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is accustomed to flee a judge; but to one who pardons, even those who have sinned run. If, therefore, He came to pardon, it was likely that these especially would run to Him, who were conscious to themselves of many sins; which indeed has happened in the case of many. For both publicans and sinners came and reclined with Jesus. What then is that which is said? He says these things concerning those who choose to remain in wickedness continually. For He Himself came for this reason, that He might both forgive former sins, and secure them against future ones. But since some are so vain and dissolute towards the labors of virtue, as to wish to persist in wickedness to their last breaths, and never to depart from it, He here points them out, reproaching them. For since Christianity requires both correctness of doctrine and a sound manner of life, they fear, He says, to come over to us, because they do not wish to exhibit an upright life. For no one would convict one living in Hellenism. For he who has such gods, and festivals similarly shameful and ridiculous as the gods, also displays works worthy of his doctrines; but those of God, living carelessly, have everyone to correct and accuse them; so great is the wonder even among the enemies of the truth. See, then, how accurately He sets forth what He says. For He did not say, ‘he who has done evil does not come to the light’; but, ‘he who is always doing evil,’ that is, he who always wishes to wallow in the mire of sin, does not wish to submit himself to My laws, but remaining outside, fornicates with impunity, and does all other forbidden things. For coming here, like a thief in the light, he becomes manifest. For these reasons he flees My rule. At any rate, one may hear many of the Greeks even now saying, that for this reason they are not able to come to our faith, because they are not able to abstain from drunkenness, and fornication, and such transgressions. What then? he says; are there not both Christians who do evil things, and Greeks living in philosophy? That there are Christians who do evil things, I too know; but whether there are Greeks living uprightly, this I no longer know clearly. For do not tell me of those who are gentle and orderly by nature; for this is not virtue; but tell me of him who endures great violence from his passions and yet lives philosophically. But you could not. For if the promise of a kingdom, and the threat of Gehenna, and so much other teaching, barely keep men in virtue, hardly would those who are persuaded of none of these things pursue virtue. And if some do feign it, they do this for the sake of glory; but he who does this for the sake of glory, when it is possible to be unobserved, will not refrain from indulging his wicked desires. But however, lest we should seem to some to be contentious, let us grant that there are those who live uprightly among the Greeks; for this is in no way contrary to the argument; For He spoke of what happens for the most part, not what happens rarely. 59.165 3. But see how from another point He deprives them of all excuse, by saying, that The light has come into the world. For did they themselves, He says, seek it? Did they grow weary? Did they labor in order to find it? The Light itself came to them, and not even so did they run to it. Nevertheless, since there are some even among Christians who live wickedly, we might say that He does not speak this concerning those who became Christians from the beginning, and received their piety by succession from their forefathers; even if especially these too have often been shaken from a wicked life by the precision of the doctrines; but yet I think He is not now speaking of these, but of those from the Greeks or Jews who ought to convert to the right faith. For He shows that no one living in error would choose to come to the faith, without first prescribing for himself an upright life; and no one would remain in unbelief, without first choosing to be wicked continually. For do not tell me this, that he is temperate, and does not steal; for these things alone are not virtue. For what is the benefit, when he has these things, but is a slave to vainglory, and remains in error out of shame for the company of his friends? For this is not to live uprightly. The slave of glory of the fornicator

