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he was contriving against the Teacher, not in the days in between was he pricked with remorse, but still intoxicated by the pleasure of avarice, he did not much feel the accusation of his conscience. But when he had committed the sin and received the silver and the pleasure of the gain had ceased, but the accusation for the trespass was now in full bloom, then with no one forcing him, no one compelling him, no one advising him, going of his own accord, he threw the silver back at those who had given it and confessed his own transgression, saying while they listened: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." For he could not bear the reproof of his conscience. For such is sin: before it is completed, it makes the one who is caught drunk; but when it has been fulfilled and completed, then the things of this pleasure withdraw and are extinguished, and the accuser stands naked at last, holding the rank of an executioner of the conscience, and tearing the one who has transgressed, and demanding the ultimate penalty, and pressing down heavier than any lead. 13.3 And such are the things here; but the things there, you know how great they are for those who have wrought so many evils. Therefore, it is necessary to weep for these, to mourn for these, since Paul also did so, rejoicing with those who were competing and struggling and suffering evil, but mourning those who were sinning; therefore he also said: "Lest, when I come, my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of those who have sinned before and have not repented of the licentiousness and impurity which they have committed." But to those who were struggling: "I rejoice and I rejoice with you all." Therefore let nothing disturb you, neither the things that have happened, nor the things that are threatened. For the waves do not shake the rock, but the more they break against it with force, the more they destroy themselves; which indeed both has happened and will happen in these cases, but rather even much more so. For the waves do not shake the rock; but you they have not only not shaken, but have even made you stronger. For such is vice, such is virtue. The one, when it makes war, is destroyed; the other, when war is made against it, shines more brightly. And the one not only after the contests, but even in the contests themselves has the prizes and the struggle becomes a reward for it; but the other, when it conquers, is then most of all disgraced, then it is punished, then it is filled with much dishonor, and before the punishment laid up for it, it is chastised in the very act, not only after the act. But if the argument is rather unclear, listen to the blessed Paul distinguishing both these things. For once, writing to the Romans and exposing the impure life of some and showing that even before the punishment, in the act itself sin has punishment allotted to it, having mentioned the unlawful unions of both women and men who transgress the bounds of nature and have devised some strange desire, he says something like this: "For their females exchanged the natural use for that which is contrary to nature. And likewise also the males, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust for one another, males with males committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." What are you saying, O Paul? And yet those who dare these things take pleasure and with desire they work this unlawful union. How then did you say that they are punished in this very thing? Because, he says, I cast the vote not from the pleasure of those who are sick, but from the nature of the things. Since also the adulterer, even before the punishment, is punished in the very act of committing adultery, even if he seems to take pleasure, making his soul worse and more worthless. And the murderer, before seeing a court and sharpened swords and giving an account for what he has dared, in the very act of murdering has perished, he too again fashioning for himself a more worthless soul. And what is a sickness in the body, a fever or dropsy or

