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commands not only to hate idolaters, but also to stone them, and in Deuteronomy, marveling 57.407 at them, he says: He who says to his father and his mother, ‘I have not seen you,’ and did not know his brothers, and disowned his sons, has kept your words. But if Paul commands many things concerning parents, ordering to obey them in all things, do not be surprised; for he says to obey only in those things which do not harm piety. For it is holy to render to them all other honor; but when they demand more than what is owed, one must not obey. For this reason Luke says: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and moreover also his own soul, he cannot be my disciple; not simply commanding to hate, since this is also exceedingly unlawful, but, When he wishes to be loved more than me, hate him in this respect. For this destroys both the one who is loved and the one who loves. 2. But he said these things, both making the children more courageous, and making the fathers who were going to hinder them more gentle. For seeing that he has such strength and power as to separate their children from them, since they were attempting impossible things, they were about to desist. Therefore, leaving these aside, he directs his discourse to those, teaching these not to attempt what is impossible for them to attempt. Then, so that they might not be indignant, nor displeased, see to what he advances the argument. For having said, He who does not hate father and mother, he added, And his own soul. For what do you say to me about those who begot you, he says, and brothers, and sisters, and wife? Nothing is more akin to anyone than his soul; but nevertheless if you do not hate this also, you will undergo everything contrary to one who loves. And he did not command simply to hate it, but so as to give it over to war and to battles, and to slaughters and bloodshed. For he who does not take up his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For he did not simply say that one must be prepared for death, but also for a violent death; and not only a violent one, but also a disgraceful one. And he says nothing yet about his own passion, so that, being trained for now in these things, they might more easily receive the discourse about that. Is it not then worthy of astonishment, how, when they heard these things, their soul did not fly from their body, with painful things everywhere at hand, and good things in hopes? How then did it not fly away? Great was both the power of the one speaking, and the love of those listening. Therefore, hearing things far more burdensome and grievous than those great men around Moses and Jeremiah, they remained obedient and said nothing in opposition. He who finds his soul, he says, will lose it, and he who loses his soul for my sake will find it. Have you seen how great is the harm for those who love more than is right? How great the gain for those who hate? For since the commands were burdensome, commanding them to set themselves against parents, and children, and nature, and kinship, and the world, and against their very soul, he also puts forward the benefit, which is very great. For not only will these things not harm, he says, but they will also benefit greatly, and the opposite will harm; which he does everywhere, leading them on by those things which they desire. 57.408 For why do you not want to despise your soul? Because you love it? Therefore despise it for this reason, and then you will benefit it most greatly, and you will show the actions of one who loves. And consider the ineffable wisdom. For he exercises this argument not only upon parents, nor upon children, but upon the soul which is more akin than all, so that that point might become indisputable from this, and they might learn that they will also benefit them most greatly in this way, where this even happens in the case of the soul, which is more necessary than all. These things, therefore, were sufficient to persuade those who were going to minister to them to receive them. For who would not have received with all eagerness such noble men and champions, running about the world like lions, and despising all their own concerns so that others might be saved? But nevertheless also

