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And behold here for me the magnitude of the shame. For just as in a house that has its doors shut from within, if one of us, thinking he is not seen by anyone outside, sins without restraint, committing adultery, say, and pederasty or working some other abominable deeds, then is suddenly revealed working his evil, he suffers great shame; or again, otherwise, if someone plots against the king and sets out in writing things against him, or if he says anything and plans any sort of improper things, hidden inside a house, as has been said, then when the king with the whole senate and the rest of his usual guard arrives and surrounds the house, and the whole dwelling is suddenly lifted up, he is revealed and all his plans, he endures a great punishment and condemnation, so also then it will happen in the same way to all those in the world; and night will be illumined as day, and every house and cave and heaven itself and earth will be taken away, and all those who have not put on Christ, that is, those who have not received the light, as we said before, and pre-existing in it and being light, will appear naked and will be filled with great shame from all sides. But not only this, but also every deed of each one, both good and evil, and every word and every thought and reflection, that is, which was born in us from the very birth (362) of each of us and until our last breath, will then appear gathered together there in each person. And what then will be the comparison, brothers, of this shame alone then? Or what punishment is greater than that fear and shame for those who are then found thus, as has been said, dark and without the illuminating Spirit? What sort of life, what sort of conduct will the person have, who sits in darkness, so that in the sudden shining of the light no stain of a thought or of any deed may be found in him? Therefore let us hasten, my brothers, from this point on, through repentance, to enter the narrow gate and to behold the light within it. Yes, I beseech you, let us not grow weary of knocking and of seeking and of asking until it is opened for us and given and we are heard, and even until we enter and receive light and have it unquenchable in our hearts.

But let us not deceive ourselves and, following after the desires of our flesh, commit fornication in our pursuits, setting ourselves up as teachers, leaders and high priests and priests, evidently becoming contemptuous of God and of our own salvation. For if when Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God," and Nicodemus answered him: "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"(363) Jesus rebuked him and said: "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do you not know these things?" although he had not yet believed at all nor understood the things of grace, of how much condemnation then are we worthy, we who are teachers after grace and do not understand the mysteries of grace, we who have enjoyed so much teaching and are daily taught and forewarned through apostles and prophets and teachers and the Lord Himself?

For if we do not know how we ought to conduct ourselves in this life, nor how we ought first to be nourished in good works and present ourselves as slaves to righteousness, as standing before the Lord and not men, and having arranged to serve the living God blamelessly, nor what sort and what kind of men we ought first to become and so preside over others, how, tell me, shall we be entrusted with the keeping and care of the Lord's flock? How shall we shepherd it according to the will of the chief shepherd Christ and lead it out to ever-living pastures? But O the

