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in which they luxuriate, in which they think they run in the light. Let them know what their way is like, let them slip; for this fall is auspicious. Just as the one who ceases from running the straight path falls into a great evil, so the one who hastens to run to evil, when he has slipped and fallen, receives a beginning of repentance. 6 and the angel of the Lord pursuing them. As I said, in both ways, either convicting and rebuking or punishing them. 7 For without cause they hid for me the corruption of their trap. Wickedness is often called corruption; for it corrupts the truth, makes the inner man wicked from good, unjust from just, impious from godly. And that wickedness is called corruption: "evil communications," it says, "corrupt good morals." This corruption—for it is not a physical one of the limbs—corrupts morals. The corruption of morals is a moral wickedness. "Evil communications" are deceptive communications. And so that I may use the image of the prostitute introduced in Proverbs, that is, either false opinion or licentiousness; the prostitute woman corrupted the good morals of that young man; for she brought to him some sophistical things: "A peace offering is with me, today I pay my vows" —punctuate "3today"3 wherever you wish—; "for this reason I came out to meet you." But she lies. She did not come out to pay her vows, but "longing." 209 "For without cause they hid for me the corruption of their trap." Many errors and false meanings arise for those unable to distinguish homonyms. The name of corruption and decay signifies many things according to scripture; "If anyone," it says, "destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him." In this very same phrase lie two meanings of corruption; "if anyone destroys the temple of God" through sin, it means the body; for "your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God." All wickedness therefore is corruption. And the species of wickedness is more properly called corruption, the loss of virginity. Thus indeed we say that the virgin has been corrupted and the boy who has just tasted of sexual pleasures has been corrupted. Nevertheless, whether the genus of wickedness is called corruption, or the species, they are subsumed under one meaning; for such corruption destroys and pulls down both the soul and the body. In the prophet it is said: "Because of uncleanness you were utterly corrupted." And uncleanness of soul is wickedness. It is said indeed in Proverbs concerning a certain wicked person that: "he is shattered because of uncleanness of soul." And in the Lamentations of Jeremiah it is said: "her uncleanness is upon her feet," instead of: her way of life is uncleanness; for she treads upon the forbidden way of death, the wicked way. "Because of" therefore "uncleanness you were utterly corrupted." And uncleanness of soul is wickedness, as has been said, according to the twofold manner of the aforementioned corruption, both according to the genus and according to the species of wickedness, that is, both according to licentiousness and according to other species of wickedness. "Because of uncleanness you were utterly corrupted"; it is also possible for this "Because of uncleanness you were utterly corrupted" to take the other meaning of corruption: "If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him." And God destroys by testing. And just as the name of destruction taken in reference to the soul is spoken of in two ways; for we say that the one who sins is called destruction and the one who is punished is destruction; "Fear" therefore "him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." Destruction here is punishment, which is also called corruption. Therefore, the saying: "Because of uncleanness you were utterly corrupted" can mean: for this reason you have fallen under punishment, because you loved to be unclean, because you hastened to have uncleanness of soul. But this uncleanness is contrary to purity, which coming upon the heart brings the presence and appearance of God; for "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Concerning this it is said: "Cleanse your hands, you sinners"—and they become clean when you "pursue what is right in a righteous way"—, but also "purify your hearts," and the right understanding in the contemplations of

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ᾗ ἐναβρύνονται, ἐν ᾗ νομίζουσιν φωτεινῶς δρ̣αμεῖν. γνώτωσαν, οἵα ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν, ὀλισθησάτωσαν· τὸ πτῶμα γὰρ τοῦτο αἴσιόν ἐστιν. ὥσπερ̣ ὁ ἀποστὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ τρέχειν τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν μεγάλῳ ὑποπίπτει κακῷ, οὕτως ὁ σπεύδων δραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ κ̣ακ̣όν, ὅταν ὀλισθήσας πέσῃ, ἀρχὴν λαμβάνει μετανοίας. 6 καὶ ἄγγελος κυρίου καταδιώκων αὐτούς. ὡς εἶπον, ἀμφοτέρως ἤτοι ἐλέγχων καὶ ἐπιπλήττων ἢ κολάζων αὐτούς. 7 ὅτι δωρεὰν ἔκρυψάν μοι διαφθορὰν παγίδος αὐτῶν. ἡ κακία πολλάκις διαφθορὰ ὀνομάζεται· φθείρει γὰρ τὸ ἀληθές, τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ πονηρὸν ποιεῖ, ἐκ δικαίου ἄδικον, ἐκ θεοσεβοῦς ἀσεβῆν. καὶ ὅτι φθορὰ λέγεται ἡ κακία· "φθείρουσιν", φησίν, "ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί". ἡ φθορὰ αὕτη-μὴ γὰρ σωματική ἐστιν τῶν μελῶν-φθείρει τὰ ἤθη. ἡ φθορὰ δὲ τῶν ἠθικῶν κακία ἐστὶν ἠθική. "ὁμιλίαι κακαὶ" ἀπατηλαὶ ὁμιλίαι. καὶ ἵνα εἰκόνι συνχρήσωμαι τῇ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις εἰσαγομένῃ πόρνῃ ἤτοι ψευδοδοξίᾳ ἢ ἀκολασίᾳ· ἡ πόρνη γυνὴ ἔφθειρεν τὰ χρηστὰ ἤθη τοῦ νεανίου ἐκείνου· σοφιστικὰ γάρ τινα αὐτῷ προσηγίοχεν· "θυσία μοι εἰρηνική ἐστιν, σήμερον ἀποδίδωμι τὰς εὐχάς μου" -ὅπου θέλεις, τὸ "3σήμερον"3 στίξον-· "ἕνεκεν τούτου ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησίν σοι". ψεύδεται δέ. οὐχ ἵνα τὰς εὐχὰς ἀποδῷ, ἐξῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ "ποθοῦσα". 209 "ὅτι δωρεὰν ἔκρυψάν μοι διαφθορὰν παγίδος αὐτῶν". πολλὰ σφάλματα καὶ ψευδῆ νοήματα ἀνακύπτει τοῖς τὰς ὁμωνυμίας διαστέλλειν μὴ δυναμένοις. τὸ τῆς διαφθορᾶς ὄνομα καὶ τῆς φθορᾶς πολλὰ κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν σημαίνει· "εἴ τις", φησίν, "τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός". ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ταύτῃ λέξει δύο σημαινόμενα φθορᾶς κεῖται· "εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει" διὰ ἁμαρτίας, τὸ σῶμα λέγει· "τὰ σώματα" γὰρ "ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου πνεύματος οὗ ἔχετε ἀπὸ θεοῦ". πᾶσα οὖν ἡ κακία φθορά ἐστιν. καὶ τὸ εἶδος δὲ τῆς κακίας κυριώτερον λέγεται φθορά, ἡ λύσις τῆς παρθενίας. οὕτω γοῦν ἐφθάρθαι τὴν παρθένον λέγομεν καὶ ἐφθάρθαι τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἄρτι ἀφροδισίων γευσάμενον. ὅμως κἂν τὸ γένο̣ς τῆς κακίας φθορὰ λέγηται, κἂν τὸ εἶδος, ἑνὶ σημαινομένῳ ὑπάγονται· φθείρει γὰρ καὶ κατασπᾷ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα̣ ἡ τοιαύτη φθορά. ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λέγεται· "ἕνεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ". ἀκαθαρσία δὲ ψυχῆς κακία ἐστίν. εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Παροιμίαις περὶ φαύλου τινὸς ὅτι· "συντρίβεται διὰ ἀκαθαρσίαν ψυχῆς". καὶ ἐν τοῖς θρήνοις Ἰηρεμίου λέγεται· "ἀκαθαρσία αὐτῆς πρὸς ποδῶν αὐτῆς", ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἡ πορεία αὐτῆς ἀκαθαρσία ἐστίν· ἐπιβαίνει γὰρ αὐτῇ ἀπαγορευομένῃ τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ θανάτου, τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ πονηρᾷ. "ἕνεκεν" οὖν "ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ". ἀκαθαρσία δὲ ψυχῆς ἡ κακία ἐστίν, ὡς εἴρηται, κατὰ τὸν διττὸν τρόπον τῆς εἰρημένης φθορᾶς καὶ κατὰ τὸ γένος καὶ κατὰ τὸ εἶδος τῆς κακίας, τουτέστιν καὶ κατὰ ἀκολασίαν καὶ κατὰ ἄλλα εἴδη τῆς κακίας. "ἕνεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ" δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἕνεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ τὸ ἕτερον σημαινόμενον τῆς φθορᾶς λαβεῖν· "εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός". φθείρει δὲ ὁ θεὸς δοκιμάζων. καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας ὄνομα κατὰ ψυχῆς λαμβανόμενον διττῶς λέγεται· λέγομεν γὰρ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα ἀπώλειαν λέγεσθαι καὶ τὸν κολαζόμενον ἀπώλειαν· "φοβήθητε" οὖν "τὸν δυνάμενον ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ". ἡ ἀπώλεια ὧδε κόλασίς ἐστιν, ἥτις καὶ δ̣ιαφθορὰ λέγεται. δύναται οὖν τό· "ἕνεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ"· διὰ τοῦτο κολάσει ὑποπεπτώκατε ὅτι ἠγαπήσατε εἶναι ἀκάθαρτοι, ὅτι ἐσπεύσατε τὴν ψυχῆς ἀκαθαρσίαν ἔχειν. αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἀκαθαρσία ἐναντία ἐστὶν τῇ καθαρότητι, ἥτις ἐπιγινομένη τῇ καρδίᾳ θεοῦ φέρει παρουσίαν καὶ φαντασίαν· "μακάριοι" γὰρ "οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται". περὶ ταύτης λέγεται· "καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοί"-τότε δὲ καθαραὶ γίνονται, ὅταν "τὸ δίκαιον δικαίως" διώκητε-, ἀλλὰ καὶ "τὰς καρδίας ἁγνίσατε", καὶ τὴν ὀρθὴν φρόνησιν τοῖς θεωρήμασιν τῆς