42

for the sake of. But show me another Paul and John; but you could not. How then would he not also laugh at us reasoning in this way? how would he not endure to still sit in ignorance, seeing us philosophizing not in deeds, but in words? For now for a single obol each is ready both to be killed and to kill; for a cupful of earth you set up countless lawsuits; for the death of a child you turn things upside down. For I pass over the other things worthy of much grief, such as omens, and auguries, observances, nativities, symbols, amulets, divinations, incantations, magic. Truly these things are great, and sufficient to call forth the wrath of God, because even after He sent His own Son, we dare such things. What then is it? Nothing other than that we must mourn; for scarcely the smallest part of the world is saved. But those who are perishing rejoice when they hear it, as if they are not enduring this alone, but with many others. And what joy is this? For they will pay the penalty for this very joy. For do not suppose that, as here, having partners in misfortunes brings comfort, so it is also there. From where is this clear? I will make it plain. For tell me: if someone were ordered to be burned, and then saw his child being burned with him, and the smell rising from the flesh, would he not die? Indeed he would; and how, I say. For if those who are not suffering, seeing these things happen, grow numb and faint, much more will those who are being punished suffer this. And do not be surprised; for hear a certain wise man saying, "You also are taken captive just as we are, and you are counted among us." For human nature is somehow sympathetic by nature, and we are broken by the misfortunes of others. Tell me then, will a father, seeing his son lying under the same sentence, receive comfort or an addition to his woes? and what of a husband his wife? and what of a man his fellow man? are we not then more broken? Yes, he says; but those passions are not there. I know that too, but 62.551 not to hasten to piety, if these things were done by all. And that you may learn, Paul was one, and he drew so many to him. If we were all like that, how many worlds would we not have drawn to us? Behold, Christians are more numerous than the pagans. And while in other arts one can teach a hundred children at once; here, though the teachers are more numerous, and the students far more numerous, no one comes over. For those who are taught look to the virtue of their teachers; and when they see us also desiring the same things, aiming at the same things—to rule, to be honored—how will they be able to admire Christianity? They see reprehensible lives, earthly souls; we admire money just as they do, and much more so; we shudder at death just as they do, we fear poverty just as they do, we are likewise distressed by diseases, we likewise love glory and power, wearing ourselves out for avarice, we serve the times. From where then are they to believe? From signs? But these do not happen. But from our way of life? But it is lost. But from love? But not even a trace of it is seen anywhere. For this reason we shall give an account not only for our own sins, but also for the harm done to others. Let us at last become sober, let us be watchful, let us show a heavenly citizenship on earth, let us say, that "Our citizenship is in heav 62.552 en," and let us display our contest on earth. "But there were," he says, "great men among us." "From where shall I believe it?" says the Greek. "For I do not see you doing the same things as they did." "Since if we must relate these things, we also have," he says, "great philosophers, and admirable for their way of life." "But show me another Paul and John; but you could not." How then would he not also laugh at us reasoning in this way? how would he not endure to still sit in ignorance, seeing us philosophizing not in deeds, but in words? For now for a single obol each is ready both to be killed and to kill; for a cupful of earth countless lawsuits

