"Fire," replied the philosopher, "purifies gold and silver, but man with his mind distinguishes falsehood from truth. Tell me, from what was the first fall: was it not from the vision of sweet fruit and the desire to be gods?

"Yes," answered the Kozars.

The philosopher continued:

- If honey or cold water is harmful to any patient, which doctor will give the best advice; Is it the one who says to whom honey is harmful, eat honey, and to whom cold water is harmful, drink cold water and stand naked in the cold, or the one who will give the opposite medicine: instead of honey, bitter drink with caution, instead of cold water, warm and warming?

"Of course," said everyone, "whoever gives the opposite medicine will give the best advice. In the same way, sin-loving lust should be mortified by the sorrow of life, and pride by humility, in general, the opposite should be cured by the opposite. We notice that if a berry bush stands in prickly needles in the spring, then in the fall it gives good, sweet fruits.

"You said it well," Konstantin answered. - And the law of Christ says that to live according to God means to lead a harsh life (to walk the narrow path), which in the eternal abode will increase the fruit a hundredfold.

After this, one of the chief advisers of the Kagan, who knew well the impious teaching of Mohammed, asked the philosopher:

"Tell me, guest, why do you not revere Mohammed?" For he praised Christ greatly in his books and said of Him: "From the Virgin, the sister of Moses, was born a great prophet, Who raised the dead and healed every disease with great power."

"Let the Kagan himself judge us," said the philosopher. - Tell me, if Mohammed is a prophet, then will we believe Daniel, who said that with Christ all vision and prophecy will cease? How, then, can he be a prophet? Therefore, if we call Mohammed a prophet, then we reject Daniel.

На это многие из присутствующих сказали:

- Мы знаем, что Даниил пророчествовал Духом Божиим, о Магомете же знаем, что он лжец и губитель спасения многих.

Тогда первый советник кагана обернулся в сторону к иудеям и сказал:

- С Божией помощью гость поверг на землю всю сарацинскую гордость, а вашу, как скверну, выбросил вон.

Затем обратился ко всем присутствующим и сказал: