5. What I have said is directed against those who indiscriminately pester people who are separated from the Church. If these latter contain dogmas that are contrary (to us), then one should not have communion with them oneself; but if they think the same way as us, then even more (we should avoid them). Why is that? Because this is the disease of covetousness. Do you not know what happened to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram? But were they the only ones who suffered? Were not their accomplices (perished) with them? "What say thou? They have the same faith, and they are also Orthodox." If so, why are they not with us? "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." If they are good, then we are bad; and if we are good, then they are bad. "Babes," he says, "tossed about and carried about by every wind." Tell me: do you consider it sufficient that they are called Orthodox, while the grace of ordination has become impoverished and perished among them? What is the use of all the rest, if they do not observe the latter? It is necessary to stand equally for both faith and for it (the grace of the priesthood). And if it is lawful for everyone, according to the ancient proverb, to fill his hands, to be a priest, then let all come near, and in vain is this altar built, in vain is the church order, in vain is the countenance of the priests: let us overthrow and destroy it. This, they say, should not happen. But don't you do this, and then say: it shouldn't be like this? What else do you say: it shouldn't be when it's really like that? I say this and testify, not with my own benefit in mind, but with yours to be saved. If anyone looks at this matter indifferently, let him (look more carefully) at it. If he does not care about it, then we do. "I planted," says (the Apostle), "Apollos watered, but God grew." How shall we endure the ridicule of the Gentiles? If they reproach us for heresies, then what will they not say about them (schisms)? If, they say, they have the same dogmas, the same sacraments, then why do they have one primate (of the church) attacking another church? Look, they say, everything among Christians is full of vanity. They have covetousness, they have deception. Take away the people from them, put an end to the disease, that is, the corruption of the people, and they will remain nothing. Do you want me to tell you what they say about our city, how they reproach us with frivolity? With them, they say, anyone who wishes can find people without firm rules, and they have never lacked such people. What a laugh! What a shame! But here is another thing – worthy of ridicule and serving to our shame. If someone among us is convicted of the most shameful deeds and they want to impose some kind of penance on him, then everyone is very anxious and afraid lest, they say, he will separate himself from us and stick to others. Let him separate at least a thousand times, and let him stick to them; I am not speaking only of those who have sinned, but at least of those who are completely sinless – if he wants to be postponed, let him postpone it. Though I grieve and suffer, grieve and torment inwardly, being deprived of my own member, as it were, in such a thing, I am not grieved so that the fear of all this could compel me to do anything undue.

We do not command, beloved, your faith, nor do we despotically command you to do so. We have been appointed to instruct you by word, and not to rule and rule over you; it is our business to advise and exhort you. The adviser says what he ought to do, but does not force the listener, giving him complete freedom to accept or not to accept the advice. He will be guilty only if he does not say what he is entrusted with. That is why we say all this, we remind you of all this, so that you can no longer say on that (last) day: no one told us this, no one explained it, we did not know it and did not consider it a sin at all. Thus, I say and testify that it is no less evil to create divisions in the Church than to fall into heresies. Tell me, if a subject of a king, without passing to another king and without being transferred to the power of another, took his king's purple into his hands, and pulling it all down from the clasp, tore it into several pieces, would he be punished less than he who was handed over to another (king)? But what if, after this, he seized his king by the throat, stabbed him, and cut his body to pieces, what punishment should he be subjected to in order to repay his dignity? But if he who does this to a king, a slave like himself, commits a crime that surpasses all punishment, then what hell does he deserve who slays Christ Himself and cuts Him to pieces? Is it this one that threatens us? It seems to me that some other, even more horrible one. Tell you (women) what you are like here, for this vice is mostly noticed in women, tell this example to those who are absent, and arouse fear in them. But if anyone thinks to grieve us and take revenge on us in this way, let him know that he does it in vain. If you want to take revenge on us, then I will show you the way you can take revenge without harm to yourself, or better, not without harm, but at least with less harm: hit me in the face, spit in public, inflict wounds on me.

6. Do you shudder when you hear this? When I say, "Strike me," you shudder, and yet you torment your Lord without a shudder? Do you tear apart the members of the Lord and do not tremble? The Church is the father's home: "One body and one spirit." But if you want to take revenge on me, then rebel against me. Why, then, do you take revenge on Christ instead of me? Or better: why do you strike at the nails? And in general, it is disapproving in no case to take revenge; but, instead of the guilty one, to offend another is much worse. Have you been offended by us? Why, then, do you grieve someone who has done you no harm? This is extremely reckless. This is what I will say on this matter, and not jokingly, not simply, but how I think and how I feel. For I would that every one of those who hate us with you, and for this reason injure himself, by departing from us to others, would strike us in the very face, and strip us naked, and scourge us without pity, whether we should be justly or unjustly accused, and that he would rather vent his wrath on us than dare to do so. What is being decided now. If this were to happen, it would be of no importance, because it would affect an insignificant person who is not worth any price. On the other hand, having suffered injury and dishonor from you, I would pray to God for you, and He would forgive you your sins, not because I have such boldness, but because when a person who has been wronged prays for the offender, he receives great boldness. "If" a man "sins against a man," it is said, "they shall pray for him" (1 Samuel 2:25). If I could not do it myself, I would seek out other holy men and beseech them, and they would do it. And now whom should we ask when we have offended God? See how incongruous they (those who make schisms) are. Of those who do this in relation to the Church, some never come here at all, or once a year, and then without order and as it happens; others come more often, but also haphazardly for idle talk and petty chatter. Others appear to be zealous, these are those who produce such disasters (in the Church). Therefore, if you also show such diligence for this, it would be better for you to be among the negligent; and it would be much better if they were not negligent, and you were not. I am not speaking of you who are here, but of those apostates. Such a thing is, as it were, adultery. But if you do not want to hear this about them, then (do not listen to what they say) about us, for one of the two must be unlawful here. If you suspect us of this, then we are ready to cede our power to whomever you want, if only let the Church be united. But if we are lawfully ordained, persuade them to depose those who have unlawfully occupied the cathedra. I say this, not commanding you, but guarding and warning you. Since each of you is of age and gives an account of your actions, I ask you that you, laying everything on us, do not consider yourselves innocent, and thus in deceit do not unnecessarily harm yourselves. We will give you an answer for your souls, but only when something is omitted from our side, when we do not beseech you, we do not exhort you, we do not bear witness against you. After that, let me also say: "I am clean from the blood of all" (Acts 20:26), and "God will deliver" my soul (2 Tim. 4:18). Tell me what you want, give a just reason why you are retreating, and I will make excuses. But you don't say. Therefore I ask you to establish yourselves firmly here, and to bring those who have been laid aside, so that we may send unanimous thanks to God, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

CONVERSATION 12

"Therefore I say and adjure by the Lord, that you should no more walk as other nations do, according to the vanity of your minds, being darkened in your understanding" (Εth. 4:17).

1. The teacher must edify and correct the souls of the disciples not only by advice and admonition, but also by fear and reminder of God. After all, when the words of a person, as a slave like him, are not able to affect the soul, then it is necessary to remind him of the Lord Himself. So does Paul. Having spoken of humility and unity, as well as of the fact that one should not rebel against another, listen to what (then) he says: "Therefore I say and adjure by the Lord, that you should no longer act as other nations do." He did not say, "That ye walk no more," because that might hurt them, but he pointed to others, although he expressed the same thing. He does the same in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, when he says: "And not in the passion of lust, like the rest of the Gentiles" (1 Thess. 4:5). You have forsaken, he says, their (pagan) beliefs; but this was entirely dependent on God; but I demand that which depends on you, namely, life and walk according to God. It's your duty; and I call the Lord to be a witness to my words, that I did not keep silent, but said how you should behave. "By worldliness," he says, "of his mind." What is the vanity of the mind? Occupation with vain subjects. And what is vain if not all that is real, of which Ecclesiastes says: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2)? But someone will say: if (this or that) is vain and leads to vanity, then why does it exist? If this is the work of God, then how can it be vain? And there are many objections to this subject. But listen, beloved! He did not call the works of God (Ecclesiastes) vain, – no; Heaven is not vain, nor earth is vain, no; not the sun, not the moon, not the stars, not our body. All this is "very good". What is vain? Let us listen to what Ecclesiastes himself says: "He planted vineyards for himself, made himself reservoirs, bought for himself herds and flocks, gathered for himself silver and gold, and had singers and singers. And I said in my heart that this also is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 2:6-11); again: "Vanity of vanities, – all is vanity!" Listen to what the prophet says: "He gathers (a man) and does not know who will get it" (Ps. 38:7). Therefore the vanity of vanities – magnificent buildings, abundance and abundance of gold, crowds of servants running noisily through the square, pride and vanity, arrogance and arrogance. All this is vanity, because it did not come from God, but was produced by men. Why, however, is this vain? Because it has no good purpose.

