Then Theudas said to him: "But you will not deny that many great and wise teachers, worthy of wonder because of their wisdom and virtue, have prescribed our faith, and all the kings and the mighty of this world in general have accepted it as beautiful and unshakable. The faith of the Galileans was accepted by a few insignificant, ignorant fishermen and tillers of the soil, and it was preached by the same uneducated people, of whom there were no more than twelve. How can one prefer the faith of a few, insignificant and uneducated people to the faith of many, great, noble and wise people? What proof is there that the former are right and the latter are wrong?"

To this the prince answered: "You, Theudas, are truly like an ass who, listening to the sounds of words, does not understand their meaning, or an adder that stops his ears so as not to hear the sounds of a charming song. The Prophet spoke well of thee and the like: Can an Ethiopian change his skin, and a leopard his spots? In the same way, can you also do good, if you are accustomed to do evil? (Jeremiah 13:23). You blind madman! How is it that the power of truth does not bring you to your senses? It is the fact that the majority praises and marvels at the wisdom of your false faith, that many kings confess it, while the teaching of the Gospel is exalted by a few and ignorant people, that testifies to the power of our grace-filled faith and to the impotence of your pernicious faith: since, in spite of the fact that your faith has wise defenders and powerful confessors, it nevertheless powerless and dark.

The teaching of our faith, having no support from people, has shone brighter than the sun and rules over the whole world. If it had been expounded by orators and philosophers, if it had been confessed by kings and other powerful people of this world, then you would have said that everything in it is the fruit of human strength. But since St. The Gospel, set forth by poor and insignificant fishermen, as you yourself say, nevertheless dominates the world, and in spite of all persecutions: their sound goes forth throughout all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world (Psalm 18:5), what will you call it, if not a mighty force that affirms the salvation of men? What better proof do you need, madman, that the followers of your faith are wrong, and the followers of ours are right?

For if all your teaching were not idle talk and falsehood, then, having such support in men, it would not diminish and weaken in its followers. I saw a formidable wicked man, expanding like a rooted, many-branched tree; but he has passed away, and behold, he is gone; I seek it, and find it not (Psalm 36:35,36). These words of the Prophet apply to you, the adherents of idolatry, for soon, soon the time will come when not one of you will be any more. You will disappear from the face of the earth, as smoke disappears in the air; you are exhausted, as wax melts at the proximity of fire. And about the teaching of the Gospel the Lord says: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). The Psalmist exclaims: In the beginning Thou (the Lord) founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They will perish, but Thou shalt remain; but all of them will be worn out like a garment, and like a garment Thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not end (Psalm 101:26,28).

And the divine heralds of Christ's coming, the wise fishermen who plucked all out of the depths of falsehood, of whom thou speakest with such contempt, thou insignificant slave of sin, shone forth in the world like the sun, bestowing sight upon the blind, hearing to the deaf, free walk to the lame, and life to the dead. Their very shadows healed all human sufferings. Evil spirits, whom you fear as gods, they not only expelled from people, but also from the universe in general by the power of the sign of the Cross, which they pointed to as an omnipotent means, rejecting all divination. Thus, the Apostles, healing every human ailment by the power of Christ, restoring what has been destroyed, naturally serve as an object of wonder for all well-meaning people, as messengers of truth. What can you say now about your wise men and orators, whom the Lord, with all their wisdom, has convicted of foolishness? What can you say about the adherents of the devil? What did they do and leave for people worthy of attention? What can be said of them, except for their short-sightedness, stupidity, and a certain art of hiding under the outward brilliance of speech all the dirt of their shameful faith?

The original culprits of the appearance of idols were not mistaken, like the idolaters of today, but people gradually came to this degree of error. It is said that Seruch was the first to put up various images, which later gave rise to idolatry. Namely, he was in the habit of erecting statues or memorial pillars in honour of men of bravery, or of any other good qualities and deeds worthy of attention. These monuments were of the same character under his contemporaries. But later generations, not understanding their true purpose, forgetting that they were erected only as the memory of men who had done something praiseworthy, began to look upon these statues as images of their gods, making sacrifices and libations before them, thus adoring mortals like themselves.

Later, the view of this was even more distorted: when people made sacrifices in front of wooden statues, they thought that these statues were inhabited by spirits who appropriated to themselves the honor given by people and the sacrifices they offered. Such a view was inspired in them by evil spirits, the beginning and source of all evil. Since they try in every way to attract people who do not have the proper faith and knowledge of the true God, to consider themselves gods for two reasons: first, because of their inherent vanity, this name and the worship associated with it flatter; Secondly, they seek by this that those whom they have deceived may be cast into the eternal fire prepared for them, wherefore they have taught men all iniquity and all shameful things.

When people were at the highest degree of evil, each in his ignorance erecting and proclaiming the statue of his passion as a god, then they were pitiful in the mud of their error, not noticing all the absurdity of such adoration, until the Lord, who came to earth in the riches of His mercy, freed us, who believe in Him, from this abominable deception and fatal ignorance and taught us the true knowledge of God. For outside of Him there is no salvation, and there is no other God, either in heaven or on earth, except the One God, the Creator of all things and of all, Who creates all things by the power of His almighty Word: "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the spirit of His mouth all their host" (Psalm 32:6). All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3).

Having listened to the teaching of the prince, Theudas stood as if struck by thunder, not being able to utter a single word, because what he heard was filled with Divine wisdom. At last, after a long time, having recovered himself and stood before the king in the midst of the assembly, he cried out with a loud voice: "Verily, O king, the Spirit of God dwells in your son. We are completely defeated and not only cannot say anything in defense of our faith, but even with a movement of our eyes we can object to the words we have heard. Truly, great is the Christian God; great is their faith, and great are their mysteries."

The word of salvation touched the darkened heart of Theudas, and repentance for her previous actions took possession of it. Recognizing all the error guiding the idolaters, he was enlightened by the light of true piety. Turning then to Joasaph, he asked: "Tell me, enlightened youth, will Christ accept me, if I, abandoning my former deeds, turn to Him?"

"Certainly," replies the preacher of truth. "He will receive you as He accepts all who turn to Him: the Lord does not simply receive a converted sinner; but as a Father who receives a son who has returned after a long lawless absence, kissing and embracing him. Having removed from him the shame of sins, He immediately cloths him in the garment of salvation and brilliant glory, celebrating the return of the lost sheep. The Lord Himself said: "I say unto you, that thus in heaven there shall be more joy over one sinner who repenteth, than over ninety-nine righteous men, who have no need of repentance" (Luke 15:7). And again he says: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). Then through the Prophet he declares: Say to them, I live, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways; Why should you die, O house of Israel? If this wicked man returns the pledge, pays for what he has stolen, walks according to the laws of life, doing nothing evil, then he will live, he will not die. Not one of his sins that he has committed will be remembered to him; he began to do justice and righteousness, he will live (Ezekiel 33:11, 15, 16).

Another prophet exclaims: Wash yourselves, be cleansed; remove your evil deeds from my eyes; stop doing evil; learn to do good; Seek the truth. Then come and let us reason, says the Lord. If your sins be as scarlet, as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, as white as wool. If you will and obey, you will eat the good things of your land. But if you deny and persist, the sword will devour you: for the mouth of the Lord speaketh (Isaiah 1:16-20).

With such promises on the part of God, you, O man, without hesitation and without delay, turn to Christ, our loving God, and you will be enlightened in spirit, and your face will not be darkened, together with immersion in the water of the font at Holy Baptism, all your shame of your former man and all the weight of the sins that weighed upon you will be buried forever. Then you will begin a new life free from every stain and dirt of sins, and it will depend on you to keep unblemished that purity granted to you by the mercy of our God."

Thus instructed by Bl. Joasaph Theudas immediately went to his cave and, taking his demonic books, gave them over to the fire, as the beginning of all evil and the source of all kinds of impiety. Then he finds the sacred man to whom Nahor came. Having sprinkled ashes on his head, weeping loudly and bursting into tears, he tells him about the state of his soul, at the same time telling him about his former unclean deeds. This priest, knowing how to perfectly direct souls to the path of salvation and tear them out of the power of the evil one, promises him the forgiveness of former sins and a merciful Judge. Then, having taught it and prepared it by fasting for many days, he cleanses it by Divine Baptism. From that time he abandoned his former impious way of life, and hated impure passions and sorcery as much as he had been inclined to them. Throughout the rest of his life, he propitiated God with tears and contrition.