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he stood against those who were rushing on. Something of this kind is also suspected to be happening now; for disorder has not perished, so that some, having been caught in an accusation, are again acting insolently and trying to split the church of God. To seek them out, at any rate, who have a nature downright from continuous habit to lurk in corners and to do their work secretly, is in other respects superfluous; but upon those who are so thoughtlessly led on by their whisperings we shall not hesitate to inflict the worst penalties. For why should anyone be scandalized? Because something of his opinion is being changed? But none of our doctrines has been transgressed; may nothing at all be transgressed. But because he has been turned from what is customary? But one would have nothing to say, even if he toiled much. But that being under a shepherd, when he has been removed for sufficient reasons, you will not have the good fortune of another at all? But indeed you will have good fortune and you will live better being shepherded by that one. For to whom of all was it ever possible from him to fare well and to have the benefits of our benevolence, if he should happen to fall into some ill-advised situations? Why? And surely I have not now brought you together for this purpose, considering how I might myself accuse our own power; but I state the reason, and I do not conceal it, why someone needing mercy 361 does not obtain what is fitting by imperial assent. For neither are his dealings with us successful, as our enmity prevents it, nor for us, not being asked by him, are acts of benevolence achievable towards the one in need; where indeed even if he did ask, he would not obtain what was needed; and why should I conceal it? Not because we are disinclined to do good, but because he does not manage the request with grace. For we have learned that grace is born from grace, and it was not possible to increase the love that had been born, if requited love was not also born in turn. Perhaps you might think me a storyteller; but the element of the myth, as it plays with truth, is praiseworthy. For one of the pagans also said that arrogance is a neighbor to desolation; for no one would pay attention to an arrogant man, approaching him, and from this it would happen that, being deserted by others, he would live by himself. What then is to follow? You will surely know also the rays of benevolence shining upon you, when the shepherd moves our will by the highest means of intercession. Only let no one give in to what is worse, nor let anyone, looking only to his own interests, play with matters that are not for play, nor be zealous for things that cannot be accomplished; for the failings of each individual fill the cities with troubles, and, when one has sinned, many have reaped the evils. Flee, therefore, the parallel assemblies and detest schisms. Many sackcloth-wearers will slip into your houses, not providing so that it may be well with you, but looking for how their needs might be supplied by you. Then they will accuse emperors, and mixing new things with old, they will declare that the affairs of the church are not well, and for this reason that they themselves are perhaps straying, eagerly awaiting the correction—for so they might perhaps even say, slandering. What, then, must be done by you? To share one's possessions with others, there is no objection; let anyone do this as he wishes. But to be led on by their words and to stray with them seems to me neither tolerable for me, nor safe for you. Therefore the threat precedes the punishment, lest someone, having come to the deed, should learn by suffering. For it is necessary that the many be corrupted along with the few; and from this, who is so drowsy as 363 not to seek to stop the rush? I, therefore, command both man and woman, both old and young, and again both city-dweller and rustic, first to test those who approach and so to deal with them. For what is sick receives its help from what is healthy; but if they themselves should be sick in their minds, what good could they provide to others? But their affairs, perhaps time will show; but for you, wiping off their wickedness and deviating from what is right will not be advantageous; and even if they should escape, the accusation will fall upon you. I know that I am saying a great thing, yet it is also my opinion for you, that the crime of schism will be put on a par with unbelief, and he who is accused of this will suffer the punishments of sacrilege.

