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what has been said surpasses those things by as much as those things surpass ours. And yet I did not think they had any superiority, but nevertheless the things read to us today, coming after, appeared far more brilliant than all those things; which, then, he himself perceiving, he indicated from the 60.548 introductions, since he was about to enter into greater things and to be disbelieved by the many. But first he gives assurance concerning what he is about to say; a thing many are accustomed to do, when they are about to say something that is disbelieved by the many, and concerning which they have strongly persuaded themselves. For I speak the truth, he says, and I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness to me, that I have great sorrow, and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ. 60.549 What are you saying, O Paul? From the Christ who is longed for, from whom neither kingdom nor Gehenna could separate you, neither things seen, nor things conceived, nor so many other things, from this One you now wish to be anathema? What has happened? Have you changed, and destroyed that longing? Not at all, he says, do not fear; for indeed I have rather intensified it. How then do you wish to be anathema, and seek alienation, and such a separation, after which another cannot be found? Because I love him exceedingly, he says. How, tell me, and in what way? For the matter seems like a riddle. Rather, if it seems good, let us first learn what anathema is, and then let us ask him about these things, and we will know this secret and paradoxical love. What then is anathema? Hear him saying: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema; that is, let him be separated from all, let him be a stranger to all. For just as with the offering that is dedicated to God no one would dare simply to touch it with his hands, nor to come near; so also the one who is separated from the Church, cutting him off from all, and leading him as far away as possible, he calls by this name from the opposite, with great fear forbidding all to separate and leap away from him. For the dedicated offering no one dared to approach on account of honor; but from the one accursed, all were separated with the opposite intention. So that the separation is one, and likewise both this and that is alienated from the many; but the manner of the separation is not one, but this one is opposite to that one. For from the one they held back as being dedicated to God, but from the other as being alienated from God, and broken off from the Church. This, then, Paul also was indicating when he said: I could wish to be anathema from Christ. And he did not simply say, that I was willing, but intensifying it, he also says, I could wish. But if what is said disturbs you, since you are weaker, consider the matter, not only that he wished to be separated, but also the reason why he wished it, and then you will see the excess of his love; since he also circumcised, and we do not pay attention to what was done, but to the intention and the reason for what was done, and for this reason we admire him more. But he not only circumcised, but also shaved his head and offered sacrifice; and surely not for this reason do we say he is a Jew, but because of this very thing we say he is most of all freed from Judaism and is pure and is a genuine servant of Christ. Just as, then, seeing him circumcising and sacrificing, you do not for this reason condemn him as Judaizing, but on account of this very thing you rather crown him, as being a stranger to Judaism; so also seeing him desiring to become anathema, do not for this reason be disturbed, but on account of this very thing rather proclaim him, having learned the reason for which he wishes this. For if we do not examine the reasons, we will call Elijah a man-slayer, and Abraham not only a man-slayer, but also a child-killer; and Phinehas and Peter we will again charge with murder, and not only concerning the saints, but also concerning the God of all, he who does not observe this rule, will suspect many absurdities. Therefore, so that this may not happen, in all such cases, having brought together both reason and intention and occasion and all the things that speak in defense of what has been done, let us thus examine the matters; which now also must be done by us in the case of this blessed soul. What then is the

