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of the saints, let him be anathema"5? For it is clear, unless we are drunk, that the proclamation was made because some were objecting to receiving it. But what other matter was the objection about, if not the adulterous union? Therefore, surely on account of this was the anathema, as it was in accordance with the economies of the saints. And if it is on par with them, the economies of the saints are unlawful; but if the saints are not unlawful, which is true, they themselves were anathematized for not accepting the adulterous union, even if they use sophistical arts to show the obvious to be obscure. But it is impossible for what has happened to be hidden.

But that the commandments of the gospel are unchangeable, hear Basil the Great crying out: "Perhaps the Lord wished to strengthen my soul and make it more vigilant for what is to come, so as not to pay attention to men, but to be perfected through the evangelical commandments; which are not changed with the times or circumstances of human affairs, but they themselves remain, just as they were brought forth from the unfailing and blessed mouth, so they endure forever." But those who, on the contrary, preached the adulterous union as a saving economy, what else have they declared but that the commandments of God are changeable, sometimes being changed, and sometimes not being changed but operating unchangeably, but at certain times and in human circumstances, just as they themselves said concerning rulers, being changed and not being counted as lawlessness, but indeed also having such force, that those who do not accept them, that is, the transgressions which (as they say) are economies of the saints, are anathematized by the church?

Therefore, nothing else is gathered from this than that God is changeable and alterable, the speaker being likened to his own word, and the gospel indefinite both for salvation and for destruction. For is there economy for all men and for the transgression of every commandment, or only for some and in certain cases? And what is the allotment for it to be for some and in certain cases, but for others and in certain cases not at all? And by whom, pray, and by how many is economy to be exercised? By hierarchs alone or also by priests? Synodically or also each one individually? And if for emperors alone, is it for adultery alone or for every transgression? And how do the commandments of God give way for emperors? Or in every way as his kingdom has an end, because not even the law of an emperor gives way, unless another emperor succeeds him?

But indeed this too must be questioned: Since the divine apostle says, "Husbands, love your own wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." How then, having now accepted adultery and adulterous union, and in the surrounding times other things on a par with them, could she remain without spot and without wrinkle, but not rather befouled (which I shudder to say), let the present evangelists distinguish for us. For having accepted these things, they call themselves the church of God, having judged as opposed to it those who do not accept them. But truly according to the prophet, "the fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will understand vain things, to accomplish lawless things and to speak error against God."

This, therefore, is a most grievous heresy, and it is possible here to say what the most blessed apostle said: "I marvel that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." But contrary to what not the apostle, but Christ himself, evangelized, the adulterous synod evangelized the adulterous union, from which comes adultery, and the leading astray in many ways toward those committing adultery as a saving economy; and this it evangelizes at every turn in deed and in word, even if it deceitfully pretends to subside, so that after the hunt for the deceived