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ὡρμημένοις ἔστη. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ τὰ νῦν ὑποπτεύεται γίνεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ἀταξία, ὥς τινας, ἐπειλημμένους αἰτίας, πάλιν ἀνασοβεῖν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ σχίζειν πειρᾶσθαι. Τὸ γοῦν ἐκείνους ζητεῖν, φύσιν ἔχοντας ἄντικρυς ἐξ ἐθισμοῦ συνεχοῦς ταῖς γωνίαις ἐπηλυγάζεσθαι καὶ κρυφηδὸν τὸ αὐτῶν πράττειν ἔργον, ἄλλως δέ γε καὶ περιττόν· τοῖς δ' ὑπαγομένοις οὕτως ἀβούλως τοῖς ἐκείνων ὀαρισμοῖς προστιμᾶν τῶν χειρίστων οὐ κατοκνήσομεν. Εἰς τί γὰρ καί τις σκανδαλισθείη; Ὅτι μεταλλάττεταί τι τῆς δόξης αὐτῷ; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων παραβέβασται· μὴ δή τι καὶ παραβαθείη τὸ σύνολον. Ἀλλ' ὅτι τοῦ συνήθους ἐξέστραπται; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἔχοι ἄν τις εἰπεῖν, κἂν πολλὰ κάμοι. Ἀλλ' ὅτι ὑπὸ ποιμένα τελοῦντες, ἐκείνου παρα κινηθέντος αἰτίαις ἱκαναῖς, ἄλλου τὸ παράπαν οὐκ εὐμοιρήσετε; Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ εὐμοιρήσετε καὶ κρειττόνως ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ διάξετε ποιμαινόμενοι. Τίνι γὰρ ἀπ' ἐκείνου τῶν πάντων εὖ ἐξεγένετο πράξειν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐμενείας ἕξειν, ἤν που ἀβουλήτοις καὶ περιπέσοι; ∆ιὰ τί; Καὶ πάντως οὐ νῦν εἰς ταὐτὸν ὑμᾶς συνῆξα σκοπῶν ὅπως ἂν αὐτὸς τοῦ ἡμετέρου κράτους κατηγοροίην· ἀλλὰ τὴν αἰτίαν λέγω, καὶ οὐκ ἐπικρύπτομαι, τοῦ μή τι 361 τυγχάνειν τῶν προσηκόντων ἐκ βασιλικῆς νεύσεως τὸν ἐλέους χρῄζοντα. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὔοδα, κωλυούσης τῆς ἀπεχθείας, οὔθ' ἡμῖν, μὴ παρ' ἐκείνου ἀξιουμένοις, τὰ τῆς εὐμενείας ἀνυστὰ πρὸς τὸν χρῄζοντα· ὅπου γε καὶ εἰ ἠξίου, οὐκ ἂν ἐτύγχανε τῶν δεόντων· καὶ τί γὰρ δεῖ ἐπι κρύπτειν; Οὐχ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸ εὖ πράττειν ἀποπεφυκότων, ἀλλ' ἐκείνου μὴ οἰκονομοῦντος τῇ ἀξιώσει τὸ εὔχαρι. Τίκτεσθαι γὰρ χάριν τῇ χάριτι μεμαθήκαμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν αὐξάνειν τὸν ἔρωτα γεννηθέντα, μὴ ἐπιγεννη θέντος καὶ τοῦ ἀντέρωτος. Τάχα ἂν μυθολόγον με οἰηθείητε· ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῦ μύθου ὡς ἀληθείᾳ προσπαῖον ἐπαινετόν. Ἔφησε γὰρ καί τις τῶν ἔξω ἐρη μίας γείτονα τὴν αὐθάδειαν· τῷ γὰρ αὐθάδει οὐδεὶς προσέξοι προσβάλλων, κἀντεῦθεν ἐρημωθέντι τῶν ἄλλων καθ' αὑτὸν αὐτὸν διάγειν ξυμβαίη. Τί γοῦν τὸ εἰσέπειτα; Εἰδήσετε πάντως καὶ εὐμενείας ὑμῖν προσβαλλούσας ἀκτῖνας, τοῦ ποιμένος κινοῦντος τὴν ἡμετέραν γνώμην ὑπερτάτοις μεσιτείας τρόποις. Μόνον μή τις ἐνδῷ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον, μηδέ τις, τὸ καθ' αὑτὸν σκοπῶν καὶ μόνον, ἐν οὐ παικτοῖς παιζέτω, μηδ' οὐκ ἐπ' ἀνυστοῖς σπου δαζέτω· τὰ γὰρ καθ' ἕκαστον ὀλισθήματα ἐμπιπλᾶσι πραγμάτων τὰς πόλεις, καί, ἑνὸς ἁμαρτόντος, πολλοὶ τῶν κακῶν ἀπηύρων. Φεύγετε τοίνυν τὰς παρασυνάξεις καὶ τοῖς σχίσμασιν ἀπεχθάνεσθε. Πολλοὶ σακκοφόροι ταῖς οἰκίαις ὑμῶν παρεισδύσονται, οὐχ ὅπως ὑμῖν εὖ γένηται προμηθούμενοι, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν αὐτοῖς παρ' ὑμῶν πορισθείη τὰ κατὰ χρείαν σκοποῦντες. Εἶτα κατηγορήσουσι μὲν βασιλέων, καινὰ δὲ τοῖς παλαιοῖς μίξαντες, μὴ καλῶς ἔχειν τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐποίσουσι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὺς τάχα πλανᾶσθαι, τὴν διόρθωσινοὕτω γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἴσως ἂν καὶ λέξειαν διαβάλ λοντεςἀποκαραδοκοῦντας. Τί γοῦν ποιητέον ὑμῖν ἐστι; Τὸ μὲν μεταδιδόναι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τῶν ὄντων οὐ φθόνος· πραττέτω τις ὡς βούλεται τοῦτο. Τὸ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν καθυπάγεσθαι καὶ σὺν ἐκείνοις πλανᾶσθαι οὔ μοι δοκεῖ οὔτ' ἐμοὶ ἀνεκτόν, οὔθ' ὑμῖν ἀσφαλές. ∆ιὸ προφθάνει τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ ἀπειλή, μήπως ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων γεγονώς τις παθὼν εἴσεται. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τοῖς ὀλίγοις συνδιαστρέφεσθαι τοὺς πολλούς· καὶ τοὐντεῦθεν τίς οὕτω νυστάζων ὡς 363 μὴ ζητεῖν στῆσαι τὴν ῥύμην; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν διακελεύομαι καὶ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικί, καὶ πρεσβύτῃ καὶ νέῳ, ἀστικῷ τε αὖ καὶ ἀγροίκῳ, δοκιμάζειν πρῶτον τοὺς πλησιάζοντας καὶ οὕτω χρᾶσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ νοσοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὑγιαινόντων ἔχει τὰς βοηθείας· εἰ δ' αὐτοὶ τὰς γνώμας νοσοῖεν, τί ἂν τοῖς ἄλλοις παρά σχοιεν ἀγαθόν; Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἐκείνων ὁ καιρὸς ἴσως δείξει· ὑμῖν δὲ τὴν ἐκείνων κακίαν ἀπομοργνυμένοις καὶ τοῦ ὀρθοῦ ἐκκλίνουσιν οὐ συνοίσει· κἂν ἐκεῖνοι διαδιδράσκοιεν, ὑμῖν τὸ ἔγκλημα περιστήσεται. Μέγα μὲν ἐρῶν οἶδα, ὅμως δὲ καὶ ὑμῖν δοκοῦν, ὅτι τὸ τοῦ σχίσματος ἔγκλημα ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ ἀπιστίας τεθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ἐγκληθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτῳ κολάσεις ὑφέξει καθο σιώσεως.