Money is vain when it is squandered on pleasures; but it is not vain when it is used to help the poor. When you spend it on pleasures, let us see what the consequence is. Obesity of the body, belching, winds, an abundance of feces, headache, bodily relaxation, fever and exhaustion. Just as one who would pour water into a drilled vessel would labor in vain, so a person who indulges in pleasure pours water into a drilled vessel. Unrealizable ambitious plans are also called vain: they are really vain, unreliable, vain; In general, that which is not good for anything is called vain. Let us see, then, whether (the works) of men are not like this? "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die!" (1 Cor. 15:32) What is the consequence of this, tell me? Smoldering. We put on expensive clothes and finery: and what is the use of this? No. Some of the Hellenes also thought in the same way, but in vain. They led a strict life, but in vain, without any useful goal in mind, acting out of vanity, in order to gain respect from the crowd. But what is the honor that the crowd gives us? Nothing. If those who give us honor perish, how much more so is this honor. Whoever gives honor to another must first acquire it himself. If he did not acquire it for himself, then how could he deliver it to another? And yet we seek honor from inglorious and contemptible people, dishonorable and shameful: what kind of honor is this?

2. Do you see that all is vanity of vanities? Wherefore he said (of the Gentiles): "According to the vanity of his mind." But isn't that their faith? Indeed, do they not bow down to trees and stones? (God) created the sun to serve us as a lamp. Who then worships his lamp? The sun gives light from itself; but when it cannot shine, then the lamp shines. Why, then, do you not worship the lamp? Yes, some will say, I worship fire. One cannot refrain from laughing when one hears of such dishonor; And you are not ashamed? Again, why do you extinguish that which you worship? Why do you destroy, why do you kill your god? Why don't you let him fill your whole house? If the fire is a god, then bring your body to it, and do not put the god like a pot or a cauldron. Bring it into your pantry, bring it to where your silk garments are. But not only do you not bring it in, on the contrary, if it accidentally penetrates somewhere, you drive it away from everywhere, call everyone together, weep, moan, as if some beast had come to you; And when your God visits you in this way, you call it the greatest misfortune. I have God, and I do everything to receive Him in my bosom, and I consider it bliss for me not only when He visits my home, but also when I draw Him into my heart. Draw fire into your heart. It's ridiculous and vain! Fire is good for use, not for worship, for service and slavish obedience to me, and not for domination over me. He was made for me, not me for him. If you worship fire, why do you yourself rest on your bed, and force your cook to stand before your god? Take up cooking yourself, become a baker or, if you like, a blacksmith – nothing should be more honorable for you than these occupations; for your god himself is watching over them. Why do you consider it dishonorable to do so much of your god? Why do you entrust it to your slaves and do not reserve this honor for yourself? Fire is a good thing, since it was created by a good Creator, but it is not a god. It is called the work of God, but not God. Do you not see how indomitable he is, how, having embraced the house, he does not stop anywhere? If he gets into a continuous series of objects, he destroys everything until the hands of carpenters or other people have ceased his fury; He knows neither friends nor enemies, but treats everyone in the same way. So, such and such is your god, and you are not ashamed? Truly, well said (the Apostle): "According to the vanity of his mind." But, they say, our god is the sun. Tell me, why and why? That it gives much of itself to the light? But do you not see how it is overcome by the clouds, how it is subject to the law of natural necessity, how it is subject to eclipses, how it is covered by the moon and the clouds? Though the cloud is powerless than he, yet it often prevails; and it is also the work