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to decree death against him, declaring: "He shall no longer live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord," being not a prophet but a false prophet. 4.296 His father and his mother, refuting the false prophet for these things, running down, they bind him, exposing his sophisms and his deceptive words. 4.297 Since the phrase "those who bore him while he prophesied" is ambiguous, it must be distinguished into both meanings. Of which the one might be understood thus: those who, being human, begot him as a human, and preserving some parental disposition toward him, because he speaks lies in the name of the Lord they bind him, condemning him. But the other might be rendered thus: his father and his mother bind him, who begot him in prophesying, having brought him forth as a false prophet, having begotten him by an upbringing and birth from imitation and teaching, they themselves obviously having been formed according to a false prophetic disposition. 4.298 Not in vain nor by chance has such a one been called "man," but because walking according to the flesh "in strife and jealousy" he falsely has the name of man, similarly to what has been said: "But you die like men," and concerning those unworthy of the divine Spirit the Lord says: "My Spirit shall not remain in these men, because they are flesh." 4.299 Zech. XIII, 4-6: And it shall be in that day that the prophets will be put to shame, each from his vision when he prophesies, and they will put on a garment of hair because of the lies they told. And he will say: I am not a prophet, because a man begot me from my youth. And I will say to him: What are these wounds between your hands? And he will say: Those with which I was struck in the house of my beloved. 4.300 Those who promise foreknowledge incur shame because their prediction fails. Since, therefore, the refutation of the false prophet has come not only from strangers but also from those who begot him, for this reason he is put to shame, his prophecy having been refuted, so that he henceforth reproaches himself and laments, having put on a hairy garment. At any rate, he confesses to be a man from his youth, "youth" now signifying not an age but a new and superficial character. 4.301 For the wicked man, not having gray-haired wisdom nor honorable old age, a spotless life, passes his life in ignorance, according to the saying proverbially spoken: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a youth, but the rod and discipline are far from him." He who has overcome this most evil state offers a supplication to God: "Do not remember the sins of my youth and my ignorances." 4.302 He who was convicted of speaking lies in prophesying, being ashamed at his vain vision, which was divination rather than prophecy, confesses that he is not a prophet nor has been brought to this from prophets. 4.303 And since, clothed in a hairy garment, under compulsion but not in truth, he denies being a prophet, it is said to him: "What then are the wounds between your two hands?" To which he says: "Those with which I was struck in the house of my beloved," since not even those who begot me tolerated me being a prophet, so as to even inflict wounds on me. 4.304 It is possible to say that the "house of the beloved" of the one prophesying falsely is the multitude beloved by him who condemned his divinations, so as to subject him to toils. And these things must be referred to those who hold different opinions in Christianity. 4.305 The false repentance of the false prophet clothed in a hairy garment is also found in Isaiah with reference to those fasting and praying in vain, when a refutation is made against the hypocrites: "For if you bend your neck like a ring and spread sackcloth and ashes, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast." But I do not say this as if no one is benefited by laborious conduct and a harsh diet, which becomes beneficial then when it is accomplished with repentance.

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ψηφίζεσθαι θάνατον κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἀπαγγέλλοντας· «Οὐ ζήσει ἔτι ὅτι ψευδῆ ἐλάλησας ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου», οὐ προφήτης ἀλλὰ ψευδοπροφήτης τυγχάνων. 4.296 Ταῦτα ἐλεγχόντων τὸν ψευδοπροφήτην τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, κατατρέχοντες συμποδίζουσιν αὐτόν, ἐλέγχοντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σοφίσματα καὶ τοὺς ἀπατηλοὺς λόγους. 4.297 Ἀμφιβόλως ἐχούσης τῆς λέξεως τῆς «Οἱ γεννήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν αὐτόν», διασταλτέον αὐτὴν εἰς ἀμφότερα τὰ λεκτά. Ὧν τὸ μὲν οὕτω νοηθείη· οἱ γεννήσαντες αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄνθρωποι καί τι φυλάττοντες γονέων διάθεσιν πρὸς αὐτόν, διὰ τὸ ψεύδη ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου λαλεῖν συμποδιοῦσιν αὐτὸν καταψηφιζόμενοι. Τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ἀποδοθείη οὕτως· ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ συμποδιοῦσιν αὐτόν, οἱ γεννήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν, τεκόντες αὐτὸν ψευδοπροφήτην, ἀνατροφῇ καὶ τοκετῷ τῷ ἐκ μιμήσεως καὶ διδασκαλίας γεννήσαντες αὐτόν, καὶ αὐτῶν δηλαδὴ πεποιωμένων κατ̣ὰ ψευδοπροφητικὴν ἕξιν. 4.298 Οὐ μάτην οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν ὁ τοιοῦτος «ἄνθρωπος» προσηγόρευται, ἀλλ' ὅτι «ἐν ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ» κατὰ σάρκα περιπατῶν ψευδῶς ἔχει τὴν ἀνθρώπου ὀνομασίαν, παραπλησίως οἷς εἴρηται· «Ὑμεῖς δὲ δὴ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνῄσκετε», καὶ περι`̣ τ̣ῶν ἀναξίων τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ὁ Κύριος λέγει· «Οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας.» 4.299 Zach. XIIΙ, 4-6: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καταισχυνθήσονται οἱ προφῆται, ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ὁράσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐνδύσονται δέρριν τριχίνην ἀνθ' ὧν ἐψεύσαντο. Καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὔκ εἰμι προφήτης ἐγώ, διότι ἄνθρωπος ἐγέννησέν με ἐκ νεότητός μου. Καὶ ἐρῶ πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί αἱ πληγαὶ αὗται ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν χειρῶν σου; Καὶ ἐρεῖ· Ἃς ἐπλήγην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ μου. 4.300 Οἱ πρόγνωσιν ὑπισχνούμενοι αἰσχύνην ὀφλισκάνουσιν διὰ πιπτούσης τῆς προαναφωνήσεως αὐτῶν. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἔλεγχος γέγονεν τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου οὐ παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων μόνων ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν γεννησάντων αὐτόν, τούτου χάριν καταισχύνεται, ἐλεγχθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς προφητείας, ὡς λοιπὸν κακίζειν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὀλοφύρεσθαι δέρριν ἐνδυσάμενον. Ὁμολογεῖ γοῦν ἄνθρωπος ἐκ νεότητος αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχειν, τῆς νεότητος τὸ νῦν οὐχ ἡλικίαν δηλούσης ἀλλὰ νεαρὸν καὶ ἐπιπόλαιον ἦθος. 4.301 Ὁ γὰρ φαῦλος οὐκ ἔχων φρόνησιν πολιὰν οὐδὲ γῆρας τίμιον, βίον ἀκηλίδωτον, σὺν ἀγνοίᾳ διάγει, κατὰ τὸ παροιμιωδῶς λεχθὲν λόγιον· «Ἄνοια ἐξῆπται καρδίας νέου, ῥάβδος δὲ καὶ παιδεία μακρὰν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ.» Ὁ ταύτην τὴν κατάστασιν χειρίστην οὖσαν ὑπερβὰς παράκλησιν τῷ Θεῷ προσάγει· «Ἁμαρτίας νεότητός μου καὶ τὰς ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς.» 4.302 Ὁ ἐλεγχθεὶς ψευδῆ λαλῶν ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν, καταισχυνθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ ματαίᾳ ὁράσει, μαντικῇ μᾶλλον καὶ οὐ προφητείᾳ οὔσῃ, ὁμολογεῖ μὴ εἶναι προφήτης μηδὲ ἐκ προφητῶν εἰς τοῦτο προῆχθαι. 4.303 Καὶ ἐπεὶ δέρριν ἐνδεδυμένο̣ς, ε᾿̣κβιαζόμενος ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἀλήθειαν ἀρνεῖται τὸ εἶναι προφήτης, λέγεται πρὸς αὐτόν· «Τί οὖν αἱ πληγαὶ αἱ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο χειρῶν σου;» Πρὸς ὅ φησιν· «Ἃς ἐπλήγην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ μου», μηδὲ τῶν γεννησάντων με ἀνεχομένων εἶναί με προφήτην, ὡς καὶ πληγὰς ἐπιφέρειν κατ' ἐμοῦ. 4.304 ∆υνατὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ τοῦ ψευδῆ προφητεύοντος εἰπεῖν τὴν ἀγαπηθεῖσαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πληθὺν καταγνοῦσαν αὐτοῦ τῶν μαντειῶν, ὡς ἐπιπόνοις αὐτὸν ὑποβαλεῖν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἀνακτέον πρὸς τοὺς ἑτερογνωμονοῦντας ἐν χριστιανισμῷ. 4.305 Ἡ ἐπεψευσμένη μετάνοια τοῦ δέρριν ἐνδυσαμένου ψευδοπροφήτου καὶ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ φέρεται πρὸς τοὺς μάτην νηστεύοντας καὶ προσευχομένους, ἐλέγχου γινομένου κατὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν· «Ἐὰν γὰρ κάμψῃς ὡς κρίκον τὸν τράχηλόν σου καὶ σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσῃς, οὐδ' οὕτω καλέσετε νηστείαν δεκτήν.» Οὐ τοῦτο δέ φημι ὡς οὐδεὶς ὠφελεῖται ἐκ τῆς ἐπιπόνου ἀγωγῆς καὶ σκληρᾶς διαίτης, γινομένης τότε ἐπωφελῶς ὅταν σὺν μετανοίᾳ ἐπιτέληται.