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we have written before (or rather, the honor and the veneration, the prostration and the intercession according to what is owed), but against the one who unlawfully crowned him who committed adultery according to the word of the Lord, against the one who dared to become a minister and a confirmer of so great an evil before the whole world. And so that what is being said might be clearer, not for instruction, but for the sake of reminder itself, if you command, we will set forth the sacred prayer for the marital union and let us see from this how, contrary to Christ himself, if it is bold to say, he spoke against and fought against Him through his accursed mouth, the one who shows himself to be blameless. For Christ called the man an adulterer who puts away the wife lawfully joined to him (and adultery, as you know, is a grievous sin and equivalent to murder, pederasty, and bestiality, sorcery and idolatry according to the canon of the divine Basil), yet he, having presented this man at the altar in the hearing of all the people, dared to utter those profane words. And let us examine, father, I beseech you, the terrible and monstrous thing; for it is thus: "4You Yourself, Master, send forth Your hand from Your holy dwelling place and join your servant to your handmaid. Yoke them in one mind, unite them into one flesh, whom You were pleased to join to one another; make their marriage honorable, keep their marriage bed undefiled, be pleased that their life together remain stainless"5. Is it not then dreadful both to hear and to conceive? How great must we suppose here the provocation of the Holy Spirit in such blasphemy, and that the holy angels were enraged at such great impieties? Or how did the earth, opening its mouth, not at once, as with Dathan and Abiram, swallow the author of falsehood, the one showing darkness as light and attempting to make Christ fall into contradiction? For certainly, whatever the priest declares, God promises to ratify these things, according to the great Dionysius. But being long-suffering He endured it, opening a door of repentance for the one guilty of the sin. Then, instead of such a one weeping and mourning until death, and being abhorred and abominable as an example of divine jealousy to future generations, to enter the church again and again be a priest openly? Therefore, has he entered as one who has done something good and is Christ defeated according to him, speaking illogically? And is it necessary through his public celebration of the liturgy for this to be spread to our entire church and for all to consent to such a deed? For what else, if not this, will happen? But may it not be. But perhaps it is necessary out of rivalry for such a thing to happen from now on; and let adulterers be crowned, and let those who crown them, as having achieved some great thing and being able to benefit the many and lead them to similar conduct, be hailed by the many. But may it not be; for neither is that man a priest nor are those who imitate him. For let him not be deceived in that, that it was an emperor who committed adultery; for the laws of God rule over all, according to what is written. But nevertheless, having done this most grievous thing, he still strives to make lawlessness known as righteousness and, as the saying goes, to show himself more holy than the Forerunner and Baptist; for while that one was rebuking the adultery of Herod and dying for the truth, this man both crowned and embraced until death this second Herod, truly shown to be so by his similar adultery, proclaiming not in words but in his very deeds that John the Forerunner was mistaken, having rebuked him unseasonably and unlawfully, and died. But may it not be; for the one is a defender of the law and a rebuker of the abomination, but the other is a trampler of the divine mysteries and a joiner and sealer of the lawless union. And the one, even in death, cries out "4It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother"5, and in the person of Herod he proclaims to the whole world that such a thing should no longer be dared, but the other until

