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in evil matters, with good reason; but if in an upright life, for what reason? Let me tell you something that happened to one of my acquaintances. The wrath of God once fell, and he being very young, and being in the order of a deacon, since at that time the bishop happened to be away, and none of the presbyters took any care, but they simply caused many thousands to be enlightened all at once in one night, and all were baptized simply, knowing nothing; he, taking these aside, one hundred and two hundred of them together, discoursed with them, on nothing else but only the things of the Mysteries, so as not even to allow the uninitiated to be present. Many thought that he did this because he was ambitious for office. But he did not care for what they thought; however, he did not prolong the matter, but immediately stopped. What then? Is he the cause of the offense? I think not. For if he had done this when there was no reason, they would have rightly ascribed the cause to him, and if again he had prolonged it. For when one is hindered from things that please God because of another's offense, one must disregard it; 60.326 but one must be concerned then, when we are not compelled on his account to offend God; for, tell me, if while we are discoursing and mocking drunkards, someone is offended, shall I stop speaking? Hear Christ saying, "Do you also wish to go away?" Thus one should neither disregard nor be overly concerned with the weakness of the many. Or do we not see physicians also doing this, and, when it is possible, indulging the sick, but when their indulgence causes harm, no longer sparing them? It is good to honor the mean everywhere. Many blasphemed on account of the instruction of a certain beautiful maiden who remained a virgin; they went to her, and reviled her instructors. What then? Ought they to have desisted on this account? By no means; for they were doing nothing contrary, but rather a thing very pleasing to God. Therefore, let us not see if some are offended, but if they are justly offended, and if it is not to our own harm. "If food," he says, "causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat." With good reason; for not eating did no harm; but if it offends him that I wish to renounce, one should no longer be concerned. "And who," one says, "does this offend?" Many, I know for my part. Therefore, when the thing forbidden is indifferent, let it be so; for if we were to look to this alone, we should have to abstain from many things; just as, on the contrary, if we were to be contemptuous, we should destroy many; since Paul also took precaution against offense; and how, hear: "Lest in this abundance," he says, "which is administered by us;" for it did no harm to remove the suspicion. But when we fall into such a necessity, that great evils arise from another's offense, let us disregard him. For he is the cause to himself, and we are no longer responsible; for it was not possible to spare him without harm. Many were offended because some of the faithful lay down in sacred places, since it was not proper to lie down there; but wrongly; for no harm came from this. They were offended because Peter ate with the Gentiles; but he spared them, while he himself no longer did so. Everywhere it is fitting for us, following the laws of God, to make great effort so as to give no occasion for offense, that we ourselves may be without blame, and be deemed worthy of the loving-kindness of God, by the grace and loving-kindness of His Only-Begotten, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60.325 HOMILY XLVII. And Paul said, I am a man who is a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city: and I beg you, permit me to speak to the people. And when he had given him permission, the

