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But, having left the assembly of the faithful, the Church of God, his laws, you look upon the caves of robbers, considering holy what he called profane, and making common what he separated; and not only this, but you already run along with the processions of the Greeks and hasten to the theaters, desiring to be counted as one of those who enter there and to partake of indecent performances, that we may not say abominable, not having heard Jeremiah saying: «Lord, I did not sit in the council of them that make sport, but I was afraid because of your hand», and Job saying similar things: «But if I ever walked with scoffers; for I stand in a just balance.» But why do you wish to partake of the Greek sayings, being of dead men, declared by the inspiration of the devil to be deadly and subversive of faith, and leading those who heed them to polytheism? You therefore, devoting yourselves to the laws of God, and considering these more precious than the needs of life, and giving them greater honor, run together to the Church of God, which he purchased with the blood of his beloved Christ, the firstborn of all creation. For this is the daughter of the Most High who has travailed for you through the word of grace and formed Christ in you, of whom having become partakers you are holy and elect members, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but as blameless and holy you are perfected in faith in him according to the image of him who created you. Beware therefore of not associating with those who are perishing, which is the assembly of the nations, unto deceit and destruction; for there is no fellowship for God with the devil; for he who assembles with those who mind the things of the devil will be counted as one of them and will inherit woe. Flee then also the indecent spectacles, the theaters, I say, and the Greek processions, incantations, omens from words, divinations, purifications, auguries, bird-watching, necromancy, exclamations, because it is written: «For there is no augury in Jacob, nor divination in Israel», and again: «Augury is a sin», and elsewhere: «You shall not practice augury, and you shall not follow omens and divinations and ventriloquists, you shall not keep sorcerers alive.» Wherefore Jeremiah also exhorts, saying: «Do not walk according to the ways of the nations, and be not afraid of the signs of heaven.» Therefore it is necessary for the faithful man to flee the assemblies of the impious Greeks and

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δέ, καταλιπὼν τῶν πιστῶν τὸ συνάθροισμα, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, τοὺς ἐκείνου νόμους, ἐπιβλέπεις ἐπὶ τὰ σπήλαια τῶν λῃστῶν, ἅγια ἡγούμενος, ἃ ἐκεῖνος βέβηλα ἀπεκάλεσεν, καὶ κοινοποιῶν, ἃ ἐκεῖνος ἐχώρισεν· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ πομπαῖς Ἑλλήνων συντρέχεις καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ θέατρα ἐπείγῃ, ἐπιθυμήσας εἷς τῶν εἰσπορευομένων ἐκεῖ λογισθῆναι καὶ μετασχεῖν ἀκροαμάτων ἀπρεπῶν, ἵνα μὴ λέγωμεν μυσαρῶν, μὴ ἀκούσας τοῦ Ἱερεμίου λέγοντος· «Κύριε, οὐκ ἐκάθισα ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων, ἀλλ' εὐλαβούμην ἀπὸ προσώπου χειρός σου», καὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ φάσκοντος τὰ ὅμοια· «Eἰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ γελοιαστῶν ἐπορεύθην ποτέ· ἵσταμαι γὰρ ἐν ζυγῷ δικαίῳ.» Τί δὲ βούλει μετασχεῖν τῶν ἑλληνικῶν λογίων, ὄντων νεκρῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας διαβόλου ἀποφανθέντων νεκροποιὰ καὶ πίστεως ἀνατρεπτικὰ καὶ πρὸς πολυθεΐαν ἀπάγοντα τοὺς προσανέχοντας αὐτοῖς; Ὑμεῖς οὖν, σχολάζοντες τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμοις, καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν χρειῶν τούτους ἡμεῖσθε τιμιωτέρους, καὶ πλείονα τιμὴν ἀπονέμοντες αὐτοῖς συντρέχετε εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἣν περιεποιήσατο τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου, τοῦ πρωτοτόκου πάσης κτίσεως. Aὕτη γὰρ θυγάτηρ ἐστὶν τοῦ Ὑψίστου ἡ ὠδινήσασα ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς χάριτος καὶ μορφώσασα ἐν ὑμῖν τὸν Χριστόν, οὗ μέτοχοι γενόμενοι ἱερὰ μέλη ἐστὲ καὶ ἐκλεκτά, μὴ ἔχοντα σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄμωμοι καὶ ἅγιοι ἐν πίστει τετελειωμένοι ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος ὑμᾶς. Φυλάσσεσθε οὖν τοῦ μὴ συσχολάζειν τοῖς ἀπολ λυμένοις, ὅ ἐστιν συναγωγὴ ἐθνῶν, εἰς ἀπάτην καὶ ἀπώλειαν· οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία Θεῷ πρὸς διάβολον· ὁ γὰρ συναθροιζό μενος μετὰ τῶν τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου φρονούντων εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν λογισθήσεται καὶ τὸ οὐαὶ κληρονομήσει. Φεύγετε δὴ καὶ τὰ ἀπρεπῆ τῶν θεαμάτων, τὰ θέατρά φημι καὶ τὰς ἑλληνικὰς πομπάς, ἐπαοιδάς, κληδόνας, μαντείας, καθαρισμούς, οἰωνι σμούς, ὀρνιθοσκοπίας, νεκυομαντείας, ἐπιφωνήσεις, ὅτι γέγραπται· «Oὐ γὰρ ἔστιν οἰωνισμὸς ἐν Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ μαντεία ἐν Ἰσραήλ», καὶ πάλιν· «Oἰώνισμα ἁμαρτία ἐστίν», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «Oὐκ οἰωνιεῖσθε, καὶ κληδόσι καὶ μαντείαις καὶ ἐγγαστριμύθοις οὐκ ἐπακολουθήσετε, φαρμα κοὺς οὐ περιποιήσετε.» ∆ιὸ παραινεῖ καὶ ὁ Ἱερεμίας λέγων· «Κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν μὴ πορεύεσθε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθε.» ∆ιόπερ χρὴ τὸν πιστὸν φεύγειν τὰς συνόδους τῶν ἀσεβῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