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περὶ διδασκάλου ἐτύρευεν, οὐκ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταῖς μεταξὺ κατενύγη, ἀλλὰ μεθύων ἔτι τῇ ἡδονῇ τῆς φιλαργυρίας, οὐ σφόδρα ᾐσθάνετο τῆς κατηγορίας τοῦ συνειδότος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔπραξε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον ἔλαβε καὶ ἡ ἡδονὴ μὲν ἐπαύσατο τοῦ λήμματος, ἡ δὲ κατηγορία τοῦ πλημμελήματος ἤνθει λοιπόν, τότε μηδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, μηδενὸς βιαζομένου, μηδενὸς παραινοῦντος, αὐτόματος ἀπελθών, τό τε ἀργύριον προσέρριψε τοῖς δεδωκόσι καὶ τὴν παρανομίαν ὡμολόγησεν αὐτοῦ, ἀκουόντων ἐκείνων λέγων· «Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον.» Οὐ γὰρ ἤνεγκε τοῦ συνειδότος τὸν ἔλεγχον. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία· πρὶν ἢ μὲν ἀπαρτισθῆναι, μεθύειν ποιεῖ τὸν ἁλόντα· ἐπειδὰν δὲ πληρωθῇ καὶ ἀπαρτισθῇ, τότε τὰ μὲν τῆς ἡδονῆς ταύτης ὑπεξίσταται καὶ σβέννυται, γυμνὸς δὲ ἕστηκε λοιπὸν ὁ κατήγορος, τοῦ συνειδότος δημίου τάξιν ἐπέχων, καὶ καταξαίνων τὸν πεπλημμεληκότα, καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀπαιτῶν δίκην, καὶ μολίβδου παντὸς βαρύτερον ἐπικείμενος. 13.3 Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνταῦθα τοιαῦτα· τὰ δὲ ἐκεῖ, οἶσθα ἡλίκα τοῖς τοσαῦτα ἐργασαμένοις κακά. Τούτους οὖν χρὴ δακρύειν, τούτους θρηνεῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος οὕτως ἐποίει, τοῖς μὲν ἀθλοῦσι καὶ ἀγωνιζομένοις καὶ κακῶς πάσχουσι συνηδόμενος, τοὺς δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντας πενθῶν· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· «Μήπως ἐλθόντα με ταπεινώσῃ ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ καὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν.» Τοῖς δὲ ἀγωνιζομένοις· «Χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν.» Μηδὲν τοίνυν σε θορυβείτω μήτε τῶν γενομένων, μήτε τῶν ἀπειλουμένων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν πέτραν διασαλεύει τὰ κύματα, ἀλλ' ὅσῳ μετὰ πλείονος προσρήγνυνται τῆς ῥύμης, τοσούτῳ μειζόνως ἑαυτὰ ἀφανίζει· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων καὶ γέγονε καὶ ἔσται, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ πέτραν οὐ διασαλεύει τὰ κύματα· σὲ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐ διεσάλευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰσχυροτέραν πεποίηκεν. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ κακία, τοιοῦτον ἡ ἀρετή. Ἡ μὲν πολεμοῦσα, καταλύεται· ἡ δὲ πολεμουμένη, διαλάμπει μειζόνως. Καὶ ἡ μὲν οὐ μετὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἔχει τὰ βραβεῖα καὶ ὁ ἆθλος ἔπαθλον αὐτῇ γίνεται· ἡ δὲ ὅταν νικήσῃ, τότε μάλιστα καταισχύνεται, τότε κολάζεται, τότε πολλῆς πληροῦται τῆς ἀτιμίας καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀποκειμένης αὐτῇ κολάσεως, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πράττειν τιμωρουμένη, οὐχὶ μετὰ τὸ πρᾶξαι μόνον. Εἰ δὲ ἀσαφέστερος ὁ λόγος, ἄκουσον τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου ταῦτα ἀμφότερα διακρίνοντος. Γράφων γάρ ποτε Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τὸν ἀκάθαρτόν τινων ἐκπομπεύων βίον καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πράξει τὴν τιμωρίαν ἡ ἁμαρτία συγκεκληρωμένην ἔχει, μίξεων παρανόμων μνησθεὶς γυναικῶν τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν τῶν τοὺς ὅρους τῆς φύσεως ὑπερβαινόντων καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν τινὰ ἀλλόκοτον ἐπινοησάντων, οὕτω πώς φησιν· «Αἱ γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρρενες ἀφέντες τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας ἐξεκαύθησαν ἐν τῇ ὀρέξει αὐτῶν εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἄρρενες ἐν ἄρρεσι τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην κατεργαζόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν ἣν ἔδει τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολαμβάνοντες.» Τί λέγεις, ὦ Παῦλε; Καὶ μὴν ἥδονται οἱ ταῦτα τολμῶντες καὶ μετ' ἐπιθυμίας τὴν παράνομον ταύτην ἐργάζονται μίξιν. Πῶς οὖν αὐτοὺς ἔφης κολάζεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ δὴ τούτῳ; Ὅτι τὴν ψῆφον, φησίν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς τῶν νοσούντων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκφέρω φύσεως. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ πρὸ τῆς τιμωρίας, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μοιχεύειν κολάζεται, κἂν ἥδεσθαι δοκῇ τὴν ψυχὴν χείρονα ποιῶν καὶ φαυλοτέραν. Καὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος, πρὶν ἢ δικαστήριον ἰδεῖν καὶ ξίφη ἠκονημένα καὶ δοῦναι εὐθύνας τῶν τετολμημένων, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ φονεύειν ἀπόλωλεν, πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸς φαυλοτέραν ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάζων τὴν ψυχήν. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐπὶ σώματος ἀρρωστία, πυρετὸς ἢ ὕδερος ἢ