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this apprehends and sets right. Let us therefore hold to this, and not entrust our affairs to reasonings. For why, tell me, were the Greeks able to discover nothing? Did they not know all the wisdom from without? Whence then were they not strong enough to overcome fishermen and tentmakers and the unlearned? Was it not because the former entrusted everything to reasonings, but the latter to faith? For this reason these men overcame Plato and Pythagoras, and simply all who had gone astray; and they surpassed those worn out by astrology, and mathematics, and geometry, and arithmetic, and who had learned all culture, and became so much better, as much as true philosophers are better than those who are by nature foolish and deranged. For see: These men said the soul is immortal; or rather, they not only said it, but also persuaded. But the others formerly did not even know what soul is; and when they discovered it, and separated it from the body, they suffered the same thing again, some saying that it is incorporeal, others that it is a body, and that it is dissolved together with the body itself. Again concerning heaven, some said that it is animate and a god; but the fishermen, that it is a work of God and a creation, and they taught and persuaded. But that the Greeks used reasonings is not at all surprising; but that those who seem to be faithful are found to be carnal, this is what is worthy of lamentation. For this reason these also went astray, because some said they knew God in the same way as He knows Himself, which not even one of those men dared to say; and others said that God could not beget without passion, not even allowing him to have anything more than men; and others saying that neither a right life nor an exact conduct profits anything. But now is not the time to refute these things. 4. For that a right faith profits nothing, when life is corrupt, both Christ and Paul declare, having taken care for the greater part of this matter; Christ, when He teaches: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; and again, Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who work iniquity. For those who do not pay attention to themselves easily slip into wickedness, even if they have a right faith. And Paul, when writing to the Hebrews, thus speaks and exhorts: Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord; calling holiness cha 59.353 stity, so that it is right for each one to be content with his own wife, and not fall into another. For it is impossible for the one who is not content to be saved; but it is absolutely necessary that he perish, even if he has ten thousand right achievements. For with fornication it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of heaven; or rather, this is no longer fornication, but adultery. For just as a woman who is bound to a man, if she comes together with another, has henceforth committed adultery; so the man who is bound to a woman, if he has another, has committed adultery. And such a one will not inherit the kingdom, but will fall into Gehenna. Hear what Christ says about these things: Their worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched. For he has no excuse who, after having a wife and so great a comfort, insults another; for this is henceforth incontinence. But if many abstain even from her when it is a time of fasting, when of prayer; how much fire does he heap up for himself who is not even content with her, but also mixes with another? If it is not possible for one who has divorced and cast out his own wife to be joined to another, for this is adultery; how much evil does he do who brings another woman into the house while she is still there? Let no one, therefore, allow this disease to remain in the soul, but let him pull it up by the roots. He does not so much wrong his wife as himself. For this sin is so grievous and unpardonable that, if a woman separates from an idolater when he is unwilling, God punishes the woman; but if she separates from a fornicator, no longer Do you see how great an evil this is? For if any, it says, believing woman has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave him. But concerning a harlot not so; but what? If anyone divorces his wife, except

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αὕτη καταλαμβάνει καὶ κατορθοῖ. Ἐχώμεθα τοίνυν ταύτης, καὶ μὴ λογισμοῖς τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτρέπωμεν. ∆ιατί γὰρ Ἕλληνες, εἰπέ μοι, οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν; οὐχὶ σοφίαν πᾶσαν τὴν ἔξωθεν ἔγνωσαν; πόθεν οὖν ἁλιέων καὶ σκηνοποιῶν καὶ τῶν ἀσυνέτων περιγενέσθαι οὐκ ἴσχυσαν; ἆρ' οὐχ ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν λογισμοῖς, οὗτοι δὲ πίστει τὸ πᾶν ἐπέτρεψαν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Πλάτωνος καὶ Πυθαγόρου, καὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς τῶν πλανηθέντων οὗτοι περιεγένοντο· καὶ τοὺς ἀστρολογίᾳ, καὶ μαθηματικῇ, καὶ γεωμετρίᾳ, καὶ ἀριθμητικῇ κατατριβέντας, καὶ πᾶσαν παίδευσιν ἐκμαθόντας ὑπερέβησαν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐγένοντο βελτίους, ὅσον οἱ ἀληθῶς φιλόσοφοι καὶ ὄντως τῶν φύσει μωρῶν καὶ παραπαιόντων. Ὅρα γάρ· Ἀθάνατον εἶπον τὴν ψυχὴν οὗτοι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ εἶπαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔπεισαν. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ πρότερον μὲν οὐδὲ ᾔδεσαν ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστι ψυχή· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εὗρον, καὶ διέστησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος αὐτὴν, πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ ἔπαθον, οἱ μὲν ἀσώματον εἰπόντες εἶναι αὐτὴν, οἱ δὲ σῶμα, καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ σώματι συνδιαλύεσθαι. Περὶ οὐρανοῦ πάλιν οἱ μὲν εἶπον, ὅτι ἔμψυχος καὶ θεός· οἱ δὲ ἁλιεῖς, ὅτι ἔργον Θεοῦ καὶ τέχνημα, καὶ ἐδίδαξαν καὶ ἔπεισαν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν Ἕλληνας λογισμοῖς κεχρῆσθαι θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· τὸ δὲ τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι πιστοὺς, τούτους εὑρίσκεσθαι ψυχικοὺς, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ θρήνων ἄξιον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὗτοι ἐπλανήθησαν, ὅτι οἱ μὲν οὕτως ἔλεγον εἰδέναι Θεὸν ὡς αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν οἶδεν, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ ἐκείνων ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν· οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀπαθῶς γεννᾷν, μηδὲ συγχωροῦντες αὐτῷ πλέον τι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔχειν· οἱ δὲ λέγοντες ὅτι οὔτε δὴ βίος ὀρθὸς οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ, οὔτε πολιτεία ἀκριβής. Ἀλλ' οὐ καιρὸς ταῦτα ἐλέγχειν νῦν. δʹ. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ πίστις ὀρθὴ, βίου ὄντος διεφθαρμένου, καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλοῦσι, τὸ πλεῖον τούτου τοῦ μέρους φροντίσαντες· ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς, ὅταν διδάσκῃ· Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι, Κύριε, Κύριε, εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ πάλιν, Πολλοὶ ἐροῦσί μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· Κύριε, οὐ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι προεφητεύσαμεν; Καὶ τότε ὁμολογήσω αὐτοῖς, ὅτι Οὐδέποτε ἔγνων ὑμᾶς· ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν. Οἱ γὰρ μὴ προσέχοντες ἑαυτοῖς, εὐκόλως εἰς πονηρίαν ἐξολισθαίνουσι, κἂν πίστιν ἔχωσιν ὀρθήν. Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος, ὅταν Ἑβραίοις ἐπιστέλλων οὕτω λέγῃ καὶ παραινῇ· Εἰρήνην μετὰ πάντων διώκετε, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον· ἁγιασμὸν καλῶν τὴν σω 59.353 φροσύνην, ὥστε ἕκαστον ἀρκεῖσθαι τῇ ἰδίᾳ γυναικὶ χρὴ, καὶ μὴ περιπίπτειν ἑτέρᾳ. Τὸν γὰρ μὴ ἀρκούμενον, ἀμήχανον σωθῆναι· ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη πάντως ἀπολέσθαι, κἂν μυρία ἔχῃ κατορθώματα. Μετὰ γὰρ πορνείας ἀδύνατον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ πορνεία τοῦτο λοιπὸν, ἀλλὰ μοιχεία. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ δεδεμένη ἀνδρὶ, ἂν ἑτέρῳ συνέλθῃ, λοιπὸν μεμοίχευται· οὕτως ὁ δεδεμένος γυναικὶ, ἂν ἑτέραν ἔχῃ, ἐμοίχευσεν. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος οὐ κληρονομήσει βασιλείαν, ἀλλ' εἰς γέενναν ἐμπεσεῖται. Ἄκουσον ἃ περὶ τούτων φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβεσθήσεται. Οὐδεμίαν γὰρ ἔχει συγγνώμην ὁ μετὰ γυναῖκα καὶ παραμυθίαν τοσαύτην ἐξυβρίζων εἰς ἑτέραν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀκρασία λοιπόν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτῆς ἀπέχονται οἱ πολλοὶ, ὅταν νηστείας καιρὸς ᾖ, ὅταν προσευχῆς· ὁ μηδὲ ταύτῃ ἀρκούμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρᾳ μιγνύμενος, πόσον οὗτος σωρεύει πῦρ ἑαυτῷ; Εἰ τὸν ἀπολύσαντα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐκβαλόντα, ἑτέρᾳ μίγνυσθαι οὐκ ἔνι· μοιχεία γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὁ ἔνδον αὐτῆς ἑτέραν ἐπεισάγων, πόσον ἐργάζεται κακόν; Μηδεὶς τοίνυν τοῦτο τὸ νόσημα συγχωρείτω μένειν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀλλὰ πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπάτω. Οὐχ οὕτως ἀδικεῖ τὴν γυναῖκα, ὡς ἑαυτόν. Οὕτω γὰρ τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῦτο χαλεπὸν καὶ ἀσύγγνωστον, ὅτι, ἂν μὲν εἰδωλολάτρου χωρισθῇ, μὴ βουλομένου ἐκείνου, κολάζει τὴν γυναῖκα ὁ Θεός· πόρνου δὲ ἐὰν χωρισθῇ, οὐκέτι Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἐστὶ τοῦτο κακόν; Ἐὰν γάρ τις, φησὶ, πιστὴ ἄνδρα ἔχῃ ἄπιστον, καὶ αὐτὸς εὐδοκῇ οἰκεῖν μετ' αὐτῆς, μὴ ἀφιέτω αὐτόν. Περὶ δὲ πόρνης οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐάν τις ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ παρεκτὸς