67

and invincible for the future. So that God is at once judge, and physician, and teacher; for as a judge He examines, and as a physician He corrects, and as a teacher He instructs those who have sinned, leading them to all philosophy. If a single, mere, and brief word has shown so much of God's care, what if we were to read to you this whole trial, and unfold the entire records? Do you see how all Scripture is exhortation and comfort? But we will speak of these things at the proper time; but before these things it is necessary to say when this book was given; for it was not written in the beginning, nor immediately after Adam came into being, but many generations later; and it is worth investigating for what reason after many generations later, and why to the Jews only, and not to all men, and why in the Hebrew tongue, and for what reason in the desert of Sinai? For not even the Apostle simply passes over the place; but from this he shows us a great contemplation, saying thus: For these are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, which bears children for slavery.

5. And it is necessary to investigate other things more than these; but I see that the time does not permit us to launch our discourse into such a sea; therefore, having reserved these things for the proper time, we will speak to you again about release from oaths, and we will exhort your love to use great diligence concerning this matter. For how is it not absurd for a servant not to dare to call his master by name, nor simply and casually; but to carry about everywhere the Master of angels simply and with great contempt? And if you must take hold of a Gospel, having washed your hands, with great reverence and piety you hold it, trembling and fearing; but the Master of the Gospel you carry about simply on your tongue everywhere? Do you wish to learn how the powers above call upon Him, with how much trembling, with how much awe, with how much wonder? I saw the Lord sitting, he says, upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the Seraphim stood round about him, and they cried 49.97 one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of His glory. Do you see with how much fear, with how much trembling they call, glorifying and hymning? But you, in prayers and supplications, call upon Him with great indifference, when you ought to tremble, and be watchful, and be sober; but in oaths, when it was not right to bring forth this wondrous name at all, you string together various and successive oaths. And what pardon, what defense will there be for us, even if we put forward custom ten thousand times? A certain one of the pagan orators is said, through some irrational habit, to move his right shoulder continuously while walking, but nevertheless he overcame the habit, and having sharpened knives on both sides, he placed them on his shoulders, so that by the fear of being cut he might discipline the limb that moved unseasonably; this you also do for your tongue, and instead of a knife, place upon it the fear of God's punishment, and you will surely overcome. For it is impossible, impossible, for those who are anxious and diligent and make this their work ever to be defeated. You praise now what has been said, but when you succeed, you will praise more greatly, not only us, but also yourselves, and with greater pleasure you will hear 49.98 what is said, and with a clean conscience you will call upon God, who so spares you as to say: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head; but you so despise Him as to swear even by His glory. And what shall I do, he says, with those who compel me? What compulsion, O man? Let all learn that you will choose to suffer anything rather than transgress the law of God, and they will desist from the compulsion. For it is not an oath that makes one trustworthy, but the testimony of one's life and the exactness of one's conduct, and a good reputation; many have often burst themselves with swearing, and persuaded no one, while others, by merely nodding, have appeared more trustworthy than those who had sworn so much. Knowing all these things, therefore, and what is laid up for both those who swear and those who swear falsely

67

καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀχείρωτον. Ὥστε ὁμοῦ καὶ δικαστὴς, καὶ ἰατρὸς, καὶ διδάσκαλός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· καὶ γὰρ ὡς δικαστὴς ἐξετάζει, καὶ ὡς ἰατρὸς διορθοῦται, καὶ ὡς διδάσκαλος παιδεύει τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας εἰς πᾶσαν ἐνάγων φιλοσοφίαν. Εἰ δὲ ἓν ῥῆμα ψιλὸν καὶ βραχὺ τοσαύτην ἐνεδείξατο τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν, τί εἰ πᾶσαν ταύτην ἀναγνῶμεν ὑμῖν τὴν δίκην, καὶ ὁλόκληρα ἀναπτύξωμεν τὰ ὑπομνήματα; Ὁρᾷς πῶς πᾶσα Γραφὴ παράκλησίς ἐστι καὶ παραμυθία; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν ἐροῦμεν· πρὸ δὲ τούτων ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, πότε τὸ βιβλίον ἐδόθη τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐν ἀρχῇ, οὐδὲ εὐθέως τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γενομένου ταῦτα ἐγράφετο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλὰς ὕστερον γενεάς· καὶ ἄξιον ζητῆσαι τίνος ἕνεκεν μετὰ πολλὰς ὕστερον γενεὰς, καὶ τί δήποτε Ἰουδαίοις μόνον, καὶ οὐχὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, καὶ τί δήποτε τῇ Ἑβραΐδι γλώσσῃ, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου Σινᾶ; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν τόπον ἁπλῶς ὁ Ἀπόστολος παρατρέχει· ἀλλὰ κἀντεῦθεν μεγάλην ἡμῖν παραδείκνυσι θεωρίαν, οὕτω λέγων· Αὗται γάρ εἰσι δύο διαθῆκαι, μία μὲν ἀπὸ ὄρους Σινᾶ εἰς δουλείαν γεννῶσα.

εʹ. Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ πλείω τούτων ἀναγκαῖον ζητῆσαι· ἀλλ' ὁρῶ τὸν καιρὸν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἐπιτρέποντα πρὸς τοιοῦτον ἀφεῖναι τὸν λόγον πέλαγος· διόπερ ταῦτα τῷ προσήκοντι καιρῷ ταμιευσάμενοι, πάλιν περὶ τῆς τῶν ὅρκων ἀπαλλαγῆς ὑμῖν διαλεξόμεθα, καὶ παρακαλέσομεν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην πολλῇ περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο χρήσασθαι τῇ σπουδῇ. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον οἰκέτην μὲν μὴ τολμᾷν ἐξ ὀνόματος τὸν δεσπότην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καλεῖν, μηδὲ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε· τὸν δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότην ἁπλῶς καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς καταφρονήσεως πανταχοῦ περιφέρειν; κἂν μὲν Εὐαγγέλιον κατασχεῖν δέῃ, τὰς χεῖρας ἀπονιψάμενος, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς αἰδοῦς καὶ τῆς εὐλαβείας φρίττων καὶ δεδοικὼς κατέχεις· τὸν δὲ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ∆εσπότην ἁπλῶς ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης πανταχοῦ περιφέρεις; Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς αὐτὸν καλοῦσιν αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις, μεθ' ὅσης φρίκης, μεθ' ὅσης ἐκπλήξεως, μεθ' ὅσου θαύματος; Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον, φησὶν, ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου, καὶ τὰ Σεραφὶμ εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκέκραγον 49.97 ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος σαβαώθ· πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ. Εἶδες μεθ' ὅσου φόβου, μεθ' ὅσης φρίκης καλοῦσι δοξολογοῦσαι καὶ ὑμνοῦσαι; Σὺ δὲ ἐν εὐχαῖς μὲν καὶ ἱκετηρίαις μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸν καλεῖς τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, ὅτε φρίττειν ἔδει, καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι, καὶ νήφειν· ἐν ὅρκοις δὲ ὅτε οὐδ' ὅλως τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο ὄνομα παράγειν ἐχρῆν, ποικίλους τινὰς καὶ ἐπαλλήλους ὅρκους συνείρεις. Καὶ ποία συγγνώμη, τίς δὲ ἡμῖν ἔσται ἀπολογία, κἂν μυριάκις συνήθειαν προβαλλώμεθα; Λέγεταί τις τῶν ἔξωθεν ῥητόρων ὑπό τινος συνηθείας ἀλόγου τὸν δεξιὸν συνεχῶς ὦμον κινεῖν βαδίζων, ἀλλ' ὅμως περιεγένετο τῆς συνηθείας, καὶ μαχαίρας ἀκονήσας ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπέθηκε τοῖς ὤμοις, ὥστε τῷ φόβῳ τῆς τομῆς σωφρονίσαι τὸ μέλος ἀκαίρως κινούμενον· τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίησον ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης, καὶ ἀντὶ μαχαίρας ἐπίθες αὐτῇ τὸν φόβον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάσεως, καὶ περιέσῃ πάντως. Ἀμήχανον γὰρ, ἀμήχανον μεριμνῶντας καὶ σπουδάζοντας καὶ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιουμένους ἡττηθῆναί ποτε. Ἐπαινεῖτε νῦν τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλ' ὅταν κατορθώσητε, μειζόνως ἐπαινέσεσθε, οὐχ ἡμᾶς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ἡδονῆς ἀκούσεσθε 49.98 τῶν λεγομένων, καὶ μετὰ καθαροῦ τοῦ συνειδότος καλέσετε τὸν Θεὸν, ὃς οὕτω σου φείδεται, ὡς εἰπεῖν· Μηδὲ κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς σου ὀμόσῃς· σὺ δὲ οὕτως αὐτοῦ καταφρονεῖς, ὡς καὶ κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ δόξης ὀμνύναι. Καὶ τί πάθω, φησὶ, πρὸς τοὺς ἀνάγκην ἐπάγοντας; Ποίαν ἀνάγκην, ἄνθρωπε; Μαθέτωσαν ἅπαντες, ὅτι πάντα αἱρέσῃ παθεῖν, ἢ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραβῆναι νόμον, καὶ ἀποστήσονται τῆς ἀνάγκης. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐχ ὅρκον ἀξιόπιστον ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ βίου μαρτυρία καὶ πολιτείας ἀκρίβεια, καὶ ὑπόληψις ἀγαθὴ, πολλοὶ πολλάκις διεῤῥάγησαν ὀμνύντες, καὶ οὐδένα ἔπεισαν, ἕτεροι δὲ ἐπινεύσαντες μόνον, ἀξιοπιστότεροι τῶν τοσαῦτα ὀμωμοκότων ἐφάνησαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες ἅπαντα, καὶ τὴν κειμένην τοῖς τε ὀμνύουσι τοῖς τε ἐπιορκοῦσι