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What a thing for them to do! And how great the hardness of heart of those who, even after the demonstration of the power, still remained in their unbelief! As, then, Simon for the sake of merchandise sought the grace of the Spirit, so also these for this same reason were doing this. What hardness of heart! And why, pray, does Paul not rebuke them? Because the matter would have seemed to be one of envy; for this reason it is so managed. This also happened in the time of Christ; but then it is not hindered (for it was the beginning of things); since even Judas when he was stealing was not hindered; but Ananias and Sapphira were even put to death; and many Jews who opposed Him suffered nothing, but Elymas was blinded. For I came not, He says, to judge the world, but that the world might be saved. See the abomination! While still remaining Jews, they wished to make money from the name; so that they did everything for glory and for gain. See everywhere how people are converted not so much by the good things, as by the fearful. In the case of Sapphira, fear fell upon the Church, and they did not dare to join themselves to them; here they took handkerchiefs and aprons and were healed, and after this they then came confessing their sins. From the leaping upon them, the power of the demons is shown to be great, when it has to do with unbelievers. And why did it not say, who Jesus is, the evil spirit, but said rather the unprofitable words? It was afraid, lest it too should be punished; for it knew that its being permitted to take vengeance on those who trifled with His name had brought this to pass. And why did the wretched men not say to it, 'We believe'? They were afraid of Paul; and yet how much more illustrious would they have been if they had said this, if indeed they had claimed His dominion for themselves? Besides, what had happened at Philippi had also sobered these men. But consider for me the writer's freedom from odium here, and how he only writes a history, and does not slander. This made the apostles admirable. But whose sons they were, he states the name and the number; giving to those at that time a trustworthy proof of what he wrote. And for what reason did they go about? For the sake of merchandise; for not, indeed, proclaiming the word; for how could they? But then they ran well, preaching through what they suffered. Whence, making this plain, *And it became known,* he says, *to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus.* Ought this not to have converted even the hardened, tell me? But it did not convert them. And do not be surprised; for nothing persuades wickedness. Come now, let us see also of how much wickedness this matter of the exorcists is. But for what reason this did not happen in the time of Christ, is for another time to inquire, and not the present; except that here this happened well and usefully. But to me it seems they did this while mocking; whence they are punished, so that from this also no one would dare even to utter the name at random from then on. This brought many of those who had believed to confession; this also cast fear into them, and this became the greatest proof of God's knowing all things. Before being convicted by the demons, they accused themselves, fearing lest they suffer the same things; reasonably so. For when the helping demons are their accusers, and not their allies, what hope is left, other than confession through their deeds? But see what evils arise after a little while, when such signs have taken place. For such is 60.291 human nature; it quickly forgets the good it has received. Or do you not remember that this very same thing happened also in the events of our own time? For tell me, did not God shake the whole city last year? What then? Did not all run to be enlightened? Did not fornicators and the effeminate and the corrupt, leaving their dwellings and the places in which they spent their time, change their ways and become devout? But when three days had passed, they returned again to their own wickedness. And whence does this happen? From great sluggishness. And what wonder is it, if when the events have passed, the same thing happens where the examples perpetually remain? The things in Sodom, tell me, are they not perpetual? What then? Have those who live near become better because of them? Not at all. What about Noah's son? Was he not such a one?