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τοὺς εἰδωλολατροῦντας οὐχὶ μισεῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λιθάσαι κελεύει, καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ δὲ τούτους θαυμά 57.407 ζων φησίν· Ὁ λέγων τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ, Οὐχ ἑώρακά σε, καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀπέγνω, ἐφύλαξε τὰ λόγιά σου. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Παῦλος πολλὰ περὶ γονέων διατάττεται, πάντα αὐτοῖς ὑπακούειν κελεύων, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· εἰς ἐκεῖνα γὰρ μόνον φησὶν ὑπακούειν, ὅσα μὴ παραβλάπτει τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Καὶ γὰρ ὅσιον τὴν ἄλλην αὐτοῖς ἅπασαν ἀποδιδόναι τιμήν· ὅταν δὲ πλέον τῆς ὀφειλομένης ἀπαιτῶσιν, οὐ δεῖ πείθεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Λουκᾶς φησιν· Εἰ τις ἔρχεται πρός με, καὶ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ τὰ τέκνα, καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ δύναταί μου μαθητὴς εἶναι· οὐχ ἁπλῶς μισῆσαι κελεύων, ἐπεὶ τοῦτο καὶ σφόδρα παράνομον, ἀλλ' Ὅταν βούληται πλέον ἐμοῦ φιλεῖσθαι, μίσησον αὐτὸν κατὰ τοῦτο. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν φιλούμενον καὶ τὸν φιλοῦντα ἀπόλλυσι. βʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀνδρειοτέρους ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ τοὺς πατέρας τοὺς μέλλοντας κωλύειν πραοτέρους ποιῶν. Ὁρῶντες γὰρ, ὅτι τοσαύτην ἰσχὺν ἔχει καὶ δύναμιν, ὡς ἀποσχίζειν αὐτῶν τὰ τέκνα, ἅτε ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειροῦντες, καὶ ἀφίστασθαι ἔμελλον. ∆ιὸ καὶ τούτους ἀφεὶς, πρὸς ἐκείνους ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, τούτους παιδεύων μὴ ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἅτε ἀμηχάνοις ἐπιχειροῦντας. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ ἀγανακτῶσιν ἐκεῖνοι, μηδὲ δυσχεραίνωσιν, ὅρα ποῦ προάγει τὸν λόγον. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Ὃς οὐ μισεῖ πατέρα καὶ μητέρα, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Τί γάρ μοι λέγεις τοὺς γεγεννηκότας, φησὶ, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ ἀδελφὰς, καὶ γυναῖκα; Ψυχῆς οὐδὲν οἰκειότερον οὐδενί· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐὰν μὴ καὶ ταύτην μισήσῃς, τἀναντία τοῦ φιλοῦντος ὑποστήσῃ πάντα. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς αὐτὴν μισῆσαι ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλ' ὥστε καὶ εἰς πόλεμον καὶ εἰς μάχας αὐτὴν ἐκδιδόναι, καὶ εἰς σφαγὰς καὶ αἵματα. Ὃς γὰρ οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔρχεται ὀπίσω μου, οὐ δύναταί μου μαθητὴς εἶναι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὅτι πρὸς θάνατον δεῖ παρατετάχθαι, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸς θάνατον βίαιον· καὶ οὐ πρὸς βίαιον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπονείδιστον. Καὶ οὐδὲν οὐδέπω περὶ τοῦ οἰκείου διαλέγεται πάθους, ἵνα τέως ἐν τούτοις παιδευθέντες εὐκολώτερον τὸν περὶ ἐκείνου δέξωνται λόγον. Ἆρα οὐκ ἄξιον ἐκπλαγῆναι, πῶς ταῦτα ἀκουόντων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀπέπτη τοῦ σώματος ἡ ψυχὴ, πανταχοῦ τῶν μὲν λυπηρῶν ἐν χερσὶν ὄντων, τῶν δὲ χρηστῶν ἐν ἐλπίσι; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἀπέπτη; Πολλὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ λέγοντος δύναμις ἦν, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀγάπη. ∆ιὸ πολλῷ φορτικώτερα καὶ ἐπαχθέστερα τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων ἀκούοντες ἀνδρῶν τῶν περὶ Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἱερεμίαν, ἔμενον πειθόμενοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἀντιλέγοντες. Ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ἀπολέσει αὐτὴν, καὶ ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, εὑρήσει αὐτήν. Εἶδες πόσον τῶν παρὰ τὸ δέον φιλούντων τὸ βλάβος; πόσον τῶν μισούντων τὸ κέρδος; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ ἐπιτάγματα φορτικὰ ἦν, πρὸς γονέας, καὶ παῖδας, καὶ φύσιν, καὶ συγγένειαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν κελεύοντος αὐτοὺς παρατάττεσθαι, τίθησι καὶ τὸ ὄφελος, μέγιστον ὄν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον οὐ βλάψει, φησὶ, ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφελήσει τὰ μέγιστα, τἀναντία δὲ παραβλάψει· ὅπερ πανταχοῦ ποιεῖ, ἀφ' ὧν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, ἀπὸ τούτων ἐνάγων. 57.408 ∆ιατί γὰρ οὐ βούλει καταφρονῆσαί σου τῆς ψυχῆς; Ἐπειδὴ φιλεῖς αὐτήν; Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο καταφρόνησον, καὶ τότε αὐτὴν τὰ μέγιστα ὀνήσεις, καὶ τὰ τοῦ φιλοῦντος ἐπιδείξῃ. Καὶ σκόπει σύνεσιν ἄφατον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν γονέων μόνον γυμνάζει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν παίδων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς πάντων οἰκειοτέρας ψυχῆς, ἵνα ἐκεῖνο ἐντεῦθεν ἀναμφισβήτητον γένηται, καὶ μάθωσιν ὅτι καὶ ἐκείνους οὕτω τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελήσουσι, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πάντων ἀναγκαιοτέρας ψυχῆς τοῦτο συμβαίνει. Ἱκανὰ μὲν οὖν ἦν καὶ ταῦτα πεῖσαι δέχεσθαι τοὺς μέλλοντας αὐτοὺς θεραπεύειν. Τίς γὰρ τοὺς οὕτω γενναίους καὶ ἀριστέας, καὶ καθάπερ λέοντας τὴν οἰκουμένην περιτρέχοντας, καὶ πάντων καταφρονοῦντας τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς, ἵνα ἕτεροι σωθῶσιν, οὐκ ἂν ἐδέξατο προθυμίᾳ πάσῃ; Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