42

ἕνεκεν. Ἀλλὰ δεῖξόν μοι Παῦλον ἕτερον καὶ Ἰωάννην· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις. Πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ γελάσειεν οὕτω διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν; πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ ἔτι καθῆσθαι ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἀνέξεται ὁρῶν οὐκ ἐν ἔργοις, ἀλλ' ἐν λόγοις φιλοσοφοῦντας, ἡμᾶς; Νῦν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὀβολοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ ἀναιρεῖσθαι καὶ ἀναιρεῖν ἕτοιμοι ἕκαστος· ὑπὲρ κυάθου γῆς μυρία δικαστήρια συνιστᾷς· ὑπὲρ θανάτου παιδίου τὰ ἄνω κάτω ποιεῖς. Τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα ἀφίημι τὰ πολλοῦ πένθους ἄξια, οἷον οἰωνισμοὺς, καὶ κλῃδονισμοὺς, παρατηρήσεις, γενέσεις, σύμβολα, περιάμματα, μαντείας, ἐπῳδὰς, μαγείας. Ὄντως μεγάλα ταῦτα, καὶ ἱκανὰ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκκαλέσασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τὸ τὸν Υἱὸν ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, τοιαῦτα τολμῶμεν. Τί ἐστιν ἄρα; Οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἢ πενθεῖν χρή· τὸ γὰρ πολλοστὸν τοῦ κόσμου μόλις διασώζεται. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι ἀκούοντες χαίρουσιν, ὡς οὐκ αὐτοὶ μόνοι τοῦτο ὑπομένοντες, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πλειόνων. Καὶ ποίας ταῦτα χαρᾶς; καὶ γὰρ αὐτῆς τῆς χαρᾶς τίσουσι δίκην. Μὴ γὰρ, ὡς ἐνταῦθα, νομίσῃς, τὸ κοινωνοὺς εἶναι τῶν συμφορῶν φέρειν παραμυθίαν, οὕτω κἀκεῖ. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἐγὼ ποιήσω φανερόν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· εἴ τις κελευσθείη καυθῆναι, εἶτα καὶ τὸν παῖδα συγκαιόμενον αὐτῷ ἴδοι, καὶ κνίσσαν ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν ἀνιοῦσαν, οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται; Σφόδρα γε· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ μὴ πάσχοντες, ταῦτα ὁρῶντες γινόμενα, ναρκῶσι καὶ ἐκλύονται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ κακούμενοι τοῦτο πείσονται. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· ἄκουε γάρ τινος σοφοῦ λέγοντος, Καὶ σὺ ἑάλως ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ κατελογίσθης. Ἔχει γάρ πως φύσει τὸ συμπαθὲς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἑτέρων κατακλώμεθα συμφοραῖς. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, ἆρα ὁ πατὴρ τὸν υἱὸν ὁρῶν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ κείμενον δίκῃ, παραμυθίαν ἢ προσθήκην λήψεται τῶν δεινῶν; τί δὲ ἀνὴρ τὴν γυναῖκα; τί δὲ ἄνθρωπος τὸν ἄνθρωπον; οὐχὶ τότε μᾶλλον κατακλώμεθα; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ταῦτα τὰ πάθη, Οἶδα κἀγὼ, ἀλλ' 62.551 μὴ ἐπιδραμεῖν τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ, εἰ παρὰ πάντων ταῦτα ἐγίνετο. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, εἷς ἦν ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ τοσούτους ἐπεσπάσατο. Εἰ πάντες ἦμεν τοιοῦτοι, πόσας οἰκουμένας οὐκ ἂν ἐπεσπασάμεθα; Ἰδοὺ πλείους εἰσὶν οἱ Χριστιανοὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν. Καὶ ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἄλλαις τέχναις εἷς ἑκατὸν ὁμοῦ παῖδας διδάξαι δύναται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῶν διδασκάλων πλειόνων ὄντων, καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν πολλῷ πλειόνων, οὐδεὶς πρόσεισιν. Οἱ γὰρ διδασκόμενοι πρὸς τὴν τῶν διδασκάλων ἀρετὴν ὁρῶσι· καὶ ὅταν ἴδωσι καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντας, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐφιεμένους, τοῦ ἄρχειν, τοῦ τιμᾶσθαι, πῶς δυνήσονται θαυμάσαι τὸν Χριστιανισμόν; Ὁρῶσι βίους ἐπιληψίμους, ψυχὰς γηΐνας· τὰ χρήματα ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς θαυμάζομεν, πολλῷ δὲ καὶ πλέον· τὸν θάνατον ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς πεφρίκαμεν, πενίαν ὁμοίως φοβούμεθα, πρὸς νόσους ὁμοίως δυσχεραίνομεν, ὁμοίως δόξης ἐρῶμεν καὶ δυναστείας, ὑπὲρ φιλαργυρίας κατακόπτοντες ἑαυτοὺς, τοὺς καιροὺς θεραπεύομεν. Πόθεν οὖν ἔχουσι πιστεῦσαι; ἀπὸ σημείων; ἀλλ' οὐ γίνεται ταῦτα· ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἀναστροφῆς; ἀλλ' ἀπόλωλεν· ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης; ἀλλ' οὐδαμοῦ οὐδὲ ἴχνος αὐτῆς ὁρᾶται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ τῶν ἡμετέρων μόνον ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων βλάβης ἡμεῖς λόγον ὑφέξομεν. Ἀνανήψωμέν ποτε, γρηγορήσωμεν, δείξωμεν πολιτείαν ἐπὶ γῆς οὐράνιον, λέγωμεν, ὅτι Ἡμῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανῷ ὑπάρ 62.552 χει, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς τὴν ἄθλησιν ἐπιδειξώμεθα. Ἀλλ' ἐγένοντο, φησὶ, παρ' ἡμῖν ἄνδρες μεγάλοι. Πόθεν πιστεύσω, φησὶν ὁ Ἕλλην; οὐ γὰρ ὁρῶ ὑμᾶς τὰ αὐτὰ πράσσοντας ἐκείνοις. Ἐπεὶ εἰ δεῖ ταῦτα διηγεῖσθαι, ἔχομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, μεγάλους φιλοσόφους, καὶ θαυμαστοὺς βίου ἕνεκεν. Ἀλλὰ δεῖξόν μοι Παῦλον ἕτερον καὶ Ἰωάννην· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις. Πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ γελάσειεν οὕτω διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν; πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ ἔτι καθῆσθαι ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἀνέξεται ὁρῶν οὐκ ἐν ἔργοις, ἀλλ' ἐν λόγοις φιλοσοφοῦντας, ἡμᾶς; Νῦν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὀβολοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ ἀναιρεῖσθαι καὶ ἀναιρεῖν ἕτοιμοι ἕκαστος· ὑπὲρ κυάθου γῆς μυρία δικαστήρια