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of righteousness. Thus he knew the whole battle, and nothing escaped his notice. And, For the mystery, he says, of lawlessness is already at work. But the wrestling is against us. Since hear him say again: I am persuaded that neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of Christ. He did not say simply, From Christ, but, From the love of Christ. For many are supposedly united to Christ, but do not love him. Not only, he says, will you not persuade me to deny him, but not even to love him less. But if the powers above could not have done this, what other could have moved him? He does not say these things as if they were attempting it, but hypothetically. Therefore he also said: I am persuaded. Therefore, he was not wrestling, and yet he fears his wiles. For hear him say: I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Yes, he says; but he also uses this word concerning himself, saying: For I am afraid, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. How then are you persuaded that no one will separate you? Fifthly. Do you see that the word is one of humility and moderation? For he already dwelt in heaven; which is why he said: For I know nothing by myself; and again, I have finished my course. So it was not in these things that the devil hindered him, but in the affairs of his disciples. Why so? Because he himself was not the only master of these things, but also their own will. It is there that he prevailed; or rather, not even there did he prevail over him, but over the negligence of those who did not pay attention. For if he did not fulfill his own part, either through sloth, or something else of that sort, he prevailed over him; but if he did everything, and they were not persuaded, he did not prevail over him, but over their disobedience; and the disease did not prevail over the physician, but the disorder of the sick person. For when he has prepared everything, but the other 62.162 corrupts everything, that one is defeated, not this one. So he nowhere prevailed over Paul. But still for us it is a desirable thing to even be able to wrestle. For the Romans he does not pray for this, but what? He will crush Satan under your feet shortly; and for these he prays thus. To him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. He who wrestles is still held fast; but still it is a desirable thing not to fall. Then the victory becomes glorious, when we depart from here. For example, let there be an evil desire; the wonderful thing is, not even to receive it, but to quench it; but if this is not possible, at least let us wrestle and always hold it down; if we depart while wrestling, we have conquered. For it is not as with athletes, so also here; for there, if you do not throw down your opponent, you have not conquered; but here, if you are not thrown down, you have conquered; if you are not thrown down, you have thrown him down. Rightly; for there both strive for victory, and if one is thrown down, the other is crowned; but here it is not so, but the devil strives for our defeat. When, therefore, I take from him that for which he strives, I have conquered; for he is not eager to throw down, but to be thrown down with me. Therefore he is already conquered; for he himself is already cast down, and is in perdition. And his victory is not in being crowned, but in destroying me; so that if I do not throw him down, but am not thrown down, I have conquered. What then is a glorious victory? To trample him down out of abundance, as Paul did, considering present things to be nothing. Let us also imitate him, and strive to be superior, and to give him no hold from any quarter. Wealth gives him a hold, money, vainglory; and often it has roused him, and often it has enraged him. But what need of wrestling? What need of close combat? He who engages in close combat has an uncertain end, whether he too may not be defeated and be captured; but he who tramples down has a clear victory. Let us therefore trample on the devil's power, let us trample on sins, I mean all worldly things, anger, desire, arrogance, all the passions;

