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they were handed over to mocking lords and young rulers. A double punishment, both to have their goods taken away, and to be handed over to their inferiors. For it is a harsh punishment for a city to be ruled by youths. For countless evils are joined with youth on account of levity. But having spoken of the good things in the singular, the strong man and the strong woman, he threatens other evils in the plural. Not that a young man is accused in age, but the one who is young in character. Since he also spoke to ... "Do not say that I am a youth," showing that youthfulness was not in him, because of the perfection of his mind. For mockers will rule over you who have presented yourselves as slaves to sin. For the common enemy, becoming lord, does not treat those under his hand as his own, but makes a public show of them as enemies, mocking them and the lord from whom he caused them to defect. Therefore, the one perceiving the energy from there says that "My loins were filled with mockings." But the Lord does not say that he himself will set these mockers over them, as he did the young rulers. But he says that they rule of their own accord, each one being ruled by them, drawn on by their works. But having mocked Christ at the cross, they were handed over to the newer rule of the Romans; and mockers also ruled them, not having the truth in themselves, but being disposed only to appearances; sometimes even buying with money the right to be called rabbi. How could one not say that such men are also young in their thinking? It is possible to see such men as teachers of the Jews. May it be far from us to see such a Church led by those who proclaim the word with cunning, in the hypocrisy of liars, deceiving the innocent through smooth talk and plausible arguments. Whom one might rightly call mockers. But as to what end these things lead, he added that the people will fall, man against man, showing all manner of confusion and disorder, with all reverence and order destroyed; and clearly, and no longer in riddles, he relates the evils of the final capture. For they filled the city with sedition and murder, not even agreeing with one another in fear of the enemy, but, loving power, they attacked one another, with no one abiding by the teachings of an elder; and someone having dishonor from his life, armed himself against one of solemn character. And wasted away by famine, and having tasted of one another, they enrolled as patrons those who seemed to be rich, and kinsmen, if somehow through kinship they might be moved to pity, not seeking good men to rule, but those who would feed them. 1904 But they pleaded equal poverty in return. And with division prevailing, they did not make the election of those able to rule by agreement. But each one laid hold of whomever he chanced upon. But let this affliction be driven from the church, so as to call to leadership the one who lacks wedding garments and is bereft of spiritual foods, and does not have the true bread that strengthens a man's heart in the hidden house of the mind. And among the Jews, those who were called to rule did not promise what they did not have. But among us some, not clothed in Christ, nor with bowels of mercy, leap to rule even uncalled. And they needed a seemly garment, and an orderly word, to cover the indecency of their soul. But those who were called did not then refuse rule altogether, but the rule of this people. And they state the reason, that "Praise Jerusalem." For held by the hand of the Lord in the bond of union, now she has been cast off, and Judea has fallen, her supports having been removed, and they acquired a lawless tongue, having acquired a heart alienated from God, and instead of meditating on the law of the Lord day and night, saying he was a Samaritan, that he had a demon, a glutton and a drunkard, and was born of fornication. At which things one might say not unjustly, a net is spread for the winged. But the destruction of lawless men is evil. Therefore, having no boldness, they do not look up to God. For they sinned in such a way as to be compared to Sodomites, not transgressing secretly out of shame, but because of their boasting, the

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ἐμπαίκταις κυρίοις καὶ νεανίσκοις ἄρχουσι παρεδόθησαν. ∆ιπλῆ δὲ τιμωρία, καὶ ἀφαιρεθῆναι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ παραδοθῆναι τοῖς χείροσιν. Χαλεπὴ γὰρ τιμωρία, τὸ ὑπὸ νεανίσκων ἄρχεσθαι πόλιν. Μυρία γὰρ ὑπὸ κουφότητος κακὰ συνέζευκται τῇ νεότητι. Ἑνικῶς δὲ εἰπὼν τὰ χρηστὰ, ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, καί τ' ἄλλα πρὸς πλῆθος ἀπειλεῖ κακά. Οὐχ ὅτι ἡλικίαν δὲ νέος κατηγορεῖται, ἀλλ' ὁ νεαρὸς τὸ ἦθος. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸς ... διελέγετο, "Μὴ λέγε ὅτι νεώτερός εἰμι," δεικνὺς μὴ οὖσαν ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν νεότητα, διὰ τὴν τῆς διανοίας τελείωσιν. Ἐμπαῖκται γὰρ κυριεύσουσιν ὑμῶν τῶν παραστησάντων ἑαυτοὺς δούλους τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Ὁ γὰρ κοινὸς ἐχθρὸς γινόμενος κύριος, οὐχ ὡς ἰδίοις χρῆται τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐχθροῖς ἐμπομπεύει κατεπαιρόμενος αὐτῶν, καὶ κυρίου, οὗπερ τούτους ἀπέστησε. Τοιγαροῦν ὁ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐνεργείας ἐπαισθανόμενος, φησὶν, ὅτι "Αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων." Τούτους δὲ τοὺς ἐμπαίκτας οὐκ αὐτός φησιν ἐπιστήσειν ὁ Κύριος, ὡς τοὺς νεανίσκους ἄρχοντας. Ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν δὲ κυριεύειν, φησὶν, ἑκάστου τὸ κυριευθῆναι παρ' αὐτῶν, διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπισπωμένων. Ἐμπαίξαντες δὲ πρὸς τοῦ σταυροῦ τῷ Χριστῷ, νεωτέρᾳ παρεδόθησαν τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ· ἐμπαῖκται δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν ἐκυρίευσαν, οὐκ ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μόνον δὲ πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν διακείμενοι· ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ χρήμασιν ὠνούμενοι τὸ καλεῖσθαι ῥαββί. Τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους πῶς οὐκ ἄν τις εἴποι καὶ νέους εἶναι τὸ φρόνημα; τοιούτους ἔστιν αὐτοὺς Ἰουδαίων διδασκάλους ἰδεῖν. Ἀπείη δὲ τοιαύτην Ἐκκλησίαν ὁρᾷν ἀγομένην ὑπὸ τῶν πανουργίᾳ δηλούντων τὸν λόγον, ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας καὶ πιθανολογίας ἐξαπατώντων τοὺς ἀκεραίους. Οὓς ἄν τις εἰκότως ἐμπαίκτας καλέσειεν. Ἀλλ' εἰς ὅ τι φέρει ταῦτα τέλος, ἐπήνεγκεν, ὅτι συμπεσεῖται ὁ λαὸς ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον, πᾶσαν δεικνὺς ἀμιξίαν καὶ ταραχὴν, αἰδοῦς ἁπάσης ἀνῃρημένης καὶ τάξεως· φανερῶς δὲ, καὶ οὐ δι' αἰνιγμάτων ἔτι, τὰ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἁλώσεως ἐκδιηγεῖται κακά. Στάσεως γὰρ καὶ φόνου τὴν πόλιν ἀνέπλησαν, μηδὲ φόβῳ τῶν πολεμίων ἀλλήλοις ὁμονοήσαντες, ἀλλήλοις δὲ φιλαρχοῦντες ἐπῄεσαν, μηδενὸς ἐμμένοντος πρεσβυτέρου διδάγμασιν· ἔχων δέ τις ἐκ βίου τὴν ἀτιμίαν, κατὰ σεμνοῦ τὸν τρόπον ὡπλίζετο. Ἐκτετηκότες δὲ λιμῷ, καὶ ἀλλήλων γευσάμενοι, προστάτας τοὺς δοκοῦντας πλουτεῖν ἐπεγράφοντο, καὶ συγγενεῖς, εἴπως διὰ τὸ γένος ἐπικλασθεῖεν πρὸς ἔλεον, οὐκ ἀγαθοὺς ζητοῦντες ἄρχειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τρέφοντας. 1904 Οἱ δὲ πενίαν ἴσην ἀντιπροὐβάλοντο. Κατακρατούσης δὲ τῆς διαστάσεως, οὐκ ἀπὸ συμφώνου τὴν ἐκλογὴν τῶν ἄρχειν δυναμένων ἐπεποίηντο. Ἕκαστος δὲ τοῦ προστυχόντος ἐπελαμβάνετο. Ἐληλάσθω δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ πάθος, ὥστε τὸν ἀποροῦντα γαμικῶν ἐνδυμάτων ωχεύοντά τε βρωμάτων πνευματικῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἄρτον τὸν στηρίζοντα καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ κ[ρυπ]τῷ τῆς διανοίας οἴκῳ μὴ ἔχοντα πρὸς ἡγεμονίαν καλεῖν. Καὶ παρὰ μὲν Ἰουδαίοις οἱ καλούμενοι πρὸς ἀρχὴν, ὃ μὴ εἶχον, οὐκ ἐπηγγέλλοντο. Παρ' ἡμῖν δέ τινες οὐ Χριστὸν ἐνδεδυμένοι, οὐ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, πρὸς ἀρχὴν πηδῶσι καὶ ἄκλητοι. Ἐδέοντο δὲ ἱματίου εὐσχήμονος, καὶ κοσμίου λόγου, τοῦ καλύπτοντος αὐτῶν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην. Οἱ δὲ κληθέντες οὐ καθόλου τότε παρητήσαντο τὴν ἀρχὴν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν φασὶν, ὅτι Αἰνεῖτε Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὑπὸ χειρὸς γὰρ Κυρίου τῷ δεσμῷ τῆς συναφείας κεκρατημένη, νῦν ἀποβέβληται, καὶ πέπτωκεν Ἰουδαία τῶν στηριγμάτων ὑφαιρεθέντων, ἀνόμων δὲ γλῶσσαν ἐκτήσαντο, τὴν καρδίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀλλοτρίαν κτησάμενοι, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ μελετᾷν ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, Σαμαρείτην εἶναι λέγοντες, αὐτὸν ἔχειν δαιμόνιον, φάγον τε καὶ οἰνοπότην, καὶ ἐκ πορνείας γεγενημένον. Ἐφ' οἷς ἂν εἴποι τις οὐκ ἀδίκως, ἐκτείνεται δίκτυα πτερωτοῖς. Καταστροφὴ δὲ ἀνδρῶν παρανόμων κακή. Παῤῥησίαν τοίνυν μὴ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀνανεύουσι πρὸς Θεόν. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ ἥμαρτον, ὡς Σοδομίταις αὐτοὺς παραβάλλεσθαι, μηδὲ λάθρα παρανομήσαντας δι' αἰσχύνην, διὰ δὲ τὸ γαυριᾷν, τὴν