of the wisdom of God. God must be all-pleased, but the sun has need of many things; and this is not characteristic of God. Thus (the sun) needs air in order to shine, and subtle air at that, because too thick air does not allow rays to pass through it. It also needs water or something else that would limit its action, so that it does not cause a fire. If there were no springs, no lakes, no rivers, no seas, which, by means of the vapours coming out of them, produce some moisture, the sun could burn everything. Do you see, then, what kind of god is this? What madness! What laughter! Since, they say, it can harm, it is a god. On the contrary, it is not a god because in order to do harm it does not need anyone's assistance, and in order to be useful it needs many other things. It is not in God's nature to do harm, not at all, it is in His nature to do good. But if the opposite must be said of the suns, then how can it be a god? Do you not see that poisonous medicines produce harm, and (for this) they need nothing else; but in order to be useful, do they need much (other)? For you the sun was created both beautiful and at the same time powerless: beautiful, so that (by it) you may know the Lord, powerless, so that you do not call him your lord. But it is said to nourish plants and seeds. Is that why dung is also a god? After all, it also nourishes plants. Why not add to this the sickle and the hands of the farmer? Show me where the sun alone would bring forth (plants), but needing neither land, nor water, nor the labor of the farmer; let it sow seeds of its own accord, and having warmed them with its ray, bring forth ears of grain for us. If. It is not to depend on him alone, but also on the rain, so why is water not God? But that's not what we're talking about yet. Why is the earth not a god? Why are dung and spades not gods? Tell me, should all these things already be worshipped? What madness! And yet an ear of corn would rather grow without sun than without earth and water, as well as trees and everything else. Without land, there can be none (plants). But if someone pours earth into a clay vessel, as children and women do, and adds the necessary amount of dung to it, and places this vessel under the roof, then plants grow, although weak. Thus, earth and dung are of great importance, and they should be revered more than the sun. In order for the sun not to do harm, the sky is needed, the air is needed, so much water is needed to curb its wild power and not allow its ray, like some indomitable horse, to penetrate everywhere. But tell me again, where is the sun at night? Where is this god of yours hiding? It is not characteristic of God to be constrained and limited; this is peculiar only to bodies. But, they say, there is some kind of force in it and it moves. Tell me, then, is this power God? Why is it insufficient and does not restrain the fire? I repeat the same thing again. What kind of force is it? Is it a luminous force, or does it shine through the sun, without taking any part in it? In this case, the sun is more excellent than it. However, we have had enough of spinning in this labyrinth.

3. And water, they say, is it not a god either? Here is another argument, truly worthy of laughter! How is it not a god, they say, of water, when we have need of it in so many cases? The same is said about the earth. Those who say this are "because of the vanity of their minds, they are darkened in their minds." However, here (the Apostle) expressed himself in this way about their lives. The pagans give themselves over to fornication and adultery. And it is understandable: inventing such gods for themselves, they act in accordance with this in everything. If only they can hide (their actions) from the eyes of men, then there is nothing that can restrain them (from evil deeds). Can the doctrine of the resurrection really have any force for them, when they consider it a fable? And about the torment in hell? For them, too, these are fables; and note here the suggestion of Satan. When they are told about the debauchery of their gods, they do not call it fables, but believe it. And when they are told about punishments, they object: all this poets invent in order to upset the happy order of life everywhere.

But philosophers, they say, have invented something quite worthy of attention and better than these (fables). What kind of philosophers are they? Are those who have invented fate and assert that everything exists without Providence, that there is no creative Providence, that everything is made up of atoms? But, they say, others have recognized God as a real being (οώμα). What are they, tell me? Those who produce human souls from the souls of dogs, and assure men that at a certain time one or the other of them was a dog, a lion, or a fish? How long do you not cease to talk idlely, "darkened in mind"? And truly, both in the discourse of dogmas and in regard to life, they all speak and act as if they were in darkness; A man surrounded by darkness sees nothing in front of him, he mistakes the rope for a crawling serpent, or, having entered a narrow place, thinks that he has been seized by a man or a demon. And how much fear and anxiety there is! Similar things are feared (even by the pagans). "There they will fear fear," it is said, "where there is no fear" (Psalm 13:5), and what they ought to fear, they do not fear. Just as children, being in the arms of their nurses, foolishly stretch out their hands to the fire, and boldly rush to the lighted lamp, and yet are afraid of a man in a robe of goat's hair, so these Greeks are real infants, as someone said of them: "Hellenes are always children." That which is not a sin, they fear, such as: bodily untidiness, funerals, hearses, hard days, and the like. And that which constitutes a real sin, such as voluptuous love for youths, adultery and fornication, they do not even think of considering as a sin. You can see how (the heathen) washes himself after the dead, but he is never washed from dead works. He makes great efforts to acquire money, and at the same time thinks that the singing of a rooster alone can solve everything (perplexity). So they "". Their souls are filled with many signs. For example, so-and-so, they say, was the first to meet me when I was leaving the house: a thousand troubles are sure to happen to me. Today, the hated servant, handing me shoes, brought me his left one in advance: there will be great troubles and misfortunes. I myself, leaving the house, stepped out of the threshold with my left foot: and this portends misfortune. These are home failures. When I left the house, my right eye blinked: there would be tears. In the same way, when the reed twigs strike the weaving shaft and make a sound, or they scratch themselves with the comb, they take it as a bad omen; again, when it touches the base on the crest And very strongly, then the upper bars, striking the shaft, make a sound from a tense blow, then this is also considered as a harbinger of misfortune, and thousands of other ridiculous (superstitious) among them. Whether an ass crows, or a rooster, or anyone sneezes, and in general, whatever happens, they all disturb them, so that, as I have said, they are as if they were bound by a thousand bonds, as if they were in darkness, they suspect (evil) of everything, and are much more enslaved than thousands of slaves. But we will not be like this, on the contrary, having ridiculed all such (superstitions) – as living in the light, as heavenly citizens who have nothing to do with the earth – we will consider only sin and offense to God to be terrible for ourselves. If all this is nothing, then let us laugh at it, as well as at the first culprit of it – the devil. Let us give thanks to God, and let us endeavour that we ourselves may never fall into such slavery, and if any of our friends should be taken captive, let us break his bonds, free him from this intolerable and shameful confinement, make him capable of ascending to heaven, straighten his drooping wings, and teach him wisdom concerning life and faith. Let us thank God for everything and beseech Him that we may not be unworthy of the gift entrusted to us; At the same time, let us take care of what depends on us, namely, that we may instruct others not only in words, but also in deeds. From this we will be able to receive innumerable blessings, which may we all be vouchsafed to receive, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 13

"Therefore I speak, and adjure by the Lord, that ye should no more walk as the rest of the nations do, according to the vanity of their minds, being darkened in their minds, alienated from the life of God, because of their ignorance, and the hardness of their hearts. And when they had come to insensibility, they gave themselves up to debauchery, so that they do all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19).

