Chapter XIV.—How a Thing May Be Involuntary.

What is involuntary is not matter for judgment. But this is twofold,—what is done in ignorance, and what is done through necessity. For how will you judge concerning those who are said to sin in involuntary modes? For either one knew not himself, as Cleomenes and Athamas, who were mad; or the thing which he does, as Æschylus, who divulged the mysteries on the stage, who, being tried in the Areopagus, was absolved on his showing that he had not been initiated. Or one knows not what is done, as he who has let off his antagonist, and slain his domestic instead of his enemy; or that by which it is done, as he who, in exercising with spears having buttons on them, has killed some one in consequence of the spear throwing off the button; or knows not the manner how, as he who has killed his antagonist in the stadium, for it was not for his death but for victory that he contended; or knows not the reason why it is done, as the physician gave a salutary antidote and killed, for it was not for this purpose that he gave it, but to save. The law at that time punished him who had killed involuntarily, as e.g., him who was subject involuntarily to gonorrhœa, but not equally with him who did so voluntarily. Although he also shall be punished as for a voluntary action, if one transfer the affection to the truth. For, in reality, he that cannot contain the generative word is to be punished; for this is an irrational passion of the soul approaching garrulity. “The faithful man chooses to conceal things in his spirit.”483    Prov. xi. 13. Things, then, that depend on choice are subjects for judgment. “For the Lord searcheth the hearts and reins.”484    Ps. vii. 9. “And he that looketh so as to lust”485    Matt. v. 28. is judged. Wherefore it is said, “Thou shalt not lust.”486    Ex. xx. 17. And “this people honoureth Me with their lips,” it is said, “but their heart is far from Me.”487    Isa. xxix. 13; Matt. xv. 8; Mark vii. 6. For God has respect to the very thought, since Lot’s wife, who had merely voluntarily turned towards worldly wickedness, He left a senseless mass, rendering her a pillar of salt, and fixed her so that she advanced no further, not as a stupid and useless image, but to season and salt him who has the power of spiritual perception.

Τὸ γοῦν ἀκούσιον οὐ κρίνεται (διττὸν δὲ τοῦτο, τὸ μὲν γινόμενον μετ' ἀγνοίας, τὸ δὲ ἀνάγκῃ)· ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν καὶ δικάσειας περὶ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀκουσίους τρόπους ἁμαρτάνειν λεγομένων; ἢ γὰρ αὑτόν τις ἠγνόησεν, ὡς Κλεομένης καὶ Ἀθάμας οἱ μανέντες, ἢ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὃ πράσσει, ὡς Αἰσχύλος (τὰ μυστήρια ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ἐξειπὼν ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ κριθεὶς οὕτως ἀφείθη ἐπιδείξας αὑτὸν μὴ μεμυημένον), ἢ τὸ περ[ὶ ὃν] πράττεται ἀγνοήσαι τις, ὥσπερ ὁ τὸν ἀντίπαλον ἀφεὶς καὶ ἀποκτείνας οἰκεῖον ἀντὶ τοῦ πολεμίου, ἢ τὸ ἐν τίνι πράττεται, καθάπερ ὁ ταῖς ἐσφαιρωμέναις λόγχαις γυμναζόμενος καὶ ἀποκτείνας τινὰ τοῦ δόρατος ἀποβαλόντος τὴν σφαῖραν, ἢ τὸ παρὰ τὸ πῶς, ὡς ὁ ἐν σταδίῳ ἀποκτείνας τὸν ἀνταγωνιστήν (οὐ γὰρ θανάτου, ἀλλὰ νίκης χάριν ἠγωνίζετο), ἢ τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα πράττεται, οἷον ὁ ἰατρὸς δέδωκεν ἀντίδοτον ὑγιεινὴν καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν, ὃ δὲ οὐ τούτου χάριν δέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ σῶσαι. Ἐκράτει μὲν οὖν ὁ νόμος τότε καὶ τὸν ἀκουσίως φονεύσαντα ὡς τὸν ἀκουσίως γονορρυῆ, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἴσον τῷ ἑκουσίως. καίτοι κἀκεῖνος ὡς ἐπὶ ἑκουσίῳ κολασθήσεται, εἴ τις μεταγάγοι τὸ πάθος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ κολαστέος ὁ ἀκρατὴς τοῦ γονίμου λόγου, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ πάθος ἐστὶ ψυχῆς ἄλογον, ἐγγὺς ἀδολεσχίας ἰόν· πιστὸς δὲ ᾕρηται πνοῇ κρύπτειν πράγματα. τὰ προαιρετικὰ τοίνυν κρίνεται. κύριος γὰρ ἐτάζει καρδίας καὶ νεφρούς· καὶ ὁ ἐμβλέψας πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν κρίνεται. διὸ μηδὲ ἐπιθυμήσῃς λέγει καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ φησίν, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἐστὶν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. εἰς αὐτὴν γὰρ ἀφορᾷ τὴν γνώμην ὁ θεός, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὴν Λὼτ γυναῖκα ἐπιστραφεῖσαν μόνον ἑκουσίως ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν τὴν κοσμικὴν κατέλιπεν ἀναίσθητον, ὡς λίθον δείξας ἁλατίνην καὶ στήσας εἰς τὸ μὴ πρόσω χωρεῖν, οὐ μωρὰν καὶ ἄπρακτον εἰκόνα, ἀρτῦσαι δὲ καὶ στῦψαι τὸν πνευματικῶς διορᾶν δυνάμενον.