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we wish for good things. For we have not grudged to bring you those things that we have considered to be true and good, but on the contrary we have hastened to make you fellow heirs of the good things which we have considered. For thus it is necessary to speak to the unbelievers. But that we are truly speaking the truth concerning the things we say, you will not be able to know otherwise, unless you first listen with a love for the truth. Therefore for the present, even if the serpent lurking within you, by suggesting evil thoughts and distractions, should wish to lay a thousand snares for you, still you ought, by contending against him all the more in this way, to listen to us continually. For it is necessary for you who have been greatly deceived, sitting together, to know how one must charm him. But otherwise it is impossible. And by 'charm' I mean to oppose his evil counsels with reason, remembering that from the beginning he brought about death for the world by the promise of knowledge. Wherefore the prophet of truth, knowing that the world was greatly deceived and seeing that it was in agreement with wickedness, did not love peace with it, since it was a peace that came from error, because in the end it brings <wrath> upon all those who agree with wickedness. <But knowledge> setting forth instead of error, having cast into those who are sober, as it were a fire, wrath against the one who lay in wait, holding out a word like a sword, he destroys ignorance with knowledge, as if cutting and separating the living from the dead. So then, when wickedness was being conquered by lawful knowledge, war held all things. For for the sake of salvation, an obedient son was separated from a disobedient father, or a father from a child, or a mother from a daughter, or a daughter from a mother, and in short, relatives from relatives and friends from companions. And let no one say: How is this just, for parents to be separated from children and children from parents? It is just indeed. For if, by being with them, besides being of no help to them, they also perished with them, how is it not just for the one who wants to be saved to be separated from the one who does not want to, but wishes both to perish and <to destroy with them>? Besides this, not even those who had understood the better way wished to be separated, but to be with them and help them by the instruction of better things, wherefore the disobedient, not wanting to listen to them, themselves made war on them, separating, persecuting, hating. But those who were suffering these things, pitying them for being ensnared by ignorance, with the teaching of prudence prayed for those who were treating them badly, having learned that ignorance is the cause of sin. For the teacher himself, when he was nailed up, prayed to the Father for the sin to be forgiven for those who were killing him, saying: “Father, forgive them their sins, for they do not know what they are doing.” Therefore, becoming imitators of the teacher, they themselves also, in the things they suffered, prayed for those who were mistreating them, as they had been taught. Thus they were separated not because they hated their parents, since they even made prayers for those who were not their parents but had become their enemies, and they try to love them as they were commanded. But tell me, how do you love your parents? If indeed you are always looking to what is just, I join in prayer with you; but if it is as it happens, no longer; for you are able even on a small pretext to become their enemies. But if you love with knowledge, tell us what “parents” are. You will say: The founders of a family. Why then have you not loved the family of all things, if indeed you have undertaken to do this with a just mind? But still also