1. This is not said only to the Ephesians, but now it is also said to you, and not by us, but by Paul, or rather, neither by us, nor by Paul, but by the grace of the Spirit. Therefore we must hearken unto these words as to the words of the Spirit. What is said? Listen: "Therefore I say and adjure the Lord that you do no more as other nations do, according to the vanity of your minds, being darkened in your minds, alienated from the life of God, because of their ignorance and hardness of their hearts." If, then, (this was the consequence of theirs) ignorance and petrification, why should they be blamed? The ignorant should be taught what he does not know, but it is unjust to subject him to reproach and rebuke. But see how (the Apostle) immediately deprives them of such an excuse: "They," he says, "having come to insensibility, gave themselves over to debauchery, so that they do all uncleanness with insatiability. But ye have not thus known Christ" (v. 20). Here he shows that the cause of their petrification was their life; but their life was such because of their own carelessness and negligence. "They," he says, "having reached the point of insensibility, gave themselves over to debauchery." And so, when you hear that "God gave them over to a perverse mind" (Romans 1:28), then remember and say the present that they themselves "gave themselves over to debauchery." How did God betray them when they betrayed themselves? If God betrayed them, how did they betray themselves? Do you think there's a contradiction here? But the word "betrayed" here means "allowed". You see, where there is an unclean life, there are dogmas of the same kind. "For everyone who does evil," it is said, "hates the light, and does not come to the light" (John 3:20). For how could an unclean man, who wallows among the bodies of all kinds of women, much more than pigs wallow in the mud, greedy for money, and in the least fond of chastity, decide to live such a (virtuous) life? With them, say (the Apostle), such a course of action has become a kind of rule. It is from this that their petrification comes, and from this comes the darkening of the mind. And when the light shines, it can be dark for us, if our eyes are sick; they are sick from a rush of bad juices and excessive accumulation of phlegm. So it is here: when the numerous confluence of worldly affairs darkens the clarity of our mind, we are in darkness. And just as when we are deeply immersed in water, we cannot see the sun, because above us the abundant water forms a wall, so in our mind's eyes there is a hardening of the heart, when no fear disturbs the soul. "There is none," he says, "the fear of God in his eyes" (Psalm 35:2). And again: "The fool said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 13:1). Petrification comes from nothing else but insensibility; when the atom is blocked, the pores are blocked. Thus, when the condensed sputum is concentrated in one place, that member dies and becomes insensible; even if you burn or cut him, no matter what you do with him, he does not feel (anything). So they (the pagans), after they have once and for all fallen into carelessness, whatever you say to them, threaten them even with fire or sword, nothing will affect them, nothing will convince them. Their penis (heart) was dead once and for all. And until you destroy this insensibility in him, until your touch on him is as perceptible as on healthy limbs, until then all your efforts will be in vain. "With insatiability," he says: with this word (the Apostle) preferentially removes from them the possibility of justification. For they could, if they wished, not indulge in covetousness, not be careless, not serve the belly, and not lead a pampered life; it would be possible to use money, pleasures, and rest in moderation. But since they did not observe moderation in this, they spoiled everything. "They do," he says, "all kinds of uncleanness." Do you see how (the apostle) deprives them of excuse by speaking about the work of uncleanness? They did not sin by accidental infatuation, he says, but committed all these criminal acts, taking care of them themselves. "They do all kinds of uncleanness."

All impurity is fornication, fornication, voluptuous love for youths, envy, all passion and intemperance. "But ye have not thus come to know Christ; for you have heard of him, and have learned in him, for the truth is in Jesus" (vv. 20-21). The expression, "for ye have heard of him," does not mean that he speaks with doubt, but rather shows his full confidence: in a similar way he expresses himself in another place: "For it is righteous in the sight of God to repay them that offend you with tribulation" (2 Thess. 1:6). That is, you did not know Christ for such things. "For ye have heard of him, and have learned in him, for the truth is in Jesus, to put off the old man's old way of life" (v. 22). The knowledge of Christ consists in leading a righteous life. Whoever leads a bad life does not know God and God does not know him. Listen to how (the Apostle) says about this in another place: "They say that they know God, but by their works they deny it" (Titus 1:16). "For the truth is in Jesus, to put off the old way of life of the old man," that is, you did not make a covenant on such terms (to remain in the old life). What we have is not vanity, but truth; Both our dogmas and our lives are true. Vanity is sin and error, but a righteous life is truth. It also has a high goal, but a disorderly life leads to an insignificant end. "He who decays," he says, "in the deceitful lusts" of his deception. As his wishes decay, so does he himself.