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frightening him with the punishment to come; For we shall all, he says, stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Do you see how he again shakes his mind, seeming to rebuke the other? For he hints at something of this sort, as if he were to say, What is it to you? Are you going to be punished for him? But he did not say it this way; but he hinted at it, putting it more gently, and saying, For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. And he brought in the prophet, testifying to the subjection of all to him, and an intense subjection of the men in the Old Testament, and of all men without exception. For he did not simply say, Each one shall worship, but also Shall confess, that is, shall give an account of his deeds. 4. Be then in earnest, seeing the common Master seated on the judgment seat, and do not tear and divide the Church, breaking away from grace, and running to the law; for the law is also His. And why do I say, the law? Both those in the law, and those before the law. And not the law will demand an account from you, but Christ, both from you and all human nature. Do you see how he has dissolved the fear of the law? Then, lest he seem to be saying these things on purpose to frighten him, but as having come to this point from the preceding train of thought, he again takes up the same subject, saying; Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. But these things belong not more to that one than to this one; wherefore it can fit both, both the perfect man who is scandalized by the observance of foods, and the imperfect man who stumbles at the sharp rebuke. But consider for me how great a punishment we who simply cause scandal will pay. For if, where 60.633 what was being done was unlawful, because of rebuking unseasonably, he forbade this to be done, so that a brother might not be scandalized and stumble; when we cause scandal without even correcting anything, of what shall we be worthy? For if not to save is a crime (and he who buried the talent shows this); what evil would causing a scandal not produce? What then, he says, if he is scandalized of his own accord, being weak? For this very reason, then, you would be right to endure all things. For if he were strong, he would not himself have needed so much care; but now, since he is weaker, for this reason he also requires much diligence. Let us therefore give this to him, and support him from all sides. For we shall not give account for our own evils only, but also for those by which we scandalize others. And if those accounts are difficult even in themselves, when these are also added, when shall we be saved? For let us not think that if we find partners in our sins, we shall have an excuse; for this becomes for us an addition of punishment; since the serpent was punished more than the woman, just as the woman was than the man, and when Ahab seized the vineyard, Jezebel paid a harsher penalty; for she was the one who wove the whole affair, and scandalized the king. So you too, when you become the cause of destruction for others, will suffer more harshly than those who were tripped up by you. For sinning does not destroy so much as leading others into it; wherefore he says, They not only do them, but also approve of those who practice them. So that when we see some sinning, not only let us not push them, but also let us draw them up from the pit of wickedness, so that we ourselves may not undergo the penalty for the destruction of others, and let us continually remember the terrible judgment seat, the river of fire, the unbreakable bonds, the lightless darkness, the gnashing of teeth, the venomous worm. But God is a lover of mankind, he says. Are these then mere words, and is not that rich man who overlooked Lazarus punished? are not the foolish virgins cast out of the bridechamber? do not those who did not feed him go away into the fire prepared for the devil and his

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μελλούσης κολάσεως φοβῶν· Πάντες γὰρ, φησὶ, παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ Θεῷ. Ἄρα οὖν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἀποδώσει τῷ Θεῷ. Εἶδες πῶς πάλιν κατασείει αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν δοκῶν ἐπιπλήττειν θατέρῳ; Τοιοῦτον γάρ τι αἰνίττεται, οἷον ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε, Τί σοι μέλει; μὴ γὰρ σὺ μέλλεις ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κολάζεσθαι; Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὐκ εἶπε· τοῦτο δὲ ᾐνίξατο, πραότερον αὐτὸ θεὶς, καὶ εἰπὼν, Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἄρα οὖν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἀποδώσει τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ τὸν προφήτην εἰσήγαγε τὴν ἁπάντων αὐτῷ μαρτυροῦντα ὑποταγὴν, καὶ ὑποταγὴν ἐπιτεταμένην καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ἀνθρώπων, καὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Προσκυνήσει ἕκαστος, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἐξομολογήσεται, τουτέστιν, εὐθύνας δώσει τῶν πεπραγμένων. δʹ. Ἔσο τοίνυν ἐναγώνιος, τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην ὁρῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος καθήμενον, καὶ μὴ σχίζε καὶ μέριζε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, τῆς χάριτος ἀποῤῥηγνύμενος, καὶ τῷ νόμῳ προστρέχων· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τί λέγω, ὁ νόμος; Καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ οἱ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ οὐχ ὁ νόμος σε ἀπαιτήσει εὐθύνας, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ σὲ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν. Εἶδες πῶς ἐξέλυσε τοῦ νόμου τὸν φόβον; Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ὡς ἐπίτηδες φοβῶν αὐτὸν λέγειν ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης ἀκολουθίας ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐληλυθέναι, πάλιν ἔχεται τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως, λέγων· Μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο κρίνατε μᾶλλον, τὸ μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἐκείνου μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἢ τούτου· διὸ ἀμφοτέροις ἁρμόζειν δύναται, καὶ τῷ τελείῳ σκανδαλιζομένῳ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν βρωμάτων παρατηρήσει, καὶ τῷ ἀτελεῖ προσκόπτοντι ἐπὶ τῇ σφοδρᾷ ἐπιπλήξει. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πόσην δώσομεν τιμωρίαν οἱ σκανδαλίζοντες ἁπλῶς. Εἰ γὰρ, ἔνθα 60.633 παράνομον ἦν τὸ γινόμενον, διὰ τὸ ἀκαίρως ἐπιτιμᾷν, ἐκώλυσε τοῦτο γίνεσθαι, ὥστε μὴ σκανδαλισθῆναι καὶ προσκόψαι τὸν ἀδελφόν· ὅταν μηδὲ διορθοῦντές τι σκανδαλίζωμεν, τίνος ἐσόμεθα ἄξιοι; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ σῶσαι, ἔγκλημα (καὶ δείκνυσιν ὁ τὸ τάλαντον κατορύξας)· τὸ καὶ σκανδαλίσαι, τί οὐκ ἂν ἐργάσηται; Τί οὖν, εἰ οἴκοθεν σκανδαλίζεται, φησὶν, ἀσθενὴς ὤν; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἂν εἴης δίκαιος πάντα ὑπομένειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἰσχυρὸς ἦν, οὐδὲ ἐδεῖτο τοσαύτης ἐπιμελείας αὐτός· νυνὶ δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἀσθενέστερός ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολλῆς χρῄζει τῆς σπουδῆς. Παρέχωμεν τοίνυν αὐτῷ ταύτην, καὶ πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν διαβαστάζωμεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἰκείων κακῶν ὑφέξομεν λόγον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἑτέρους σκανδαλίζομεν. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖναι καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὰς χαλεπαὶ αἱ εὐθῦναι, ὅταν καὶ αὗται προστεθῶσι, πότε σωθησόμεθα; Μὴ γὰρ δὴ νομίσωμεν, εἰ κοινωνοὺς εὕροιμεν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀπολογίαν ἕξειν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ προσθήκη γίνεται τιμωρίας· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ὄφις μᾶλλον ἐκολάσθη τῆς γυναικὸς, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ δὲ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἁρπάσαντος ἡ Ἰεζάβελ χαλεπωτέραν ἔδωκε δίκην· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑφάνασα ἅπαν ἦν, καὶ σκανδαλίσασα τὸν βασιλέα. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν ὅταν ἑτέροις ἀπωλείας αἴτιος γένῃ, χαλεπώτερα πείσῃ τῶν ὑποσκελισθέντων διὰ σοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ ἁμαρτεῖν, ὡς τὸ καὶ ἑτέρους εἰς τοῦτο ἐναγαγεῖν ἀπόλλυσι· διό φησιν, Οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράττουσιν. Ὥστε ὅταν ἴδωμέν τινας ἁμαρτάνοντας, μὴ μόνον μὴ ὠθῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνέλκωμεν ἐκ τοῦ βαράθρου τῆς πονηρίας, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἑτέρων ἀπωλείας αὐτοὶ τὴν δίκην ὑπόσχωμεν, καὶ μνημονεύωμεν διηνεκῶς τοῦ βήματος τοῦ φοβεροῦ, τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ πυρὸς, τῶν δεσμῶν τῶν ἀλύτων, τοῦ σκότους τοῦ ἀφεγγοῦς, τοῦ βρυγμοῦ τῶν ὀδόντων, τοῦ σκώληκος τοῦ ἰοβόλου. Ἀλλὰ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, φησίν. Οὐκοῦν ῥήματα ταῦτά ἐστι, καὶ οὔτε ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος κολάζεται ὁ τὸν Λάζαρον ὑπεριδών; οὐχ αἱ μωραὶ παρθένοι τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐκβάλλονται; οὐχ οἱ μὴ θρέψαντες αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἀπέρχονται τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς