61

unpardonable things, and of that unquenchable fire, and of the undying worm), some of those who hear these things (for I do not cast my vote against everyone, may it not be so), forgetting all these things, have once again given themselves over to the satanic spectacle of the hippodrome, with what expectation then shall we undertake the same labors, and set before them this spiritual teaching, seeing that they gain nothing more from it, but simply follow a certain habit, and applaud what is said by us, and show us that they receive our words with pleasure, and after this run again to the hippodrome, and show greater applause for the charioteers and unrestrained madness, and run together with much exertion, and often quarrel with one another and say that one of the horses did not run well, and another was tripped up and fell, and one assigns himself to this charioteer, and another to the other; and nowhere is there a thought or a reminder of our words, nor of the spiritual and dreadful mysteries celebrated here, but just as if they have become captives by the devil’s snares, they spend their days there, having given themselves over to the satanic spectacle, and are set forth as a disgrace to both Jews and Greeks and to those who wish to slander our ways? Who then, even if he were entirely of stone, or even insensitive, will be able to bear these things without pain, much less we who are eager to show fatherly affection towards you all? For not only is this what grieves us, that you show our labor to be fruitless, but it touches us much more when we consider that those who do these things work a heavier condemnation for themselves. For we await the reward for our labors from the Master; for we have done all that is ours to do, and have deposited the silver, and distributed the talent entrusted to us, and have left undone nothing of what pertains to us; but those who have received this spiritual silver, what defense, tell me, will they have, and what excuse, when not only these things are demanded back, but also the profit from them? With what eyes will they see the judge? How will they bear that dreadful day, the unendurable torments? For can they take refuge in ignorance? Every day we sound in their ears, we advise, we exhort, we show the ruin of deceit, the magnitude of the harm, the craft of the satanic festival, and not even so have we been able to reach them. And why do I speak of that dreadful day? For now let us examine the things here. How, tell me, will those who have partaken of that satanic spectacle be able to come here with boldness, having their conscience rising up against them and crying out loudly? Or do they not hear the blessed Paul, the teacher of the world, saying, What fellowship has light with darkness, or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? For of how much condemnation would it not be worthy, when the believer, enjoying the rites celebrated here and the prayers and dreadful mysteries and spiritual teaching, after the ceremony here goes away and sits at that satanic spectacle with the unbeliever, with the one who wanders in the darkness of impiety, he who has been illuminated by the light of the sun of righteousness? How, tell me, shall we then be able to silence either Greeks or Jews? How shall we be able to bring them in, and persuade them to convert to piety, when they see those who are ranked with us mingling with them in those destructive and ruin-filled theaters? For what reason, tell me, after coming here, and cleansing your reasoning, and bringing your mind to sobriety and compunction, do you go away again and defile yourself there? Or do you not hear a certain wise man saying: One building and one tearing down, what have they gained more than labors? Which indeed also happens now. For when the things built here by us through