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θέλομεν καλῶν. τὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν νομισθέντα ἀληθῆ τε καὶ ἀγαθά, ταῦτα ὑμῖν φέρειν οὐκ ἐφθονέσαμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐσπεύσαμεν συγκληρονόμους ὑμᾶς ποιῆσαι ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἡμεῖς νενομίκαμεν. οὕτω γὰρ χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπί- στους λέγειν. ὅτι δὲ ἀληθεύομεν ὄντως περὶ ὧν λέγομεν, οὐκ ἄλλως δυνήσεσθε εἰδέναι, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον φιλαλήθως ὑπακούσητε. διὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, κἂν τὰ μυρία ὑμᾶς ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐνδομυχῶν ὄφις, κακοὺς ὑποβαλὼν λογισμοὺς καὶ ἀσχολίας, ἐνεδρεύειν θέλῃ, ἀλλ' οὖν γε ὑμεῖς ὀφείλετε ταύτῃ μᾶλλον προσφιλονεικοῦντες αὐτῷ συνεχῶς ἡμῶν ἐπακούειν. δεῖ γὰρ συνεδρεύοντας ὑμᾶς τοὺς σφόδρα ἠπατημένους εἰδέναι πῶς χρὴ ἐπᾴδειν αὐτῷ. ἄλλως δὲ ἀδύ- νατον. ἐπᾴδειν δὲ λέγω τῷ λογισμῷ ἀντιτάσσεσθαι ταῖς κακαῖς αὐτοῦ συμβουλίαις, μεμνημένους ὅτι ὑποσχέσει γνώσεως ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τῷ κόσμῳ θά- νατον ἐξειργάσατο. Ὅθεν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτης πολὺ τὸν κόσμον πεπλανημένον εἰδὼς καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ συνθέμενον ἰδὼν οὐκ ἠγάπησεν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην ὡς ἐκ πλάνης συνοῦσαν, ὅτι εἰς τέλος ἐπιφέρει <τὴν ὀργὴν> πᾶσιν τοῖς πρὸς κακίαν ὁμογνωμονοῦσιν. <ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν> παραθεὶς ἀντὶ πλάνης, τοῖς νήψασιν ὥσπερ πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἐνεδρεύσαντος ὀργήν, μαχαίρᾳ ἐοικότα προτείνας λόγον ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῇ γνώσει, ὥσπερ τέμνων καὶ χωρίζων ζῶντας ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν. τῆς μὲν οὖν κακίας ὑπὸ τῆς νομίμου γνώσεως νικωμένης πόλεμος συνεῖχε τὸ πᾶν. σωτηρίας γὰρ χάριν υἱὸς ὑπείξας ἀπειθοῦς ἐχωρίζετο πατρὸς ἢ καὶ πατὴρ τέκνου ἢ τεκοῦσα θυγατρὸς ἢ θυγάτηρ μητρὸς καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς συγγενεῖς συγγενῶν καὶ φίλοι συνήθων. καὶ μήτις λεγέτω· Πῶς τοῦτο δίκαιον, χωρίζεσθαι γονεῖς τέκνων καὶ τέκνα γονέων; δίκαιον καὶ πάνυ. εἰ γὰρ συνόντες μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖν καὶ συναπώλ- λυντο αὐτοῖς, πῶς οὐ δίκαιον χωρισθῆναι τὸν σσζεσθαι θέλοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ θέλοντος, συναπολέσθαι δὲ καὶ <συναπολέσαι> βουλομένου; πρὸς τούτοις οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ τὸ κρεῖττον νενοηκότες χωρισθῆναι ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ συνεῖναι καὶ ὠφελεῖν αὐτοὺς τῇ τῶν κρειττόνων ὑφηγήσει, ὅθεν οἱ ἀπει- θεῖς ἐπακούειν αὐτῶν μὴ θέλοντες αὐτοὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπολέμουν, χωρίζοντες, διώκοντες, μισοῦντες. οἱ δὲ ταῦτα πάσχοντες, ἐλεῶντες αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας ἐνεδρευομένους, διδασκαλίᾳ φρονήσεως ηὔχοντο ὑπὲρ τῶν τὰ κακὰ αὐτοὺς διατιθεμένων, τὴν ἄγνοιαν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος αἰτίαν εἶναι μεμαθηκότες. αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ διδάσκαλος προσηλωθεὶς ηὔχετο τῷ πατρὶ τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀναι- ροῦσιν ἀφεθῆναι τὸ ἁμάρτημα εἰπών· «Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν ἃ ποιοῦσιν». μιμηταὶ οὖν γινόμενοι τοῦ διδα- σκάλου καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν οἷς ἔπασχον ὑπὲρ τῶν διατιθεμένων ηὔχοντο ὡς ἐδιδάχθησαν. οὕτως οὐ γονεῖς μισοῦντες ἐχωρίζοντο, ὁπότε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν μὴ γονέων μὲν ὄντων, ἐχθρῶν δὲ γενομένων ἐποιοῦντο τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ ἀγαπᾶν πειρῶνται ὡς ἐκελεύσθησαν. εἴπατε δέ μοι ὑμεῖς πῶς τοὺς γονεῖς ἀγαπᾶτε; εἰ μὲν ὡς τὸ δίκαιον ἀεὶ σκοποῦντες, συνεύχομαι· εἰ δὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, οὐκέτι· δύνασθε γὰρ καὶ μικρᾷ προφάσει τούτων γε- νέσθαι ἐχθροί. εἰ δὲ εἰδότες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἴπατε ἡμῖν τί ἐστιν «γονεῖς». ἐρεῖτε· Γένους ἀρχηγέται. διὰ τί οὖν τὸ τῶν ὅλων γένος οὐκ ἠγαπή- σατε, εἴπερ δικαίῳ φρονήματι τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπανείλεσθε; ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