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Καί θέα μοι ἐνταῦθα τῆς αἰσχύνης τό μέγεθος. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐν οἰκίᾳ ἔνδον τάς θύρας ἐχούσῃ συγκεκλεισμένας, ἐάν ἐξ ἡμῶν τις ὑπάρχων καί ὡς παρά τινος τῶν ἔξωθεν μή καθορώμενος, ἀφειδῶς ἁμαρτάνει, μοιχείας δῆθεν ποιῶν καί παιδοφθορίας ἤ ἕτερά τινα μυσαρά ἐργαζόμενος, εἶτα φανερωθείς αἴφνης τό πονηρόν ἐργαζόμενος, μεγάλην τήν αἰσχύνην ὑφίσταται· ἤ καί πάλιν ἄλλως, ἐάν κατά τοῦ βασιλέως τις μελετᾷ καί τά κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐγγράφως ἐκτίθησιν ἤ ἐάν λέγῃ τι καί βουλεύηται τῶν μή δεόντων ἁπλῶς, ἔνδον, ὡς εἴρηται, κεκρυμμένος οἰκίας , εἶτα τοῦ βασιλέως μετά τῆς συγκλήτου ἁπάσης καί τῆς συνήθους ἄλλης δορυφορίας ἐπιστάντος καί τήν οἰκίαν περικυκλώσαντος, αἴφνης τοῦ οἰκήματος ἀρθέντος ὅλου, αὐτός φανερωθῇ καί πάντα αὐτοῦ τά βουλεύματα, μεγάλην τήν τιμωρίαν καί τήν καταδίκην καθυπομένει, οὕτω καί τότε τόν αὐτόν τρόπον εἰς πάντας τούς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γενήσεται· καί νύξ μέν ὡς ἡμέρα φωτισθήσεται, οἰκία δέ πᾶσα καί σπήλαιον καί οὐρανός αὐτός καί γῆ ἀρθήσονται, καί πάντες οἱ μή τόν Χριστόν ἐνδεδυμένοι, ἤγουν οἱ μή λαβόντες τό φῶς, ὡς προείπομεν, καί ἐν αὐτῷ προόντες καί φῶς ὄντες, γυμνοί φανήσονται καί πολλῆς τῆς αἰσχύνης πάντοθεν πληρωθήσονται. Οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί πᾶσα πρᾶξις ἑκάστου, καλή τε καί κακή, καί πᾶς λόγος καί πᾶσα ἔννοια καί ἐνθύμησις, ἡ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς (362) δηλαδή τῆς γεννήσεως ἑκάστου ἡμῶν και μέχρις ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς ἐν ἡμῖν γεννηθεῖσα, ἐκεῖ συνηγμένως τότε ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φανήσονται. Καί τίς ἄρα ἔσται ἡ σύγκρισις, ἀδελφοί, ταύτης καί μόνης τῆς αἰσχύνης τότε; Ἤ ποία τιμωρία μείζων τοῦ φόβου ἐκείνου καί τῆς ἐντροπῆς τοῖς τηνικαῦτα οὕτως εὑρισκομένοις, ὡς εἴρηται, σκοτεινοῖς καί δίχα τοῦ φωτίζοντος Πνεύματος; Ὁποῖον δέ τόν βίον, ὁποίαν τήν διαγωγήν ἕξει ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ἐν τῷ σκότει καθήμενος, ἵνα μή τῇ αἰφνιδίῳ τοῦ φωτός ἐπιλάμψει ῥύπος που διαλογισμοῦ ἤ πράξεώς τινος εὑρεθῇ ἐν αὐτῷ; ∆ιό σπουδάσωμεν, ἀδελφοί μου, ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη διά μετανοίας τήν στενήν πύλην εἰσελθεῖν καί τό ἔνδον ταύτης θεάσασθαι φῶς. Ναί, παρακαλῶ, μή ἐκκακήσωμεν τοῦ κρούειν καί τοῦ ζητεῖν καί τοῦ αἰτεῖσθαι πρό τοῦ ἀνοιγῆναι ἡμῖν καί δοθῆναι καί εἰσακουσθῆναι, ἔτι δέ καί μέχρις ἄν εἰσέλθωμεν καί λάβωμεν φῶς καί ἄσβεστον αὐτό σχῶμεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν.

Ἀλλά μηδέ ἐξαπατῶμεν ἑαυτούς ἡμᾶς καί, ὀπίσω τῶν τῆς σαρκός ἡμῶν θελημάτων ἀκολουθοῦντες, ἐκπορνεύσωμεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἡμῶν, διδασκάλους ἡμᾶς ἑαυτούς καθιστῶντες, ἡγούμενοί τε καί ἀρχιερεῖς καί ἱερεῖς ἐν καταφρονήσει Θεοῦ καί τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας δηλονότι γενόμενοι. Εἰ γάρ εἰπόντος Ἰησοῦ τῷ Νικοδήμῳ· "Ἐάν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται τήν βασιλείαν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ", καί τοῦ Νικοδήμου ἀνταποκριθέντος αὐτῷ· "Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν; Μή δύναται εἰς τήν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρός αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καί γεννηθῆναι;"(363) ἐμέμψατο αὐτόν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καί εἶπε· "Σύ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ καί ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις;" καίτοι μήπω μηδαμῶς πιστεύσαντος μηδέ τά τῆς χάριτος ἐπισταμένου, πόσης ἄρα κατακρίσεώς ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι, οἱ μετά τήν χάριν ὄντες διδάσκαλοι καί μή τά μυστήρια τῆς χάριτος ἐπιστάμενοι, οἱ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσαντες διδασκαλίας καί καθ᾿ ἑκάστην δι᾿ ἀποστόλων καί προφητῶν καί διδασκάλων καί αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκόμενοί τε καί προμαρτυρούμενοι;

Εἰ γάρ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πῶς δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, οὐδέ ὅπως ἐν ἔργοις πρότερον ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρέφεσθαι δεῖ καί παριστάνειν ἑαυτούς ἡμᾶς δούλους τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, ὡς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου καί οὐκ ἀνθρώπων ἱσταμένους καί ἀμέμπτως Θεῷ δουλεύειν ζῶντι συνταξαμένους, οὐδέ ὁποῖοί τε καί ποταποί ὀφείλομεν πρῶτον γίνεσθαι καί οὕτω τῶν ἄλλων προΐστασθαι, πῶς εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ ποιμνίου τήν φυλακήν ἐγχειρισθῶμεν καί ἐπιμέλειαν; Πῶς ποιμάνωμεν αὐτό κατά τό θέλημα τοῦ ἀρχιποιμένος Χριστοῦ καί ἐπί νομάς ἐξαγάγωμεν αὐτό ἀειζώους; Ἀλλ᾿ ὤ τῆς