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δικαιοσύνης. Οὕτως ᾔδει πᾶσαν τὴν μάχην, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἐλάνθανε. Καὶ, Τὸ μυστήριον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας. Ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡ πάλη ἐστίν. Ἐπεὶ ἄκουε πάλιν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Πέπεισμαι ὅτι οὔτε ἄγγελοι, οὔτε ἀρχαὶ, οὔτε ἐξουσίαι, οὔτε δυνάμεις, οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα, οὔτε μέλλοντα, οὔτε κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ', Ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν ἡνωμένοι δῆθεν τῷ Χριστῷ, οὐκ ἀγαπῶντες δὲ αὐτόν. Οὐ μόνον, φησὶν, ἀρνήσασθαί με οὐ πείσεις, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἧττον αὐτὸν ἀγαπῆσαι. Εἰ δὲ αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἴσχυσαν, τίς ἕτερος αὐτὸν μετέστησεν; Οὐχ ὡς δὲ ἐκείνων ἐπιχειρουσῶν, ταῦτά φησιν, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Πέπεισμαι. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἐπάλαιεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως φοβεῖται αὐτοῦ τὰς πανουργίας. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Φοβοῦμαι, μή πως ὡς ὁ ὄφις Εὔαν ἐξηπάτησεν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ τούτῳ τῷ ῥήματι κέχρηται, λέγων· Φοβοῦμαι γὰρ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι. Πῶς οὖν πέπεισαι, ὅτι οὐδείς σε χωρίσει; εʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ταπεινοφροσύνης τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστι καὶ μετριότητος; Ἤδη γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ᾤκει τὸν οὐρανόν· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα· καὶ πάλιν, Τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα. Ὥστε οὐκ εἰς ταῦτα ἐνεπόδιζεν αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰ τῶν μαθητῶν. Τί δήποτε; Ἐπειδὴ τούτων οὐκ αὐτὸς ἦν κύριος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἐκείνων προαίρεσις. Ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ὅπου ἐκράτει· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ αὐτοῦ ἐκράτει, ἀλλὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τῶν μὴ προσεχόντων. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπλήρου, ἢ διὰ νωθείαν, ἢ δι' ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον, αὐτοῦ ἐκράτει· εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν πάντα ἔπραττεν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, οὐκ αὐτοῦ ἐκράτει, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀπειθείας· καὶ τὸ νόσημα οὐ τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἐκράτει, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀταξίας τοῦ κάμνοντος. Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτὸς μὲν πάντα παρασκευάσηται, ἐκεῖ 62.162 νος δὲ πάντα διαφθείρῃ, ἐκεῖνος ἥττηται, οὐχ οὗτος. Ὥστε οὐδαμοῦ ἐκράτησε τοῦ Παύλου. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἀγαπητὸν τὸ καὶ δύνασθαι παλαίειν. Ῥωμαίοις μὲν οὐ τοῦτο ἐπεύχεται, ἀλλὰ τί; Συντρίψει τὸν σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐν τάχει· καὶ τούτοις οὕτως ἐπεύχεται. Τῷ δυναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν. Ὁ παλαίων, ἔτι κατέχεται· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἀγαπητὸν καὶ τὸ μὴ πεσεῖν. Τότε ἡ νίκη λαμπρὰ γίνεται, ὅταν ἐξέλθωμεν ἐντεῦθεν. Οἷον, ἔστω τις ἐπιθυμία πονηρά· τὸ μὲν παράδοξον, μηδὲ δέχεσθαι ταύτην, ἀλλὰ σβεννύναι· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ δυνατὸν, κἂν παλαίωμεν καὶ διαπαντὸς κατέχωμεν· ἂν παλαίοντες ἐξέλθωμεν, νενικήκαμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθλητῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἂν μὴ καταβάλῃς, οὐ νενίκηκας· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἂν μὴ καταβληθῇς, νενίκηκας· ἂν μὴ καταβληθῇς, κατέβαλες. Εἰκότως· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀμφότεροι ὑπὲρ νίκης σπουδάζουσι, κἂν ὁ ἕτερος καταβληθῇ, ὁ ἕτερος στεφανοῦται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὁ διάβολος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἥττης σπουδάζει. Ὅταν οὖν αὐτὸν ἀφέλωμαι τοῦτο ὑπὲρ οὗ σπουδάζει, ἐνίκησα· οὐ γὰρ ὥστε καταβαλεῖν, ἀλλ' ὥστε συγκαταβαλεῖν ἐπείγεται. Ἤδη οὖν νενίκηται· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἤδη βέβληται, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐστιν. Ἡ δὲ νίκη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐν τῷ στεφανωθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἐμὲ ἀπολέσαι· ὥστε ἂν μὴ καταβάλω, μὴ καταβληθῶ δὲ, νενίκηκα. Τίς οὖν ἐστι λαμπρὰ νίκη; Τὸ ἐκ περιουσίας καταπατεῖν αὐτὸν, οἷον ὁ Παῦλος ἐποίει, οὐδὲν ἡγούμενος εἶναι τὰ παρόντα πράγματα. Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμώμεθα, καὶ σπουδάζωμεν ἀνώτεροι γενέσθαι, καὶ μηδαμόθεν παρέχειν αὐτῷ λαβήν. Ὁ πλοῦτος δίδωσιν αὐτῷ λαβὴν, τὰ χρήματα, ἡ κενοδοξία· καὶ πολλάκις μὲν αὐτὸν ἀνέστησε, πολλάκις δὲ ἠγρίανεν. Ἀλλὰ τίς χρεία πάλης; τίς χρεία συμπλοκῆς; Ὁ συμπλεκόμενος ἄδηλον ἔχει τὸ τέλος, πότερον μὴ ἡττηθείη καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἁλώσεται· ὁ δὲ καταπατῶν, δήλην ἔχει τὴν νίκην. Οὐκοῦν καταπατήσωμεν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν δύναμιν, καταπατήσωμεν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, πάντα λέγω τὰ βιωτικὰ, θυμὸν, ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀλαζονείαν, πάντα τὰ πάθη·