201

I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 1. Having first rebuked the one who judges his brother, and by this rebuke made him desist, he then finally makes a declaration about the doctrine, and quietly instructs the weaker one, displaying much gentleness here also. For he does not say, ‘He will be punished,’ nor anything else of the sort, but only dispels the fear of the matter, so that he might be more easily persuaded by what is said by him, and he says: I know and am persuaded. Then, lest one of the unbelievers say, 'And what is it to us, if you are persuaded? For you are not credible enough to stand against so great a law and oracles delivered from above,' he adds, 'In the Lord;' that is, having learned it from There, and having been fully assured by Him. The vote, therefore, is not of human understanding. What then are you persuaded of and know? Tell me. That nothing is common of itself. By nature, he says, nothing is unclean, but it becomes so from the choice of the one partaking; at least, it becomes so to him alone, and not to all. For to him who esteems it, he says, to be common, to him it is common. Why then do you not correct your brother, so that he may not consider it unclean? And why do you not lead him away from such a habit and supposition with all authority, so that he does not make it common? I am afraid, he says, lest I grieve him; for which reason he added: But if your brother is grieved because of food, you are no longer walking in love. Do you see how for the time being he has won him over, showing that he makes so much of him, as for the sake of not grieving him, not even to dare for the time being to command things that are strongly necessary, but rather to draw him on by concession, and by love? For not even after dispelling the fear does he draw and compel, but leaves him master of himself. For it is not the same thing to lead away from food and to surround with grief. Do you see how much zeal he shows for love? For he knows that this can set all things right. Wherefore he also demands something greater here from them: For not only, he says, ought you not to bring them to a necessity, but if it is necessary also to condescend, not to shrink from this either. Wherefore he also adds, saying: Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Or do you not consider your brother to be of such value, as not even to purchase his salvation by abstinence from foods? And Christ did not refuse even to become a slave or to die for 60.638 him; but you do not even disdain foods, in order to save him? And yet Christ was not going to win over all, but nevertheless he died for all, fulfilling his own part. But you know that because of food you are subverting him in greater matters, and you are still contentious, and do you consider him who was so sought after by Christ to be so contemptible, and do you dishonor the one whom He loved? And He died not only for one who was weak, but also for an enemy; but you do not even abstain from foods for one who is weak? and Christ showed the greatest thing, but you not even the lesser? And yet He is the Master, but you are a brother. These words are also sufficient to shame that man; for it shows him to be small-souled, and having enjoyed great things from God, and not giving even small things in return. Therefore let not your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. The good here he says is either faith, or the future hope of rewards, or perfected piety. For not only, he says, do you not help your brother, but you also cause the doctrine itself, and the grace of God, and the gift to be blasphemed. For when you fight, when you are contentious, when you grieve, when you divide the Church, and revile your brother, and are hostile towards him, those from without blaspheme; so that not only is nothing achieved from this, but even the complete opposite. For your good is love, brotherly affection, to be united, to be bound together, to live with peace, with gentleness. Then again, dispelling his fear and that man's contentiousness, he says: For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. For is it from these things that we can be well-pleasing? Which he also says elsewhere: For neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. And not even

