8.
We must expect impiety's prophet too — perhaps not one but more — speaking to us as the Lord's 'word' what the Lord 'commanded not,' or a wisdom-word foreign to wisdom, to kill us with his mouth's word. But even then, when the sinner stands against us, let us say: 'But I as one deaf heard not, and as one dumb who opens not his mouth. And I became as a man who hears not.' For deafness toward impious words is fair, when we despair of correcting those who say the worse.
Greek (GCS)
τὸν ϑεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις." γενητὸς εἰμι κἀγώ“ τί βούλει προσχυνεῖν τὸν προσκυμοῦντα; κἀγὼ γὰρ τῷ ϑεῷ καὶ πατρὶ προσχυνῶ καὶ λατρείω xal αὐτοῦ πειϑόμενος τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασι „Ti ματαιότητι" ὑποτέταγμαι „ba τὸν ὑποτάξαντα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι" καὶ ἐλευϑερωϑήσομαι ,ἀπὸ τῆς δου- λείας τῆς φϑορᾶς“" νῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνδεδεμένος φϑαρτῷ σώματι, εἰς τὴν ἐλευϑερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέχνων τοῦ ϑεοῦ." VIN. Ἔστε προσδοκῆσαι καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας τα ἃ προφήτην τάχα οὐχ ἕνα ἀλλὰ πλείονας λαλήσοντας ἡμῖν ὡς κυρίου ,ῥῆμα, ὃ οὐ προσέ- ταξε" κύριος, ἢ αἷς σοφίας λόγον τὸν ἀλλότριον τῆς σοφίας, ἵν᾿ ἡμᾶς ἀποκτείνῃ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ. ἀλλ᾽ ἡμεῖς καὶ τότε ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον ἡμῶν εἴπωμεν" «ἐγὼ δὲ ασεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ" καὶ ἐγε- νόμην ὡσεὶ ἄνϑρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων“. καλὴ γὰρ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς λόγους κώφωσις, ἐπὰν ἀπογινώσκωμεν τὴν τῶν τὰ χείρονα λεγόντων ἐπανόρϑοσιν. ΙΧ. Χρήσιμον δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐννοεῖν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἐναντία προκαλουμένων, τί διδάξαι βουλόμενος ὁ ϑεός φησι τό" ,ἐγώ εἰμε κύριος ὁ ϑεός σου ζηλωτής.“ καὶ οἶμαί γε ὅτι ὃν τρόπον νυμφίος ἐπι- στρέφων τὴν νύμφην πρὸς τὸ σεμνῶς βιοῦν συνάγουσαν μὲν πᾶσαν ἕαυ- τὴν πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον παντὶ δὲ τρόπῳ φυλαττομένην ἐκχεῖσϑαι πρὸς Cels. V 11 a. E. — Mark. 10,18. Luk. 18, 19. (Matth. 19, 17). — 8 Matth. 4,10.