to be devoted to prayer and psalmody, and to have faith in the priests of God and love for one another, so as to also pray for one another; and as proof of the power of prayer Elijah is brought forward; and finally, how great is the reward for those who turn sinners back. But above all, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath.

Cyril. Let the testimony of our life be more sure than an oath. But if some shameless person, not being put to shame by your life, dares to impose an oath upon you; let your Yes be yes, and your No, no, instead of an oath. For this reason he forbids us to swear by heaven and by earth, so that we might not give to creation the dignity that is above creation, deifying them. For those who swear, he says, swear by the greater, as the Apostle says.

ON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF BLESSED PETER. In whom, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Cyril. Terrible, therefore, and grievous is unbelief, 74.1013 but faith is the greatest of goods, established as the cause of all salvation. Because it is contained in the Scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, chosen, precious; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame. To you therefore who believe, he is precious.

Cyril. He calls our Lord Jesus Christ a chosen stone, costly and precious, pre-eminent in the glory and excellence of his divinity. And he says "cornerstone," as binding together into a spiritual unity through one faith the two peoples, the one from Israel and the one from the Gentiles. But, "He who believes," he says, "in him will not be put to shame." See how he releases freedom to the afflicted. And he says: I lay the chosen stone in the foundations of Zion; and what is the benefit from this? He who believes in him will not be put to shame. Let him keep his tongue from evil.

Cyril. The teaching is holy and salutary, and I say that the instruction is worthy of all account. For it is written that death and life are in the power of the tongue; and those who control it will eat its fruits. And the disciple of Christ said somewhere: If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Great, therefore, is control of the tongue, just as, of course, it is a most grievous disease not to have it so. In which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

Cyril. He resolves here that objection which some, opposing it, say: If the incarnation was beneficial, why did he not become incarnate many ages before? For behold, he went and preached even to the spirits in prison, in order to release those who were going to believe, if, having been incarnate at that time, he had visited those on earth. For these certainly recognized him when he appeared even in the underworld, and they enjoyed his appearance. Having gone in the spirit, he preached to those in Hades, having appeared as a soul among souls, whom the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing, feared, and bronze gates were shattered, and iron bars were broken; and the Only-Begotten cried out with authority to the souls who shared his nature, according to the plan of the economy, saying to those in bonds: Come forth [Cod. ἐξέλθατε], and to those in darkness:

προσευχῇ καὶ ψαλμῳδίᾳ σχολάζειν, καὶ πίστιν ἔχειν περὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην, ὡς καὶ δέεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων· καὶ ἡ ἀπόδειξις τῆς ἰσχύος τῆς προσευχῆς ὁ Ἠλίας εἰς μέσον φέρεται· καὶ τελευταῖον, ὅσος ὁ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐπιστρεφόντων ὁ μισθός. Πρὸ πάντων δὲ, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ὀμνύετε, μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν, μήτε τὴν γῆν, μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ ὅρκον.

Κυρίλλου. Ἔστω ἡ τοῦ βίου ἡμῶν μαρτυρία βεβαιοτέρα ὅρκου. Εἰ δέ τις ἀναιδὴς, μὴ δυσωπούμενος ὑμῶν τῷ βίῳ, τολμᾷ ὑμῖν ἐπαγαγεῖν ὅρκον· ἔστω ὑμῖν τὸ Ναὶ, ναὶ, καὶ τὸ Οὒ, οὒ, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὅρκου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κωλύει ἡμᾶς ὀμνύναι κατὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ δῶμεν τῇ κτίσει τὸ ὑπὲρ κτίσιν ἀξίωμα, θεοποιοῦντες αὐτά. Οἱ γὰρ ὀμνύντες, φησὶ, κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσιν, ὡς ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι.

IN EPISTOLAM I B. PETRI. Εἰς ὃν, ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες, πιστεύοντες δὲ, ἀγαλ λιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ

δεδοξασμένῃ, κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, σωτη ρίαν ψυχῶν. Κυρίλλου. ∆εινὸν τοίνυν καὶ χαλεπὸν ἡ ἀπιστία, 74.1013 μέγιστον δὲ ἀγαθῶν ἡ πίστις, πρόξενος πάσης σωτηρίας καθεστῶσα. ∆ιότι περιέχει ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ· Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἐκλεκτὸν, ἔντιμον· καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Ὑμῖν οὖν ἡ τιμὴ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν.

Κυρίλλου. Λίθον μὲν ἐκλεκτὸν, πολυτελῆ καὶ ἔντιμον, τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀποκαλεῖ, τῇ τῆς θεότητος δόξῃ καὶ ὑπεροχῇ διαπρέποντα. Ἀκρογωνιαῖον δέ φησιν, ὡς διὰ πίστεως μιᾶς κατασφίγγοντα πρὸς ἑνότητα πνευματικὴν τοὺς δύο λαοὺς, τὸν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν. Ἀλλ', Ὁ πιστεύων, φησὶν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Ἄθρει δὲ πῶς ἀνίησι τοῖς τεθλιμμένοις τὸ ἐλεύθερον. Καί φησι· Τίθημι τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν λίθον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιών· καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ὄφελος; Ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Παυσάτω τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κακοῦ.

Κυρίλλου. Ἁγιοπρεπὲς τὸ μάθημα καὶ σωτήριον, καὶ λόγου παντὸς ἀξίαν εἶναί φημι τὴν ὑφήγησιν. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Θάνατος καὶ ζωὴ ἐν χειρὶ γλώσσης· οἱ δὲ κρατοῦντες αὐτῆς, ἔδονται τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς. Ἔφη δέ που καὶ ὁ Χριστοῦ μαθητής· Εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνὴρ, δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. Μέγα οὖν τῆς γλώσσης τὸ ἐγκρατὲς, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει παγχάλεπον νόσημα τὸ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλάκῃ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἀπειθήσασί ποτε, ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία, ἐν ἡμέραις Νῶε, κατα σκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ, εἰς ἣν ὀλίγαι, τουτ έστιν ὀκτὼ, ψυχαὶ διεσώθησαν δι' ὕδατος.

Κυρίλλου. Λύει ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀντίθεσιν ἐκείνην ἤν τινες ἀντιτιθέντες λέγουσιν· Εἰ ἐπωφελὴς ᾗ ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις, τί δήποτε μὴ πρὸ πολλῶν ἐνηνθρώπησε χρόνων; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἵνα λύσῃ τούτους, ὅσοι πιστεύειν ἔμελλον, εἰ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ σαρκωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἐπεφοίτησεν. Οὗτοι γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν τοῖς καταχθονίοις ἐπιφανέντα πάντως ἐπέγνωσαν, καὶ τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἀπέλαυσαν. Τῇ ψυχῇ πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξε τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου, ὡς ψυχὴ μετὰ ψυχῶν ὀφθεὶς, ὃν οἱ πυλωροὶ τοῦ ᾅδου ἰδόντες ἔπτηξαν, καὶ πύλαι χαλκαῖ συνετρίβησαν, καὶ μοχλοὶ σιδηροῖ συνεθλάσθησαν· καὶ ὁ Μονογενὴς ἐφώνει μετ' ἐξουσίας ταῖς ὁμοιοπαθέσι ψυχαῖς, κατὰ τὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγον, λέγων τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς· Ἐξέλθετε [Cod. ἐξέλθατε], καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει·