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of all. For if wickedness flourishes so much when it is rebuked, and virtue, when praised, is barely summoned to its own labors; what will happen if this does not take place? One might see this often happening even in a choir of priests; and if this is difficult in the case of disciples, much more so in the case of teachers. 8. What are you doing, O man? The law has been transgressed, self-control has been despised, so many transgressions have been dared by one of the priests, things are turned upside down, and you do not shudder? But the prophet even calls the senseless elements themselves to participate and share in the lament for the commonly committed evils, saying, The heaven was astonished, and the earth shuddered exceedingly much. And again: Carmel shall mourn, wine shall mourn, the vine shall mourn. And the lifeless things mourn, and groan, and are indignant with the Master; but you, the rational one, do you not grieve? do you not rebuke, do you not become a harsh avenger of the laws of God, but even participate? And what pardon could you have? For does God need an avenger 55.253; for does He require helpers? But He wants you to become a servant of this, so that you may not fall into the same things, becoming more self-controlled in your indignation against another, so that from this you might also show your love for God. For whenever you overlook another who has sinned, and do not prosecute, nor grieve, you make your soul more negligent and prone to fall, and indeed you often prepare it to fall into the same things; and you harm that person in no small way with this untimely favor, making his reckonings in the future more severe, and rendering him more negligent toward present things. And these things are not said about thieves only, but also about every sin; and he has placed the last of the offenses, so that you may know that he who has no pardon for such a thing, much more for another will not enjoy this comfort. Hear, then, what he says next: And with adulterers you cast your lot; coming to what is greater. For that is much less than this. And someone making a comparison of these sins said thus: It is not surprising if someone is caught stealing; for he steals that he may satisfy his soul when he is hungry. If, therefore, this is unpardonable, much more is adultery. And here he calls fornication adultery. If, therefore, you see one of those who gather with you fornicating, and approaching the mysteries, say to the one who ministers at their distribution: So-and-so is unworthy of the mysteries, restrain his profane hands. For if he is not worthy even to recount the ordinances, consider what his punishment will advance to when he also touches the sacred table, and not only for him, but also for the one who conceals it. For he did not say, And you committed adultery, but, With adulterers you cast your lot. Alas, how great an evil it is to conceal the corruptions of others, when he says he is even a partaker of the punishment for the offense, and no less than that one. For that one can speak of his passion, even if the excuse is unpardonable, as the thief can speak of hunger; but you do not even have this. For what reason then, not enjoying the pleasure, do you partake of the punishment and become a sharer? For this very reason, secular judges punish not only those who dared, but also any of the household servants they see were aware of the matter, and the masters who hand them over would gladly drink their blood, and taste their flesh, and they reckon the responsibility for what has happened to them no less than to the adulteress. For those who did not draw back the curtains have themselves given greater license to those who are hiding; these have insulted both the adulteress and the wronged husband and the adulterer himself. For if they had reported it beforehand, if they had made it known, they would have driven away the entire prey. And just as they are especially the ones who cast into the snares, the ones who the

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πάσης. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπιτιμωμένη ἡ κακία τοσοῦτον ἀνθεῖ, καὶ ἐπαινουμένη ἡ ἀρετὴ μόλις ἐκκαλεῖται πρὸς τοὺς ἱδρῶτας τοὺς ἑαυτῆς· τί ἔσται εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γένοιτο; Τοῦτο ἴδοι τις ἂν καὶ ἐν χορῷ ἱερέων πολλάκις γινόμενον· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν μαθητῶν χαλεπὸν τοῦτο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῶν διδασκάλων. ηʹ. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; Παρεβάθη ὁ νόμος, κατεφρονήθη σωφροσύνη, πλημμελήματα τοσαῦτα ἐτολμήθη παρά τινος τῶν ἱερωμένων, τὰ ἄνω κάτω γέγονε, καὶ οὐ φρίττεις; Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν προφήτης καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἀναίσθητα στοιχεῖα καλεῖ πρὸς ἔκτασιν καὶ κοινωνίαν τοῦ θρήνου τῶν κοινῇ πεπλημμελημένων κακῶν, Ἐξέστη ὁ οὐρανὸς, λέγων, καὶ ἔφριξεν ἡ γῆ ἐπὶ πλεῖον σφόδρα. Καὶ πάλιν· Πενθήσει ὁ Κάρμηλος, πενθήσει οἶνος, πενθήσει ἄμπελος. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄψυχα πενθεῖ, καὶ στένει, καὶ συναγανακτεῖ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ· σὺ δὲ ὁ λογικὸς οὐκ ἀλγεῖς; οὐκ ἐπιτιμᾷς, οὐ γίνῃ χαλεπὸς τιμωρὸς τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινωνεῖς; Καὶ ποίαν ἂν σχοίης συγγνώμην; Μὴ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκδίκου 55.253 δεῖται· μὴ γὰρ βοηθούντων χρῄζει; ἀλλὰ βούλεταί σε ὑπηρέτην τούτου γενέσθαι, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπέσῃς, ἐν τῇ καθ' ἑτέρου ἀγανακτήσει σωφρονέστερος γινόμενος, ἵνα κἀντεῦθεν τὸ φιλόθεόν σου δείξῃς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἁμαρτόντος ἑτέρου παραδράμῃς, καὶ μὴ ἐπεξέλθῃς, μηδὲ ἀλγήσῃς, ῥᾳθυμοτέραν σου τὴν ψυχὴν ποιεῖς καὶ εὐέμπτωτον, καὶ μάλιστα πολλάκις παρασκευάζεις τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν· κἀκεῖνον δὲ οὐ τὰ τυχόντα παραβλάπτεις τῇ ἀκαίρῳ χάριτι ταύτῃ, αὐστηροτέρας αὐτῷ ποιῶν τὰς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι εὐθύνας, καὶ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα ῥᾳθυμότερον κατασκευάζων. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ περὶ κλεπτῶν μόνον εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος· τὸ δὲ ἔσχατον τέθεικε τῶν πλημμελημάτων, ἵν' εἰδῇς ὅτι ὁ ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ συγγνώμην οὐκ ἔχων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐφ' ἑτέρου οὐκ ἀπολαύσεται ταύτης τῆς παραμυθίας. Ἄκουσον γοῦν καὶ ἑξῆς τί φησι· Καὶ μετὰ μοιχῶν τὴν μερίδα σου ἐτίθεις· ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον ἐλθών. Πολλῷ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο τούτου ἔλαττον. Καί τις τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τούτων σύγκρισιν ποιούμενος οὕτως ἔλεγεν· Οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἐὰν ἁλῷ τις κλέπτων· κλέπτει γὰρ ἵνα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλήσῃ πεινῶσαν. Εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτο ἀσύγγνωστον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον μοιχεία. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ μοιχείαν τὴν πορνείαν φησίν. Ἂν τοίνυν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἀγελαζομένων πορνεύοντα, καὶ μυστηρίοις προσερχόμενον, εἰπὲ τῷ διακονουμένῳ τῇ τούτων διανομῇ· Ὁ δεῖνα ἀνάξιος τῶν μυστηρίων, κώλυσον τὰς βεβήλους χεῖρας. Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ διηγεῖσθαι τὰ δικαιώματα ἄξιος, ἐννόησον, οἷ προβήσεται τὰ τῆς κολάσεως αὐτῷ, ὅταν καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἅπτηται τραπέζης, οὐκ αὐτῷ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ συσκιάζοντι. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Καὶ ἐμοίχευες, ἀλλὰ, Μετὰ μοιχῶν τὴν μερίδα σου ἐτίθεις. Βαβαὶ, ἡλίκον ἐστὶ κακὸν ἐκ τοῦ περιστέλλειν τῶν ἄλλων τὰς σηπεδόνας, ὅπου γε καὶ κοινωνὸν αὐτόν φησιν εἶναι τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ πλημμελήματι τιμωρίας, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ ἐκεῖνος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ πάθος εἰπεῖν, εἰ καὶ ἀσύγγνωστος ἡ πρόφασις, καθὰ ὁ κλέπτης τὸν λιμόν· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, τῆς ἡδονῆς οὐκ ἀπολαύων, τῆς κολάσεως κοινωνεῖς καὶ μεριστὴς γίνῃ; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν δικασταὶ οὐχὶ τοὺς τολμήσαντας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἂν ἴδωσι συνειδότας τῷ πράγματι κολάζουσι, καὶ οἱ παραδιδόντες δεσπόται ἡδέως ἂν τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐκπίοιεν, καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν ἀπογεύσαιντο, καὶ αὐτοῖς λογίζονται τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ γεγενημένου οὐκ ἔλαττον, ἢ τῇ μοιχευθείσῃ. Οἱ γὰρ τὰ παραπετάσματα μὴ ἀναστείλαντες, αὐτοὶ πλείονα τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῖς κρυπτομένοις δεδώκασιν· οὗτοι καὶ τὴν μοιχευθεῖσαν καὶ τὸν ἠδικημένον ὕβρισαν ἄνδρα καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν μοιχεύσαντα. Εἰ γὰρ προκατήγγειλαν, εἰ γὰρ δῆλον ἐποίησαν, πᾶσαν ἂν τὴν ἄγραν ἐσόβησαν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι μάλιστά εἰσιν οἱ ἐμβάλλοντες εἰς τὰς πάγας, οἱ τὰς