1

De pseudoprophetis

A discourse concerning false prophets, and false teachers, and godless heretics, and concerning the signs of the consummation of this age. And it was spoken when he was about

to depart from the body. 59.553 1. The discourse is painful, inasmuch as it is also the last, as has been revealed to me, but also full of much joy. Painful, because I shall no longer speak to you; but full of much joy, because my time has come to depart, and to be with Christ; and as the Lord said, I will no longer speak with you. Yet now I will speak in anguish of heart concerning the false prophets, and false teachers, and godless heretics, concerning whom the Apostle said: Evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived; concerning whom I have often reminded you. For I have delivered many discourses by the grace of Christ, as you also know, O lovers of God; and in almost every discourse we reminded you of these things, if indeed you remember the things spoken yesterday; but I know that you do remember, and especially those of you who are diligent, and lovers of books, and lovers of Christ. For the lover of books would rightly be called a lover of Christ, according to what was said by the Lord, that He who loves me, keeps my words; He who loves me will be loved by my Father. He who loves me will meditate on the law day and night; that is, in the Gospel and in the other Scriptures. For such a person has the remembrance of God indelible in his heart; awaiting him from the heavens, he always keeps watch for the hour of his coming. Always holding the sacred books in his hands, he will not forget those fearful books, concerning which it is written: The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. See what a great profit there is in searching the Scriptures, as you have often heard. What is it then that we say? That the divine Scripture has left out nothing, nor has it been silent on things profitable for us, but everywhere it cries out, through both prophets and apostles, proclaiming beforehand and forewarning each person as a child-loving mother loving her own children, it testifies beforehand; and it reminds us concerning things past and concerning things 59.554 present, and concerning things to come, overlooking nothing, as has been said before, of the things that are profitable for us; and this not speaking in secret, nor with a small voice, but everywhere crying out with labor and power through the law, and prophets, and apostles, and the Lord himself. For through Isaiah the prophet it says: Cry aloud with strength, and do not spare, lift up your voice like a trumpet; and again it says, Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion; and going on it says, Lift it up, do not be afraid. And again David says: I am weary with my crying, my throat has become hoarse. And John the theologian in his catholic Epistle says: Look to yourselves. And what of Paul? See how you walk; and the Lord, I have spoken openly to the world, and in secret I have said nothing. And elsewhere the Evangelist says concerning him, that He stood and cried out, saying: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Do you see how great the struggle, how great the earnestness, how openly he cries out, and there is no one who understands? And again the blessed Paul says: Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, Beware of the mutilation. See how you walk, because the days are evil. And John: Look to yourselves, so that you do not lose what you have worked for, because many deceivers have gone out into the world. And there are many such things in the divine

1

De pseudoprophetis

Λόγος περὶ ψευδοπροφητῶν, καὶ ψευδοδιδασκάλων, καὶ ἀθέων αἱρετικῶν, καὶ περὶ σημείων τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ἐῤῥήθη δὲ μέλλοντος

αὐτοῦ ἐκδημεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος. 59.553 αʹ. Ὀδυνηρὸς ὁ λόγος, καθότι καὶ ἔσχατος, ὥς μοι δεδήλωται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῆς χαρᾶς γέμων. Ὀδυνηρὸς μὲν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔτι λαλήσω πρὸς ὑμᾶς· πολλῆς δὲ χαρᾶς γέμων, ὅτι ἐφέστηκέν μου ὁ καιρὸς εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι, καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναί με· καὶ καθὼς εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, Οὐκέτι λαλήσω μεθ' ὑμῶν. Ἔτι δὲ νῦν λαλήσω ἐν ὀδύνῃ καρδίας περὶ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, καὶ ψευδοδιδασκάλων, καὶ ἀθέων αἱρετικῶν, περὶ ὧν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγε· Πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι· περὶ ὧν πολλάκις ὑμᾶς ὑπέμνησα. Πολλοὺς γὰρ λόγους ἐποιησάμην χάριτι Χριστοῦ, ὡς καὶ ἐπίστασθε φιλόθεοι· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐν ἑκάστῳ λόγῳ περὶ τούτων ὑπεμνήσαμεν, εἰ ἄρα μέμνησθε τῶν χθὲς εἰρημένων· οἶδα δὲ ὅτι μέμνησθε, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ φιλόπονοι, καὶ φιλόβιβλοι, καὶ φιλόχριστοι. Ὁ γὰρ φιλόβιβλος δικαίως ἂν ἐκλήθη φιλόχριστος, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, ὅτι Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με, τοὺς λόγους μου τηρεῖ· Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με, ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου. Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με, ἐν τῷ νόμῳ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός· δηλονότι ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ καὶ ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς Γραφαῖς. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ἀνεξάλειπτον ἔχει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμην· ἀπεκδεχόμενος αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀεὶ τηρεῖ τὴν ὥραν τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας. Πάντοτε ἐν χερσὶν αὐτοῦ κατέχων τὰς ἱερὰς βίβλους, οὐκ ἐπιλήσεται ἐκείνων τῶν φοβερῶν βιβλίων, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· Κριτήριον ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν. Ὅρα πόσον κέρδος ἐστὶ τοῦ ἐρευνᾷν τὰς Γραφὰς, καθὼς πολλάκις ἠκούσατε. Τί δέ ἐστιν, ὃ λέγομεν; Ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔλειπεν, οὐδὲ παρεσιώπησε τῶν συμφερόντων ἡμῖν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ κράζει, διά τε προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων, προαναφωνοῦσα καὶ προασφαλιζομένη ἕκαστον ὡς μήτηρ φιλότεκνος τὰ ἴδια τέκνα φιλοῦσα, προμαρτυρεῖται· καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκει περὶ τῶν παρῳχηκότων καὶ περὶ τῶν 59.554 ἐνεστώτων, καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, μηδὲν παριδοῦσα, ὡς προείρηται, τῶν ἡμῖν συμφερόντων· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν κρυπτῷ λαλοῦσα, οὐδὲ μικροφωνοῦσα, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ πόνῳ καὶ δυνάμει κράζουσα διά τε νόμου, καὶ προφητῶν, καὶ ἀποστόλων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγει· Ἀναβόησον ἐν ἰσχύϊ, καὶ μὴ φείσῃ, ὡς σάλπιγγα ὕψωσον τὴν φωνήν σου· καὶ πάλιν λέγει, Ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών· καὶ προϊὼν λέγει, Ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Καὶ πάλιν ∆αυῒδ λέγει· Ἐκοπίασα κράζων, ἐβραγχίασεν ὁ λάρυγξ μου. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ θεολόγος ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ αὐτοῦ Ἐπιστολῇ λέγει· Βλέπετε ἑαυτούς. Παῦλος δὲ τί; Βλέπετε πῶς περιπατεῖτε· ὁ δὲ Κύριος, Ἐγὼ παῤῥησίᾳ ἐλάλησα τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ ἐν κρυπτῷ ἐλάλησα οὐδέν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι Ἕστηκε, καὶ ἔκραξεν λέγων· Ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με, καὶ πινέτω. Ὁρᾷς πόσος ἀγὼν, πόση σπουδὴ, πῶς παῤῥησίᾳ κράζει, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ συνιών; Καὶ πάλιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγει· Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας, βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας, Βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν. Βλέπετε πῶς περιπατεῖτε, ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσι. Καὶ Ἰωάννης· Βλέπετε ἑαυτοὺς, ἵνα μὴ ἀπολέσητε ἃ εἰργάσασθε, ὅτι πολλοὶ πλάνοι ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Καὶ πολλά ἐστι τοιαῦτα ἐν ταῖς θείαις