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knowledge is not in all.” Again, this must also be understood of Christ. For through 95.632 Him the human race was brought forth even from non-existence, and from error it returned to truth; so that this, “from whom,” is not without Christ. For from Him through Christ we were created. Indeed, he did not even divide the names as if allotted, assigning “Lord” to the Son, and “God” to the Father. For Scripture knows how to interchange them often, as when it says: “The Lord said to my Lord.” And again: “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you.” And: “from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all.” And in many places you might see these names interchanged. But if some should say, “For what reason did he not mention the Spirit?” we would say this, that his discourse was to idolaters, and the struggle was about many gods, and about many lords; for which reason, having called the Father God, he called the Son Lord. If, therefore, he did not dare to call the Father Lord now with the Son, lest he be suspected by them of speaking of two lords; nor the Son God with the Father, lest he be thought to speak of two gods, why do you wonder that he did not mention the Spirit? For his struggle for the time being was with them, and to show that there is no polytheism among us. For this reason he constantly holds to “one,” saying: “There is no God but one.” And again: “To us there is one God, and one Lord.” Whence it is clear that, sparing the weakness of the hearers, he used this arrangement. “But some, through former habit with the idol.” He neither exposes them clearly, lest he should strike them, nor does he pass over them entirely, but mentions them indefinitely. “Until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol.” With the same intention as before. “And their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” Not yet being able to despise, nor to mock them at all, but as it were doubting. Nowhere does he base his argument on the nature of the thing, but revolves up and down around the conscience of the one partaking. For he fears lest, wishing to correct the weak, he should strike the strong, and make this one weak also. “But food will not commend you to God.” See how again he has brought down their pride; saying that even if no one were harmed, and the perversion of the neighbor were not present, not even so ought one to do this; for this is to labor in vain; for he who hears that another is harmed, but he himself has some gain, does not readily desist, but rather then, when he learns that he himself is not benefited at all from the matter. For this reason he says: “Food will not commend you to God.” “For neither, if we eat, are we worse off.” 95.633 That is, we have nothing less. “Nor if we do not eat, are we better.” That is, we are not well-pleasing to God, as having done something good and great. “But take care that this liberty of yours does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” He did not say, “your knowledge,” nor, “your perfection,” but, “your liberty,” which seems to be more of rashness and presumption. And he did not say, “to the brothers,” but “to the weak,” increasing the accusation of the brothers; because they do not spare even the weak, and these being brothers. “For if someone sees you who have knowledge reclining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, being weak, be built up to eat things sacrificed to idols?” That is, the perfect one. “And so the weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.” He lays down four and most severe charges: that he is weak, and a brother, and one for whom Christ had such regard as even to die for him, and that after all these things he is destroyed for the sake of food. “Thus, sinning against the brothers and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” See how little by little he has raised the sin to the very summit of transgression. And again he mentioned their weakness, so that what the eaters thought was in their favor, they might find everywhere turned against their own head. But how do they sin against Christ? In one way, because he makes the affairs of his servants his own. In a second, because into his body

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οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡ γνῶσις.» Ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάλιν καὶ τοῦτο νοητέον. ∆ι' 95.632 αὐτοῦ γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος παρήχθη τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, καὶ ἀπὸ πλάνης εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐπανῆλθε· ὥστε τὸ, ἐξ οὗ, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι χωρὶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐδημιουργήθημεν. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ὡς ἀποκεκληρωμένα διεῖλεν, τῷ μὲν Υἱῷ τὸ Κύριος, τῷ δὲ Πατρὶ τὸ Θεὸς προσνείμας. Οἶδεν γὰρ αὐτὰ καὶ ἐναλλάττειν ἡ Γραφὴ πολλάκις, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου. Καὶ πάλιν· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου. Καί· Ἐξ οὗ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεός. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ ἂν ἴδοις ταῦτα μεταβαίνοντα τὰ ὀνόματα. Εἰ δέ τινες λέγοιεν, Τίνος ἕνεκεν Πνεύματος οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσεν; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι πρὸς εἰδωλολάτρας ἦν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ, καὶ περὶ θεῶν πολλῶν ὁ ἀγὼν, καὶ περὶ κυρίων πολλῶν· διὸ καὶ Θεὸν τὸν Πατέρα εἰπὼν, Κύριον τὸν Υἱὸν ἐκάλεσεν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸν Πατέρα οὐκ ἐτόλμησε καλέσαι Κύριον νῦν μετὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἵνα μὴ δύο παρ' ἐκείνοις ὑποπτεύηται λέγειν κυρίους· οὐδὲ τὸν Υἱὸν Θεὸν μετὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἵνα μὴ δύο λέγειν νομίζηται θεοὺς, τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσε; πρὸς γὰρ ἐκείνους ἦν τέως αὐτῷ ὁ ἀγὼν, καὶ τὸ δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι πολυθεία παρ' ἡμῖν. ∆ιὸ τὸ εἷς συνεχῶς κατέχει λέγων· Οὐδεὶς Θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς, καὶ εἷς Κύριος. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι φειδόμενος τῆς ἀσθενείας τῶν ἀκουόντων, ταύτῃ ἐχρήσατο τῇ διασκευῇ «Τινὲς δὲ τῇ συνηθείᾳ τοῦ εἰδώλου.» Οὔτε ἐκκαλύπτει αὐτοὺς σαφῶς, ἵνα μὴ πλήξῃ, οὔτε παρατρέχει καθόλου, ἀλλ' ἀορίστως αὐτῶν μέμνηται. «Ἕως ἄρτι ὡς εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίουσιν.» Μετὰ τοσαύτης διανοίας μεθ' ἧς τὸ πρότερον. «Καὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται.» Οὐδέπω δυναμένη καταφρονῆσαι, οὐδὲ καθάπαξ αὐτῶν καταγελᾶσαι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ διακρινομένη. Οὐδαμοῦ δὲ περὶ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ πράγματος τὸν λόγον ἵστησιν, ἀλλὰ ἄνω καὶ κάτω περὶ τὸ συνειδὸς τοῦ μεταλαβόντος στρέφεται. ∆έδοικε γὰρ μὴ θέλων διορθῶσαι τὸν ἀσθενῆ, πλήξῃ τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ ἀσθενῆ καὶ τοῦτον ἐργάσηται. «Βρῶμα δὲ ὑμᾶς οὐ παραστήσει τῷ Θεῷ.» Ὅρα πῶς πάλιν αὐτῶν καθεῖλεν τὸ φρόνημα· λέγων, ὅτι εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ἐβλάπτετο, μηδὲ ἡ τοῦ πλησίον προσῆν διαστροφὴ, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔδει τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ματαιοπονεῖν γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὁ γὰρ ἀκούσας ὅτι βλάπτεται μὲν ἕτερος, αὐτὸς δὲ ἔχει τι κέρδος, οὐ σφόδρα ἀφίσταται, ἀλλὰ τότε μᾶλλον, ὅταν μάθῃ ὅτι αὐτὸς οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖται ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Βρῶμα ὑμᾶς οὐ παραστήσει τῷ Θεῷ. «Οὔτε γὰρ, ἐὰν φάγωμεν, ὑστερούμεθα.» 95.633 Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἔλαττόν τι ἔχομεν. «Οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν, περισσεύομεν.» Τουτέστιν, οὐκ εὐδοκιμοῦμεν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς ἀγαθόν τι ποιήσαντες καὶ μέγα. «Βλέπετε δὲ μήπως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν.» Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἡ γνῶσις ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ, ἡ τελείωσις ὑμῶν, ἀλλ', ἡ ἐξουσία, ὅπερ προπετείας εἶναι μᾶλλον καὶ αὐθαδείας εἶναι δοκεῖ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀσθενέσι, τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὔξων τὴν κατηγορίαν· ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀσθενούντων φείδονται, καὶ τοῦτο ἀδελφῶν. «Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σε τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν;» Τουτέστι τὸν τέλειον. «Καὶ ἀπόλλυται οὖν ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἀδελφὸς ἐν τῇ γνώσει σου, δι' ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν.» Τέσσαρα τίθησιν ἐγκλήματα καὶ σφοδρὰ μέγιστα, ὅτι καὶ ἀσθενῶν, καὶ ἀδελφὸς, καὶ οὗ τοσοῦτον ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποιήσατο λόγον, ὡς καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα διὰ βρῶμα ἀπόλλυται. «Οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε.» Ὅρα πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς αὐτὴν τῆς παρανομίας τὴν κορυφὴν τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἀνήγαγεν. Καὶ πάλιν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἐμνημόνευσεν τῆς ἐκείνων, ἵνα ὅπερ ἐνόμιζον οἱ ἐσθίοντες ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εἶναι, τοῦτο πανταχοῦ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν εὕρωσιν περιτρεπόμενον κεφαλήν. Πῶς δὲ εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνουσιν; Ἑνὶ μὲν τρόπῳ, ὅτι τὰ τῶν οἰκετῶν αὐτὸς οἰκειοῦται. ∆ευτέρῳ δὲ, ὅτι εἰς τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