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evidently having dared to light a pyre for himself. And Diogenes, seeing a young man adorned more wantonly than befits a man, said, "If for men, you are unfortunate; if for women, you are unjust." Through adornment, men hunt women, while women and the effeminate hunt men. And indeed Agesilaus was in love with a beautiful boy, and though he wanted to kiss him, he prevented himself, fleeing the harm. But Alexander did not at all endure even to see the daughters of Darius, who were exceedingly fair and virgins, considering it shameful for one who had conquered men to be defeated by women. And so also Cyrus, the king of the Persians, did not consent even to look at a certain wondrous maiden set apart for him and attested to have an impossible beauty, but he even advised the one who saw her constantly and said he suffered no harm from this neither to say this nor to do it. "For fire," he says, "burns those standing near in every way, but beauty burns even those standing far off." Since, therefore, to love is born from seeing, and from loving comes consent, 1.360 and from consent the act is accomplished, for this reason Christ also judged the one who licentiously feasts his eyes an adulterer, checking in advance not only the act but also the thought. And Socrates again, teaching to guard oneself strongly and be watchful of incontinence, said not to eat when not very hungry, nor to drink much when not thirsty; for the Lord also blessed such persons in the beatitudes.

And after Claudius, Nero his son reigned, for 14 years. Concerning whom there was an oracle: "The last of the Aeneadae, a matricide, shall rule;" for he was descended from the line of Aeneas and Romulus and Augustus. When his rule was becoming strong, this man slid into unholy deeds and pursued matters foreign to kingship, playing the lyre and acting in tragedies and dancing in the theaters. And in addition to these things, to all his lawless deeds he also added the abomination of warring against God, becoming the first persecutor of the divine word. And after these things, when a plot against him was revealed to him, coming to the height of madness, he killed his mother and his sister and his wife and countless others related to him by birth and the notable men in Rome, suspecting a revolt from them. And after killing his wife, he married a eunuch. This man killed the chief apostles Peter and Paul and many other martyrs. Under him the Jews also killed James, the brother of God, who, being pure from his mother's womb, drank no wine or strong drink, 1.361 never ate anything with a soul, a razor never came upon his head, he was not anointed with oil, he did not use a bath. This man was appointed by the Lord bishop of the church in Jerusalem, and his knees had become hard like a camel's from always bending himself and worshipping God. Whence, on account of the excess of his righteousness and his wonderful way of life, he was called 'the just' and 'Oblias,' which is 'protection of the people' and 'righteousness.' Since, therefore, the angel-like James was revered and august and very famous, when the feast of the Passover occurred and many myriads of the Jews had assembled, the scribes and priests, having brought him up to the pinnacle of the temple, wishing to scatter the preaching of Christ, said in a loud voice, "We ask you, O just one, to tell the people not to be led astray after the one called Christ. For we all obey you, knowing you to be just and impartial. Tell us, what is the door of Jesus?" But he, answering, said, "Why do you ask me about Christ? He himself sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and he himself is about to come on the clouds of heaven and to give to each according to his deed." Many, therefore, being fully convinced by the testimony of James, cried out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David." But when the lawless chief priests and Pharisees heard these things, they cried out, "Oh, oh, even the just one has gone astray

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δηλονότι πυρὰν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατα τολμήσας ἀνάψαι. ∆ιογένης δὲ θεασάμενος μειράκιον ἀσελγέ στερον ἢ κατ' ἄνδρα κεκοσμημένον εἶπεν "εἰ μὲν πρὸς ἄνδρας, ἀτυχεῖς, εἰ δὲ πρὸς γυναῖκας, ἀδικεῖς." θηρῶσι διὰ τοῦ καλ λωπισμοῦ οἱ μὲν ἄνδρες τὰς γυναῖκας, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες καὶ οἱ ἀν δρόγυνοι τοὺς ἄνδρας. καὶ μέντοι καὶ Ἀγησίλαος εὐμόρφου ἤρα παιδός, καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν φιλῆσαι διεκώλυεν ἑαυτόν, φεύγων τὴν βλάβην. ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν τὰς ∆αρείου θυγατέρας εὐειδεῖς ἄγαν καὶ παρθένους οὔσας ἠνέσχετο παντελῶς, αἰσχρὸν νομίσας τὸν ἄνδρας ἑλόντα ὑπὸ γυναικῶν ἡττηθῆναι. οὕτω δὲ καὶ Κῦρος ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς οὐδὲ θεάσασθαι κόρην τινὰ θαυ μασίαν ἀφορισθεῖσαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀμήχανον κάλλος ἔχειν μαρτυρου μένην κατεδέξατο, ἀλλά γε καὶ τῷ ὁρῶντι συνεχῶς καὶ μηδὲν ἐκ τούτου δεινὸν πάσχειν λέγοντι παρῄνει μήτε λέγειν τοῦτο μήτε πράττειν. "τὸ μὲν γὰρ πῦρ" φησί "τοὺς πλησίον πάντῃ ἑστῶτας καίει, τὸ δὲ κάλλος καὶ τοὺς πόρρωθεν ἑστῶτας." ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ ἐρᾶν ἐκ τοῦ ὁρᾶν τίκτεται καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐρᾶν ἡ συγκατάθεσις γίνεται 1.360 καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγκαταθέσεως ἡ πρᾶξις ἐπιτελεῖται, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν ἀκολάστως ἑστιῶντα τὰς ὄψεις μοιχὸν ἔκρινεν, οὐ τὴν πρᾶξιν μόνην ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἔννοιαν προαναστέλλων. καὶ ὁ Σω κράτης δὲ πάλιν φυλάττεσθαι σφόδρα καὶ παρατηρεῖσθαι τὴν ἀκρασίαν διδάσκων ἔφη μὴ πεινῶντας λίαν μὴ ἐσθίειν, μηδὲ δι ψῶντας πολλὰ μὴ πίνειν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἐμακάρισε τοὺς τοιού τους ἐν τοῖς μακαρισμοῖς.

