THIRD CONVERSATION. For the dispatch of Bishop Flavian to petition the emperor for the pardon of the unfortunate city. - What does true fasting consist of? - God wants people to resort to Him themselves. - The uselessness of fasting if we do not abstain from vices. - Description of the present disaster. - Frequent earthquakes in Antioch. - Moral exhortation.

CONVERSATION FOUR. An exhortation to the people about patience. - The example of the righteous Job and the three youths. - On abstaining from oaths. - The fruits of sorrows. - Disaster as a cause of change for the better. - The Persians' worship of fire as God. - Moral exhortation.

CONVERSATION FIVE. Job's patience is the basis of his glory. - The disasters of the present life are nothing. "The only true calamity is sin. - One should not be afraid of death, but of the insult of the Savior by one's sins. - A clear conscience is not afraid of death. - Repentance appeases the wrath of God. - Repentance of the Ninevites. "You must refrain from taking an oath.

SIXTH DISCOURSE. The authorities discourage from crime by the fear they inspire. - The Church comforts those who were frightened by the authorities. - Various motives for the consolation of the inhabitants of Antioch: past and present afflictions are sufficient for divine mercy. God had already shown the signs of his protection: the obstacles that delayed the arrival of the king's commissioners. - The Emperor's mercy on the occasion of the Easter holiday. - Should not be afraid of death; must be afraid of sin. - Lazarus and the heartless rich man. Three youths in the fiery furnace. - An admonition not to swear.

SEVENTH DISCOURSE. You need to grieve only for sin. - To the words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. "Adam, where are you?" "There's a lot of consolation in them. "We must give up the habit of swearing.

CONVERSATION EIGHT. St. Scripture is an inexhaustible source of consolation. - The benefits it gives to people. - To the words: God walked in the evening in paradise. - Fear of Adam; the fear of the sinner in general. - Exhortation to virtue. "One must refrain from taking an oath.

DISCOURSE NINE. The preacher's love for the inhabitants of Antioch. - Congratulations to them on their success in goodness. - Regret that many neglect sacred words. - Why did the Holy Scriptures appear so late? - The beauty of creation. -Star. - Night and day. - The order of times, the earth and the elements, the sun - all this will be revealed by the omnipotence and wisdom of the Creator. "One must refrain from taking an oath.

DISCOURSE TEN. Great is the benefit of hearing the word of God. - Miracles of creation. - The amazing variety they represent. - The inexcusability of the pagans is that they worshipped the universe. "One must refrain from taking an oath.

CONVERSATION ELEVEN. Mercy and forgiveness of the inhabitants of Antioch. - Miracles of creation. - The human body. -Eyes. -Ears. -Brain. -Heart. - The superiority of humans over animals. - The benefits that humans derive from different species of animals. - One must refrain from the oath and prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter with dignity.

DISCOURSE TWELVE. The Grace-Filled Action of Forgiveness of Insults Inflicted on the Emperor. - That God is manifested in creation. - In creating man, God put into his heart the principles of natural law. "An oath must be carefully avoided.

DISCOURSE THIRTEEN. Congratulations to the people that they had relieved themselves of their anxiety and that after the storm there was silence. - Return to the previous item. - The natural law, conscience, and other means which divine goodness uses to bring us to virtue. - It is a bad habit of the Antiochians to swear in public and private affairs. - Joy at the correction of this habit by some, but it would be desirable to get rid of it completely. - Exhortation to correction.

CONVERSATION FOURTEEN. A new disturbing rumor after calming down. - Its groundlessness and thanks be to God for averting the threatening storm. - Continuation of the former subject on oaths. - The perniciousness of the oath, proved by the example of Herod, who, in order to fulfill his insane oath, destroyed John the Baptist. "Even the oath of a private person causes many inconveniences, and the oath of a sovereign can become a real calamity for a whole people. - An example of the foolish oaths of Saul and Jephthah. - The evil done by King Zedekiah to the people of Judah by breaking his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar. Just as everyone abstained from baths in fulfillment of the prohibition imposed by Theodosius, so all must fulfill the command of the Savior about the impermissibility of the oath. - In Antioch, for the first time, the followers of Christ began to be called Christians; therefore it should also be the first city to expel all blasphemy. (Corrections - Lyudmila Zhmurina, St. Petersburg)

CONVERSATION FIFTEEN. The usefulness of fear. - It is more useful than cheerfulness. - Commentary on the text from the book of Jesus Sirach 9:18. - Means of providing us from the dangers of this world. "Swearing is worse than killing. - An exhortation that the faithful should avoid oaths. (Corrections - Lyudmila Zhmurina, St. Petersburg)

CONVERSATION SIXTEEN. The fear of the inhabitants of Antioch at the rumor of the arrival of soldiers in their city, and their appeasement by the governor. - Denunciation of this weakness, unworthy of Christians. - Continuation of the conversation about the oath. - The bonds of Ap. Paul and their instructiveness. - A Christian, like Apostle Paul. Paul, must love the sufferings that lead him to the glory of eternal life. On the occasion of the third week of Great Lent, the preacher exhorts his listeners not so much to calculate the amount of time that has elapsed as the sum of their progress in virtue and especially in the struggle against the bad habit of swearing. (Corrections - Lyudmila Zhmurina, St. Petersburg)