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he speaks in the gospel about this, when the Jews were saying, "We have God as our father." But the Lord said to them, "You are sons of your father 2.67 the devil, because he is a liar, because his father was a liar. He was a murderer and did not remain in the truth; when he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, because his father was also a liar." Whence also the other heresies, hearing this saying, declare that the devil is the father of the Jews, but that he has another father, and his father in turn a father. But they speak with unbridled tongue, blinding their minds. For they even trace the kinship back to the master of all, the God of Jews and Christians and all, saying that this one is the father of that one's father, the one who gave the law through Moses and performed so many wondrous deeds. But this is not so, O beloved. For the Lord himself says immediately, taking care of us in all things, so that we might not go astray from the subject at hand by sophistically thinking one thing for another, saying that their father, the devil, is Judas *, whom he also called Satan and devil, saying to the disciples, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" not saying a devil by nature, but according to his will. And again in another place he says, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, keep those whom you have given me. When I was with them, I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction." Again at another time he says that "the Son of Man must be betrayed according to what is written about him, but woe to him by whom he will be betrayed. For it would have been better for him if he had not been born," and so forth. Therefore, at any rate, we have certainly known that he was speaking about Judas to the Jews; "for by whatever a man is overcome, to this he is enslaved," and whoever one obeys, this one he has as father and author of his obedience. Therefore the Lord says, "You are sons of your father the devil," because instead of Christ they obeyed Judas, just as Eve, having turned away from God, obeyed the serpent from the beginning. Then, that he was not only a liar, but also a thief, according to what is said in the gospel. For this reason also he handed over the 2.68 money box to him, so that he might be without excuse for having, through love of money, handed over his own master into the hands of men. Who then is his father, the one who was a liar before him, but Cain, whose imitator is Judas? For that one, having lied to his brother as if in brotherly love, deceived and persuaded him through the lie and, leading him out into the field, raised his hand and killed him. So also Judas says, "What are you willing to give me, and I will hand him over to you?" And, "Whomever I kiss, that is he; seize him." And the betrayer came and said, "Greetings, Rabbi," honoring with his lips, but possessing a heart far from God. 5. Therefore, this Judas, having become their father according to their denial of God and betrayal, being Satan and a devil not by nature but by will, this one has become a son by imitation of Cain the murderer, the liar, since his father was also a liar before him, not Adam but the devil, whose imitation he practiced in fratricide and hatred and lying and contradiction against God, by saying, "Am I my brother's keeper? I do not know where he is"; so also the devil says to the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" For since the devil himself deceives Eve and Adam with a lie, saying one thing for another and showing a feigned friendship, saying, "you will be like gods, and you will not die," Cain, imitating him, under the pretense of brotherly love deceived his brother, saying, "Let us go into the field." For this reason also the holy John said, "He who hates his brother, this one is not perfected in love, but is of Cain, who killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his works were evil

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εὐαγγελίῳ περὶ τούτου λέγει, ὅτε Ἰουδαῖοι ἔλεγον «ἡμεῖς πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν θεόν». ὁ δὲ κύριος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη «ὑμεῖς υἱοί ἐστε τοῦ πατρὸς 2.67 ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ψεύστης ἐστίν, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ψεύστης ἦν. ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐκ ἔμεινεν· ὅταν λαλῇ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων λαλεῖ, ὅτι καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ψεύστης ἦν». ὅθεν καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι αἱρέσεις ἀκούουσαι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο πατέρα μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων φάσκουσιν εἶναι τὸν διάβολον, ἔχειν δὲ πατέρα ἄλλον καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα πάλιν πατέρα. ἀλλὰ ἀθυρογλώττως φθέγγονται, τὴν διάνοιαν τυφλώττοντες. καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν πάντων δεσπότην, θεὸν Ἰουδαίων καὶ Χριστιανῶν καὶ πάντων, τὴν συγγένειαν ἐκείνῳ ἀνάγουσι, τοῦτον πατέρα τοῦ ἐκείνου πατρὸς εἶναι λέγοντες, τὸν νομοθετήσαντα διὰ Μωυσέως καὶ τοσαῦτα θαυμάσια πεποιηκότα. οὐκ ἔστιν δὲ τοῦτο, ὦ ἀγαπητοί. αὐτὸς γὰρ εὐθύς φησιν ὁ κύριος, ἐν ἅπασιν ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιούμενος, ἵνα μὴ ἐν παρεκβάσει γενώμεθα τοῦ προκειμένου ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων σοφιζόμενοι καὶ διανοούμενοι, λέγων πατέρα αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸν διάβολον Ἰούδαν *, ὃν καὶ Σατανᾶν κέκληκεν καὶ διάβολον λέγων πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς «οὐχὶ τοὺς δώδεκα ὑμᾶς ἐξελεξάμην καὶ εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολος;» οὐχὶ διάβολον λέγων φύσει, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν γνώμην. πάλιν δὲ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ λέγει «πάτερ κύριε οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, τήρησον τούτους οὓς δέδωκάς μοι. ὅτε ἤμην μετ' αὐτῶν, ἐφύλαξα αὐτούς, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας». πάλιν ἄλλοτε λέγει ὅτι «δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθῆναι κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐαὶ δὲ δι' οὗ παραδοθήσεται. συνέφερεν γὰρ αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἄρα γοῦν ἐξ ἅπαντος ἔγνωμεν ὡς περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἔλεγεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· «ᾧ γάρ τις ἥττηται, τούτῳ καὶ δεδούλωται», καὶ ᾧ τις πείθεται, τοῦτον πατέρα ἔσχηκεν καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ πειθοῦς. φησὶν οὖν ὁ κύριος «ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ», ἐπειδὴ ἀντὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ἐπείσθησαν, καθάπερ ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐκκλίνασα ἡ Εὔα τῷ ὄφει ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπείσθη. ἔπειτα ὅτι καὶ ψεύστης ἦν οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κλέπτης κατὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ εἰρημένον. διὸ καὶ αὐτῷ παρέδωκε τὸ 2.68 γλωσσόκομον, ἵνα ἀναπολόγητος ᾖ διὰ φιλαργυρίαν τὸν ἴδιον δεσπότην παραδοὺς εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων. τίς οὖν ὁ τούτου πατήρ, ὁ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ψεύστης ὑπάρχων, ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ Κάϊν, οὗ μιμητὴς ὁ Ἰούδας; ἐκεῖνος γάρ, ψευσάμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ ὡς ἐν φιλαδελφίᾳ, ἠπάτησε καὶ παρέπεισεν διὰ τοῦ ψεύδους καὶ ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἐπάρας τὴν χεῖρα ἀπέκτεινεν. οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας «τί θέλετέ μοι» φησί «δοῦναι, καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸν παραδώσω ὑμῖν;» καί «ὃν ἂν φιλήσω, αὐτός ἐστι, κρατήσατε αὐτόν». καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ προδότης «χαῖρε Ῥαββί» ἔλεγε, τοῖς χείλεσι τιμῶν, καρδίαν δὲ πόρρω ἀπέχουσαν θεοῦ κεκτημένος. 5. Ἄρα γοῦν οὗτος ὁ Ἰούδας, πατὴρ αὐτῶν γενόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἀρνησιθεΐαν καὶ προδοσίαν, Σατανᾶς ὑπάρξας καὶ διάβολος οὐ τῇ φύσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ, υἱὸς γεγένηται οὗτος κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ Κάϊν τοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνου τοῦ ψεύστου, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ψεύστης ἦν, οὐχὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀλλ' ὁ διάβολος, οὗ τὴν μίμησιν ἔσχεν ἐν τῇ ἀδελφοκτονίᾳ καὶ μίσει καὶ ψεύδει καὶ πρὸς θεὸν ἀντιλογίᾳ, τῷ λέγειν, «μὴ φύλαξ εἰμὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου; οὐκ οἶδα ποῦ ἐστιν»· οὕτω καὶ ὁ διάβολος τῷ κυρίῳ φησί «μὴ δωρεὰν σέβεται Ἰὼβ τὸν θεόν;» ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος τῷ ψεύδει ἀπατᾷ τὴν Εὔαν καὶ τὸν Ἀδάμ, ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων λέγων καὶ φιλίαν προσποιητὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτι «ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί, καὶ οὐκ ἀποθανεῖσθε», τοῦτον μιμούμενος ὁ Κάϊν προσχήματι φιλαδελφίας ἠπάτα τὸν ἀδελφὸν λέγων «διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον». διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης εἶπεν «ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, οὗτος οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλὰ ἐκ τοῦ Κάϊν ἐστίν, ὃς ἀπέκτεινε τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. καὶ διὰ τί αὐτὸν ἀπέκτεινεν; ὅτι ἦν πονηρὰ τὰ ἔργα