Μετὰ δὲ Κλαύδιον ἐβασίλευσε Νέρων ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ἔτη ιδʹ. περὶ οὗ λόγιον ἦν "ἔσχατος Αἰνεαδῶν μητροκτόνος ἡγεμονεύσει·" κατήγετο γὰρ ἐκ τῆς γενεᾶς Αἰνείου καὶ Ῥωμύλου καὶ Αὐγούστου. οὗτος κραταιουμένης αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς ἀνοσίους πράξεις ἐξώ κειλε καὶ ἀλλότρια τῆς βασιλείας ἐπετήδευε πράγματα, κιθαρίζων καὶ τραγῳδῶν καὶ ὀρχούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν θεάτρων. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἐν πάσαις αὐτοῦ ἀθεμιτουργίαις καὶ τὸ τῆς θεομαχίας προσέθηκε μύσος, διώκτης πρῶτος γενόμενος τοῦ θείου λόγου. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπιβουλῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ μηνυθείσης αὐτῷ, εἰς ἄκρον μανίας ἐλθὼν ἀνεῖλε τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄλλους μυρίους τῷ γένει προσήκοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐπισήμους, τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπανάστασιν ὑφορώμενος. Mετὰ δὲ τὸ ἀνελεῖν τὴν γυναῖκα ἔγημεν εὐνοῦχον. οὗτος ἀνεῖλε τοὺς κορυφαίους ἀποστόλους Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον καὶ πολλοὺς ἑτέρους μάρτυρας. ἐφ' οὗ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν ἀδελφόθεον Ἰάκωβον ἀπέκτειναν, ὃς ἁγνὸς ὑπάρχων ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς οἶνον καὶ σίκερα 1.361 οὐκ ἔπιεν, ἔμψυχον οὐκ ἔφαγε πώποτε, ξυρὸς ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἐλαίῳ οὐκ ἠλείψατο, βαλανείῳ οὐκ ἐχρήσατο. οὗτος ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἐπίσκοπος τῆς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐκκλησίας κατέστη, τὰ δὲ γόνατα αὐτοῦ ἦσαν ἀπεσκληκότα ὡς καμήλου ἐκ τοῦ ἀεὶ κάμπτειν ἑαυτὸν καὶ τῷ θεῷ προσκυνεῖν. ὅθεν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ καὶ θαυμαστῆς πολιτείας ἐκα λεῖτο δίκαιος καὶ ὀβλίας, ὅ ἐστι περιοχὴ λαοῦ καὶ δικαιοσύνη. ἐπεὶ οὖν αἰδέσιμος καὶ σεβάσμιος καὶ σφόδρα περιβόητος ὑπῆρχεν ὁ ἰσάγγελος Ἰάκωβος, ἑορτῆς γενομένης τοῦ πάσχα καὶ πολλῶν μυριάδων συνελθόντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοῦτον ἀνενέγκαντες οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς ἐπὶ τὸ πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ, διασκεδάσαι βουλόμενοι τὸ κήρυγμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἶπον μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ "ἀξιοῦμεν σέ, δίκαιε, εἰπεῖν τῷ λαῷ, ἵνα μὴ πλανῶνται ὀπίσω τοῦ λεγομένου Χριστοῦ. σοὶ γὰρ πάντες πειθόμεθα, γινώσκον τές σε δίκαιον καὶ ἀπροσωπόληπτον. εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τίς ἐστιν ἡ θύρα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ." ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς ἔφη "τί με ἐπερωτᾶτε περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; καὶ αὐτὸς καθέζεται ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀπο δοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ." πολλοὶ γοῦν πληρο φορηθέντες ἐπὶ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ τοῦ Ἰακώβου ἔκραξαν λέγοντες "ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ ∆αβίδ." ἀκούσαντες δὲ ταῦτα οἱ παράνομοι ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ἔκραξαν "ὢ ὤ, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος πεπλάνη