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προγεγράφαμεν (μᾶλλον δὲ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ προσκύνησις, ἡ ὑπόπτωσις καὶ ἡ ἔντευξις κατὰ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον), πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀνόμως στεφανώσαντα τὸν μοιχεύσαντα κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, πρὸς τὸν τολμήσαντα τηλικούτου κακοῦ ὑπουργὸν γενέσθαι καὶ βεβαιωτὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντός. Καὶ ἵνα ἐκδηλότερον εἴη τὸ λεγόμενον οὐ πρὸς διδαχήν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑπόμνσιν αὐτήν, εἰ κελεύεις, τὴν κατὰ τὴν στεφανικὴν συνάφειαν ἱερὰν προσευχὴν παραθήσομεν καὶ καθίδωμεν ἐντεῦθεν, ὅπως ἐξ ἐναντίας αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ, εἰ καὶ τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν, ἀντεφθέγξατο καὶ ἀπεμαχήσατο διὰ τοῦ ἐναγοῦς αὐτοῦ στόματος ὁ ἀνένοχον ἑαυτὸν ἀποδεικνύς. τοῦ γὰρ Χριστοῦ μοιχὸν ἀποκαλέσαντος τὸν ἀφιέντα τὴν νομίμως συναφθεῖσαν ἀνδρὶ γυναῖκα (μοιχεία δέ, ὡς οἶσθα, τὸ χαλεπὸν ἁμάρτημα καὶ ἰσοδύναμον φονέως, ἀρρενοφθόρου τε καὶ ἀλογευομένου, φαρμακοῦ τε καὶ εἰδωλολάτρου κατὰ τὸν κανόνα τοῦ θείου Βασιλείου) αὐτὸς τοῦτον τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παραστήσας ἐνυπήκοον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐτόλμησεν ῥῆξαι τὰς βεβήλους φωνὰς ἐκείνας. Καὶ σκοπήσωμεν, πάτερ, παρακαλῶ, τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἔκτοπον· ἔχει γὰρ οὕτως· "4αὐτὸς, δέσποτα, ἐξαπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐξ ἁγίου κατοικητηρίου σου καὶ ἅρμοσον τῷ δούλῳ σου τὴν δούλην σου. σύζευξον αὐτοὺς ἐν ὁμοφροσύνῃ, ἕνωσον αὐτοὺς εἰς σάρκα μίαν, οἷς εὐδόκησας συναφθῆναι ἀλλήλοις· τίμιον τὸν γάμον ἀνάδειξον, ἀμίαντον αὐτῶν τὴν κοίτην διατήρησον, ἀκηλίδωτον αὐτῶν τὴν συμβίωσιν διαμεῖναι εὐδόκησον"5. οὐκ ἆρα φρικτὸν καὶ ἀκουόμενον καὶ ἐννοούμενον; πόσον ἐστὶν ἐνταῦθα ὑπολαβεῖν τὸν παροξυσμὸν τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ βλασφημίᾳ συνοργισθῆναί τε τοὺς ἁγίους ἀγγέλους ἐν ταῖς τηλικαύταις δυσφημίαις; ἢ πῶς οὐ παραυτίκα, ὡς τὸν ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρών, ὑπέλαβεν ἡ γῆ χάνασα τὸν ὑφηγητὴν τοῦ ψεύδους καὶ δεικνύντα τὸ σκότος φῶς καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν εἰς ἐναντιολογίαν περιπεσεῖν πειρώμενον; πάντως γάρ, ὅσα ὁ ἱερεὺς ὑποφαίνει, ταῦτα καὶ θεὸς κυροῦν ἐπαγγέλλεται κατὰ τὸν μέγαν ∆ιονύσιον. ἀλλὰ μακροθυμῶν ἤνεγκεν, ὑπανοίγων θύραν μετανοίας τῷ ἐνόχῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. εἶτα ἀντὶ τοῦ κλαίειν καὶ πενθεῖν τὸν τοιοῦτον μέχρι θανάτου, ἀπόπτυστόν τε εἶναι καὶ ἀποτρόπαιον εἰς ὑπόδειγμα ταῖς μετέπειτα γενεαῖς θείας ζηλοτυπίας πάλιν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ εἰσελθεῖν καὶ πάλιν ὑπάρχειν ἱερέα ἀναφανδόν; οὐκοῦν ὡς καλόν τι πεπραχὼς εἰσελήλυθεν καὶ Χριστὸς ἥττηται κατ' αὐτὸν παραλόγως διαγορεύων; καὶ δέον διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷ κοινῷ ἱερουργίας αὐτοῦ διαδοθῆναι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίαν καὶ συγκατανεῦσαι πάντας ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ ἔργῳ; τί γὰρ ἄλλο καὶ οὐ τοῦτο γενήσεται; Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο. δεῖ δὲ τάχα ἐκ παραζήλου ἀπὸ τοῦ δεῦρο τὸ τοιοῦτον γίγνεσθαι· καὶ στεφανούσθωσαν μοιχοί, καὶ οἱ στεφανοῦντες, ὡς μέγα τι κεκατωρθωκότες καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὠφελεῖν καὶ ἐνάγειν εἰς ὁμοτροπίαν δυνάμενοι, ἀσπαζέσθωσαν ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν. ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο· οὔτε γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἱερεὺς οὔτε οἱ ἐκεῖνον μιμούμενοι. μὴ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ ἀπατάσθω, ὡς ὅτι βασιλεὺς ἦν ὁ μοιχεύσας· ἄρχουσι γὰρ οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμοι πάντων κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. ἀλλ' ὅμως τοῦτο δράσας τὸ παγχάλεπον ἔτι φιλονεικεῖ τὴν ἀνομίαν δικαιοσύνην γνωρίσαι καί, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἀποδεῖξαι ἑαυτὸν τοῦ Προδρόμου καὶ Βαπτιστοῦ ὁσιώτερον· ἐκείνου γὰρ ἐλέγχοντος τὴν τοῦ Ἡρώδου μοιχείαν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας θνῄσκοντος, οὗτος τὸν δεύτερον Ἡρώδην ὡς ἀληθῶς τῇ ὁμοτρόπῳ μοιχείᾳ δεδειγμένον καὶ ἐστεφάνωσεν καὶ κατησπάσατο μέχρι θανάτου, λόγοις μέν οὔ, αὐτοῖς δὲ ἔργοις φθεγγόμενος ὡς πεπλάνηται Ἰωάννης ὁ Πρόδρομος, ἀκαίρως καὶ ἀνόμως διελέγξας καὶ ἀποθανών. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ νόμου ὑπερασπιστὴς καὶ τοῦ μύσους ἐλεγκτής, ὁ δὲ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων καταπατητὴς καὶ τῆς ἀθέσμου συμπλοκῆς συναπτὴς καὶ κατασφραγιστής. καὶ ὁ μὲν καὶ θανὼν βοᾷ "4οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου"5, κἀν τῷ Ἡρώδου προσώπῳ ἐμβοᾷ πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ μηκέτι τι τοιοῦτον τολμηθῆναι, ὁ δὲ ἕως τοῦ