61

ἀπαραιτήτων, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀσβέστου, καὶ τοῦ σκώληκος τοῦ ἀτελευτήτου), τινὲς τῶν ταῦτα ἀκουόντων (οὐδὲ γὰρ κατὰ πάντων ἐκφέρω τὴν ψῆφον, μὴ γένοιτο), πάντων τούτων ἐπιλαθόμενοι, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν σατανικὴν θεωρίαν τῆς ἱπποδρομίας ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδώκασι, ποίᾳ λοιπὸν προσδοκίᾳ τῶν αὐτῶν ἁψόμεθα πόνων, καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῖς ταύτην τὴν πνευματικὴν παραθήσομεν, ὁρῶντες μηδὲν πλέον αὐτοὺς ἐντεῦθεν καρπουμένους, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς συνηθείᾳ τινὶ κατακολουθοῦντας, καὶ κροτοῦντας μὲν τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα, καὶ δεικνύντας ἡμῖν ὡς μεθ' ἡδονῆς δέχονται τοὺς ἡμετέρους λόγους, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἱππόδρομον τρέχοντας, καὶ μείζονας τοὺς κρότους ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡνιόχους ἐπιδεικνυμένους καὶ ἀκάθεκτον τὴν μανίαν, καὶ μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τόνου συντρέχοντας, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολλάκις διαπληκτιζομένους καὶ λέγοντας, ὅτι ὁ μὲν τῶν ἵππων οὐ καλῶς ἔδραμεν, ὁ δὲ ὑποσκελισθεὶς κατέπεσεν, καὶ ὁ μὲν τούτῳ τῷ ἡνιόχῳ ἑαυτὸν προσνέμει, ὁ δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ ἔννοια οὐδὲ ὑπόμνησις τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων, οὐδὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν καὶ φρικτῶν μυστηρίων τῶν ἐνταῦθα τελουμένων, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ αἰχμάλωτοι γενόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδων, ἐκεῖ διημερεύουσι, τῇ σατανικῇ θεωρίᾳ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδωκότες, καὶ εἰς αἰσχύνην προκείμενοι καὶ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς τὰ ἡμέτερα διασύρειν βουλομένοις; Τίς ἂν οὖν, κἂν σφόδρα ᾖ λίθινος, ἢ καὶ ἀναίσθητος, ταῦτα ἀναλγήτως ἐνεγκεῖν δυνήσεται, μήτι γε ἡμεῖς οἱ πατρικὴν φιλοστοργίαν περὶ πάντας ὑμᾶς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι σπουδάζοντες; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ λυποῦν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἀνόνητον τὸν ἡμέτερον ἐπιδείκνυσθε κάματον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλέον ἡμῶν καθάπτεται, ὅταν ἐννοήσωμεν ὅτι βαρυτέραν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες ἐργάζονται τὴν κατάκρισιν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ τῶν πόνων τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἀναμένομεν παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου· τὸ γὰρ ἡμέτερον ἅπαν πεποιήκαμεν, καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον κατεβάλομεν, καὶ τὸ τάλαντον τὸ ἐμπιστευθὲν ἡμῖν διενείμαμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡκόντων παραλελοίπαμεν· οἱ δὲ τὰ ἀργύρια δεξάμενοι ταῦτα τὰ πνευματικὰ, ποίαν ἕξουσιν, εἰπέ μοι, ἀπολογίαν, ποίαν δὲ συγγνώμην, ὅταν μὴ μόνον αὐτὰ ἀπαιτῶνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τούτων ἐργασίαν; ποίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄψονται τὸν κριτήν; πῶς οἴσουσι τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην τὴν φοβερὰν, τὰ κολαστήρια τὰ ἀφόρητα; Μὴ γὰρ εἰς ἄγνοιαν ἔχουσι καταφυγεῖν; Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐνηχοῦμεν, παραινοῦμεν, προτρεπόμεθα, δεικνύομεν τῆς ἀπάτης τὸν ὄλεθρον, τῆς βλάβης τὸ μέγεθος, τῆς σατανικῆς πανηγύρεως τὸν δόλον, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω καθικέσθαι ἠδυνήθημεν. Καὶ τί λέγω τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην τὴν φοβεράν; Τέως τὰ ἐν48.1046 ταῦθα γυμνάσωμεν. Πῶς, εἰπέ μοι, οἱ τῆς σατανικῆς ἐκείνης μετασχόντες θεωρίας δυνήσονται μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐνταῦθα παραγενέσθαι, τὸ συνειδὸς ἔχοντες κατεξανιστάμενον καὶ καταβοῶν μεγάλα; Ἢ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν οὗτοι τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος τοῦ διδασκάλου τῆς οἰκουμένης, Τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος, ἢ τίς μερὶς πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου; Πόσης γὰρ οὐκ ἂν εἴη καταγνώσεως ἄξιον, ὅταν ὁ πιστὸς καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα τελουμένων καὶ εὐχῶν καὶ φρικτῶν μυστηρίων καὶ πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύων, μετὰ τὴν ἐνταῦθα τελετὴν ἀπελθὼν καθέζηται εἰς τὴν σατανικὴν ἐκείνην θεωρίαν μετὰ τοῦ ἀπίστου, μετὰ τοῦ ἐν τῷ σκότει τῆς ἀσεβείας πλανωμένου, ὁ τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡλίου καταυγασθείς; Πῶς, εἰπέ μοι, λοιπὸν ἐπιστομίσαι δυνησόμεθα ἢ Ἕλληνας ἢ Ἰουδαίους; πῶς δὲ ἐναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἰσχύσομεν, καὶ πείσομεν μετατάξασθαι εἰς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὅταν ὁρῶσι τοὺς μεθ' ἡμῶν τεταγμένους εἰς τὰ ὀλέθρια ἐκεῖνα καὶ πάσης λύμης γέμοντα θέατρα συμφυρομένους αὐτοῖς; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, μετὰ τὸ παραγενέσθαι ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἐκκαθᾶραι τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς νῆψιν ἀγαγεῖν καὶ κατάνυξιν, πάλιν ἀπελθὼν ἐκεῖ καταῤῥυπαίνεις ἑαυτόν; Ἢ οὐκ ἀκούεις σοφοῦ τινος λέγοντος· Εἷς οἰκοδομῶν καὶ εἷς καθαιρῶν τί ὠφέλησαν πλέον ἢ κόπους; Ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν γίνεται. Ὅταν γὰρ τὰ ἐνταῦθα ὑφ' ἡμῶν οἰκοδομηθέντα διὰ