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there is a resurrection and countless good things; therefore we ought to bear witness of this to all people. And yet we do bear witness, he says, and we believe. How, when doing the opposite? Tell me now; if someone called himself a Christian, then having apostatized, held Jewish opinions, would this testimony then have sufficed? By no means; for they would have sought the testimony from his works. So also with us, if we say that there is a resurrection and countless good things, and then despise them, and prefer the things here, who will believe us? for not to what we say, but to what we do, do all people pay attention. You shall be a witness, he says, to all people; not to your own people only, but also to the unbelievers; for this is what witnesses are, they do not persuade those who know, but those who do not know. Let us become trustworthy witnesses. And how shall we be trustworthy? From our life. The Jews set upon him; the passions set upon us, bidding us to deny the testimony. But let us not be persuaded; we are witnesses sent from God. God is judged by some men, that He is not God; He has sent us to bear witness to Him. Let us bear witness and persuade those who judge; if we do not bear witness, we are also the cause of their error. But if in a court of law, where there are matters of this life, one would not accept a witness full of countless evils; much more here, where the inquiry is about such matters. We say that we have heard Christ, and we believe what He promised; they say: Show this through your works; for your life testifies to the contrary, that you do not believe. Should we see those who are money-making, those who are rapacious, those who are greedy? those who mourn, those who beat their breasts, those who build, those who busy themselves with everything, as if they were not going to die? If, therefore, you do not believe that you will die, a matter so plain and manifest, how shall we believe you when you bear witness? For there are, there are many people, who are so disposed, as if they were not going to die. For when in advanced old age they begin to build and to farm, when will they take account of death? Not a small punishment for us, who were indeed called to bear witness, but were not able to testify to what we have seen. We too have seen the angels with our eyes, and more clearly than those who have seen them. Therefore let us bear witness to Christ; for indeed not they alone are witnesses, but we also. For this reason they are called martyrs, because when bidden to deny, they endure all things, that they may speak the truth; and we, when we are bidden by our passions to deny, let us not be overcome. Gold says: Say that Christ is not Christ; therefore do not listen to it as to God, but despise its 60.331 commands. Evil desires say the same thing; but you, do not be persuaded, but stand nobly, that it may not also be said of us: They profess to know God, but in works they deny him. For this is not of witnesses, but the opposite. And for others to deny, is nothing wonderful; but for us who were called to witness to become deniers, is grievous and burdensome; this especially harms our cause. It will turn to them for a testimony, he says; but when we do not shrink back, when we stand firm. If we were all willing to bear witness to Christ, we would quickly have persuaded many of the Greeks. Life is a great thing, beloved; even if one is very beast-like, even if he does not openly condemn on account of the dogma, yet he accepts it secretly, yet he will praise, yet he will admire. And whence, he says, could an excellent life come? From nowhere, but from divine energy. What then, when Greeks are also such? If they were ever such, some are so by nature, others through vainglory. Do you wish to learn how great is the brightness of a life, how much persuasion it has? Many of the heretics have prevailed in this way, and although their dogmas were corrupt, most people, out of respect for their life, no longer examined their dogma; and others, even while condemning them for their dogma, were shamed by their life; not rightly, indeed, but nevertheless they experienced this. This has slandered the venerable things of our faith, this has overthrown everything, the fact that no one has any regard for life, this damages the faith.

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ἔστιν ἀνάστασις καὶ μυρία ἀγαθά· οὐκοῦν ὀφείλομεν τοῦτο μαρτυρῆσαι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις. Καὶ μὴν μαρτυροῦμεν, φησὶ, καὶ πιστεύομεν. Πῶς, τἀναντία πράττοντες; Εἰπὲ δή μοι· εἴ τις ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγε Χριστιανὸν, εἶτα ἀποστὰς τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ ἐφρόνει, ἄρα ἤρκεσεν ἂν ἡ μαρτυρία αὕτη; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἔργων τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐζήτουν ἄν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἰ λέγομεν ὅτι ἀνάστασίς ἐστι καὶ μυρία ἀγαθὰ, εἶτα καταφρονοῦμεν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα προτιμῶμεν, τίς ἡμῖν πιστεύσει; οὐ γὰρ οἷς λέγομεν, ἀλλ' οἷς πράττομεν προσέχουσιν ἅπαντες. Μάρτυς ἔσῃ, φησὶ, πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους· οὐχὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους· οἱ γὰρ μάρτυρες τοῦτό εἰσιν, οὐχὶ τοὺς εἰδότας πείθουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐκ εἰδότας. Γενώμεθα ἀξιόπιστοι μάρτυρες. Πῶς δὲ ἐσόμεθα ἀξιόπιστοι; Ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου. Ἐπέθεντο ἐκείνῳ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἐπιτίθενται ἡμῖν τὰ πάθη κελεύοντα ἐξομόσασθαι τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ πειθώμεθα· μάρτυρές ἐσμεν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεμφθέντες. Κρίνεται παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τισὶν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι Θεός· ἔπεμψεν ἡμᾶς μαρτυρήσοντας αὐτῷ. Μαρτυρήσωμεν καὶ πείσωμεν τοὺς δικάζοντας· ἂν μὴ μαρτυρήσωμεν, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων πλάνης ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν αἴτιοι. Εἰ δὲ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ, ἔνθα βιωτικὰ πράγματα, οὐκ ἄν τις δέξαιτο μάρτυρα μυρίων γέμοντα κακῶν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα περὶ τοιούτων πραγμάτων ἡ σκέψις ἐστίν. Ἡμεῖς λέγομεν, ὅτι ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ πιστεύομεν οἷς ἐπηγγείλατο· λέγουσιν ἐκεῖνοι· ∆είξατε τοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἔργων· ὁ γὰρ βίος ὑμῶν τὰ ἐναντία μαρτυρεῖ, ὅτι οὐ πιστεύετε. Τοὺς χρηματιζομένους, τοὺς ἁρπάζοντας, τοὺς πλεονεκτοῦντας βούλεσθε ἴδωμεν; τοὺς πενθοῦντας, τοὺς κοπτομένους, τοὺς οἰκοδομοῦντας, τοὺς πάντα πραγματευομένους, ὡς οὐκ ἀποθανουμένους; Εἰ τοίνυν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε οὐ πιστεύετε, πράγματι οὕτω δήλῳ καὶ φανερῷ, πῶς ὑμῖν πιστεύσομεν μαρτυροῦσιν; Εἰσὶ γὰρ, εἰσὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ οὕτω διάκεινται, ὡς οὐκ ἀποθανούμενοι. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν γήρᾳ μακρῷ ἄρχωνται οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ γεωργεῖν, πότε λογισμὸν λήψονται θανάτου; Οὐ μικρὰ ἡ κόλασις ἡμῖν κληθεῖσι μὲν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, μὴ δυνηθεῖσι δὲ μαρτυρῆσαι ἃ εἴδομεν. Εἴδομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοὺς ἀγγέλους, καὶ σαφέστερον τῶν ἑωρακότων. Οὐκοῦν μαρτυρήσωμεν τῷ Χριστῷ· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐκεῖνοι μάρτυρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνοι λέγονται μάρτυρες, ὅτι κελευόμενοι ἐξομόσασθαι πάντα ὑπομένουσιν, ἵνα τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἴπωσι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν κελευώμεθα ἐξομόσασθαι, μὴ ἡττώμεθα. Ὁ χρυσὸς λέγει· Εἰπὲ, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἔστι Χριστός· μὴ οὖν ἄκουε σὺ ὡς Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καταφρόνησον τῶν ἐκείνου 60.331 προσταγμάτων. Αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι αἱ πονηραὶ τὸ αὐτὸ λέγουσιν· ἀλλὰ σὺ μὴ παραπεισθῇς, ἀλλὰ στῆθι γενναίως, ἵνα μὴ καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν λαληθῇ· Θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἀρνοῦνται. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ μαρτύρων, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐναντίον. Καὶ τὸ μὲν τοὺς ἄλλους ἀρνεῖσθαι, οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· τὸ δὲ ἡμᾶς τοὺς εἰς μαρτύριον κληθέντας ἐξάρνους γενέσθαι, βαρὺ καὶ φορτικόν· τοῦτο μάλιστα βλάπτει τὰ ἡμέτερα. Εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς ἀποβήσεται, φησίν· ἀλλ' ὅταν οὐκ ἀποπηδήσωμεν, ὅταν ἐνστῶμεν. Εἰ πάντες ἐβουλόμεθα μαρτυρεῖν τῷ Χριστῷ, ταχέως ἂν ἐπείσαμεν τῶν Ἑλλήνων τοὺς πολλούς. Μέγα βίος, ἀγαπητοί· κἂν σφόδρα θηριώδης ᾖ τις, κἂν φανερῶς οὐ καταγινώσκῃ διὰ τὸ δόγμα, ἀλλ' ἀποδέχεται λάθρα, ἀλλ' ἐπαινέσεται, ἀλλὰ θαυμάσεται. Καὶ πόθεν, φησὶν, ἂν γένοιτο βίος ἄριστος; Οὐδαμόθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ θείας ἐνεργείας. Τί οὖν, ὅταν καὶ Ἕλληνες ὦσι τοιοῦτοι; Ἐκεῖνοι εἴ που καὶ εἶεν τοιοῦτοι, οἱ μὲν φύσει, οἱ δὲ διὰ κενοδοξίαν. Βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅση ἡ τοῦ βίου λαμπρότης, ὅσην ἔχει τὴν πειθώ; Πολλοὶ τῶν αἱρετικῶν οὕτως ἴσχυσαν, καὶ τὰ δόγματα καίτοι αὐτοῖς ὄντα διεφθαρμένα, οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἰδοῖ τῇ περὶ τὸν βίον οὐκ ἔτι τὸ δόγμα ἐξήτασαν· ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ καταγινώσκοντες αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ δόγμα, ᾐδέσθησαν διὰ τὸν βίον· οὐ καλῶς μὲν, πλὴν ὅμως τοῦτο ἔπαθον. Τοῦτο τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἡμετέρας διέβαλε, τοῦτο τὰ πάντα ἀνέτρεψε, τὸ μηδένα λόγον εἶναι βίου μηδενὶ, τοῦτο τῇ πίστει λυμαίνεται.