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setting forth, according to what has been said, that A fire is kindled from my wrath. But when we have ceased from sin: I will execute judgment from my enemies. He who believes in me (he says) will not be judged; but he who does not believe is judged already. Therefore, the enemies are the cause of the judgment, according to what has been said: For these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. And since he said, My wrath will not cease among the adversaries, lest we might think the wrath of God against those who provoke him is without judgment. Even if I am angry with the adversaries, nevertheless I will not bring punishments upon them without judgment, but judged according to the worth and the measure of their offenses. This is what I will execute judgment from my enemies means. And the enemies of God are those who do unjust things. Wickedness is an enemy to the good; injustice is an enemy to the just; impurity to the holy; falsehood to the truth. Upon these, then, his wrath will not cease, as long as they are adversaries; nor did he say that he would bring punishment upon them without judgment. 1.55 And I will bring my hand upon you, and I will refine you to purity. See the good end of righteous judgment and of the punishments brought on according to the judgment. My wrath will not cease, I will execute judgment; I will bring my hand, I will refine by fire. And what for? That I might show you to be pure. Thus God is angry, that he may do good to sinners. For he does not punish for destruction, but he disciplines for correction. And he brings this fire to destroy that which was cast into the soul by the flaming darts of the devil, into the soul not having the shield of faith, which falling into it, extinguishes the arrows of the evil one; and the divine fire becomes a purification from that other fire, which kindles us to foolish and harmful desires. For this reason the Lord himself says: He enters as a refiner's fire and as the fuller's herb. And he will sit as a refiner and purifier, like silver and like gold. And what is the benefit from this? They will be (he says) for the Lord, offering a sacrifice in righteousness. And I will take away all the lawless from you. It is a great benefit to a soul, which through the fault of evil leaders has fallen into alienation from God, to have the lawless taken away from it. For this reason also the customs concerning the Church separate those found in forbidden transgressions from the rest of the body, that a little leaven may not corrupt the whole lump. So, according to a good God, it is a good thing to take away the lawless from the people. For the lawless will not enter in with the Saints into the holy places, since the winnowing fork is in the Lord's hand. But those who are now separated from the people as lawless, bear what happens meekly, not understanding that these things are a type of what will happen in the fearsome judgments of God. And how great a harm it is not to remove the lawless from intermingling with the holy members of Christ, the Apostle showed, rebuking the Corinthians, because they did not mourn, that he who had done this evil deed might be taken away from them. 1.56 And I will set up your judges, as before. Why, having passed over the kings, did he mention the judges? and yet even among the kings there were some who ruled the people commendably. Or is it that the polity under the judges was more liberal, being natural to them, with the people governing themselves, and acknowledging God alone as king? But the establishment of kings came about later from their own lack of counsel. It was necessary, therefore, for those receiving benefits to return to that blessed state. For this reason he promised to set up not kings, but judges, granting them freedom; for there was no king in Israel, but each one did what was right in his own eyes. Or, since it was no longer the time for kings, after the coming of the true King, he promised to provide judges similar to the former ones, the disciples of the Lord, concerning whom it is said, You will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 1.57 And your counselors, as from the beginning. Again, here, preserving their free will, he said he would provide not one who commands, but one who counsels them; For it is the prerogative of a king to command the

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παρατιθέντες, κατὰ τὸ εἰρη μένον, ὅτι Πῦρ ἐκκέκαυται ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου. Παυσαμένων δὲ ἡμῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· Κρίσιν ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ποιήσω. Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ (φησὶν) οὐ μὴ κριθῇ· ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν, ἤδη κέκριται. Τῆς οὖν κρίσεως αἴτιοι οἱ ἐχθροὶ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐ παύσεταί μου ὁ θυμὸς ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, ἵνα μὴ ἄκριτον τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς παροξύνοντας ὀργὴν εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ νομίσωμεν. Εἴγε καὶ θυμοῦμαι ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀκρίτως ἐπάξω αὐτοῖς τὰς κολάσεις, ἀλλὰ κεκριμένας κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ τὸ μέτρον τῶν ἐπταισμένων. Τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸ Κρίσιν ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ποιήσω. Ἐχθροὶ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ, οἱ τὰ ἄδικα πράσσοντες. Ἐχθρὰ τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἡ πονηρία· ἐχθρὰ τῷ δι καίῳ ἡ ἀδικία· τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡ ἀκαθαρσία· τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος. Ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν οὐ παύσεται ὁ θυμὸς, ἕως ἂν ὦσιν ὑπεναν τίοι· οὐδὲ ἄκριτον αὐτοῖς ἐπάξειν ἔφη τὴν κόλασιν. 1.55 Καὶ ἐπάξω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ κυρώσω σε εἰς καθαρόν. Ὅρα τὸ ἀγαθὸν τέλος τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν προσαγομένων κολάσεων. Οὐ παύσεταί μου ὁ θυμός, κρίσιν ποιήσω· ἐπάξω τὴν χεῖρα, πυρώσω. Καὶ τί; Ἵνα καθαρὸν ἀποδείξω. Οὕτω θυμοῦται ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα εὐεργετήσῃ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν κολάζει· ἀλλὰ παιδεύει εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν. Ἐπάγει δὲ τὸ πῦρ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξαφανίσαι τὸ διὰ τῶν πεπυρωμένων βελῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμβληθὲν τῇ ψυχῇ, τῇ μὴ ἐχούσῃ τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως, ᾗ ἐμπεσὸν, κατασβέννυσι τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ το ξεύματα· καὶ γίνεται τὸ θεῖον πῦρ, πυρὸς ἑτέρου καθάρσιον, τοῦ εἰς ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβερὰς ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκκαίοντος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος· Εἰσπορεύεται ὡς πῦρ χω νευτηρίου καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων. Καὶ καθιεῖται χωνεύων καὶ καθαρίζων, ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ ὡς τὸ χρυσίον. Καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ὄφελος; Ἔσονται (φησὶ) τῷ Κυρίῳ, προσάγοντες θυσίαν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Καὶ ἀφελῶ πάντας ἀνόμους ἀπὸ σοῦ. Μεγάλη εὐεργεσία ψυχῇ, τῇ παρὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν κακῶν προϊσταμένων εἰς Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσιν ἐκπεσούσῃ, τὸ ἀφαι ρεθῆναι αὐτῆς τοὺς ἀνόμους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ περὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τύποι τοὺς ἐν ἀπηγορευμένοις παραπτώμασιν εὑρεθέντας χωρίζουσι τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος, ἵνα μὴ μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα δολώσῃ. Ὥστε κατὰ ἀγαθὸν Θεόν ἐστι τὸ ἀφελεῖν ἀνόμους ἀπὸ λαοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἄνομοι συνεισε λεύσονται τοῖς Ἁγίοις εἰς τὰ ἅγια, ἐπείπερ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἀλλ' οἱ νῦν ὡς ἄνομοι χωριζόμενοι τοῦ λαοῦ, πράως φέρουσι τὰ γιγνόμενα, οὐ νοοῦντες ὅτι τύπος ταῦτα τῶν ἐν τοῖς φοβεροῖς κρίμασι τοῦ Θεοῦ γενησομέ νων. Ἡλίκη δὲ βλάβη τὸ μὴ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀνόμους τῆς πρὸς τὰ ἅγια μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιμιξίας, ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐδήλωσεν, ἐπιτιμῶν Κορινθίοις, διότι οὐκ ἐπένθησαν, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐργασάμενος. 1.56 Καὶ ἐπιστήσω τοὺς κριτάς σου, ὡς τὸ πρότερον. ∆ιὰ τί, ὑπερβὰς τοὺς βασιλεῖς, τῶν κριτῶν ἐμνήσθη; καίτοι καὶ ἐν βασιλεῦσιν ἦσάν τινες, οἱ ἐπαινετῶς ἄρξαντες τοῦ λαοῦ. Ἢ ὅτι ἡ κατὰ τοὺς κριτὰς πολιτεία ἐλευθεριωτέρα ἦν, κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχουσα, αὐτονομουμένου τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ Θεὸν μόνον βασιλέα γνωρίζοντος· ἡ δὲ τῶν βασιλέων κατάστασις ὕστερον ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ἀβουλίας αὐτῶν ἐπεγένετο. Ἔδει οὖν εὐεργετουμένους ἐπὶ τὴν μακαρίαν κατάστασιν ἐπανελθεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐχὶ βασιλεῖς, ἀλλὰ κριτὰς ἐπιστή σειν ἐπηγγείλατο, χαριζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐλευθέριον· οὐ γὰρ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τὸ εὐθὲς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐποίει. Ἢ ἐπειδὴ οὐκέτι βασιλέων καιρὸς ἦν, μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Βασιλέως, κριτὰς ἐπηγγείλατο παρέξειν παραπλησίους τοῖς πρότερον, τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Κυρίου, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται, ὅτι Καθήσετε ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους, κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 1.57 Καὶ τοὺς συμβούλους σου, ὡς τὸ ἀπαρχῆς. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸ αὐτεξούσιον αὐτοῖς διασώζων, οὐχὶ τὸν προτάσσοντα, ἀλλὰ τὸν συμβουλεύοντα αὐτοῖς ἔφη παρέ ξεσθαι· Βασιλέως μὲν γὰρ ἴδιον ἐπιτάσσειν τοῖς