201

Οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοι νὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν. αʹ. Πρότερον ἐπιτιμήσας τῷ κρίνοντι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ταύτῃ τῆς ἐπιπλήξεως αὐτὸν ἀποστήσας, τότε λοιπὸν καὶ περὶ τοῦ δόγματος ἀποφαίνεται, καὶ μετὰ ἡσυχίας παιδεύει τὸν ἀσθενέστερον, πολλὴν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν πραότητα ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Οὐ γὰρ λέγει, ὅτι ∆ίκην δώσει, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ τὸν φόβον μόνον ἐκλύει τοῦ πράγματος, ὥστε αὐτὸν εὐκολώτερον πεισθῆναι τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις, καί φησιν· Οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ λέγῃ τις τῶν οὐ πιστῶν, Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς, εἰ σὺ πέπεισαι; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀξιόπιστος εἶ ἀντικαταστῆναι νόμῳ τοσούτῳ καὶ χρησμοῖς ἄνωθεν κατενεχθεῖσιν· ἐπάγει, Ἐν Κυρίῳ· τουτέστιν, Ἐκεῖθεν μαθὼν, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ πληροφορηθείς. Οὐκ ἄρα ἀνθρωπίνης διανοίας ἡ ψῆφος. Τί τοίνυν πέπεισαι καὶ οἶδας; εἰπέ. Ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι' αὐτοῦ. Τῇ φύσει, φησὶν, οὐδὲν ἀκάθαρτον, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως γίνεται τοῦ μετιόντος· ἐκείνῳ γοῦν γίνεται μόνῳ, καὶ οὐχὶ πᾶσι· Τῷ γὰρ λογιζομένῳ, φησὶ, κοινὸν, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν. Τί οὖν οὐ διορθοῦσαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, ἵνα μὴ νομίζῃ ἀκάθαρτον; τί δὲ οὐκ ἀπάγεις τῆς τοιαύτης συνηθείας καὶ ὑπολήψεως μετ' ἐξουσίας ἁπάσης, ἵνα μὴ ποιῇ αὐτὸ κοινόν; Φοβοῦμαι, φησὶ, μὴ λυπήσω αὐτόν· διὸ ἐπήγαγεν· Εἰ δὲ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς. Εἶδες πῶς τέως αὐτὸν ᾠκειώσατο, δείξας ὅτι τοσοῦτον αὐτοῦ ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ λυπῆσαι αὐτὸν, μηδὲ ἐπιτάξαι τέως τολμᾷν τὰ σφόδρα ἀναγκαῖα, ἀλλὰ τῇ συγχωρήσει μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐφέλκεσθαι, καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ; Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ λῦσαι τὸν φόβον, ἕλκει καὶ βιάζεται, ἀλλ' ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριον. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον βρώματος ἀπαγαγεῖν, καὶ λύπῃ περιβαλεῖν. Ὁρᾷς πόσην σπουδὴν ποιεῖται τῆς ἀγάπης; Οἶδε γὰρ, ὅτι πάντα αὕτη κατορθῶσαι δύναται. ∆ιὸ καὶ μεῖζον ἐνταῦθά τι παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπαιτεῖ· Οὐ γὰρ μόνον, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς οὐ χρὴ πρὸς ἀνάγκην ὑμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰ δεῖ καὶ συγκαταβαίνειν, μηδὲ τοῦτο ὀκνεῖν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε, ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Ἢ οὐδὲ τοσούτου ἄξιον εἶναι ἡγῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν, ὡς μηδὲ ἀποχῇ βρωμάτων ὠνήσασθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σωτηρίαν; Καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς οὐδὲ δοῦλος γενέσθαι οὐδὲ ἀποθανεῖν παρῃτήσατο δι' 60.638 αὐτόν· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ βρωμάτων καταφρονεῖς, ἵνα αὐτὸν διασώσῃς; καίτοι γε οὐ πάντας ἔμελλε κερδανεῖν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἀπέθανε, τὸ αὑτοῦ πληρῶν. Σὺ δὲ οἶδας, ὅτι διὰ βρῶμα ἀνατρέπεις αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς μείζοσι, καὶ ἔτι φιλονεικεῖς, καὶ τὸν οὕτω περισπούδαστον τῷ Χριστῷ, οὕτως εὐκαταφρόνητον εἶναι νομίζεις, καὶ ὃν ἐκεῖνος ἐφίλησεν, ἀτιμάζεις; Κἀκεῖνος οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἀσθενοῦντος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐχθροῦ ἀπέθανε· σὺ δὲ οὐδ' ὑπὲρ ἀσθενοῦντος ἀπέχῃ βρωμάτων; καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ μέγιστον ἐπεδείξατο, σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ ἔλαττον; καίτοι ὁ μὲν ∆εσπότης, σὺ δὲ ἀδελφός. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἱκανὰ ἐπιστύψαι τὰ ῥήματα· δείκνυσι γὰρ αὐτὸν μικρόψυχον ὄντα, καὶ μεγάλων ἀπολελαυκότα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὰ ἀντιδιδόντα. Μὴ βλασφημείσθω οὖν ὑμῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις. Τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐνταῦθα ἢ τὴν πίστιν φησὶν, ἢ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐλπίδα τῶν ἐπάθλων, ἢ τὴν ἀπηρτισμένην εὐσέβειαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον, φησὶ, τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὐκ ὠφελεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ δόγμα, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δωρεὰν βλασφημεῖσθαι ποιεῖς. Ὅταν γὰρ μάχῃ, ὅταν φιλονεικῇς, ὅταν λυπῇς, ὅταν σχίζῃς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ λοιδορῇς τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἀπεχθῶς ἔχῃς πρὸς αὐτὸν, βλασφημοῦσιν οἱ ἔξωθεν· ὥστε οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν κατορθοῦται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ὑμῶν ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡ φιλαδελφία, τὸ ἡνῶσθαι, τὸ συνδεδέσθαι, τὸ μετ' εἰρήνης, τὸ μετ' ἐπιεικείας ζῇν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἐκλύων αὐτοῦ τὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου φιλονεικίαν, φησίν· Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις. Μὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτων εὐδοκιμῆσαι ἔχομεν; Ὅπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Οὔτε, ἐὰν φάγωμεν, περισσεύομεν· οὔτε, ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν, ὑστεροῦμεν. Καὶ οὐδὲ