see as being worthy, for this reason, of a greater condemnation than all the Jews. And not only the wise and prudent, but also those who in any way partake of reason and thought would agree with us on this. For there is no need of sophistries and contrivances and long periods to prove this, but it is enough to ask some simple question to convict them by their answer. What then? I will ask each of those suffering from this, Are you a Christian? For what reason then do you emulate Jewish things? But are you a Jew? For what reason then do you trouble the Church? Does not the Persian think Persian thoughts? Does not the barbarian emulate barbarian things? Does not he who inhabits the land of the Romans pursue our way of life? If anyone, tell me, of those living among us is caught thinking their thoughts, is he not immediately punished without argument or examination, even if he might have ten thousand things to say in his defense? if anyone among them appears using the laws of the Romans, will he not suffer this very thing in turn? How then do you, who are defecting to that lawless polity, expect to be saved? For is the difference between us and the Jews a small one? For is the dispute over trivial matters, that you should think it is one and the same? Why do you mix the unmixable? They crucified the Christ, whom you worship. Do you see how great the difference is? How then do you run to those who killed him, you who say you worship the Crucified One? For am I introducing this law of accusations and this form of charge? Does not Scripture also use this manner against them? Listen to what Jeremiah says to them themselves: Go to

25

πολέμιον ἀφῆκας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης τὸν τελαμῶνα περιεβάλετο, καὶ ὡς ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίου πράγματος τὴν δίκην εἰσήγαγεν, ἵνα μετὰ γνώμης ὀρθῆς τὴν ἀπόφασιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξενέγκῃ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατεδίκασεν αὐτὸν, περιελὼν τὸν τελαμῶνα, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης· Ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλας σὺ ἄνδρα ὀλέθριον ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου, καὶ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ λαός σου ἀντὶ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἶδες φιλανθρωπίας οἵαν ἔδωκε δίκην; καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς ἀκαίρου φειδοῦς οἵαν ὑπέμεινε τιμωρίαν; Καὶ οὗτος μὲν σώσας κολάζεται, ἕτερος δὲ φονεύσας ηὐδοκίμησεν. Ὁ γοῦν Φινεὲς δύο φόνους ἐργασάμενος ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ, καὶ ἄνδρα μετὰ γυναικὸς ἀνελὼν, ἱερωσύνῃ τιμᾶται· οὕτως οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐμόλυνε τὴν χεῖρα τῷ αἵματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαρωτέραν εἰργάσατο. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τὸν μὲν τυπτήσαντα τὸν προφήτην σωζόμενον, τὸν δὲ μὴ τυπτήσαντα ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ τὸν μὲν φεισάμενον κολαζόμενον, τὸν δὲ μὴ φεισάμενον εὐδοκιμοῦντα, πανταχοῦ πρὸ τῆς φύσεως τῶν πραγμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ψήφους ἐξέταζε· κἂν εὕρῃς τι κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐκείνῳ γινόμενον, ἐκεῖνο ἀποδέχου μόνον. γʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ κανόνι χρώμενοι, καὶ τὴν νηστείαν ταύτην ἐξετάζωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ δὴ μὴ μέλλοιμεν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ γυμνὰ τὰ πράγματα καθ' ἑαυτὰ φέροντες εἰς μέσον σκοποῖμεν μόνον, πολλὴ ἡ σύγχυσις ἔσται, καὶ πολὺς ὁ θόρυβος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ λῃσταὶ τὰ πλευρὰ καταξαίνονται, καὶ τυμβωρύχοι καὶ γόητες· ἀλλὰ καὶ μάρτυρες τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχουσι, καὶ τὰ μὲν γινόμενα τὰ αὐτὰ, ἡ γνώμη δὲ καὶ ἡ αἰτία, μεθ' ἧς γίνεται, οὐχ ἡ αὐτὴ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολὺ τὸ μέσον τούτων κἀκείνων. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπ' ἐκείνων οὐ μόνον τὰς βασάνους ἐξετάζομεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸ ἐκείνων τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀφ' ἧς αἱ βάσανοι γίνονται· διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας φιλοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ βασανίζονται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν βασανίζονται· καὶ τοὺς λῃστὰς ἀποστρεφόμεθα, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ κολάζονται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διὰ κακίαν κολάζονται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῖς γινομένοις ἐπιψηφίζου· κἂν μὲν ἴδῃς διὰ τὸν Θεὸν νηστεύοντας, ἀποδέχου τὸ γινόμενον· ἂν δὲ ἴδῃς παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, τῶν μεθυόντων καὶ παραινούντων καὶ κωμαζόντων μᾶλλον ἀποστρέφου καὶ μίσει. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς νηστείας ταύτης 48.875 οὐκ αἰτίαν χρὴ ζητεῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τόπον καὶ καιρόν. Μᾶλλον δὲ πρὶν ἢ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀποτείνασθαι, τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἡδέως διαλεξόμεθα μέλεσι, τοῖς δοκοῦσι μὲν μεθ' ἡμῶν τετάχθαι, θεραπεύουσι δὲ τὰ ἐκείνων, καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἅπαντα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀνῃρημένοις, οὓς καὶ πλείονος κατὰ τοῦτο κατακρίσεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἁπάντων ἀξίους ὄντας ὁρῶ. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ συνετοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ὁπωσοῦν λόγου καὶ διανοίας μετέχοντες συνομολογήσαιεν ἂν ἡμῖν. Οὐ γὰρ χρεία σοφισμάτων καὶ κατασκευῆς καὶ μακρῶν περιόδων ὥστε ἀποδεῖξαι τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ ψιλήν τινα ἐρώτησιν ἐρόμενον ἑλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως. Τί οὖν; ἕκαστον τῶν τοῦτο νοσούντων ἐρήσομαι, Χριστιανὸς εἶ; τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὰ Ἰουδαίων ζηλοῖς; Ἀλλὰ Ἰουδαῖος εἶ; τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐνοχλεῖς τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ; Ὁ Πέρσης οὐ τὰ Περσῶν φρονεῖ; ὁ βάρβαρος οὐ τὰ βαρβάρων ζηλοῖ; ὁ τὴν Ῥωμαίων χώραν οἰκῶν οὐ τὴν ἡμετέραν μέτεισι πολιτείαν; Ἂν ἁλῷ τις, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν οἰκούντων τὰ ἐκείνων φρονῶν, οὐκ εὐθέως χωρὶς λόγου καὶ ἐξετάσεως κολάζεται, κἂν μυρία ἀπολογεῖσθαι ἔχῃ; ἂν φανῇ τις παρ' ἐκείνοις τοῖς Ῥωμαίων χρώμενος νόμοις, οὐ τοῦτο αὐτὸ πείσεται πάλιν; Πῶς οὖν σὺ πρὸς τὴν παράνομον ἐκείνην μεθιστάμενος πολιτείαν ἀξιοῖς σώζεσθαι; Μὴ γὰρ ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων; μὴ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν τυχόντων ἐστὶν ἡ ἀμφισβήτησις, ἵνα ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ νομίσῃς εἶναι; Τί μιγνύεις τὰ ἄμικτα; ἐσταύρωσαν ἐκεῖνοι τὸν Χριστὸν, ὃν σὺ προσκυνεῖς. Ὁρᾷς πόσον τὸ μέσον; Πῶς οὖν πρὸς ἐκείνους τρέχεις τοὺς ἀνελόντας, ὁ προσκυνεῖν λέγων τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον; Μὴ γὰρ ἐγὼ τοῦτον εἰσάγω τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὸν νόμον καὶ τὸ τῆς κατηγορίας εἶδος; οὐχὶ καὶ ἡ Γραφὴ τούτῳ κέχρηται πρὸς αὐτοὺς τῷ τρόπῳ; Ἄκουσον τί φησιν Ἱερεμίας πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους· Ἀπέλθετε εἰς