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is revealed by fire.” 6. Therefore we neither promise complete freedom to those who have fallen after baptism nor do we forbid their life; for God "is merciful and compassionate," and "has given to those who repent a return." And the first is clear, but the second we know, that God is merciful, if we repent of our transgressions with our whole soul. For he holds in his hand life and salvation and love for mankind. And what he himself does is known to him alone, except that there is no loss from repentance nor is he who repents of all his errors forbidden. How much more so he who is lawfully joined to a second wife? And the first wife is ordained by God, but the second is from the weakness of men, and if he should be joined to yet more, the weakness is always 2.371 carried through. For it says, "a wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” Declaring after the death of the husband the freedom from sin without any contradiction, through the addition he signifies * by the "in the Lord"; that she who is joined to another man after her husband's death is not alienated from the Lord, or the man who is joined to a second wife after his wife's death, "only in the Lord," as the apostle says. And he says, "but she is more blessed if she remains so," * but the "in the Lord" means not in fornication, not in adultery, not in a secret marriage, but in lawfulness, in openness, in a respectable marriage, continuing in the faith, in the commandments, in good deeds, in piety, in fasts, in lawfulness, in almsgiving, in diligence, in good works. For these things, being present and remaining, do not render them idle or unfruitful for the coming of the Lord. And to the priesthood belongs the first order and precision concerning all things, but to the laity, what is moderate and pardonable, so that all may be taught and shown mercy. For the master is merciful and able to save all by their own lawfulness and true faith 2.372 of the purity of the proclamation. For he alone is pure. But these, by calling themselves Cathars from this very proposition, render themselves impure; for everyone who has declared himself pure has completely condemned himself as impure. 7. But great is the folly of such men, who think that on account of one thing, even if it were true, they should pass judgment in this way concerning the whole people. But they should have known that the accusation for every soul does not exist concerning this proposition alone, or that it is only through this that one can become virtuous, but also by not reviling, not swearing an oath either in truth or in falsehood, but saying "yes, yes" and "no, no," not being deceitful, not slandering, not stealing, not engaging in commerce. For from all these things the filth of our sins is gathered; "for, as it says, a peg will be crushed between two stones, so sin between the one buying and the one selling." and that from the whole multitude there are some who are drunkards and merchants and greedy and usurers *, and that in any case they themselves also have such things and things similar to these, and that falsehoods also accompany each one of them. How then can they call themselves Cathars, as if by this one proposition of the whole divine dispensation they were secured against all errors? But these men did not know the precise details of the proclamation nor for whom it prescribed this precision regarding second marriage. But also those who have fallen away because of the persecution, they too, if they show perfect repentance, sitting in sackcloth and ashes and weeping before the Lord, the benefactor is able to have mercy on them too; for nothing bad comes from repentance. Therefore the Lord and his church receive those who repent, as Manasseh the son of Hezekiah returned and was received by the Lord, and holy Peter, who denied for a time, the chief of the apostles, who 2.373 has become for us truly a solid rock