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ἁγίων ἀνάθεμα ἔστω"5; δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐνισταμένων τινῶν μὴ δέχεσθαι ἡ ἐκφώνησις, εἰ μὴ μεθύομεν. περὶ ποίας δὲ ὑποθέσεως ἄλλης ἡ ἔνστασις ἢ τῆς μοιχοζευξίας; οὐκοῦν ἀσφαλῶς αὐτῆς ἕνεκα ὁ ἀναθεματισμὸς ὡς οὔσης κατὰ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων οἰκονομίας. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐφάμιλλος αὐταῖς, αἱ τῶν ἁγίων οἰκονομίαι παράνομοι· εἰ δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ παράνομοι, ὅπερ ἀληθές, αὐτοὶ ἀνεθεματίσθησαν μὴ προσιέμενοι τὴν μοιχοζευξίαν, κἂν τέχναις σοφίζωνται τὰ ἐναργῆ ἀφανῆ δεικνύειν. ἀλλ' ἀμήχανον κρυβῆναι τὸ γεγονός. Ὅτι δὲ ἀμετάβλητοι αἱ ἐντολαὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἄκουε τοῦ Μεγάλου Βασιλείου βοῶντος· τάχα τονῶσαί μου τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ νηπτικωτέραν πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς καταστῆσαι ὁ Κύριος ἠβουλήθη, ὡς μὴ προσέχειν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ἐντολῶν καταρτίζεσθαι· αἳ οὔτε καιροῖς οὔτε περιστάσεσιν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων συμμεταβάλλονται, ἀλλ' αὐταὶ διαμένουσιν, ὡς προήχθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς καὶ μακαρίου στόματος οὕτω διαιωνίζουσαι. οἱ δὲ δι' ἐναντίας κηρύξαντες τὴν μοιχοζευξίαν οἰκονομίαν σωτήριον τί ἄλλο ἢ τρεπτὰς τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεφήναντο, πῇ μὲν μεταβαλλομένας, πῇ δὲ οὐ μεταβαλλομένας ἀλλ' ἐνεργούσας ἀτρέπτως, καιροῖς δέ τισι καὶ περιστάσεσιν ἀνθρωπίναις, ὥσπερ ἔφασαν αὐτοὶ περὶ τῶν κρατούντων, μεταβαλλομένας καὶ μὴ εἰς ἀνομίαν λογιζομένας, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοσοῦτον ἰσχὺν ἐχούσας, ὡς καὶ τοὺς μὴ προσιεμένους αὐτάς, ἤγουν τὰς παραβάσεις τὰς (ὥς φασιν) οἰκονομίας ἁγίων, ἀναθεματισμένους παρὰ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ εἶναι; Συνῆκται οὖν ἐντεῦθεν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τὸ τὸν θεὸν τρεπτὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀλλοιωτόν, ὁμοιουμένου τοῦ λέγοντος τῷ οἰκείῳ λόγῳ, τό τε εὐαγγέλιον ἀόριστον πρός τε σωτηρίαν καὶ ἀπώλειαν. ἆρα γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης ἐντολῆς παραβάσεως οἰκονομία ἢ ἔν τισι καί τινι; καὶ τίς ἡ ἀποκλήρωσις τοῦ ἐπί τισι μὲν καί τινι εἶναι, ἐπὶ δέ τισι καί τινι οὐδαμῶς; καὶ πρὸς τίνων ἆρα καὶ παρὰ πόσων τὸ οἰκονομεῖν; παρὰ ἱεραρχῶν μόνων ἢ καὶ ἱερέων; συνοδικῶς ἢ καὶ ἰδικῶς ἕκαστον; καὶ εἰ ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων μόνων, ἐπὶ τῆς μοιχείας μόνης ἢ καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστης παρανομίας; καὶ πῶς ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων ὑποχωροῦσιν αἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντολαί; ἢ πάντως ὡς τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τέλος ἐχούσης, ὅτι μηδὲ βασιλέως ὑποχωρεῖ νόμος, μὴ ἑτέρου βασιλέως αὐτὸν διαδεχομένου; ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀπορητέον· ἐπειδή φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι, ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλ' ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος. πῶς ἆρα νῦν μὲν τὴν μοιχείαν καὶ μοιχοζευξίαν προσηκαμένη, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πέριξ χρόνοις ἑτέρας ἐφαμίλλους, διαμείνοιεν ἂν ἄσπιλός τε καὶ ἀρρύτιδος, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ βεβορβορωμένη (ὃ καὶ φρίττω λέγων), διακρινέτωσαν ἡμῖν οἱ νῦν εὐαγγελισταί· ἑαυτοὺς γὰρ ταύτας προσηκάμενοι ἐκκλησίαν θεοῦ ὀνομάζουσιν, ἀντιθέτους αὐτῇ τοὺς μὴ προσιεμένους αὐτὰς διακρίναντες. ἀλλ' ὄντως κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ὁ μωρὸς μωρὰ λαλήσει καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ μάταια νοήσει, τοῦ συντελεῖν ἄνομα καὶ λαλεῖν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν πλάνησιν. Χαλεπωτάτη οὖν αἵρεσις αὕτη, καὶ τὸ τοῦ μακαριωτάτου ἀποστόλου ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα λέγειν· θαυμάζω ὅτι οὕτως ταχέως μετατίθεσθε ἀπὸ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑμᾶς ἐν χάριτι Χριστοῦ εἰς ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον· ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο, εἰ μή τινές εἰσιν οἱ ταράσσοντες ὑμᾶς καὶ θέλοντες μεταστρέψαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ὑμῖν εὐαγγελίζηται παρ' ὃ εὐηγγελισάμεθα ὑμῖν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. παρ' ὃ δὲ εὐηγγελίσατο οὐχ ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός, εὐηγγελίσατο ἡ μοιχοσύνοδος τὴν μοιχοζευξίαν, ἐξ ἧς ἡ μοιχεία, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς μοιχωμένους πολυτρόπως ἀπαγωγὴν οἰκονομίαν σωτήριον· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν εὐαγγελιζομένη ἑκάστοτε ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ, κἂν προσποιῆται δολερῶς ὑπολωφεῖν, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν θήραν τῶν ἀπατηθέντων