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λεχθέντα τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ὑπερβολὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνα, ὅσην ἐκεῖνα πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα. Καίτοι γε οὐκ ᾤμην αὐτὰ ἔχειν ὑπερβολὴν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπελθόντα τὰ σήμερον ἡμῖν ἀναγνωσθέντα πολὺ πάντων ἐκείνων ἐφάνη λαμπρότερα· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς συνιδὼν, ἀπὸ τῶν 60.548 προοιμίων αὐτὸ ἐνέφηνεν, ἅτε εἰς μείζονα ἐμβαίνειν μέλλων καὶ ἀπιστεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν. Πρότερον δὲ διαβεβαιοῦται περὶ ὧν μέλλει λέγειν· ὅπερ πολλοῖς ἔθος ποιεῖν, ὅταν μέλλωσί τι λέγειν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀπιστούμενον, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ σφόδρα ἑαυτούς εἰσι πεπεικότες. Καὶ γὰρ Ἀλήθειαν λέγω, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ ψεύδομαι, καὶ ἡ συνείδησίς μοι μαρτυρεῖ, ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστι μεγάλη, καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου. Ηὐχόμην γὰρ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 60.549 Τί λέγεις, ὦ Παῦλε; Ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ποθουμένου, οὗ μήτε βασιλεία σε, μήτε γέεννα ἐχώριζε, μήτε τὰ ὁρώμενα, μήτε τὰ νοούμενα, μήτε ἄλλα τοσαῦτα, ἀπὸ τούτου νῦν εὔχῃ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι; Τί γέγονε; μὴ μεταβέβλησαι, καὶ κατέλυσας τὸν πόθον ἐκεῖνον; Οὐχὶ, φησὶ, μὴ δείσῃς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπέτεινα αὐτὸν μᾶλλον. Πῶς οὖν εὔχῃ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι, καὶ ἀλλοτρίωσιν ζητεῖς, καὶ χωρισμὸν τοιοῦτον, μεθ' ὃν ἕτερον οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν; Ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα αὐτὸν φιλῶ, φησί. Πῶς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ ποίῳ τρόπῳ; καὶ γὰρ αἰνίγματι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔοικε. Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ δοκεῖ, πρῶτον μάθωμεν τί ποτέ ἐστι τὸ ἀνάθεμα, καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσωμεν περὶ τούτων, καὶ τὴν ἀπόῤῥητον ταύτην καὶ παράδοξον εἰσόμεθα ἀγάπην. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ ἀνάθεμα; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Εἴ τις οὐ φιλεῖ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ἔστω ἀνάθεμα· τουτέστι, κεχωρίσθω πάντων, ἀλλότριος ἔστω πάντων. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοῦ ἀναθέματος τοῦ ἀνατιθεμένου τῷ Θεῷ οὐδεὶς ἂν τολμήσειεν ἁπλῶς ταῖς χερσὶν ἅψασθαι, οὐδὲ ἐγγὺς γενέσθαι· οὕτω καὶ τὸν χωριζόμενον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, πάντων ἀποτέμνων, καὶ ὡς ποῤῥωτάτω ἀπάγων, τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου καλεῖ, μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ φόβου πᾶσιν ἀπαγορεύων αὐτοῦ ἀποχωρίζεσθαι καὶ ἀποπηδᾷν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ ἀναθέματι τιμῆς ἕνεκα οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα ἐγγίσαι· τοῦ δὲ ἀποτιμηθέντος, ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐχωρίζοντο γνώμης ἅπαντες. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν χωρισμὸς εἷς, καὶ ὁμοίως καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο τῶν πολλῶν ἠλλοτρίωται· ὁ δὲ τρόπος τοῦ χωρισμοῦ οὐχ εἷς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐναντίος οὗτος ἐκείνου. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἀπείχοντο ὡς ἀνακειμένου Θεῷ, τοῦ δὲ ὡς ἠλλοτριωμένου Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀποῤῥαγέντος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐβουλόμην, ἀλλὰ ἐπιτείνων αὐτὸ, φησὶ καὶ, Ηὐχόμην. Εἰ δὲ θορυβεῖ σε ἅτε ἀσθενέστερα ὄντα τὰ λεγόμενα, τὸ πρᾶγμα λογίζου, μὴ μόνον ὅτι χωρισθῆναι ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ἐβούλετο, καὶ τότε ὄψει αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγάπης· ἐπεὶ καὶ περιέτεμε, καὶ οὐ τῷ γενομένῳ προσέχομεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ τῇ αἰτίᾳ τοῦ γενομένου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον αὐτὸν θαυμάζομεν. Οὐ περιέτεμε δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξυρᾶτο καὶ ἔθυσε· καὶ οὐ δήπου διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν Ἰουδαῖόν φαμεν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα ἀπηλλάχθαι Ἰουδαϊσμοῦ καὶ καθαρεύειν καὶ γνήσιον εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεραπευτήν. Ὥσπερ οὖν αὐτὸν περιτέμνοντα βλέπων καὶ θύοντα. οὐ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν καταδικάζεις ὡς Ἰουδαΐζοντα, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα στεφανοῖς, ὡς ἀλλότριον ὄντα Ἰουδαϊσμοῦ· οὕτω καὶ ὁρῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντα ἀνάθεμα γενέσθαι, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο θορυβηθῇς, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἀνακήρυξον, τὴν αἰτίαν καταμαθὼν, δι' ἣν τοῦτο βούλεται. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ τὰς αἰτίας ἐξετάσωμεν, καὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἀνδροφόνον ἐροῦμεν, καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἀνδροφόνον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδοκτόνον· καὶ τὸν Φινεὲς δὲ καὶ τὸν Πέτρον φόνου γραψόμεθα πάλιν, καὶ οὐ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ, ὁ μὴ τηρῶν τοῦτον τὸν κανόνα, πολλὰ ἄτοπα ὑποπτεύσει. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν τοιούτων καὶ αἰτίαν καὶ γνώμην καὶ καιρὸν καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν γινομένων ἀπολογούμενα συναγαγόντες, οὕτω τὰ πράγματα ἐξετάζωμεν· ὃ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς μακαρίας ταύτης ψυχῆς ποιητέον ἡμῖν. Τίς οὖν ἡ