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πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται». 6. Οὔτε οὖν ἐπαγγελλόμεθα ἐλευθερίαν παντάπασι τοῖς μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα παραπεπτωκόσιν οὔτε ἀπαγορεύομεν τὴν αὐτῶν ζωήν· θεὸς γὰρ «ἐλεήμων ἐστὶν καὶ οἰκτίρμων», καὶ «ἔδωκε τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἐπάνοδον». καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτόν ἐστι σαφές, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐλεήμων ἐστὶν θεός, ἐὰν ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς μετανοήσωμεν ἀπὸ παραπτωμάτων. ἔχει γὰρ ἐν χειρὶ ζωὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν. καὶ τί μὲν αὐτὸς ποιεῖ αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἔγνωσται, πλὴν ὅτι ζημία οὐκ ἔνι ἀπὸ τῆς μετανοίας οὐδὲ ἀπηγόρευται ὁ μετανοῶν ἀπὸ πάντων σφαλμάτων. πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ὁ κατὰ νόμον συναφθεὶς δευτέρᾳ γυναικί; καὶ ἡ μὲν πρώτη γυνὴ ἐκ θεοῦ τεταγμένη, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα ἐξ ἀσθενείας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἔτι περισσοτέρᾳ εἰ συναφθείη, τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἀεὶ 2.371 διαβαστάζεται. φησὶ γάρ «γυνὴ δέδεται νόμῳ ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς. ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι, μόνον ἐν κυρίῳ». ἀποφηνάμενος μετὰ τελευτὴν ἀνδρὸς τὸ ἐλεύθερον ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας χωρὶς πάσης ἀντιλογίας, διὰ τῆς προσθήκης σημαίνει * τῷ «ἐν κυρίῳ»· ὡς οὐκ εἶναι αὐτὴν ἀλλοτρίαν κυρίου τὴν μετὰ τελευτὴν ἀνδρὸς συναπτομένην ἄλλῳ ἀνδρὶ ἢ τὸν μετὰ τελευτὴν γυναικὸς συναπτόμενον δευτέρᾳ γυναικί, «μόνον ἐν κυρίῳ», ὡς λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος. καί φησι μέν «μακαριωτέρα δέ ἐστιν, ἐὰν μείνῃ οὕτως», * τὸ δέ «ἐν κυρίῳ» τουτέστιν τὸ μὴ ἐν πορνείᾳ μὴ ἐν μοιχείᾳ μὴ ἐν κλεψιγαμίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐν εὐνομίᾳ ἐν παρρησίᾳ ἐν σεμνῷ γάμῳ, ἐπιμένοντα ἐν τῇ πίστει ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἐν εὐποιίαις ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ ἐν νηστείαις ἐν εὐνομίᾳ ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις ἐν σπουδῇ ἐν ἀγαθοεργίᾳ. ταῦτα γὰρ συνόντα καὶ παραμένοντα οὐκ ἀργοὺς οὐδὲ ἀκάρπους καθίστησιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίαν. Καὶ τῇ μὲν ἱερωσύνῃ τὸ πρῶτον τάγμα καὶ ἡ περὶ πάντων ἀκριβολογία, τῷ δὲ λαῷ τὸ σύμμετρον καὶ τὸ σύγγνωστον, ἵνα πάντες διδάσκωνται καὶ κατελεῶνται. ἐλεήμων γάρ ἐστιν ὁ δεσπότης καὶ δυνατὸς πάντας σῴζειν τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὐτῶν εὐνομίᾳ τε καὶ ἀληθινῇ πίστει 2.372 τῆς τοῦ κηρύγματος καθαρότητος. αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος ἐστὶ καθαρός. οὗτοι δὲ ἑαυτοὺς φήσαντες Καθαροὺς ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἀκαθάρτους ἑαυτοὺς ἀποτελοῦσι· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ καθαρὸν ἑαυτὸν ἀποφήνας ἀκάθαρτον ἑαυτὸν τελείως κατέκρινε. 7. Πολλὴ δὲ ἄνοια τῶν τοιούτων νομιζόντων διὰ ἕν τι, εἰ καὶ ἦν ἀληθές, περὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ κρίμα οὕτως φέρειν. ἔδει δὲ γνῶναι ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης μόνον τὸ ἔγκλημα ὑπάρχει πάσῃ ψυχῇ ἢ τὸ διὰ τούτου ἐνάρετον γενέσθαι ἔστι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μὴ λοιδορεῖν, μὴ ὀμνύναι ὅρκον μήτε ἐν ἀληθείᾳ μήτε ἐν ψεύδει, ἀλλὰ «ναὶ ναί» καὶ «οὒ οὔ» λέγειν, μὴ δολιεύεσθαι μὴ διαβάλλειν μὴ κλέπτειν μὴ ἐμπορεύεσθαι. ἐκ τούτων γὰρ πάντων συνάγεται ἡμῖν τὰ ῥύπη τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· «ὡς, γάρ φησίν, ὁ πάσσαλος ἀνὰ μέσον δύο λίθων συντριβήσεται, οὕτως ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀνὰ μέσον ἀγοράζοντος καὶ πωλοῦντος». καὶ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους παντὸς τινὲς καὶ μέθυσοι καὶ ἔμποροι καὶ πλεονέκται καὶ τοκισταὶ *, καὶ πάντως ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἔχουσι καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια, καὶ ὅτι καὶ ψεύσματα ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν παρακολουθεῖ. πῶς οὖν δύνανται ἑαυτοὺς Καθαροὺς ἀποκαλεῖν, ὡς διὰ τῆς μιᾶς ὑποθέσεως τῆς πάσης κατὰ θεὸν πραγματείας περὶ πάντων τῶν σφαλμάτων ἀσφαλιζομένης; οὐκ ἔγνωσαν δὲ οὗτοι τὰ ἀκριβῆ τοῦ κηρύγματος οὐδὲ τίνι ἀφώρισε τὸ ἀκρίβασμα τοῦτο τῆς διγαμίας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ διωγμοῦ παραπεπτωκότες καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐὰν ἐνδείξωνται τελείαν τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ καθεσθέντες καὶ κλαύσαντες ἐνώπιον κυρίου, δυνατός ἐστιν ὁ εὐεργέτης καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐλεῆσαι· οὐ γάρ τι φαῦλον γίνεται ἀπὸ μετανοίας. δέχεται μὲν οὖν τοὺς μετανοοῦντας ὁ κύριος καὶ ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησία, ὡς ἐπέστρεψε Μανασσῆς ὁ υἱὸς Ἐζεκίου καὶ ἐδέχθη ὑπὸ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ ἀρνησάμενος πρὸς ὥραν ἅγιος Πέτρος καὶ κορυφαιότατος τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὃς 2.373 γέγονεν ἡμῖν ἀληθῶς στερεὰ πέτρα