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scattered from one another, they graze. But since after the captivity it is likely that many places would be desolate (because the inhabitants were led away by the enemy), for this reason he says: And lambs will eat the desolate places of those who have been taken away. For, as it were, according to the historical account, those who were displaced from Judea during the expedition of Nebuchadnezzar, having been taken away to Babylonia, were held captive. Therefore, the land belonging to those taken away and held by the necessity of war, having become pasture for sheep because of its great desolation, lambs (he says) will graze upon it, because it bears no remnant of its former habitation, but from the desolation of men brings forth deep and tender grass. But perhaps the word also hints prophetically that when those who transgressed the divine commandments were cast out of their former way of life among the holy things, we (who by their transgression were appointed to be saved), being called certain lambs on account of our new birth into the faith, graze upon the places of those who have been taken away, enjoying the spiritual and rational food of the oracles of God, as if it were some tender grass. And the Lord also called those newly born in the faith lambs, in saying to Peter. Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Feed my lambs. 5.170 Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke, who say, Let what he will do approach with speed, that we may see; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know. Those who sin construct for themselves bonds and ropes by which we are bound, according to the proportion of the multitude or magnitude of their sins, weaving for themselves greater or smaller bonds for their souls, by which according to Jeremiah we have become captives. Therefore, those who are held by the mind of the flesh, these are seized by earthly bonds, by which, after the just decision of the judge, those condemned are bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness; of the hands, because of their practice, and of the feet, because of their path. For in truth, each is bound fast by the chains of his own sins, so that each of the members that committed the sin is punished and bound fast by its own particular bond. Woe, therefore (he says), to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, that is, those who string together second and third and successive impieties and iniquities and intemperances with their first offense. For it was necessary for those who have been overtaken in their sins, instead of heaping up and adding other evils to the bad, immediately from the first entanglement of evils to undo their own sins. For it is impossible for human nature not to sin, because there is no righteous man on the earth who will do good and will not sin; but it is possible (after sinning through rashness or being carried away by him who plots against us) to change immediately and repent and not to heap up evils upon evils. For just as those who weave ropes, when what is being spun is about to be used up, insert another piece, lengthening it and increasing it, so also are those who go deep into evils: before the first sin is completed, they begin a second, and to that one again they attach another. And so their whole life, proceeding through sins, is like a certain long woven rope, having what preceded bound together, and what is always present joined in the likeness of that which goes before. For this reason, Woe (he says) to those who draw their sins as with a long rope. Let us also understand what is said from an example. Let there be someone impassioned concerning the sin of licentiousness; consider through how many intermediate things he draws upon himself the sin of debauchery: first, fashioning his own body in such a way, cutting his hair in such a way, putting on his clothing in such a way, and not just any clothing, but clothing contrived for adornment, displaying the elaborateness of his love of finery for himself down to his belt, down to his footwear. Then procuring money, so that through it

