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divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned, those who cause them; and avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the innocent. 1. Again an exhortation, and a prayer after the exhortation. For after saying to mark those who cause divisions, and not to obey them, he added: But the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet; and, The grace of the Lord be with you. But observe how gently he exhorts, not in the position of a counselor, but in the position of a suppliant, doing this, and with much honor; for he both called them brethren, and he beseeches. For I beseech you, he says, brethren. Then he also makes them anxious, showing the deceitfulness of those who are insidious. For as though they were not self-evident, he says: Now I beseech you to mark; that is, to examine with exactness, and to take note of and investigate. Whom, tell me? Those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned. For this is the chief overthrow of the Church, to be divided; this is the devil's weapon, this turns everything upside down. For as long as the body is united, he does not have the strength to gain entry, but from division comes the offense. And from where comes division? From doctrines contrary to the teaching of the apostles. And from where come such doctrines? From serving the belly and the other passions. For such persons, he says, do not serve the Lord, but their own belly. So there would be no offenses, there would be no division, unless some doctrine were devised contrary to the apostolic teaching; which he also indicated here when he said, Contrary to the doctrine. And he did not say, Which we taught, but, Which you learned, anticipating them, and showing that they were indeed persuaded and had heard and accepted. And what shall we do to those who work such evils? He did not say, Go and fight them, but, Avoid them. For if they were doing this out of ignorance or error, one ought to correct them; but since they sin knowingly, 60.676 leap away. And he says this elsewhere: For, he says, withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly. And speaking to Timothy about the coppersmith, he gave such advice, saying: Of whom you also should be aware. Then, also mocking those who dare such things, he states the cause from which they devised this division; For such persons, he says, do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own belly. This he also said when writing to the Philippians: Whose god is their belly. But here he seems to me to be alluding to those from the Jews, whom he was especially accustomed to slander as gluttons. For writing to Titus he said of them: Evil beasts, lazy bellies. And Christ also, slandering them for this, says, You devour widows' houses. And the prophets make such accusations against them: For he grew fat, it says, and was thickened, and the beloved one kicked. Wherefore Moses also exhorted, saying: After eating and drinking and being filled, remember the Lord your God. And in the Gospels saying to Christ, What sign do you show us? and having passed over all other things, they remember the manna; thus everywhere they appear to be mastered by this passion. How then are you not ashamed, O brother of Christ, to have as teachers slaves of the belly? And this is the pretext for the error, while the method of the plot is yet another disease, flattery; For by good words, he says, they deceive the hearts of the innocent. And he rightly said, Good words; for the service extends only to words; but the mind is not such, but full of deceit. And he did not say, They deceive you, but, The hearts of the innocent. And he was not content with this, but in order to make what was said less offensive, he says: For your obedience has come to all. And he does this, not permitting them to be shameless, but forestalling them with praises, and prepossessing them by the multitude of witnesses. For not I alone bear witness, but the whole world. And he did not say, For your

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χοστασίας καὶ τὰ σκάνδαλα παρὰ τὴν διδα χὴν, ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε, ποιοῦντας· καὶ ἐκκλί νατε ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ οὐ δουλεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ· καὶ διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας καὶ εὐλογίας ἐξαπατῶσι τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀκάκων. αʹ. Πάλιν παραίνεσις, καὶ εὐχὴ μετὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ σκοπεῖν τοὺς τὰς διχοστασίας ποιοῦντας, καὶ μὴ ὑπακούειν αὐτοῖς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης συντρίψει τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν· καὶ, Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου μεθ' ὑμῶν. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς καὶ προσηνῶς παραινεῖ, οὐκ ἐν τάξει συμβούλου, ἀλλ' ἐν τάξει ἱκέτου τοῦτο ποιῶν, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς τιμῆς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἐκάλεσε, καὶ ἱκετεύει. Παρακαλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἀδελφοί. Εἶτα καὶ ἐναγωνίους ποιεῖ, δεικνὺς τὸ δολερὸν τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων. Ὡς γὰρ οὐκ αὐτόθεν δήλων ὄντων φησί· Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς σκοπεῖν· τουτέστι, περιεργάζεσθαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ καταμανθάνειν καὶ διερευνᾶσθαι. Τίνας, εἰπέ μοι; Τοὺς τὰς διχοστασίας καὶ τὰ σκάνδαλα παρὰ τὴν διδαχὴν, ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε, ποιοῦντας. Αὕτη γὰρ μάλιστα Ἐκκλησίας ἀνατροπὴ, τὸ διῃρῆσθαι· τοῦτο ὅπλον τοῦ διαβόλου, τοῦτο πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω ποιεῖ. Ἕως γὰρ ἂν ᾖ τὸ σῶμα ἡνωμένον, οὐκ ἰσχύει εἴσοδον ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς διχοστασίας τὸ σκάνδαλον. Ἡ δὲ διχοστασία πόθεν; Ἀπὸ τῶν δογμάτων τῶν παρὰ τὴν διδαχὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων. Τὰ δὲ δόγματα τὰ τοιαῦτα πόθεν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ γαστρὶ δουλεύειν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πάθεσιν. Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι, φησὶ, τῷ Κυρίῳ οὐ δουλεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ αὑτῶν κοιλίᾳ. Ὥστε οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο σκάνδαλα, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο διχοστασία, εἰ μή τι παρὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν διδαχὴν ἐπινοηθείη δόγμα· ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα δηλῶν ἔλεγε, Παρὰ τὴν διδαχήν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἣν ἐδιδάξαμεν, ἀλλ', Ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε, προκαταλαμβάνων αὐτοὺς, καὶ δεικνὺς πεπεισμένους δὴ καὶ ἀκούσαντας καὶ καταδεξαμένους. Καὶ τί ποιήσομεν τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα κακουργοῦσιν; Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὁμόσε χωρεῖτε καὶ πυκτεύετε, ἀλλ', Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἢ πλάνης τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ἔδει διορθοῦν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰδότες ἁμαρτά 60.676 νουσιν, ἀποπηδᾶτε. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ τοῦτο λέγει· Συστέλλεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος. Καὶ Τιμοθέῳ περὶ τοῦ χαλκέως διαλεγόμενος, τοιαῦτα παρῄνει λέγων· Ὃν καὶ σὺ φυλάσσου. Εἶτα καὶ κωμῳδῶν τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶντας, λέγει καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀφ' ἧς ταύτην ἐπενόησαν τὴν διχοστασίαν· Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Χριστῷ, φησὶν, οὐ δουλεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ. Τοῦτο καὶ Φιλιππησίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν· Ὧν θεὸς ἡ κοιλία. Ἐνταῦθα δέ μοι τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων αἰνίττεσθαι δοκεῖ, οὓς μάλιστα ἀεὶ διαβάλλειν εἴωθεν ὡς γαστριμάργους. Καὶ γὰρ Τίτῳ ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγε περὶ αὐτῶν· Κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦτο διαβάλλων, Κατεσθίετε, φησὶ, τὰς οἰκίας τῶν χηρῶν. Καὶ οἱ προφῆται τοιαῦτα αὐτῶν κατηγοροῦσιν· Ἐλιπάνθη γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπαχύνθη, καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος. ∆ιὸ καὶ Μωϋσῆς παρῄνει λέγων· Φαγὼν καὶ πιὼν καὶ ἐμπλησθεὶς, μνήσθητι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ λέγοντες, Τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν; καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα παραδραμόντες, τοῦ μάννα μέμνηνται· οὕτω πανταχοῦ τῷ πάθει τούτῳ κρατούμενοι φαίνονται. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ δούλους κοιλίας διδασκάλους ἔχων ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀδελφός; Καὶ ἡ μὲν ὑπόθεσις τῆς πλάνης αὕτη, ὁ δὲ τρόπος τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἕτερον πάλιν νόσημα, ἡ κολακεία· ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς χρηστολογίας, φησὶν, ἐξαπατῶσι τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀκάκων. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Χρηστολογίας· μέχρι γὰρ τῶν ῥημάτων ἡ θεραπεία· ἡ δὲ διάνοια οὐ τοιαύτη, ἀλλὰ δόλου γέμουσα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατῶσιν, ἀλλὰ, Τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀκάκων. Καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ ἠρκέσθη, ἀλλ' ὥστε ποιῆσαι μὴ ἐπαχθέστερον τὸ εἰρημένον, φησίν· Ἡ γὰρ ὑμῶν ὑπακοὴ εἰς πάντας ἀφίκετο. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἀφιεὶς αὐτοὺς ἀναισχυντῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις προκαταλαμβάνων, καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν μαρτύρων προκατέχων αὐτούς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ μόνος, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡ γὰρ ὑμῶν