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δικάζοντα φεύγειν εἴωθε· τῷ δὲ συγχωροῦντι καὶ προστρέχουσιν οἱ πεπλημμεληκότες. Εἰ τοίνυν συγχωρῶν ἦλθε, τούτους μάλιστα προσδραμεῖν εἰκὸς ἦν, τοὺς πολλὰ συνειδότας ἑαυτοῖς ἁμαρτήματα· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν γέγονε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τελῶναι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐλθόντες, συνανέκειντο τῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Περὶ τῶν αἱρουμένων διαπαντὸς ἐν κακίᾳ μένειν ταῦτα λέγει. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθεν, ἵνα τὰ μὲν πρότερα ἀφῇ ἁμαρτήματα, πρὸς δὲ τὰ μέλλοντα ἀσφαλίσηται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τινές εἰσιν οὕτω χαῦνοι καὶ διαλελυμένοι πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνους, ὡς εἰς ἐσχάτας ἀναπνοὰς βούλεσθαι προσεδρεύειν τῇ πονηρίᾳ, καὶ μηδέποτε αὐτῆς ἀφίστασθαι, τούτους ἐπισκώπτων ἐνταῦθα δηλοῖ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Χριστιανισμὸς καὶ τὸ τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ὀρθότητος καὶ πολιτείαν ὑγιαίνουσαν ἀπαιτεῖ, δεδοίκασι, φησὶ, μεταθέσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ μὴ βούλονται βίον ὀρθὸν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἐν Ἑλληνισμῷ ζῶντα οὐδεὶς ἂν διελέγξειεν. Ὁ γὰρ θεοὺς τοιούτους ἔχων, καὶ ἑορτὰς ὁμοίως τοῖς θεοῖς αἰσχρὰς καὶ καταγελάστους, ἄξια τῶν δογμάτων καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἐπιδείκνυται· οἱ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ῥᾳθύμως ζῶντες, ἅπαντας εὐθύνοντας ἔχουσι καὶ κατηγόρους· τοσοῦτον καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστὶ τὸ θαῦμα. Ὅρα τοίνυν πῶς μετὰ ἀκριβείας τίθησιν ὅ φησιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὁ φαῦλα πράξας οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς· ἀλλ', ὁ πράσσων ἀεὶ, τουτέστιν, ὁ ἀεὶ βουλόμενος ἐγκαλινδεῖσθαι τῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας βορβόρῳ, οὐ βούλεται τοῖς νόμοις ἑαυτὸν ὑποβάλλειν τοῖς ἐμοῖς, ἀλλ' ἔξω μένων πορνεύει μετὰ ἀδείας, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα πράττει τὰ κεκωλυμένα. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἐλθὼν, ὡς ἐν φωτὶ κλέπτης, κατάδηλος γίνεται. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα τὴν ἀρχὴν φεύγει τὴν ἐμήν. Πολλῶν γοῦν ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι καὶ νῦν Ἑλλήνων λεγόντων, διὰ τοῦτο μὴ δύνασθαι πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἡμετέραν προσελθεῖν, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι μέθης, καὶ πορνείας, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀφίστασθαι πλημμελημάτων. Τί οὖν; φησίν· οὐκ εἰσὶ, καὶ Χριστιανοὶ τὰ φαῦλα πράσσοντες, καὶ Ἕλληνες ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ ζῶντες; Χριστιανοὶ μὲν ὅτι φαῦλα πράσσοντές εἰσιν, οἶδα κἀγώ· εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνες ὀρθῶς βιοῦντες, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔτι οἶδα σαφῶς. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοὺς ἀπὸ φύσεως εἴπῃς ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ κοσμίους· οὐ γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο ἀρετή· ἀλλ' εἰπὲ τὸν πολλὴν ἀπὸ τῶν παθῶν ὑπομένοντα βίαν καὶ φιλοσοφοῦντα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλείας ἐπαγγελία, καὶ γεέννης ἀπειλὴ, καὶ ἄλλη διδασκαλία τοσαύτη, μόλις κατέχουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐν ἀρετῇ· σχολῇ γ' ἂν οἱ περὶ μηδενὸς πεπεισμένοι τούτων μετέλθοιεν ἀρετήν. Εἰ δέ τινες καὶ ὑποκρίνονται, δόξης ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ὁ δὲ δόξης ἕνεκα τοῦτο ποιῶν, ὅταν ἐξῇ λαθεῖν, οὐ φείσεται τοῦ χρήσασθαι ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ταῖς πονηραῖς. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξωμέν τισιν εἶναι φιλόνεικοι, συγχωρήσωμεν ὀρθῶς βιοῦντας εἶναι ἐν Ἕλλησιν· οὐδέποτε γὰρ τοῦτο ἐναντιοῦται τῷ λόγῳ· Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ πολὺ συμβαῖνον εἶπεν, οὐ τὸ σπανιάκις γινόμενον. 59.165 γʹ. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ἀποστερεῖ πάσης ἀπολογίας αὐτοὺς, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἦλθε τὸ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Μὴ γὰρ αὐτοὶ, φησὶν, αὐτὸ ἐζήτησαν; μὴ γὰρ ἔκαμον; μὴ γὰρ ἐπόνησαν ἵνα εὕρωσιν; Αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω προσέδραμον. Πλὴν ἐπεί τινας καὶ παρὰ Χριστιανοῖς εἶναι πονηρῶς βιοῦντας, ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένων Χριστιανῶν, καὶ ἐκ προγόνων διαδεξαμένων τὴν εὐσέβειαν τοῦτο λέγει· εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα καὶ οὗτοι πολλάκις ἀπὸ βίου πονηροῦ ἐκ τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ἀκριβείας παρεσαλεύθησαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ περὶ τούτων αὐτὸν οἶμαι νῦν λέγειν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἑλλήνων ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὀφειλόντων πρὸς τὴν ὀρθὴν μεταθέσθαι πίστιν. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἂν ἕλοιτο ἐν πλάνῃ ζῶν ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐλθεῖν, μὴ πρότερον ἐπιγράψας ἑαυτῷ βίον ὀρθόν· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ μείνειε, μὴ πρότερον ἑλόμενος διαπαντὸς εἶναι κακός. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ὅτι σωφρονεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ἁρπάζει· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ταῦτα μόνα ἐστὶν ἀρετή. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ὅταν ταῦτα μὲν ἔχῃ, δόξης δὲ ᾖ δοῦλος κενῆς, καὶ φίλων ἑταιρίαν αἰσχυνόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς πλάνης μένῃ; Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ὀρθῶς βιοῦν. Ὁ δόξης δοῦλος τοῦ πορνεύοντος