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διεσπασμένοι ἀπ' ἀλλήλων νέμονται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν πολλὰ εἰκὸς ἐρημοῦσθαι (τῷ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀπῆχθαι τοὺς οἰκήτορας) διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους τῶν ἀπειλημμένων ἄρνες φάγονται. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ, κατὰ ἱστορίαν, ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἀποληφ θέντες κατείχοντο οἱ ἀνάστατοι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐπιστρατείαν γενόμενοι. Τὴν οὖν χώ ραν τὴν διαφέρουσαν τοῖς ἀπειλημμένοις καὶ κατεχομένοις ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πολέμου ἀνάγκης μηλόβοτον ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἐρη μίας γενομένην, ἄρνες (φησὶν) ἐπινεμήσονται, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν λείψανον παλαιᾶς οἰκήσεως φέρειν, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖαν καὶ ἁπαλὴν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐρημίας τὴν πόαν ἐκτρέφειν. Τάχα δὲ καὶ προφητικῶς ὁ λόγος αἰνίσσεται, ὅτι τῶν παραβε βηκότων τὰ θεῖα προστάγματα ἐκβληθέντων τῆς παλαιᾶς αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις διαγωγῆς, ἡμεῖς (οἱ τῷ παραπτώματι αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι οἰκονομηθέντες) ἄρνες τινὲς διὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν πίστιν ἀρτιγενὲς ὀνομαζόμενοι τοῖς τῶν ἀπειλημ μένων τόποις ἐπινεμόμεθα, τῆς πνευματικῆς καὶ λογικῆς τροφῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἷόν τινος πόας ἁπαλῆς ἀπο λαύοντες. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ τοὺς ἀρτιγενεῖς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ἄρνας προσηγόρευσεν, ἐν τῷ λέγειν Πέτρῳ. Σίμων Βὰρ Ἰῶνα, φιλεῖς με; Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. 5.170 Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ καὶ ὡς ζυγοῦ ἱμάντι δαμάλεως τὰς ἀνομίας, οἱ λέγοντες τὸ τάχος ἐγγισάτω ἃ ποιήσει, ἵνα ἴδωμεν· καὶ ἐλθέτω ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ, ἵνα γνῶμεν. Οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες δεσμοὺς ἑαυτοῖς καὶ σχοινία, οἷς δεδέμεθα κατασκευάζομεν, κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τοῦ πλήθους ἢ μεγέ θους τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἢ μείζονα ἢ μικρότερα ἑαυτοῖς τῶν ψυχῶν τὰ δεσμὰ πλέκοντες, ὑφ' ὧν κατὰ τὸν Ἱερεμίαν δέσμιοι ἐγενόμεθα. Οἱ οὖν κεκρατημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ φρονή ματος τῆς σαρκὸς, οὗτοι γηΐνοις δεσμοῖς εἰσι κατειλημμέ νοι, ὑφ' ὧν, μετὰ τὴν δικαίαν τοῦ κριτοῦ ἀπόφασιν, δε θέντες χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν, οἱ καταδικασθέντες ἐκβάλλονται εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· χειρῶν μὲν, διὰ τὸ πρακτικὸν, ποδῶν δὲ, διὰ τὸ πορευτικόν. Σειραῖς γὰρ, τῷ ὄντι, τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται, ὥστε ἕκαστον τῶν ἐνερ γησάντων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μελῶν ἰδίῳ τινὶ δεσμῷ κολαζόμενον κατασφίγγεσθαι. Οὐαὶ οὖν (φησὶν) οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ, τουτέστιν οἱ συνείροντες τῷ προτέρῳ πταίσματι δεύτερα καὶ τρίτα καὶ καθεξῆς ἀσεβήματα καὶ ἀδικήματα καὶ ἀκολαστήματα. Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς προληφθέντας ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ἀντὶ τοῦ σωρεύειν καὶ ἐπισυνάπτειν τοῖς κακοῖς ἕτερα, εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης τῶν κακῶν πλοκῆς καταλύειν ἑαυτῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν ἀμήχανον, διότι οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὡς ποιήσει ἀγαθὸν, καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται· δυνατὸν δὲ (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁμαρτεῖν κατὰ προπέτειαν ἢ συναρπαγὴν τοῦ ἐπιβουλεύοντος ἡμῖν) εὐθὺς μεταβαλλομένους μετανοεῖν καὶ μὴ ἐπισωρεύειν κακὰ κακοῖς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰς σχοίνους πλέκοντες, δαπανᾶσθαι λοιπὸν μέλλοντος τοῦ συγκλωθομένου, ἕτερον παρεμβάλλουσι, μηκύ νοντες αὐτὸ καὶ παραύξοντες, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῖς κακοῖς ἐμ βαθύνοντες· πρὶν τὴν προτέραν ἁμαρτίαν συντελεσθῆναι, δευτέρας ἄρχονται, κἀκείνῃ πάλιν ἐπισυνάπτουσιν ἑτέραν. Καὶ οὕτως ὅλος αὐτοῖς ὁ βίος δι' ἁμαρτιῶν προϊὼν, πλεκο μένῳ τινὶ ἔοικε σχοινίῳ μακρῷ, καὶ τὸ προλαβὸν συνδεδε μένον ἔχων, καὶ τὸ ἀεὶ παρὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ προάγοντος ὁμοι ότητα συναπτόμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, Οὐαὶ (φησὶν) οἱ ἐπισπώ μενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ. Νοήσωμεν καὶ ἀπὸ παραδείγματος τὸ λεγόμενον. Ἔστω τις περὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῆς ἀκολασίας ἐπτερωμένος· σκόπει διὰ πόσων ἑαυτῷ τῶν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπισπᾶται τῆς ἀσελγείας· πρῶτον μὲν τὸ σῶμα ἑαυτοῦ τοιῶσδε σχηματί ζων, περικειρόμενος μὲν τοιῶσδε τὰς τρίχας, περιβαλλόμε νος δὲ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τοιῶσδε, καὶ ταύτην οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς καλλωπισμὸν ἐπιτετηδευμένην, μέχρι ζώνης, μέχρι ὑποδημάτων τὸ περίεργον τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν φιλοκαλίας ἐπι δεικνύμενος. Εἶτα χρήματα συμπορίζων, ὥστε δι' αὐτῶν