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ποιεῖν γίνεται! πόση δὲ πώρωσις τῶν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς δυνάμεως ἔτι μενόντων τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ! Ὥσπερ οὖν Σίμων ἐμπορίας ἕνεκεν ἐζήτει τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τοῦ αὐτοῦ τούτου ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ἐποίουν. Πόση πώρωσις! Καὶ τί δήποτε ὁ Παῦλος οὐκ ἐπιτιμᾷ; Ὅτι ἔδοξεν ἂν βασκανίας εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα· διὰ τοῦτο οἰκονομεῖται οὕτω. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγονεν· ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐ κωλύεται (ἀρχὴ γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων ἦν)· ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰούδας κλέπτων οὐκ ἐκωλύετο· Ἀνανίας δὲ καὶ Σάπφειρα καὶ ἀνῃρέθησαν· καὶ πολλοὶ Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν καὶ ἀνθιστάμενοι οὐδὲν ἔπασχον, Ἐλύμας δὲ ἐτυφλώθη. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον, φησὶν, ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος. Ὅρα μιαρίαν! Ἰουδαῖοι μένοντες ἔτι, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος χρηματίζειν ἤθελον· ὥστε πάντα πρὸς δόξαν ἐποίουν καὶ πορισμόν. Θέα πανταχοῦ οὐχ οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιστρεφομένους ἀπὸ τῶν χρηστῶν, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν φοβερῶν. Ἐπὶ Σαπφείρας φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐτόλμων κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς· ἐνταῦθα σουδάρια καὶ σιμικίνθια ἐλάμβανον καὶ ἰῶντο, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τότε ἦλθον ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐφάλλεσθαι δείκνυται τῶν δαιμόνων ἡ δύναμις μεγάλη τις οὖσα, ὅταν πρὸς ἀπίστους ἔχῃ. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ εἶπε, τίς ἐστιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν, ἀλλ' εἶπε μᾶλλον τὰ ἀνόνητα ῥήματα; Ἐφοβεῖτο, μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς δίκην δῷ· ᾔδει γὰρ, ὅτι τὸ συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτῷ ἐκείνους ἀμύνασθαι τοὺς καταπαίζοντας αὐτοῦ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα πεποίηκε. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄθλιοι μὴ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Πιστεύομεν; Ἐδεδοίκεσαν Παῦλον· καίτοι πόσῳ μᾶλλον λαμπρότεροι ἂν ἦσαν τοῦτο εἰπόντες, εἴ γε ᾠκειώσαντο αὐτοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν; Ἄλλως τε καὶ τὸ ἐν Φιλίπποις γενόμενον καὶ τούτους ἐσωφρόνισε. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τοῦ συγγραφέως ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀνεπαχθὲς, καὶ πῶς ἱστορίαν μόνον γράφει, καὶ οὐ διαβάλλει. Τοῦτο τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐποίει θαυμαστούς. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἦσαν υἱοὶ, τὸ ὄνομα λέγει καὶ τὸν ἀριθμόν· διδοὺς τοῖς τότε τεκμήριον ἀξιόπιστον ὧν ἔγραφε. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ περιήρχοντο; Ἐμπορίας χάριν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸν λόγον καταγγέλλοντες· πῶς γάρ; Καλῶς δὲ ἔτρεχον λοιπὸν, κηρύττοντες δι' ὧν ἔπασχον. Ὅθεν τοῦτο δηλῶν, Καὶ ἐγένετο, φησὶ, γνωστὸν πᾶσιν Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησι τοῖς κατοικοῦσι τὴν Ἔφεσον. Τοῦτο οὐχὶ καὶ τοὺς σκληρυνομένους ἐπιστρέψαι ὤφειλεν, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπέστρεψε. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· τὴν γὰρ κακίαν οὐδὲν πείθει. Φέρε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τῶν ἐξορκιστῶν ἴδωμεν ὅσης ἐστὶ κακίας. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτο μὴ γέγονεν, ἑτέρου καιροῦ, καὶ οὐ τοῦ παρόντος ζητῆσαι· πλὴν ὅτι καλῶς τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα γέγονε καὶ χρησίμως. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ χλευάζοντας αὐτοὺς τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ὅθεν τιμωροῦνται, ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου μηδένα τολμᾷν μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχε τὸ ὄνομα ὀνομάζειν λοιπόν. Τοῦτο πολλοὺς τῶν πιστευσάντων εἰς ἐξομολόγησιν ἤγαγε· τοῦτο καὶ φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐνέβαλε, καὶ τοῦ πάντα εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν μέγιστον τοῦτο τεκμήριον γέγονε. Πρὶν ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐλεγχθῆναι, ἑαυτῶν κατηγόρουν, φοβούμενοι μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθωσιν· εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ οἱ βοηθοῦντες δαίμονες κατήγοροι αὐτῶν ὦσι, καὶ οὐ σύμμαχοι, ποία λοιπὸν ἐλπὶς, ἢ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐξομολόγησις; Ὅρα δὲ οἷα μετὰ μικρὸν γίνεται κακὰ, τοιούτων σημείων γενομένων. Τοιαύτη 60.291 γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις· ταχέως ἐπιλανθάνεται ὧν εὐεργετεῖται. Ἢ οὐ μέμνησθε, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς γενομένων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο γέγονεν; Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, οὐ πέρυσιν ἐτίναξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν; Τί δαί; οὐχὶ πάντες ἐπὶ τὸ φώτισμα ἔδραμον; οὐχὶ πόρνοι καὶ μαλακοὶ καὶ διεφθαρμένοι, οἰκήματα ἀφέντες καὶ τοὺς τόπους ἐν οἷς διέτριβον, μετετέθησαν, καὶ γεγόνασιν εὐλαβεῖς; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τρεῖς ἡμέραι παρῆλθον, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθον κακίαν. Πόθεν δὲ τοῦτο γίνεται; Ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς νωθείας. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τῶν πραγμάτων παρελθόντων, ὅπου γε τῶν εἰκόνων διηνεκῶς μενουσῶν τὸ αὐτὸ γίνεται; Τὰ ἐν Σοδόμοις, εἰπέ μοι, οὐχὶ διηνεκῆ τυγχάνει; Τί οὖν; οἱ προσοικοῦντες ἀπὸ τούτων γεγόνασι βελτίους; Οὐδαμῶς. Τί δαὶ ὁ τοῦ Νῶε υἱός; οὐχὶ τοιοῦτος ἦν;