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ἐπὶ πονηροῖς πράγμασιν, εἰκότως· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ βίῳ ὀρθῷ, τίνος ἕνεκεν; Εἴπω τι καί τινι τῶν ἐμοὶ συνήθων συμβάν. Ἐπέπεσεν ὀργή ποτε τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ σφόδρα νέος ὢν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ διακόνου τάξει τυγχάνων, ἐπεὶ τότε ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἔτυχεν ἀπὼν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὐδεὶς ἐφρόντιζεν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἐποίησαν φωτισθῆναι ἀθρόον ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ μυριάδας πολλὰς, καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐβαπτίζοντο πάντες οὐδὲν εἰδότες· τούτους ἐκεῖνος λαβὼν κατ' ἰδίαν ὁμοῦ ἑκατὸν καὶ διακοσίους, διελέγετο, ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν, τὰ δὲ τῶν μυστηρίων μόνον ὡς μηδὲ τοῖς ἀμυνήτοις συγχωρεῖν παρεῖναι. Τοῦτο αὐτὸν ποιοῦντα ἐνόμισαν πολλοὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐρῶντα τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐφρόντισεν ἐκεῖνος τῶν νομιζόντων· οὐκ ἐξέτεινε μέντοι ἐπὶ χρόνον τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐπαύσατο. Τί οὖν; ἐκεῖνος τοῦ σκανδάλου αἴτιος; Οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ οὔσης αἰτίας τοῦτο ἐποίει, εἰκότως ἐκείνῳ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπέγραφον, καὶ εἰ πάλιν ἐπεξέτεινεν. Ὅταν γὰρ τῶν τῷ Θεῷ δοκούντων κωλύηται διὰ τὸ ἑτέρου σκάνδαλον, καταφρονεῖν δεῖ· τότε δὲ φροντίζειν, ὅταν μηδὲν ἀναγκαζώμεθα δι' ἐκεῖνον 60.326 προσκρούειν Θεῷ· ἐπεὶ, εἰπέ μοι, ἂν μεταξὺ διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν καὶ τοὺς μεθύοντας σκωπτόντων σκανδαλίζηταί τις, ἐγὼ παύσωμαι λέγων; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς βούλεσθε ὑπάγειν; Οὕτως οὔτε καταφρονεῖν οὔτε σφόδρα ἀντιποιεῖσθαι τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ἀσθενείας χρή. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρῶμεν καὶ τοὺς ἰατροὺς τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, καὶ, ὅταν μὲν ἐγχωρῇ, χαριζομένους τοῖς κάμνουσιν, ὅταν δὲ ἡ χάρις ἡ ἐκείνων βλάβην ἐργάζηται, οὐκ ἔτι φειδομένους; Πανταχοῦ τὸ μέτρον τιμᾷν καλόν. Ἐβλασφήμησαν πολλοὶ κατηχήσεως ἕνεκεν κόρης τινὸς εὐμόρφου παρθένου μεινάσης, παρέβαλον πρὸς αὐτὴν, καὶ τοὺς κατηχοῦντας ἐλοιδόρησαν. Τί οὖν; ἀποστῆναι ἐκείνους ἔδει διὰ τοῦτο; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰργάζοντο ἐναντίον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα δοκοῦν πρᾶγμα Θεῷ. Μὴ τοίνυν, εἰ σκανδαλίζονταί τινες, ἴδωμεν, ἀλλ' εἰ δικαίως, καὶ εἰ μὴ μετὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας βλάβης. Εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει, φησὶ, τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Εἰκότως· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔβλαπτε τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν· εἰ μέντοι σκανδαλίζει αὐτὸν, ὅτι βούλομαι ἀποτάξασθαι, οὐκ ἔτι φροντίζειν δεῖ. Καὶ τίνα, φησὶ, τοῦτο σκανδαλίζει; Πολλοὺς, ἔγωγε οἶδα. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἀδιάφορον ᾖ τὸ κώλυμα, γινέσθω· ἐπεὶ, εἰ μέλλοιμεν πρὸς τοῦτο μόνον ὁρᾷν, πολλῶν ἔχομεν ἀποστῆναι· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοὐναντίον, εἰ μέλλοιμεν καταφρονεῖν, πολλοὺς ἀπολλύναι· ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος προενόησε σκανδάλου· καὶ πῶς, ἄκουε· Ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἁδρότητι, φησὶ, ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ' ἡμῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔβλαπτε τὸ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἐξελεῖν. Ὅταν δὲ εἰς τοιαύτην ἐμπέσωμεν ἀνάγκην, ὥστε μεγάλα γενέσθαι κακὰ διὰ τὸ ἑτέρου σκάνδαλον, καταφρονῶμεν ἐκείνου. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἑαυτῷ αἴτιος, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἔτι ὑπεύθυνοι· οὐ γὰρ ἐνῆν ἀβλαβῶς αὐτοῦ φείσασθαι. Ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν πολλοὶ, ὅτι εἰς ἱερὰ κατέκειντό τινες πιστοὶ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔδει κατακεῖσθαι· ἀλλὰ κακῶς· οὐδεμία γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτου βλάβη. Ἐσκανδαλίζοντο, ὅτι ἤσθιε μετὰ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ὁ Πέτρος· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐφείσατο, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐκ ἔτι. Πανταχοῦ προσήκει ἡμᾶς τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμοις κατακολουθοῦντας, πολλὴν σπουδὴν ποιεῖσθαι, ὥστε μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν παρέχειν σκανδάλου, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνεύθυνοι ὦμεν, καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξιωθῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.325 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΜΖʹ. Εἶπε δὲ ὁ Παῦλος· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἄνθρωπος Ἰουδαῖος, Ταρσεὺς τῆς Κιλικίας, οὐκ ἀσήμου πόλεως πολί της· δέομαι δέ σου, ἐπίτρεψόν μοι λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν λαόν. Ἐπιτρέψαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, ὁ