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And yet, not dying, but enduring this only by intention. So you too, if you reject the incantations and the sorceries and the charms, and die from the disease, you are a perfected martyr, because when others promised a deliverance with impiety, you chose death with piety instead. And these things have been said by us to those who boast and say that demons heal; but that you may learn that not even this is true, hear what Christ says about the devil: He was a murderer from the beginning. God says, "a murderer," and you run to him as to a physician? And what defense will you have to offer when you are accused, tell me, thinking the sorceries of these men to be more trustworthy than the declaration of Christ? For when God says that he is a murderer, but these men say that he is able to cure diseases, contrary to the divine decree, and you accept the charms of these men and their incantations, you consider them to be more trustworthy than Him by what you do, even if you do not say this with your words. But if the devil is a murderer, it is clear that the demons who serve him are also. And Christ taught you this through his very works; for when he allowed them to enter into the herd of swine, they drowned that entire herd over the cliff, so that you may learn that they would have done these things to men also, and would have drowned them immediately, if God had permitted them. But as it is, He Himself restrained and prevented them, and did not permit them to do any such thing; and this they showed when they received power over the swine. For if they did not spare swine, much more would they not have refrained from us. Therefore, beloved, do not be led astray by their deceits, but be established in the fear of God. And how will you enter into the synagogue? If you seal your face, the evil power that inhabits the synagogue has immediately leaped away; but if you do not seal it, right from the doors you have thrown down your weapon; then the devil, having taken you naked and unarmed, will inflict countless terrible things. And why must these things be said by us? For that you yourself also consider it to be a very great sin to run to that evil place, is clear from the manner of your arrival. For indeed you are eager to escape notice when you arrive there, and you exhort servants and friends and neighbors, not to inform against you to the priests, and if anyone slanders you, you are indignant. Of how great folly, then, would it not be, to try to hide from men, 48.941 but while God is watching, who is present everywhere, shamelessly to dare this transgression? But do you not fear God? Therefore at least be ashamed before the Jews themselves. For with what eyes will you look at them? And with what mouth will you speak, while confessing to be a Christian, yet running to their synagogues, and needing help from them? Do you not consider how much laughter they pour upon you, how many jests, how much mockery, how much shame, how much reproach, even if not openly, but in their own conscience? 9. Are these things, then, tell me, bearable or tolerable? For if it were necessary to die a myriad deaths, if it were necessary to suffer incurable things, would it not have been much better to endure all difficult things, than to become the laughter and mockery of those abominable people, and to live with an evil conscience? I say these things, not so that you yourselves alone may hear, but so that you may heal those who are sick with such things. For just as we blame them, because they are weak in the faith, so we blame you, because you are not willing to correct those who are weak. For is this the thing sought, beloved, that coming in here you might hear the things being said? Indeed, this is also a judgment, when a deed is not also added to the hearing of the words. For this reason you are a Christian, that you may imitate Christ, and obey His laws. What then did He do? He did not sit in Jerusalem and call the sick to himself, but he went about cities and villages, healing the sickness of both, that of the body, and that of the soul. And yet he was able, while sitting in one place, to draw all to himself; but he did not do this, giving us an example to go about and seek the

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καίτοι οὐκ ἀποθνήσκων, ἀλλὰ τῇ προθέσει μόνον ὑπομένων τοῦτο. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ, ἂν διακρούσῃ τὰς ἐπῳδὰς καὶ τὰς φαρμακείας καὶ τὰς μαγγανείας, καὶ ἀποθάνῃς τῇ νόσῳ, μάρτυς ἀπηρτισμένος εἶ, ὅτι ἀπαλλαγὴν μετὰ ἀσεβείας ἐπαγγελλομένων ἑτέρων εἵλου θάνατον μετ' εὐσεβείας μᾶλλον. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν εἴρηται πρὸς τοὺς κομπάζοντας καὶ λέγοντας, ὅτι θεραπεύουσι δαίμονες· ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Χριστὸς περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου· Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Ὁ Θεὸς λέγει, ἀνθρωποκτόνος, καὶ σὺ ὡς πρὸς ἰατρὸν τρέχεις; Καὶ τίνα ἕξεις λόγον εἰπεῖν ἐγκαλούμενος, εἰπέ μοι, τῆς ἀποφάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰς γοητείας τούτων ἀξιοπιστοτέρας εἶναι νομίζων; Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ μὲν Θεὸς λέγῃ, ὅτι ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστὶν, οὗτοι δὲ ὅτι νοσήματα δύναται λύειν λέγωσιν, ἀπεναντίας τῇ θείᾳ ψήφῳ, σὺ δὲ καταδέχῃ τὰς μαγγανείας τούτων καὶ τὰς ἐπῳδὰς, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀλλ' ἢ τούτους ἀξιοπιστοτέρους ἐκείνου νομίζεις εἶναι δι' ὧν ποιεῖς, κἂν μὴ λέγῃς τοῦτο τοῖς ῥήμασιν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἀνθρωποκτόνος, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ οἱ διακονοῦντες αὐτῷ δαίμονες. Καὶ τοῦτό σε δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἐπαίδευσεν ὁ Χριστός· ὅτε γοῦν αὐτοὺς ἀφῆκεν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων, κατεπόντισαν εἰς τὸν κρημνὸν ἅπασαν τὴν ἀγέλην ἐκείνην, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ταῦτα ἂν εἰργάσαντο, καὶ ἀπέπνιξαν εὐθέως, εἰ συνεχώρησεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός. Νυνὶ δὲ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς κατεῖχε καὶ ἐκώλυσε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἠφίει τοιοῦτον ἐργάσασθαι· καὶ τοῦτο ἐξουσίαν λαβόντες κατὰ τῶν χοίρων ἐδήλωσαν. Εἰ γὰρ χοίρων οὐκ ἐφείσαντο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἂν ἀπέσχοντο. Μὴ τοίνυν, ἀγαπητὲ, ταῖς ἐκείνων ἀπάταις παρασύρου, ἀλλ' ἔσο ἐστηριγμένος ἐν τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πῶς δὲ καὶ εἰσελεύσῃ εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν; Ἂν μὲν σφραγίσῃς τὸ πρόσωπον, εὐθέως ἀπεπήδησεν ἡ πονηρὰ δύναμις ἡ τὴν συναγωγὴν οἰκοῦσα· ἂν δὲ μὴ σφραγίσῃς, ἀπὸ τῶν θυρῶν εὐθέως τὸ ὅπλον ἔῤῥιψας· εἶτα γυμνὸν καὶ ἄοπλόν σε λαβὼν ὁ διάβολος, μυρία διαθήσει δεινά. Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγεσθαι ταῦτα παρ' ἡμῶν; Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺ μεγίστην ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι νομίζεις τὸ δραμεῖν εἰς τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο χωρίον, δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς ἀφίξεως. Καὶ γὰρ λαθεῖν σπουδάζεις ἀφικνούμενος ἐκεῖσε, καὶ οἰκέταις καὶ φίλοις καὶ γείτοσι παρακελεύῃ, μὴ κατειπεῖν σου πρὸς τοὺς ἱερέας, κἂν διαβάλῃ τις, ἀγανακτεῖς. Πόσης οὖν οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἀνοίας, ἀνθρώπους πειρᾶσθαι λανθάνειν, 48.941 τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ ὁρῶντος, τοῦ πανταχοῦ παρόντος, ἀναισχύντως τὴν παρανομίαν ταύτην τολμᾷν; Ἀλλ' οὐ δέδοικας τὸν Θεόν; Οὐκοῦν κἂν αὐτοὺς αἰδέσθητι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Ποίοις γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄψει; καὶ ποίῳ διαλέξῃ στόματι, Χριστιανὸς μὲν εἶναι ὁμολογῶν, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐκείνων τρέχων συναγωγὰς, καὶ τῆς παρ' ἐκείνων δεόμενος βοηθείας; Οὐκ ἐννοεῖς, ὅσον σου καταχέουσι γέλωτα, ὅσα σκώμματα, ὅσην χλευασίαν, ὅσην αἰσχύνην, ὅσον ὄνειδος, εἰ καὶ μὴ φανερῶς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ συνειδὸς τὸ ἑαυτῶν; θʹ. Ταῦτ' οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, φορητὰ ἢ ἀνεκτά; Εἰ γὰρ μυρίους ἀποθανεῖν θανάτους ἔδει, εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἀνήκεστα παθεῖν, οὐ πολλῷ βέλτιον ἦν ἅπαντα ὑπομεῖναι τὰ χαλεπὰ, ἢ τῶν μιαρῶν ἐκείνων γενέσθαι γέλωτα καὶ χλευασίαν, καὶ μετὰ συνειδότος ζῇν πονηροῦ; Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὶ ἀκούητε μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσοῦντας θεραπεύητε. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνοις ἐγκαλοῦμεν, ὅτι ἀσθενοῦσι περὶ τὴν πίστιν, οὕτως ὑμῖν ἐγκαλοῦμεν, ὅτι τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας διορθοῦν οὐ βούλεσθε. Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον, ἀγαπητὲ, ἵνα ἐνταῦθα εἰσιὼν ἀκούσῃς τὰ λεγόμενα; τοῦτο μὲν οὖν καὶ κρῖμά ἐστιν, ὅταν μὴ προσῇ τῇ τῶν λόγων ἀκροάσει καὶ ἔργον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Χριστιανὸς εἶ, ἵνα τὸν Χριστὸν μιμῇ, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου πείθῃ νόμοις. Τί δαὶ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησεν; Οὐκ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις καθήμενος ἐκάλει πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τοὺς ἀῤῥώστους, ἀλλὰ περιῄει πόλεις καὶ κώμας, ἑκατέρων τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν θεραπεύων, καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς. Καίτοι γε ἐδύνατο ἐν ἑνὶ καθήμενος τόπῳ πάντας ἑλκύσαι πρὸς ἑαυτόν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐποίησε τοῦτο, ἡμῖν διδοὺς ὑπόδειγμα εἰς τὸ περιιέναι καὶ ζητεῖν τοὺς