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from this they produced great destruction. For those who still had a fear of idols, not knowing how to despise them, readily partook of the things sacrificed to idols, since they saw the more perfect doing this, and from this they were harmed in the greatest ways. For they did not partake of them with the same knowledge as those men, but as of sacrifices; and the matter became a path to idolatry; and even the supposedly perfect themselves were not harmed in a random way, partaking of the tables of demons. This being the accusation, see how the Apostle handles the argument. “We know that we all have knowledge.” Leaving aside the weak, as he always does, he first addresses the strong. First, then, he puts down their pride, by stating that all have knowledge. For those who possess something great and good, when they possess it alone, are more puffed up. But if they are shown to possess it along with others, they no longer suffer this in the same way; he therefore makes it common, since they too thought it was theirs alone. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” For when it is without love, it puffs up the one who has it, leading to arrogance, and pride is accustomed to divide; but he does not forbid having perfect knowledge, but commands to have it with love. Since without love there is no gain, but even harm. “If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him.” See by how many ways he brought down their loftiness. For first he showed that they are not the only ones who understand what they know. For, he says, we all have knowledge. Then, that this thing is harmful without love. For knowledge, he says, puffs up; that even with love it is not complete, nor perfect. For if anyone thinks he knows anything, he says, he does not yet know as he ought to know. In addition to these things, that they do not have this of themselves, but as a gift from God. For he did not say, ‘he knew God,’ but, ‘he is known by him.’ Then, that this very thing comes from love, which they do not have 95.629 as they ought. For if anyone, he says, loves God, this one is known by him. “Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.” He wants to establish both things: that one must refuse such a table, and that it has no power to harm those who partake, which things are contrary to one another. For knowing that it has no harm, they were thus about to rush to it indifferently, but being forbidden to touch them, they again suspected that they were forbidden because they had power to harm. Therefore, he first destroys the suspicion about idols. For the statement that it 'is nothing' is posited to mean that they have no power. “For even if there are so-called gods.” Since, he said, an idol is nothing, and there is no God but one; but there were idols, and there were so-called gods. So that he might not seem to fight against what is obvious, he adds, saying this: If there are so-called gods. And so they are, not simply being, but so-called; and having this not in reality, but in name. “Whether in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords.’” In heaven, he means the sun, and the moon, and the choir of the other stars; for the Greeks worshipped these as gods; and on earth, demons, and all those deified from among men. “But for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things.” Having said before that there is no other God but one, he now adds this, and then also, 'But for us;' 'the Father;' then also that which is a sign of divinity, and this he adds, saying, 'from whom are all things;' for this shows that those others are not gods; for, he says, 'Let the gods who did not make heaven and earth perish.' “And we for him.” When he says 'all things are from him,' he speaks of the creation, and the bringing from non-being into being; but when he says, 'and we for him,' he speaks of the principle of faith and appropriation; for we are from him in a twofold way, both by having come to be from not being, and by having become believers; for to believe in him is also called creation; 'that he might create,' it says, 'the two peoples into one new man.' “And one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him; but

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μέγαν ἐντεῦθεν ὄλεθρον ἔτικτον. Οἵ τε γὰρ ἔτι τῶν εἰδώλων ἔχοντες φόβον, οὐκ εἰδότες αὐτῶν καταφρονεῖν, μετεῖχον ἑτοίμως τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς τελειοτέρους ἑώρων τοῦτο πονοῦντας, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐντεῦθεν ἐβλάπτοντο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῇ ὁμοίᾳ ἐκείνοις γνώσει ἥπτοντο αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς θυσιῶν· καὶ ὁδὸς ἐπὶ εἰδωλολατρείαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐγίνετο· καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ δῆθεν τέλειοι, οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἠδικοῦντο, δαιμονικῶν μεταλαμβάνοντες τραπεζῶν. Τούτου ὄντος τοῦ ἐγκλήματος, ὅρα πῶς ὁ Ἀπόστολος τὸν λόγον μεταχειρίζεται. «Οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν.» Τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἀφεὶς, ὅπερ ἀεὶ ποιεῖ, τοῖς ἰσχύουσι διαλέγεται πρώτοις. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν αὐτῶν τούτων καταστέλλει τὸν τύφον, φάσκων τοὺς πάντας ἔχειν τὴν γνῶσιν. Οἱ γὰρ ἔχοντές τι μέγα καὶ καλὸν, ὅταν μόνοι κατέχωσι, μᾶλλον ἐπαίρονται. Ἐὰν δὲ μετ' ἄλλων φανῶσιν αὐτὸ κεκτημένοι, οὐκέτι ὁμοίως τοῦτο πάσχουσι· ποιεῖ οὖν αὐτὸ κοινὸν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἑαυτῶν εἶναι ἐνόμιζον αὐτὸ μόνον. «Ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ.» Ὅταν γὰρ χωρὶς ἀγάπης ᾖ, εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐπαίρει φυσῶσα τὸν ἔχοντα, καὶ διαιρεῖν εἴωθεν ἡ ἀλαζονεία· οὐ κωλύει δὲ τὸ τελείαν ἔχειν τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μετὰ ἀγάπης ταύτην ἔχειν κελεύει. Ἐπειδὴ χωρὶς ἀγάπης κέρδος οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλάβος. «Εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι. Εἰ δέ τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Θεὸν, οὗτος ἔγνωσται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ.» Ὅρα δι' ὅσων αὐτῶν κατήνεγκε τὸ ὕψωμα. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἔδειξεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐπίστανται ἅπερ ἴσασι. Πάντες γὰρ, φησὶν, γνῶσιν ἔχομεν. Ἔπειτα ὅτι βλαβερὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο χωρὶς ἀγάπης. Ἡ γνῶσις γὰρ, φησὶ, φυσιοῖ· ὅτι καὶ μετὰ ἀγάπης οὐκ ἀπηρτισμένον ἐστὶν, οὐδὲ τέλειον. Εἴ τις γὰρ δοκεῖ εἰδέναι τι, φησὶν, οὐδέπω ἔγνωκεν καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι. Πρὸς τούτοις, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῦτο οἴκοθεν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρησαμένου. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἔγνω τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ', ἔγνωσται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀγάπης γίνεται τοῦτο αὐτὸ, ἣν οὐκ ἔχουσιν 95.629 ὡς χρή. Εἰ γάρ τις, φησὶν, ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Θεὸν, οὗτος ἔγνωσται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. «Περὶ τῆς βρώσεως οὖν τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεὸς ἕτερος, εἰ μὴ εἷς.» Ἀμφότερα βούλεται κατασκευάσαι· ὅτι τε ἀπαναίνεσθαι δεῖ τῆς τοιαύτης τραπέζης, καὶ ὅτι ἰσχὺν οὐκ ἔχει εἰς τὸ βλάψαι τοὺς μετέχοντας, ἅπερ ἐναντία ἀλλήλων ἐστί. Γνόντες γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει βλάβην, οὕτως διαφόρως ἔμελλον ἐπιτρέχειν, κωλυθέντες δὲ αὐτῶν ἅπτεσθαι, πάλιν ὑπώπτευον, ὅτι ὡς ἰσχὺν ἐχόντων εἰς τὸ βλάπτειν ἐκωλύθησαν. ∆ιὸ δὴ πρῶτον καθέλει τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ὑπόνοιαν. Τὸ γὰρ, εἶναι, ἐπὶ τοῦ, μὴ ἔχειν ἰσχὺν αὐτὰ, τέθειται. «Καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοί.» Ἐπειδὴ, εἶπεν, οὐδὲν εἴδωλον, καὶ οὐδεὶς Θεὸς, εἰ μὴ εἷς· ἦν δὲ καὶ εἴδωλα, ἦσαν δὲ καὶ θεοὶ λεγόμενοι. Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τοῖς φανεροῖς μάχεσθαι, ἐπάγει λέγων τό· Εἴπερ εἰσὶ λεγόμενοι θεοί. Καὶ ὥσπερ οὖν εἰσιν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ λεγόμενοι· καὶ οὐκ ἐν πράγματι, ἀλλ' ἐν ῥήματι τοῦτο ἔχοντες. «Εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ, εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς· ὥσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί.» Ἐν οὐρανῷ τὸν ἥλιον λέγων, καὶ τὴν σελήνην, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν ἀστέρων χορόν· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὰ προσεκύνησαν Ἕλληνες ὡς θεούς· ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ δαίμονας, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων θεοποιηθέντας ἅπαντας. «Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα.» Πρότερον εἰπὼν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεὸς ἄλλος, εἰ μὴ εἷς, νῦν τοῦτο προστίθησιν, εἶτα καὶ τὸ, Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν· τὸ Πατήρ· εἶτα καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶ δεῖγμα θεότητος, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπάγει, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, λέγων· τοῦτο γὰρ δείκνυσι, κἀκείνους οὐκ ὄντας θεούς· Θεοὶ γὰρ οἳ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀπολέσθωσαν, φησίν. «Καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν.» Ὅταν μὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντα λέγῃ, τὴν δημιουργίαν λέγει, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγωγήν· ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτὸν, τὸν τῆς πίστεως καὶ οἰκειώσεως λέγει λόγον· διπλῇ γάρ ἐσμεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ μὴ ὄντες γενέσθαι, καὶ τῷ πιστοὶ γενέσθαι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ πιστεῦσαι εἰς αὐτὸν κτίσις καλεῖται· ἵνα γὰρ κτίσῃ, φησὶ, τοὺς δύο λαοὺς εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον. «Καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ'